Hurricane Frances - Path, evacuations and reports

[kristikae]

[PammyHound]

Thanks for making a place to gather all the important information in one stop! You are one smart cookie!

[Brneyznfl]

Thanks Kristi! I hope those who are in Florida and those who might be considering coming down here this weekend, realize how dangerous this storm is. Please be safe. Don't ignore the evaucation orders if your area is issued one. I've lived in FL over 20 years and been through several Cat 3 hurricanes. There's no way I will hang around here if this hurricane changes course, gets into this Gulf and heads toward N.W. FL/Gulfcoast. :eek:

[hill6]

I have lots of people in my prayers right now that are in Frances' path. My dad lives in W. Palm Beach (he said he is not evacuating), my father in law in Fort Lauderdale, my husband's grandmother in Melbourne, and two others in Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

[molme]

Brneyznfl

 

What are they saying about Frances in Pensacola? We are headed to Orange Beach on Sat for a week and are a little afraid of Frances coming across FL and into the panhandle. I have been checking on weather .com and the rain chances have been dropping for the week, so maybe it will be a okay.

 

Thanks

[pmc7704]

Brneyznfl, don't want to worry you, but, I have a son who is a meteorologist up near the panhandle. Just got off the phone with him, and he was telling me about a forecast model that he was looking at that had the hurricane making landfall at West Palm, traveling northwest through the state between Tampa and Orlando, and exiting out into the gulf, making landfall a second time in the Appalachicola area. :eek: Of course, this is just one of many models, but he said this one is usually very accurate. We REALLY need a right turn along about NOW, don't ya think????

[Brneyznfl]

Sheez, I"m stressing and I'm not in S. FL. I really feel for everyone down there. My prayers are with my southern neighbors.

 

The word I heard today came from a friend of mine who works for governmental authority that oversees Pensacola Beach. Their employees are required to work at the emergency management office here in Pensacola before and during a hurricane. Her boss came back from a meeting and told the employees be prepared to work this weekend because there is a projection (one of several, of course) for the storm to cross over the state, enter the Gulf and become a thread to us in the Panahandle region. PMC7004 this sounds right in line what your son was saying. Of course at this point, it's still unsure which direction this storm will go but it's definitely on the minds of everyone up here.

[pmc7704]

I'm not just stressin', I'm getting downright terrified :eek: It's bad enough being in Tampa right now, but my heart aches for our neighbors to the east. They haven't even cleaned up the trash etc from Charley, and here comes the next one. All that does is give Frances more ammunition to throw around.

[Brneyznfl]

It's a mess isn't it. Pat you can email me if you like. I know there's not much I can do, but I'm here if you want someone to talk to :)

 

Jan

[lmondrop]

I'm really scared I haven't been able to concentrate on anything. My office is closed on Friday. But yet I have to continue packing as if I'm leaving on Saturday becuase you never know....Its such an odd feeling.

 

All I know is that I'm trembling in my pants...this hurricane is a really scary and big hurricane...bigger than any I have ever been in.

[poolgal]

My heart goes out to you and countless other's.

You are in my prayers

PG

[cruiserlisa]

Pat, I'm only up the street from you and I'm scared. The news tonight said that Tampa could experience Hurricane force winds along with Tropical Storm winds. I am not staying in my house alone. Ken has to work, so does my son. I had considered going to Naples but I just don't know yet.

 

Jan, I hope that you don't have to experience this one too. I guess this is the price we pay to live in the beautiful State of Florida.

Lisa :cool:

[chuleta]

Working as a volunteer at the Red Cross I just got word today that the EMC is opening 5 shelters in the Manatee & Hardee County area (maybe just as host centers) in the next few days. This time there will be at least 3 that will be designated as "Pet Friendly" centers! We have been preparing for this for the last week (and I can say I have put in over 36 hours in the last 3 days). We have been working hard to be better prepared and "God Help Us" we can meet the needs of the people that need to evacuate in other places in Fl.. No telling where and how this storm will travel but I pray that everyone finds a safe place to stay and will not risk their lives to protect their property. When you have 150 MPH winds you can't fight it, just stay safe.

[mtd716]

I'm not just stressin', I'm getting downright terrified :eek: It's bad enough being in Tampa right now, but my heart aches for our neighbors to the east. They haven't even cleaned up the trash etc from Charley, and here comes the next one. All that does is give Frances more ammunition to throw around.

This is very true and we are quite concerned about it. There is still a lot of debris on the curbs in my neighboring, including our own debris in front of my house. The cleanup crews just haven't been able to make it everywhere to pick it all up yet. This is true pretty much throughout the Central Florida area. They are actually recommending that people who leave near the debris collection sites should evacuate theirs homes due to the danger from all this flying debris in such close proximity.

[Toots]

I'm in Daytona Beach in an oceanfront condo and plenty worried. Right now the moon is shining bright, big clouds are floating, and the ocean is roaring. If they tell us tomorrow to evacuate the beachside, WHERE DO WE GO? I have a brother in Tampa, but who knows if it isn't heading there too? With forecasts being so unpredictable, we really don't know what to do except to wait it out. Our condo is eight-story concrete and we may just hide out in the stairwell which has no windows. The waiting is the hardest.

[lmondrop]

Thank you poolgal.....your sentiment is taken very much to heart.

[fla gang]

We have been lucky for many years living here in Florida . Every year we wonder if this will be the year, and for my 47 years here since birth I can say that My family has only had to experience one direct hit , which was hurricane Donna in I believe 1960.We all knew sooner or later we would have to pay the price for living in such a beautiful state with cruise ships galor to choose from, and beautiful sandy beaches just a short hop away. So now we are down to this Beast fastly approaching and we are doing what we can to save what we have and to help our friends and families that live on the east coast, just hoping they will still have a home to return to when this is all over. Good luck to all of or cruise critic friends , and to our Tampa cruise critic group, we did it the other week and let's do it again.

Stay safe everyone!

Barry

[bombero]

'DITTO', fla gang.. May God watch out over all of us, and al those in the path of Frances... Bombero

[peanutprincess1977]

Does anyone know if they have called for any kind of watch/weather/evacuation for the Outerbanks, NC??? I just heard that they evacuated Hilton Head, SC. My cousins and their whole family are in NC and I want them to be ok.

[CoachTerry14]

Does anyone know if they have called for any kind of watch/weather/evacuation for the Outerbanks, NC??? I just heard that they evacuated Hilton Head, SC. My cousins and their whole family are in NC and I want them to be ok.

 

Now this is a surprise...This is where I live and work... There are no evacuations (volunteer or mandatory) for the South Carolina LowCountry as I write this at about 9 am!

[springtxbill]

Good luck to all and remember to be safe.:)

[cruiserlisa]

The problem with this storm is that it is soooo big. The eye may hit the east coast but the eye is huge and the hurricane and tropical storm winds go way outside the eye. So alot of Florida is going to feel the effects of this storm.

 

Lisa :cool:

[yarlenna]

And of course ALL the Florida home ports for cruise lines are in harm's way.

Many homes and businesses are also in harm's way. South west Florida has taken a terrible hit form Charley. Interior Florida had a somewhat smaller hit. Now (I live near Orlando) we are going to get slammed again. I just wish it was already Wednesday.

[Kittymama]

Toots--If you're in an oceanfront condo & they evacuate, GET OUT! Go to your brother's place in Tampa. If it's a 4 or 5, trust me, you do not want to mess with it & be anywhere near the ocean. He'll be getting wind there, but not nearly as bad as you will. My mom lives in South Beach. Her building went thru Andrew. The security guards who rode out the storm there say they will NEVER do it again. Our family bought plane tickets for my Mom yesterday--to leave tonight, so she could go to work today. She was going to ride out the storm in her place but we said no way. Now there are rumors about MIA closing today, so she's on her way to the airport now to see if she can get on an earlier flight.

 

For any of you living in the path & have debris around--pick up what you can. After Andrew, Mom's building had big green smears along the top of it. At the time, it was the only tall building on South Beach. Turns out the green was from palm trees that had been ripped up on the islands the storm had gone over, & it carried them all the way to Florida. Her building is right on the tip of SoBe, so it was the first thing the trees hit, smearing their leaves along it. Tells you the power of these things. Now there are lots of other tall buildings there, & the morons only live there in winter but don't bring in their patio furniture. I can't imagine all that stuff flying around & into condo windows (most of them don't have shutters either).

 

Normally I'd never say this, but she works for Carnival. This is how dedicated she is (& another worker who lives in South Beach)--she came in to work today (Thurs.). The supervisor was stunned to see her & told her to go home immediately so she could pack & leave--couldn't believe she had even come in to work.

[Woch2331]

Are we crazy? I just got off the phone with Carnival. Glory is still scheduled but may be 'delayed'. Itinerary could be changed and will follow the western path. My wife and I are flying into Orlando this afternoon to see our son and ‘get ready’. Hope we’re making a good decision, until Carnival officially cancels; we still need to show up. And if they do, we’ll be trapped in Orlando during the storm!