Irma heading straight for me.

[Are_grits_groceries]

Question is whether it will veer east some and stay over water or grind up the coast.
Either way we are screwed.

My brother informed me that nothing would be left.
He might be right.

[suffragette]

1. Sending good thoughts to you.

[fierywoman]

2. Me too !

[Beearewhyain]

3. I am assuming Florida

but regardless of where you are, go inland if you can. I was in Central FL during Charlie and the winds suck...but water is infinitely worse.

[Are_grits_groceries]

11. NE SC

60 miles inland
Hugo was not fun. Neither was Hazel.
Never seen this type of storm before.

[dembotoz]

33. Damn I thought u were in Minnesota with that name

Seriously..stay safe

[octoberlib]

37. I'm up near the North Carolina border. I hope Irma isn't like Hugo and

dissipates over land. Stay safe!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. Hazel? That's going back a few years.

I was a little kid when Hazel blew through NY. Some big wind.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Please do whatever you need to do to stay safe and check in whenever you can!

[longship]

5. Please do what can do to stay safe.

Remember the winds do not kill, it's the water.

You're in my thoughts, Are_Grits.

[Ilsa]

21. We had two wind-related deaths

In our region from hurricane Claudette, both were due to falling debris, but winds have been known to blow dangerous debris.

Both can be deadly.

[colorado_ufo]

6. Go to wherever you can to be safe or stay put if that is better.

I am so sorry that you are in this situation. May God be merciful to all.

[ucrdem]

7. It might be a good idea to fill a few bottles with water

in case the supply is interrupted. Hang in there grits!

[Are_grits_groceries]

12. I stay prepared.

This one got me doing some extra.

[CaptainTruth]

8. Lord, you have my prayers. It's heading straight for me too.

I'm on Merritt Island, I can only hope it will be down to cat 3 or so when it reaches us.

It makes you think about what you value. If I have to evacuate I'm taking things like my birth certificate & my passport etc, & all 11 of my guitars. I've been playing for 40 years, & I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them.

I can't imagine what my fellow Floridians in the south are about to go through. It sounds like this will be devastating.

No words...

[malaise]

9. You and those cats will survive

Wishing you al the best sis - the eye may miss you

[Hekate]

10. May you and all beings be safe tonight and in the days to come.

[irisblue]

19. may it be so

[yuiyoshida]

13. keep safe everyone!!

誰もが安全に保つ！

[malaise]

14. The new projections this morning suggest that it will be Cat1 by the time it reaches you

Florida and Georgia will face the worst. Storm surge now - that's still a problem.

[Are_grits_groceries]

15. Matthew was a 1.

It knocked half the trees down. The rest wil prolly go now.
I mean, old, over a hundred year old trees.

[malaise]

16. Those are the ones I hate to lose

[Are_grits_groceries]

17. Surprised the hell out of everybody.

These were trees nobody expected to fall like that. On my the farm where my Mama grew up, lots of huge trees gone. My brother helped move them. They counted rings on a couple.

I drove down one road in town and huge logs were piled up in front of houses. Looked like forts.

[malaise]

18. Hope it works out better this time

[cwydro]

22. Cat one storms don't knock down trees.

I live on a large property in NC. If your trees came down in that kind of storm, they probably were not healthy trees.

We get really bad storms sometimes, with winds as bad as a cat one. Rarely lose trees..I've ridden out a cat three on a small island. I lived.

If you're really scared, secure your property and head for the mountains. You're not that far away from them.

Don't panic. You'll be fine.

[n2doc]

24. Im sorry, but that is bs

We were brushed by Matthew here in Savannah, it took 3 months to clear out all the downed trees.

[cwydro]

48. Not my experience.

Ymmv.

[Are_grits_groceries]

35. I'm not panicking.

Getting pissed at those telling me not too. Been thru these since I was born.

AND that Cat One storm did knock healthy trees down. All over NE SC. Don't sit there and tell me I didn't see them.

I'm cautious but not scared. You trying my LAST nerve!

[cwydro]

20. And me.

I've been through hurricanes.

You will be fine. Prepare and hunker down.

[n2doc]

23. Me too, in Savannah

If it goes straight in to us we will have a 15-30 foot storm surge, pretty much all of town except the middle of downtown would be underwater.

[jpak]

29. I was at Skidaway for David in 1979

Lots of trees went down.

.

[n2doc]

39. Same with Matthew last year

Took Savannah 3 months to clear the mess. But this time they are saying a 20-30 ft storm surge if we get a direct hit.

[jpak]

45. 10 hours before David hit - there were 12 foot waves in the ship channel

at River Street.

It was scary...

[hamsterjill]

25. Be safe.

Please take care of yourself. Wishing you safety and protection.

[liberal N proud]

26. They are calling for it to make a second landfall here in SC as well

We have onlyrics been our house a few weeks, flood insurance is not in effect.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

27. On the Gulf coast

Here's hoping Irma takes a easterly turn and heads into open waters. Stay safe.

[Achilleaze]

28. .

[HopeAgain]

30. There is something like 4 Million of us

here in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. We will be stronger than the Hurricane no matter what happens. Everything will be okay in the end.

[dewsgirl]

31. Me too

[GoCubsGo]

32. Yeah, it's not good.

I'm about 100 miles inland, and it's still not going to be good here, either. Especially if it heads up the Savannah River, as 3 or 4 of the models show it's potential path. They're talking about average 40 mph winds, with gusts over 70 mph, regardless. We'll probably get the sort of damage Charlotte got during Hugo, which was mostly wind and tornado damage. I have a lot of big trees on my small lot. I am not looking forward to this. At least the power lines are buried in my neighborhood. When we lose power, it's usually only for a day or two.

[spanone]

34. Be safe grits!!!!

[roamer65]

36. Be as safe as humanly possible for you, grits.

[LiberalLoner]

38. I hope it will veer out to sea and miss you.

Stay safe!

[Skidmore]

40. Heading for my inlaws too.

We just wired money yesterday to my sister in law in the Bahamas so she could buy materials to board up her home and get her roof finished. Think SS here is paltry.? She draws $250/mo after decades of working as a housekeeper in a private residence. Her only child recently died so she has no other support now. She is very frightened. We implored her to go to one of the designated shelters. I hope she does. I'm afraid she will stay in her home. The expected storm surges are terrifying.

[ismnotwasm]

42. Ah jeez

Hoping you stay safe

[mahina]

43. Jesus, Grits. I hope you can get to a concrete building and shelter.

Hoping you're ok. I'll be thinking of you and hope we can hear the all clear. Much aloha.

[Are_grits_groceries]

47. Thx!

Been thru many including Hazel and Hugo. This one is off the charts.
You know it's bad when people are stocking up now. No last minute rush.

Every storm is different. Matthew was a cat 1 that blew half our trees over. Been thru stronger rated ones that seemed ok. I have a clue but anybody who tells you that they know is lying.

I am in a relatively safe place. Relatively.
Gonna find out. Not worried. Just antsy. Get it over with.

See ya on the flip side.

[FSogol]

44. Nothing left? Reminds me of Proust:

"When from a long distant past nothing persists, after the people are dead, after things are broken and scattered, still alone, more persistent, more faithful, the smell and taste of things remain poised a long, long time like souls, ready to remind us, waiting, hoping for their moment amid the ruins of all the rest, and bear unfaltering in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence the vast structure of recollection."

-"Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust

You have a few days, work on mitigating its effects, if you can. Good luck and our thoughts are with you.

[Are_grits_groceries]

46. I would say he was exaggerating

but all bets are off.
I think everybody is doing what they can. Only so much can be done and then you wait.
The problem is reacting when something occurs. You always think you know what the right thing is and you act. In reality, there is no telling.

[Greybnk48]

49. Stay safe grits!

Good thoughts coming your way.

We have family in Ft. Lauderdale and Savannah GA and we're all scared to death. My former mother-in-law and, of course my daughter's Mema, is 91 in Ft. Lauderdale won't leave because of her five cats. She has a generator and is in a condo that has an emergency generator for the entire complex, but so what. The wind is the thing. He son (my former brother-in-law), and another granddaughter (my niece) are both going to stay with her rather than at their own places.

All begging to get them to leave has failed--so far.