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Post by joychica on Aug 3, 2005 10:29:19 GMT -5
I haven't read the full article, but I did hear about the possibility of more storms than predicted...I wonder though what happens after they go through the full list of names in one year? Onto the general weather though...it's been sooooo hot this summer I think worse than last year...and the bad news is that we still have red tide here in the Sarasota area...no beaches for a while... Laura
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Post by kcbent on Aug 24, 2005 12:21:15 GMT -5
Jenn, if I were you I would wait until Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma pass through... Can I just say "FUCK Katrina"!!! I'm flying up to stay for a week with Denise (word doc) this Saturday and Katrina may just mess up my plans... hmmmm... no word filters? lol
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Post by joychica on Aug 24, 2005 13:15:14 GMT -5
I was going to write you and tell you to be safe this weekend...didn't realize you were flying out this weekend Looks like she's going to crossover and come out where I live Hopefully she won't strengthen much...and then like the dj said this morning "It'll just be like a giant fart in the afternoon like our usual storms" Keeping the fingers crossed or else I'm just staying home on Friday... Laura
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Post by kcbent on Aug 24, 2005 14:41:26 GMT -5
I think it's going to end up north of where I live, and all the bad weather right now is either north or north east of the eye. That's pretty typical when they're weak like this and still unorganized. By the time it hits the gulf, it will just be a lot of rain. It will just depend where it comes off the coast in relation to you and how fast it can restrengthen. I'm hoping this one is just an annoyance and nothing more... And yes, most of our afternoon thunderstorms are actually a lot worse than the majority of the bad weather in a minimal tropical storm. I just wish they'd go fart somewhere else!!! I think I'm going to use that DJ's wording for a while, it's fitting. ;D
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Post by joychica on Aug 25, 2005 15:39:08 GMT -5
Jenn, if I were you I would wait until Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma pass through... Can I just say "FUCK Katrina"!!! I'm flying up to stay for a week with Denise (word doc) this Saturday and Katrina may just mess up my plans... hmmmm... no word filters? lol When you flying out on Saturday? And from which airport? I just saw Ft. Lauderdale is closing at 7pm tonight...I have a friend leaving for Colorado Saturday morning from Tampa...she's starting to worry she won't be able to get out... We've got all clouds now...and we're starting to get storms from this thing They posted a tropical storm watch up to Englewood on the west side of the state and Englewood is just north of where I'm at...People are starting to go nuts... It'll be a fun weekend Laura
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Post by kcbent on Aug 25, 2005 17:12:24 GMT -5
My flight is supposed to leave at 2:05 PM from Miami International on Saturday. They said today that nearly 20,000 people had their flights cancelled today. They didn't say if that was just flying out, or both in and out. I wasn't worrying as much about Sat. until they mentioned that it will take them 2-3 days to get everyone on flights for whereever they were going. What? Plus, all the planes are out of Miami, so even when they can reopen, the planes have to fly back first. I have an hour and a half layover from in Dallas/Ft. Worth. I sure hope the flight doesn't leave too late from here, then leave me stranded in Texas. Grrrr. Right now, we're just bored. Everyone's home, everything's shuttered up, etc. We're getting ready to watch movies and hope we don't lose power. We've had 2 or 3 solid hits so far. Mostly, it's just rain. It's barely a hurricane, and only in a small section of it. Who I really feel sorry for is the panhandle, if it reforms over the gulf and heads towards them yet again. Such fun... Makes you wonder why we live here, huh? lol Up until the past few years, it seemed that North Carolina got more of them than Florida did. *sigh*
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 9:17:43 GMT -5
Jenn, if I were you I would wait until Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma pass through. Well, Wilma will hit south florida tomorrow, so I guess it's safe to come down here after that.... wait, I forgot, we used all the names and moved on to the greek alphabet. We now have Tropical Storm Alpha!!
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 9:25:55 GMT -5
Ok, since I'm about as ready as I can be for yet another hurricane, I had to find something to do to pass the time. Here's some hurricane humor (do I need a disclaimer that I am in no way poking fun at New Orleans, Cancun/Cozumel and the victims of Stan?)
You Might Be A Floridian if:
- You exhibit a slight twitch when introduced to anyone with the first names of Andrew, Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Katrina, Rita, Wilma...
- Your freezer never has more than $20 worth of food in it any given time
- You're looking at paint swatches for the plywood on your windows, to accent the house color
- You think of your hall closet/saferoom as "cozy"
- Your freezer in the garage now only has homemade ice in it (this is ours!!)
- You no longer worry about relatives visiting during the summer months
- You, too, haven't heard back from the insurance adjuster
- You now understand what that little "2% hurricane deductible" phrase really means
- You're putting a collage together on your driveway of roof shingles from your neighborhood
- You have a 5 gallon bucket of roofing tar in the garage
- You were once proud of your 16" electric chain saw
- You're considering upgrading your 16" to a 20" chainsaw
- Your street has more than 3 "NO WAKE" signs posted
- You now own 5 large ice chests
- You can cook "anything" on a propane grill
- You own more than two portable propane tanks
- Your parrot can now say" hammered, pounded and hunker down"
- You recognize people in line at the free ice, gas and plywood locations
- You stop what you're doing and clap and wave when you see a convoy of power company trucks come down your street
- You're depressed when they don't stop
- You have the personal cell phone numbers of the managers for: plywood, roofing supplies and generators at Home Depot or Lowe's on your speed dialer
- You've spent more than $20 on "Tall white kitchen bags" to make your own sand bags
- You know what "Bar chain oil" is
- You're thinking of getting your wife the hardhat with the ear protector and face shield for Christmas
- You now think the $6000 whole house generator seems reasonable
- You own more than one 5 gallon gas can we own 6
- You know how to "backfeed" 220 through the dryer plug
- You look forward to discussions about the merits of "cubed, block and dry ice"
- Your therapist refers to your condition as "generator envy"
- You fight the urge to put on your winter coat and wool cap and parade around in front of your picture window, when you finally get power and your neighbor across the street, with the noisy generator, doesn't get electric
And finally, You Might Be A Floridian if:
- You ask your sister up north to start saving the Sunday Real Estate classifieds
Things Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan, and Katrina taught us:
A tree on the ground looks four times bigger than it did standing up
When house hunting look for closets with lots of leg room.
Water from the shower is much colder than water from the kitchen sink.
AA, C and D are the only alphabet we need.
The four way stop is still an ingenious reflection of civility.
Radio can be the best way to watch television.
Chainsaw wielding men are nothing to be afraid of.
SUV's are the best makeshift tents on the market.
You can use your washing machine as a cooler.
It's your God given right to sit on your back porch and eat Chinese takeout by candlelight in your underwear.
We shouldn't complain about "useless" tools in the garage-- we actually DO need a generator.
You can' t spell "priceless" without I-C-E.
Downed power lines make excellent security systems.
Gasoline is a value at any price.
Cell phones: Breaking up isn't hard to do.
The life blood of any disaster recovery is COFFEE!
The need for your dog to go out and take care of business is inversely proportional to the severity of the storm.
Candlelight is better than botox--- it takes years off your appearance.
Air Conditioning: BEST. INVENTION. EVER.
Water is a comfort food. But 3 day old Cheetos are too.
Shadow animals on the wall---Still fun.
No matter how hard the wind blows, roadside campaign signs will survive.
You should never admit to having power at your house in the presence of co workers or neighbors who do not.
There's a plus to having NOTHING in the refrigerator.
Getting through the day should be an Olympic event.
Somebody's got it worse.
If somebody's got it better, Obviously, they are getting preferential treatment.
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 9:30:34 GMT -5
Some amusing pictures I just found: (again, these are funny to a Floridian, but may be deemed inappropriate to anyone from New Orleans, the Yucatan peninsula, and whereever Hurricane Stan hit) Laura and Penny, you'll probably get this one: This is going to be my approach for the rest of the hurricane season: These were just cute, since Florida has had so many hurricanes hit somewhere in the state the past 2 seasons:
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Post by joychica on Oct 23, 2005 10:54:48 GMT -5
Thanks for the laughs...I must say that so far this storm has just been the worst...I'm so tired of waiting and waiting...
Since I live on the border of Sarasota County and Charlotte County I get news from Tampa but Tampa doesn't cover Charlotte County...so I have to go to the Ft. Myers news online and on radio to find out what's really going on...Tampa focuses on themselves with very little emphasis on where this storm will actually hit further south closer to me...So anyways, I listen to a radio station out of Ft. Myers on my way into work and on the way home to get updates on Wilma...Every morning the weather lady comes on at 8 with the new advisory (another thing us Floridians know by heart...when the advisories come out!) And she was saying how she felt like she was in Groundhog Day (the movie) and every day was repeating...since the storm kept stalling every morning she would report "Wilma will hit Florida in three days." By Friday it was soooooo old...I just can't wait for Wilma to just go through do its business and leave!
We'll compare stories Monday or Tuesday Cheryl! I must get back now to filling the tub and collecting candles/batteries/radio and getting my "shelter" (closet) ready just in case...urgh...
Stay safe! Laura
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 11:34:46 GMT -5
Laura, here's a link for the future: www.nhc.noaa.gov/Over time, I've gotten to where I rely on their discussion section, which gets really technical. Sadly, I now understand most of it!! I just finished closing all the shutters except one. I still have to bring the grill in, but it's about to fall apart and I have to wait for someone to help me. As for a 'safe' room, we have a small bathroom downstairs with only a toilet, a sink and 2 litter boxes! It's always fun to imagine all of us stuck in there... A summary of our past week: Hurry up and wait... That's why I found that first picture I posted so funny! The whole preparation thing is stressful enough, but add to it all this waiting? I think I'm losing my mind, one hurricane at a time... lol Stay safe, Laura. I'm scared of tornadoes for this one. *runs and hides under bed*
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Post by joychica on Oct 23, 2005 19:01:31 GMT -5
We're officially under a Tornado Watch...two tornadoes have been spotted in the county north of us where my folks live...I'm also worried about the tornadoes this time around...most of my neighbors have put up their shutters (we still haven't scoped out shutters yet to make that investment...oops...) So it finally took a hurricane for us to clean our garage, but now both cars fit in the garage...I'm pretty impressed with myself... Well we got one band already with some nice thunder...making some dinner...hubby is playing video games...we're still waiting and getting a bit impatient...We even went out to the store because we were a bit bored and thought we'll lets see what it's like out there and pick up some more batteries if they can be found...sure enough the Wal-Mart parking lot had a decent amount of shoppers... This wait really has gotten me frazzled on an already chaotic and stressfull tiring week...But hey at least we get a three day weekend Laura
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Post by u4ea on Oct 23, 2005 19:19:37 GMT -5
hi Laura, Keep us posted... thinking of you. I'm concerned about my aunt and uncle in Naples, I heard there was an evacuation order...
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 20:13:40 GMT -5
What part of Naples are they in? Are they near the beaches? Did they evacuate? I think the evacuation orders were mostly for west of US41, were they're closer to the beach and more vulnerable for the storm surge.
Laura, out of curiosity, were you able to find those batteries? I'm wondering if they were already sold out or not. lol
So far, we're just getting some wind. Parts of the county north of us (Broward county - Ft. Lauderdale) had areas already severely flooded yesterday from some extreme outer bands.
Laura, the tornadoes are freaking me out for this one, too. They're saying there could be more of them due to the combination of the cold front and the hurricane and it's landfall, and that they could be F2's instead of what we normally see - F1's.
Does anyone else have any family or friends in Florida?
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Post by kcbent on Oct 23, 2005 20:37:13 GMT -5
Laura, they just showed your area on our news. They're saying the tornadoes are developing as that cold front comes into contact with the hurricane bands. I'm sure you're watching radar, too. Hang in there, hopefully it will be over soon.
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