Take care Floridians! Our Bahamian friends tell us that Katrina is quite a rainmaker. Small but slooww moving. Hopefully, this will pass without causing you all any problems. -Michele

Our wind just picked up tremendously and we are to get rain storms and bad weather for next few days -

Well, once again, that little icon you see on the tv weather maps is aimed right at my livingroom! :eek:

Time to open a bottle of wine! :D

It looks big enough to me!

Oh, try not to worry, but I'm afraid you may see some rain over the weekend. :ohmy:

Trish

BettyK and my Marilyn...take cover. Betty, hope your new roof is finished :eek:

Suzie,
The roof is not finished yet!!!Keep your fingers crossed, for us. But it appears to be coming south of us. (Watch out Bonnie!)
We do have some wicked waves on the ocean today!

Betty

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you Betty!

Stay safe everyone!

Wishing all you Floridians well and hope to see you report in soon!

Just watched the weather channel. Didn't realize it was already there. Please, please, everyone stay safe.
Bonnie, at least the eye came in a little south of you. Is the wine still flowing?

To our dear Southern Floridian friends: You are in our hearts. Take Cover and Be Safe (Hope that's California Wine!) We'll just have to have a hurricane party in your honor.

My friend in Boca said people were NOT preparing like in past storms in her neighborhood (Broken Sound) because it was a little one! This is a friend who moved there after the Northridge Earthquake. Yikes!

This thing sure took it's good old sweet time crossing land!!

Thank goodness, we are dry!!!! Crossing fingers and toes worked. Thanks!!!
We are waiting to hear from you, Bonnie!

Betty

Beautiful, hot, sunny day here but very windy -

The more reports I see, I think everyone underestimated this storm. A million people without power!!! I do hope all our friends are o.k....The Kimmi's, Mia, Bonnie, all those S.Fl. people. And where's she goin' now?????

Betty

Just talked to my friend in Boca. Power is on. They were supposed to be on the Dirty side but they were spared and south of them got the brunt of things. She says lots of debris but she doesn't think any damage. All the power is on where she is. Bonnie lives right near her, if I recall. The Kimmi's are probably working through this.

And to think that everyone in Florida still has until November to go through this :ohmy:

Trish

We dodged another bullet here in Cape Coral. Just lots of wind, and surprisingly, very little rain!

The more lively types around here throw "hurricane parties"...my boss is having one tomorrow. It'll be a rain-out, so none of the usual weekend boating. Might as well have a party! :3smile:

Hello everyone...thanks for your good wishes! Just got back up and running again. Lost power yesterday (Thurs) at 5 pm and just got it back tonite. We're right on the ocean in north Boca...got heavy winds (duhhh) and rain, but except for the loss of all power, we consider ourselves very lucky. Haven't had a chance to turn on tv to even see where K went after assaulting our shores. But so good to hear from all of you....thanks so much for your good wishes.

Our bottle of wine (that we opened when a hurricane seemed headed our way :eek: ) lasted not very long..but a wonderful hurricane party followed for those of us who stayed behind (and didn't evacuate!)...and more bottles of wine were found....... :app:

Yea Bonnie,
Have been wondering about you all day. So glad your news is good and that wine kept flowing.

Hi Bonnie! So glad you and yours are OK! I was concerned since this one gained strength so close to shore. Now we have to hope for the best as Katrina gains in the Gulf. - Michele

Good to hear, Bonnie!

Masaki

Bonnie, glad you are safe and sound, and have your power back - I know how awful it is to go without!

But oh my, Katrina looks to be gathering strength very rapidly. I am praying for everyone in her path...it doesn't look good at all...I do hope those on the Northern Gulf Coast take heed and evacuate!!!

Thats good news for you Bonnie - but she is looking worse and worse. Sister in law and husband live in Biloxi, so we are worried about them.

I always wanted to be in one of these storms, in a safe place of coarse. I tried my hand at storm chasing a long time ago and the awsome power of mother nature draws me. I would not want to own property there and my heart goes out to people that now have to put up with this serveral times a year. This looks to be a bad one, becareful.

Chip - you know I love you dearly, BUT ARE YOU NUTS?

I grew up in tornado alley - very scary. I now live 50 miles inland from the Gulf and have been through TS Allison several years ago & Hurricane Alicia in 1983. Nothing fun about either.
The New Orleans people have started to come into Houston. I don't know where the Biloxi people go, but I 10 is already bumper to bumper.
It is NO that always worries me the most. 30 feet below sea level.
JoAnn, I hope your sister has already left.

Betty, remember Chip is a professional photographer. I don't live in tornado alley (now that's REALLY scary), but am in the hurricane belt, and have been through many, many in my lifetime that have put much damage on ocean front properties owned by my family, but never damaged our residences or threatened life. My own parents' property on the coast has been there forever (well, maybe back to the 30's), never a problem or a drop of water flood damage. But I do have that same morbid sense of adventure as Chip when a hurricane is coming, and hunker everything down to avoid damage. My house is so sound, is on the bay but not the ocean. Too far from other houses to have flying debris like in a tornado. I have had as many as 25 friends camping at my house being evacuated from the island, and yes, we opened the wine and had a storm party! So maybe we are nuts, so long as we feel safe from all our past experience. It is those people in mobile home parks in Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi that I really feel for, and pray they will get to a safe spot. My house ground floor is at a 12 elevation, so I never worry about water, just wind, and of course loss of electric! BE SAFE everyone down there, and get to high ground!

Chip, you should have been in the Air Force flying the Hurricane Hunters! (My sister actually wanted to do this.) Now that's a thrill. They do such great work.
Betty, being in Houston, I'm sure you've seen a lot of bad storms. I lived in Houston from 1961 to 1970..I have childhood memories of the bayous overflowing with the snakes in the streets! (I know, too much info) When I was 11, Hurricane Carla (in 1961)tore off our roof & flooded our home..My father (a doctor) treated more snake bites than any other type of injury during that emergency..that was the worst experience of my tenure down there. JoAnn, I'm hoping your sister & husband have left Biloxi..such a pretty place. Michele

But I wouldn't be at the foot of Mt. Saint Helens when it went off. This is a Cat 5 and it's going to make history. Like Andrew this is going to hurt. So be safe if your in it's way. Do we know anyone who lives in New Orleans?

Yes it looks to be a horrible outcome to this. I wish health and safety to all those in the path and let's hope it dramatically decreases in size (unlikely) within the next few hours.

Anthony

New Orleans is such a special place to us; we are watching this in horror. New Orleans is twelve feet below sea level, and manages to stay dry with MASSIVE pumps that will end up under water if this storm hits there. I just read on CNN that it could take months for the pumps to be able to even function, in a worst case scenario.

.. supposedly boats are being staged up the Mississippi River in order to come in & rescue/recover people once it's passed through the city (New Orleans) since it may be under 15+ feet of water... This is so sad to watch.

Just heard from my sister (in Houston). Her SIL & BIL are NOT evacuating from their house in Houma, La., which is southwest of New Orleans. They won't leave their 10 (!) dogs so are staying in their huge boarded up house. They report that even if they wanted to leave now there's no gasoline at the stations. I don't understand this kind of reasoning(?).Take the dogs too!..I'm just praying for them. Take care all. Michele

I sure feel for all the people being affected with Katrina!! Who are our LCTers in harm's way?

Michele, would it help if your sister & I divided up the dogs? They need to leave now, but I realize you know that. Most of our backyard is a pool and the rest is in " sewer and plumbers land" right now. And actually it is too hot for the animals to stay out too long, but there are tons of kennels here in town and I know it could somehow work. The hotels/motels on the east side of town are already filling up, but your sister & I are on the west side. There are hotels that allow some animals - not 10 - but some. I guess I just have a hard time with the rational of staying and living in Houma they have to know this. At least they should be on the "dry side" but those things have a way on turning at the last minute.
Everyone, please get out now & be safe.

Marcie, Carolyn (Yallcruise) and Don are from New Orleans, and her family owns Galatoire's, a very famous old restaurant there. They were with Ngaire's group this June to Iceland and Norway, and also last August Black Sea. So Carolyn, we hope that if you read this you are out of harms way!

Oh Betty - I don't know whether to laugh or to cry at you even entertaining such an offer after what you have been through! I called my sister and read your post & she was very touched.(I told her about your sewer ordeal..) She says to thank you for your ideas & that she has tried & tried to get them to "just get out & come to her place" but to no avail. I've even offered to fly to Houston today to take care of the dogs. Their phones aren't working now since the emergency lines/cells are being used by officials. Yes, hopefully, they'll be on the "dry side" but Houma is out on the delta (south) so it's looking very scarey. A huge thank you for caring! Maybe we can help YOU with your sewer problems! (You can evacuate to my sister's place closeby...!) michele

Michelle, we used to fly into Houma every October, then drive to Chauvin to fish. There was a "festival" at the Catholic church called "Lagniappe on the Bayou" that was one of the most wonderful experiences! We timed our fishing trips around that weekend in October, and went several times. Then the Diocese stopped the festival, and we never went back.

Sending all kinds of dry thoughts to your family there! I remember going there right after a hurricane had been closeby, and seeing the houses that had been washed onto the highway, and then moved off to the side of the road.

Pam, you're bringing back good memories for me with the story about the "Lagniappe on the Bayou" festival. So many "down home" good people & good food. I bet you all have had some great fishing trips in the Gulf! I miss "gulf shrimp" so much! Thanks for your dry thoughts. I'm sure my sister's inlaws will survive - I think they've lived there for 50 years. Michele