Hey Flboys look out (AGAIN)

OkeeDon · Sep 3, 2004

Just my daily check-in. Two and one-half pieces of good news today. One came from the insurance company. We had just signed up for a new health policy, because our previous company is pulling out of Florida on October 15. My problems started the day after the new policy went into effect! And, we had not yet cancelled the old policy -- we were to do that on the next business day.

To make a long story short, the old company will be primary, and the new company will be secondary, until 10/15, then the new company will step in. The new company had to put it under review to be sure there was no pre-existing condition, but that hurdle has been cleared. I have an appointment with a heart surgeon on 9/30, at which I expect to be cleared for a transplant. Now, I know it will be insured. A great weight is lifted...

...second good news, the same friend who helped me with the motor home yesterday, found time amidst his own preparations today, came up, and put all my tools and materials worth saving inside the commercial building, while I sat in a chair and supervised. It's so frustrating to not be able to do the things I could do just 5 weeks ago...but, another great weight is off my mind, because there was a lot of stuff over there I didn't want to lose. I had moved it all outside onto the covered deck just a few weeks ago so I could do the interior painting and lay the new floor. It will all have to come back outside again after the hurricane, but that's a small price to pay.

And, the third bit of good news (the 1/2 part) is that the storm is weakening slightly. It may gain strength again when it passes over the Gulf Stream before landfall, but the possibility that it will still be a little weaker is at least some solace -- thus, the "1/2" good news rating. The 3M window film I have is rated up to about 118 MPH, so if the storm was still in the 140 MPH range, I had to worry. Of course, if it gets to cat 5 (<155 MPH), all bets are off, and even those with storm shutters or plywood will lose what they have. Now, however, it looks as if it might be >120 MPH when it arrives.

Excuse me for rambling on, but I know there's a lot of folks out there who are as concerned about us Florida folks as we are when you'all are in trouble, and I'm just trying to help you keep your chins up as high as ours are... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Golfgar4 · Sep 3, 2004

Don,

Lots of good news for you today! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Glad to hear your insurance company has come through for you. We certainly don't hear about that happening very often, do we? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I saw on the news this morning that the storm had weakened some. Here's hoping it weakens even more. From where the news report was coming from, Melbourne ?, it was almost totally deserted. It's good to see that people are paying more attention than when Charlie came through.

How is it looking in your area? Have most people gotten out of there? How far away is your son? I know you mentioned that your SIL was about 45 minutes away.

We'll keep thinking and praying for you all down there. Take care and check in when you have a chance. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bird · Sep 3, 2004

Glad to hear what's going on, Don, and especially glad you got some good news.

OkeeDon · Sep 3, 2004

<font color="blue"> How is it looking in your area? Have most people gotten out of there? How far away is your son? </font>

So far, it's looking like a normally windy day -- the bands are starting to arrive, the landscape is dancing, and there's an occasional squall of rain. But, Betsy just climbed out of the pool after doing her daily exercises. The patio just looks a little bare with everything in the living room...tomorrow, I'm making beef stew in the crock pot, because we don't expect to lose power until Midnight or later, although the winds will be picking up.

In our area, most people are staying. Our city is almost entirely single family houses, most less than 20 years old (ours is about 25) and built to stringent codes. 90% of the houses are concrete block with stucco, and fiberglass shingle roofs. Many of our neighbors are elderly, and we have a pretty good idea of who is staying and who is going. Almost no one is going. Remember, the evacuation is for coastal areas, and we are about 10 miles inland. It's also for mobile homes. The recommendation for those ordered to evacuate is NOT to leave the area, and NOT to go to a shelter for primary safety, but to go to a friend or relative who lives in a house and an area like ours. We have several friends who live in manufactured houses, but all of them are out of town, either in their summer homes or touring in their RV's, so we don't know anyone to open our doors for, or we would.

Our son, Adam, is 32 years old, single, and actually somewhat homeless. He works as an appraisal manager for a bank down South in Boynton Beach, and seems to be on the fast track for advancement, so he's hesitating to buy anything down there. Instead, he's rooming with a co-worker. whose parents happen to own a spare 4-bedroom house in Wellington. Adam owns a house up here, but he's renting it out. Yesterday, he helped us. Today, he's up in Fort Pierce, about 8 miles North, helping another friend board up his house. He also keeps his jet ski at his friend's house, so they're putting them in the garage. Fortunately, he sold his boat, a 21' center cutty fisherman, just last week, so someone else has to worry about securing it, now. Tomorrow, he'll be helping another friend until the storm hits. He doesn't know where he'll end up, but whereever it is, he's the type who will come through smelling like a rose, probably because he's so laid back.

At this point, 4:28 PM, I'm just waiting another 32 minutes for the next track projection to come out of NOAA.

chucko · Sep 3, 2004

Well it looks like it is comming this way as of now. Hey thats two in three weeks. You would think I should be getting good at this
Track charlie and trace where that show this one now and it makes an "x" on Fla the x is right on me. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

OkeeDon · Sep 4, 2004

Well, it's Saturday AM, a few minutes past Midnight. The storm has weakened. Max projected winds over our house are 95 knots, or roughly 110 MPH; the TV is saying about 105 MPH. This, of course, isn't good, but it's a lot better than 145 MPH as earlier forecast. These are sustained winds and gusts will be higher; I guess we'll find out how good the 3M window film is. Fortunately, many of the windows in our house are narrow -- the windows in 3 of the bedrooms are only 18" wide. That's countered by the sliding doors in the living room -- they're 12' wide, and open to a porch. We'll stay away from that room during the storm. That's where all the patio furniture, grills, pool toys, etc. are piled up, anyway.

I got the official latitude and longitude projections from the NOAA site and platted them onto Delorme Street Atlas, ran a striaght edge between the 12 hour and 24 hour points, and the center of the eye of the storm will not go directly over my house. It will be about 3 blocks SW /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

The eye will then pass about 15 miles North of my Okeechobee property and my daughter's house, but the sustained winds are projected to drop to about 50 MPH by the time it gets that far inland. That will likely be about 6 hours after it passes our house

I use a cable internet connection and they expect us to lose cable service at some point, but most of it is underground, and it may come back up fairly fast. I'll be running the motor home generator about 6 hours per day to keep the refrigerators charged, so I'll check back in as soon as possible. I should be able to get in another update sometime tomorrow (today? It is after mindnight) before the advance gusts knock everything out.

MarkV · Sep 4, 2004

Good luck Don, we will be thinking of you. I talked to my daughter this morning, Sat. 7:30 a.m., she is in Wellington which is W. Palm Beach area. You’ve got to love youth. They have a huge storm coming in a few hours and I woke her up when I called. I believe I would have been up all night. Anyway she says they have 35 mph winds now and gust up to 50 mph. Thankfully she is 20 miles inland, shuttered up and stocked up. The projected path is such that there were not too many options for evacuation. The local authorities have been saying for the last few days that if you can’t leave the state to stay where you are if you are inland. May be the last time we get to talk until it is over. Cell phone circuits are over loaded as well as the land lines. I got cut off twice in a 15 minute conversation. At least the storm has weakened a bit which is good news. It is also moving so slow that the rain and storm surge are going to be the real problem makers.

All you Florida people hold on.

MarkV