Wilma is cat 3 now.

[AirmensMom]

The Weather Channel just announced it. :scared:

[CatholicEdHead]

1. The eye is still ragged but it is reforming

it should absorb the remenents of Tropical Depression Alpha before it goes up the eastern seaboard.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. What's it gonna do with West Palm Beach?

I know a really disgusting rightwingnut who lives there with her child molester husband.

What are the chances they'll, you know, get washed out to sea with Wilma?

A Leftie can dream, can't she?

[Tab]

4. There's an oxycontin addict

who lives in palm beach too...

you hear him on the radio sometimes...

[AirmensMom]

5. The center of the eye could go right over it.

Go ahead and have your dream. I'm in the path, too.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. Oh, no!

I'd rather you stayed safe, even if they survive.

Maybe something else for them. Like, you know, giant rats attacking them while they sleep?

Be safe, kid ............

[AirmensMom]

10. That sounds better to me.

Hurricanes hurt too many people at once. The giant rats can be a little more selective.

I'll be safe ... just a little more scared of cat 3. I hope it doesn't get stronger.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. What are you going to do?

Are you in a safe place now? What have you done to prepare? Do you have people there with you?

[AirmensMom]

14. Yes, we're safe.

I have my husband and 4 kitties with me. Our 11-year-old house is 10 miles inland, reinforced concrete block, with hurricane panels, reinforced garage door, and roof straps. Our big freezer is full of ice. Jugs and tubs are filled with water. We have battery powered TV, radio, fan, and flashlights, and a bunch of canned food. The cars are in the garage and everything from outside is either inside or tied down. I don't think we forgot anything.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

15. OK, good luck

I'll be holding good thoughts for you.

Later, I'll wish for the giant rats ..............

[AirmensMom]

17. Thanks!

I'll help you wish for the giant rats when this is all over with.

:hi:

[nofurylike]

44. you really know your stuff, AirmensMom! good to hear how well

aware and prepared you are.
please feel yourself in the embrace of so many, many here. and please come tell us all about it, as soon as you can!

:hug:


peace!

[RockaFowler]

95. Where are you in WPB??

We are in Lake Worth and decided to go to my husband's work. Much safer building. It is around 5:15 right now and there is a lot of wind. Be safe everyone . . .

[TroubleMan]

7. Hey....I live in West Palm Beach along with a lot of other lefties.

In fact the county is like 70-80% Democratic.

We got a few rich wingnuts here, but most of us are liberal.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

9. Yeah, well,

I want all of you good guys to be safe.

But, but, but ...................

[AirmensMom]

16. Stay safe, TroubleMan.

:hi:

[TroubleMan]

20. Thanks. I think we'll be okay.

The storm has to cross over Florida. Although it is moving too fast to weaken much, the fact that it's moving fast should keep the damage minimal.

[AirmensMom]

25. Yeah, I'm hoping it weakens.

I'm starting to get stressed. :scared:

[kestrel91316]

31. Hey. I just remembered my BIL's dad is in Jupiter.

Is that nearby??

[TroubleMan]

37. Just north of where I'm at - also in Palm Beach County.

We may get hit by the eye.

[kestrel91316]

39. OMG - I hope it weakens over land.

[geomon666]

55. Nothing as bad as what's going to happen to Naples.

Just a bad day, trees down, no power.

[babylonsister]

3. I have CNN on. The Keys look worse than the west coast of FL

at this point. Where are you? My dad's in Ft. Myers, won't leave because "it won't be so bad", a few others aren't leaving, etc. :eyes:

[AirmensMom]

6. I'm in Boca.

I hope your dad is safe. I hate these things.

[TroubleMan]

24. You stay safe, too

nt.

[AirmensMom]

26. Thanks. I will.

I hope. :hide:

[babylonsister]

28. Thanks, I do also. And Boca... where is that in relation to

Miami? I used to think it was at the start of the Keys, but it's further north?
I hate these things also, and wish them gone! If it's any consolation, cold fronts have gone through TX and GA, so maybe we can churn the next bunch away from the US coast.

[AirmensMom]

29. North of Miami ...

North of Ft. Lauderdale, even, and south of West Palm Beach.

[babylonsister]

30. Well, thank you AirmensMom!

I also always thought West Palm Beach was near Miami.
Are you okay? And who is Airmen? I'm the wife of a vet, and an airman!

[AirmensMom]

32. Well, in the grand scheme, it is.

Same state, same coast, you can drive it in a few hours or less. :)

I was OK until it went to cat 3. Now I'm scared out of my mind. :scared: Not even planning on going to bed ... too scared.

The airmen are my daughter and son-in-law. They're in Idaho right now. Scared about that, too. Did your husband have to go to Iraq?

[babylonsister]

33. No, my husband retired

as an airman/navigator (Aviation Tech) from the Coast Guard in 1990. He's now working for an airline.
Are you alone? You're scaring me because my dad and honey are in Ft. Meyers; if nothing else, this storm will plow through but leave quickly.
How long have you lived in FL?

[AirmensMom]

35. No, my husband and kitties are here.

He's gone to bed. I don't mean to scare you. My husband isn't scared at all. I'm just a wimp. :shrug:

We've lived here since '94. I don't remember a hurricane season this bad. Last year was bad enough. I'm getting too old for this.

I bet you're glad your husband is retired from th CG. :)

[babylonsister]

45. I'm glad your hub is there and relaxing!

I'm a wimp too. We left Houston last month, but it could have zigged or zagged either way, so your choices have to be made. But we waited til Friday to move; went south to Corpus Christi, which had also been evacuated, so found a nice hotel, food, etc.
I think you will be okay, AM. But we are all suffering from a hurricane overload.
We spent many a lovely night in Playa del Carmen, so I have been monitoring when possible what's been going on there all weekend. Talk about hurricane overload! And Wilma has been horrible.
Keep talking, if you want.
RE: The Coast Guard, My husband, his uncle, and two of my brothers have retired from the CG. I have one nephew in and has been for a few years (aviation again), and another one is getting out of boot camp in November.
I think my husband would have loved to partake in Katrina and rescuing people. That's what it's all about. It was surely great to see this organization accomplish what they were taught, they sparkled, and for some reason didn't need permission to do so.

[AirmensMom]

57. You're right about the overload.

Just too much this year. I'm glad you made it throught Rita OK. After seeing that evacuation, I decided I would just stay put.

We went to Playa del Carmen, too. It was on a cruise. It rained the whole time, so we actually spent more time on the ship. Yes, Wilma has been horrible!

Wow, you do have a lot of military in your family. I hope you nephews stay safe. I like how you put it -- they sparkled. :)

[William769]

18. Port Charlote all the way to Keys Keys are in trouble

Thats how big this storm is.

I'm in Fort Myers & our local news is saying damage expected all throurgh the S.W. Florida coast.

[babylonsister]

47. William, how art thou? You're in Ft. Myers, right? Talk to me! nt

[William769]

98. Monday morning Fort Myers hit by a cat 1

I still have power, yard is a mess. Naples looks really bad.

[MarsThe Cat]

12. it'll be reduced before landfall...

it hit a warm current of water, and intensified the way katrina and rita did...but there's cooler water between the storm and landfall.

[William769]

19. Nope not gonna happen.

[TroubleMan]

21. It's moving really fast

That means it won't have a chance to weaken that much if it does.


However, it's good that it's moving fast. That means less overall damage. It's moving east/northeast at about 20mph. That's really fast for a hurricane.

[karlrschneider]

13. 11 PM NOAA advisory out a few minutes ago

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/240241.shtml

edit: 11 pm EDT

[oregonindy]

22. 115 plus the 25mph speed = 140mph wind

[Rainscents]

23. Is Miami going to get hit with this storm?

[TroubleMan]

27. In some way or another, ALL of South Florida will get hit.

The diameter of the tropical storm force winds is very large.

[karlrschneider]

36. Yep, so true...on the southeast quadrant...

:scared:

[oregonindy]

42. thats the corner thats gonna whap key west isnt it?

[Mr_Spock]

34. Triple meow!

Wilma!! Get me a damned stegosaurus steak!

[babylonsister]

48. Spoken like a true NE'er. nt

[nofurylike]

38. hang on, everyone there! we'll be here surrounding you in golden light

and love!
we'll be waiting to hear from you, and your stories of it all!


peace!!

[AirmensMom]

41. Thanks, nofurylike.

Max Mayfield just drew Wilma's path right through my house. Jeez! I hope the power stays on so I don't have to lose touch. We'll all be needing plenty of that golden light and love. Thanks! :hug:

[nofurylike]

46. you got it, from so many here! hug!! eom

[nofurylike]

40. lighting a candle for all of you! please feel all the caring here!

:hug:


peace!

[AirmensMom]

43. That's so nice.

Thanks. :hug:

[nofurylike]

49. it's good your husband is resting up, but does he know you're feeling

edgy? are you determined not to wake him?

well, nice for us you're here talking with us, thank you!

how's it looking where you are, now?


peace!

[AirmensMom]

50. He had to work so hard to get the house ready.

I can't help him very much, so he does most of the work. And he had to settle things at his job yesterday. He's so tired and I don't want to wake him. It's nice being here ... but just a minute ago I thought I was going to lose my internet. I hope that doesn't happen.

The panels are up, so I can't see anything outside at all. It's still a little early for more than some gusts.

Thanks for hanging around. :)

[nofurylike]

51. gladly. thank you for keeping us up on how it's going!

i can see why you would want to let him get as much rest as possible. it sounds like a huge amount of work getting as prepared as you are.

i'll be here, and many will, so please do keep talking with us while you've got the connection.

:hug:

peace!

[AirmensMom]

53. Yes, it is.

The longer we live here, the more stuff we have in the yard. Every little thing has to be taken care of. The panels take time to put up, too. It takes a full day to get ready.

I'm glad there are night owls at DU! I'm already feeling better.

:hug:

[nofurylike]

56. you show us how much experience helps in preparing!

i'm pleased to hear that it helps to be visiting now.
you have so many battery-powered things, what a great idea!

are you on dial-up? maybe a plan for next season: a battery pack and wirelss internet :)

does internet keep going? or does it take towers or something?

well, for now, it's just good to have this much contact!
:hug:


peace!

[AirmensMom]

62. No, I have cable HSI now.

I'm switching to DSL next week. I have a battery pack, so I'm halfway there. :) I don't know about the wireless internet, but I assume it must take some kind of towers. Last year we lost our cell phone towers, land line, and power. It was very strange.

I hope to live somewhere else next season. :)

:hug:

[nofurylike]

64. glad to hear from you, AirmensMom! i wondered if you were

getting some rest, too.

i didn't get where you're located, which coast. i just read that wilma's due to come onshore at about 7am. i know you can already feel it, though.

where, generally, do you think of relocating? i think i would too.

:hug:

peace!

[AirmensMom]

65. No, I'm here.

I didn't see your post right away.

I'm on the east coast. Sounds safe enough, but the state isn't very wide and the storm is not expected to weaken as it goes across. The images look like we have something going on, but I can't see or hear anything.

We have a daughter in NE TN. We'd like to live closer to her. Can't exactly follow our airmen around the globe. The kids hate FL, so we're stuck down here alone now. I miss mountains, camping, and fireflies.

:hug:

[nofurylike]

66. good to here from you. i'd not seen your prior post for a while, too.

it must help a lot that you don't hear or see anything while it's still a ways out, yes?
i'm relieved to hear you're on the east coast, and 10 miles inland, compared to some other places. the keys are really rough, i was reading.
sigh...


TN is beautiful, yes? "mountains, camping, and fireflies." what a sweet change that will be!

you said you have a battery tv - great idea! are there news stations showing up-to-the-minute, for you?

:hug:

[AirmensMom]

67. I would rather see.

Sometimes it sounds worse than it looks. But it's strange that I don't hear anything at all.

The storm surge won't be the problem here. It'll be the wind ... and the CNN guys are making it sound like we're going to get it bad. The keys are getting it now. Just saw the reporter trying to stand up.

Yes, TN is beautiful. We used to live in upstate NY -- too cold for me there. TN is not as cold. And I really miss my kids. We want to buy a piece of land near a little mountain brook, have a garden, go fishing.

The battery tv gets two or three channels with the antenna. They're local, but they do 24/7 coverage during a hurricane. They also simulcast on the radio, in case people don't have a tv. Usually the tv cable goes out before the power. So far, so good.

:hug:

[nofurylike]

68. had to reboot. slooow. but better now.

do you have a way in and out, so you can go take a look now and then? or is it already too rough?

it is true that you are on that northeastern side for a while, i realized. the wind... have you been through a hurricane of this category, while living in that house?

posting this, then will continue...

[AirmensMom]

69. I could open the front door.

But I'd have to turn off the alarm ... that makes too many beeps. I don't want to wake my husband. Usually I hear some wind.

We've been here for 12 seasons. Nothing this direct until now.

[nofurylike]

71. yep, the alarm pain-in-the... :) 12 seasons and none this direct, you've

had a good stay, then?
i can see why now would be good time to resettle. it sure does look like the storms'll be getting worse, for the most part. that gulf water was almost 100 degrees this summer. a superhurricane nursery.
sadly.

[AirmensMom]

74. Just keep all that a secret.

We still want to sell the house. :)

[nofurylike]

81. zipping. tossing key. ;) eom

[AirmensMom]

83. I just saw this one.

:hide:

[nofurylike]

90. lol! and i, this one. eom

[nofurylike]

70. i once lived upstate NY too. snow belt, eek! yes, too cold for me too!

that sounds like a beautiful dream, tennessee! mmmh! it is so green there!
and times i've passed through, it's always seemed like a very nice climate, too.
i can imagine how you must miss your kids. they'll be blessed to have you more near again, and i bet they'll also get great vegetables and - yum! - fresh fish!

dreamy.

when you do resettle, will it be to stay? i mean, with the military considerations you've mentioned.

[AirmensMom]

72. Green, pretty, no hurricanes ...

No hurricanes (did I already say that?) ... I like TN. My son-in-law's family lives up there. It's funny b/c his aunt lives down the street from me, but the kids met up there. I miss my kids very much. We talk on the phone a lot, but it's not the same.

This is the daughter who is NOT in the military. The military one is in Idaho. She wants us to live near her, but we only want to move one more time in our lives. She's the mother of our only grandchild, so I'd love to live closer to her as well. You just can't have everything in this life.

We want to grow a garden and have an apple tree. :) I used to have a great vegetable garden in PA (that was before NY).

What part of upstate NY did you live in? We were in Endicott. My husband is from Dannemora.

[nofurylike]

73. omg! vestal! eom

[AirmensMom]

75. NO WAY!

We were RIGHT across the bridge!

[nofurylike]

78. yes!! across the bridge! wow!

funnier still: saint ambrose (hell) school in endicott!

the place i was in the snow belt was upstate more, though. albany way. WAY snow!

[AirmensMom]

82. Hmmm, don't recognize saint ambrose ...

where is it?

We lived near Watertown for a while. CCCCCOOOLLDDDD. And Dannemora isn't exactly tropical. Albany is really pretty. I don't think it's as gray as the Vestal/Endicott area.

[nofurylike]

76. "so I'd love to live closer to her as well"

since she's military, it seems she must not be permanently settled yet, true?
maybe once you make a lasting home in such a nice place, she'll want to move more near you. it's very nice to have a family homeground, especially in such a nice area as TN!

i'm mixing up this thread this way, aren't i?

oops!

well, maybe it will be diverting for you, trying to figure out what the heck i'm doing, where :)

[AirmensMom]

79. Military is never settled.

My mom used to tell me that they moved you every time you hung the curtains. So, if she wanted to move, she just hung curtains. :)

It'll be several years before that one's ready to settle down for good.

Ha -- mixing up this thread .... like anyone cares. We've pretty much taken it over. :evilgrin:

I'm doing pretty well, thanks. :)

When did you live in Vestal? Or do I have to find the answer somewhere else? :hi:

[nofurylike]

84. it just vanished my post - pming you, ok? dial-up, arrgh! eom

[AirmensMom]

86. Yes -- PM me.

DU is running really slow for me right now. I can get other sites fine. :shrug:

[nofurylike]

88. i pmed. thank you, i was not sure what was happening. eom

[Chi-Town Exile]

52. Be Safe, everyone in the path of Wilma!

I'm thinking about you guys and I pray every thing will be alright.

Sounds like you are very prepared, AirmensMom, I hope all will be well.:)

[AirmensMom]

54. Thank you, Chi-Town Exile.

It really helps to know so may people are out there pulling for us. :)

[immoderate]

58. While we've got your attention...

Note that there is a...

South Florida meetup on November 5th.

Details:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=145&topic_id=5735&mesg_id=5793

I'm in Tamarac, and it looks like Wilma's aiming for me.


--IMM

[nofurylike]

59. bet that will be some celebration, when you all meetup! hang on,

IMModerate! all these candles are for you too!

please feel all this amazing light and loving care pouring out of so many here, surrounding you!!

:hug:


peace!

[immoderate]

60. I feel it!

Thanks nofurylike.

There's no place like DU!

(One of the topics I'm bringing up at the S-FL meetup is how we can host a national meetup and attract people from the cold climates. I know, it's a long shot.)

--IMM

[nofurylike]

63. thank you, IMModerate. it's very nice to know you do feel it! yes, yes,

"There's no place like DU!" !
it is amazing to witness this!!

not such a "a long shot" maybe. it seems wilma, alpha and this noreaster here might be joining to bring us big snow. south florida looks real good - well, after this particular season passes, that is.

it would be great to meet all you brave rugged folks!!

hang on

we'll be waiting to here about all this!!

:hug:


peace!

[AirmensMom]

61. Stay safe, IMModerate.

:)

[immoderate]

77. Thanks, and you as well!

--IMM

[AirmensMom]

80. Are you getting anything yet?

[immoderate]

85. Some rain. Wind is kicking up.

Nothing dramatic yet. You?

--IMM

[AirmensMom]

87. Wind here, but not too bad.

I can't hear it at all where I'm sitting, but my husband said he heard it in the other room.

[immoderate]

89. I went outside.

It's gusting up a little.

Can't hear it inside yet.

--IMM

[AirmensMom]

91. I just went outside, too.

Same thing -- gusting. No rain at the moment, but everything is wet. Are we having fun yet?

[immoderate]

92. I'm trying to figure out if I should go to sleep.

Where did the time go?

--IMM

[AirmensMom]

93. I hear ya.

I've been up all night and don't think I can sleep until it's all over with.

[immoderate]

96. I'm gonna lie down.

But not for long. See ya later.

--IMM

[AirmensMom]

97. OK.

I'm sort of getting to that place. My eyes are burning. Take care. Check for a new thread when you come back -- there might be one.

[Murdock]

94. live coverage link to Local Naples Ft Myers

http://www.nbc-2.com thats the nbc afflilate in naples