Be safe, JAGIRL!
 

JAGIRL, based on the forecast this morning, it looks like you will get Ernesto as a tropical storm, with strengthening occuring quickly once it leaves Jamaica. You be safe and take care, girl! And that goes for everyone else on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. God bless!

Now I have to go tank up & fill gas cans (and the price here has already shot up due to this storm), and try to find some supplies. The stores pretty much started emptying out yesterday - New Orleans is getting ready early this time. Too iffy with those levees to take any chances.

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Y'all BOTH take good care of yourselves!

JAGIRL, please post to let us know you're OK when the storm is over. :-)

I think it's very eery that Ernesto may hit the gulf area on the same day as Katrina last year.

JAGIRL & BayouGal & anyone else in the area - Please stay safe! It's good to know people are taking it much more seriously this time too, BG.

Thanks, everyone!

Just a reminder:

After returning from evacuating with Katrina, I was not able to access any internet service until Feb of this year. Soooooo, you might not hear from me for quite some time if Ernesto does comes to the N.O. area. Time will tell.

Long gas lines here, water sold out already, can goods going rapidly, extension cords already selling out, you name it! Thankfully, we have been stocking up on stuff for months. Just gotta make sure we have bullets & shells - a sad, but absolute, necessity.

And it'll be Wednesday or even Thursday before we have any idea where this thing might end up going.

You girls keep safe and please let us know when you can how things turn out for you. We'll be thinking of you.

Bayou, I'm glad [but not surprised] to hear you are smart enough to protect yourself. You can't take any chances with your life nowadays.

Thanks, SpeedBuggy.

I really appreciate all the positive thoughts and prayers coming our way!

Maybe a big wind will come along and sheer this baby apart!:-D

BayouGal...are you in New Orleans itself or outside? We will worry you through this, and you too JAGIRL.

Our last house in that area was in Terrytown and a letter from our neighbor described conditions almost beyond imagination even though that wasn't in the flood zone. Malls still wiped out, having to go 15 miles or more for a grocery store. And self protection. Yes. :( I hope to heavens this one strays from it's current projected course. The good thing is...they normally do this far out.

And I can't believe Cayman could get it again too--still in recovery mode from their last hit.

Does anyone remember a time when hurricanes seemed mostly to threaten the eastern coast of FL and up the eastern seaboard? 50's maybe? What has happened?!

We'll be thinking about you all!

Hi BayouGal and JAGIRL, I was thinking of both of you this morning while reading the weather reports.

My prayers that both of you and everyone in your communities will be spared any damamge. But preparing in advance is so good. And thinking of personal safety is also. My very best wish that all will be safe and out of harms way. ((R))

I am uptown, and have family in and all around N.O., and on the northshore (of Lake Pontchartrain, not HI, LoL).

This is looking more and more like a bad dream. http://tinyurl.com/dptsr But it could still go just about anywhere or be dispersed - let's pray!

Gotta run pick up things on my patio, deck, and in my yard - in the rain - and take down birdhouses - too much to do to wait until the last minute. I have a child to get to college next weekend, too.

Ha! Ha! It's all about travel priorities!!!

I had to come back on and tell you all this. So few others would appreciate my pre-storm stress and wicked sense of humor right now. :-D

I was thinking about what was most important to me and what was most important to do right now. You know, so I'd get my priorities in order and use this time wisely. Well - photos, cash, etc, didn't come up first . . . you know what did?????

TRAVEL.

My actual thought was, "I sure hope this doesn't mess up us leaving out of Armstrong International on the 15th (of Sept) for our trip to Yellowstone."

Now how's that for priorities . . . or maybe it's just skewed thinking from too much stress and bad memories of Katrina! :-O

I'm not worried about my possessions, I just want to be able to get the hell out of Dodge when this is all over! :-D

Those are good priorities to have, keeping it all positive that your trip was proceed!

Prayers to you both and others unnamed.

I'll be keeping an eye on Ernesto. I hope this time there'll be no NO damage, and minimal if any damage elsewhere.

I like those priorities! :)

Here's my favorite tracking site www.weatherunderground.com then click on whatever storm name you are watching. The computer models http://tinyurl.com/m5gww are great because you can follow them periodically during the day and see trends developing...giving you a better idea what might actually be in store for you.

Poor folks along the FL panhandle too! Lawsy...much as I love that area, no way on earth I'd buy there!!

Good heavens BayouGal, bullets and shells. Like it's not already bad enough that you have to contend with the weather.

I believe you all have worries that most of us could not possibly comprehend.

My continued prayers for all of you.

(I have had Blue Bayou in my mind all yesterday and today in your honor, sweetie!)

Prayers for you from California!

aww gee guys :)
We're here getting ready for this fellow and his very unwelcome visit. He's supposed to still be a tropical storm when he gets to us. So we're preparing for some heavy rains and some wind.
Thanks for the kind thougts and prayers you guys.

Bayougal and all who live in the storm's path: I'm just hoping something pops up suddenly to prevent him from strengthening when he hits the gulf.

Anything goes when he gets into the gulf. I'm glad to hear that folks in NOLA aren't playing around with this storm. Better safe than sorry.

topping for JAGIRL.

OOPS. I was a minute too slow on the topping.

Stay safe you guys! :)

It seems to be moving North of Jamaica! *phew*.
We may be spared again.

I haven't listened to the weather yet, but that would be good news!! :)

Good news, JAGIRL! :-D

I hope it misses you entirely. And I hope it's not one of those wobbles that puts it back on course to BayouGal after it bypasses Jamaica.

It's looking much better for you BayouGal, but I'm <i>sick</i> for friends and Fodorites on the FL west coast as it looks increasingly as if that will be the area hit now. :(

And sick that for our boat which sits happily in a slip in St Pete, stripped of her sails and readied as best we could for this possibility when we left in June, but there's really not a lot that can be done.

You know OO I keep mixing you up with annesherrod! :)) But no...you are malesherbes, not annesherrod. I hope your boat will be o.k.

Anyway...yes it looks like we will indeed be spared again. We are most grateful. Florida and Cuba are directly in its path now.

Poor Cuba.
It appears they will get it as a cat 2.:( Florida might fare better as it may hit as a cat 1.

Hispaniola is getting pounded by heavy rains. I hope they're not getting really bad flooding. They really don't need flooding in that country.

...yes...yes...I know...I know...Hispaniola is an <b><u>island</u></b> with two <b>countries</b>. Slip of the tongue! :))

I'm so glad for you JAGIRL! You must get so sick of hurricane seasons, though! It's hard on the nerves watching for days as these things approach and drift this way and that, isn't it!!

Keeping good thoughts now for Patrick and LilMissFoodie, then Joan, Wayne, Coldwar and Birder--and all others in Fodorsville, FL. I should know better than to try and name names 'cause sure as I do, I'm likely to leave some out. Sorry in advance for any omissions...

Bonniebroad--when was your trip? I know it is sometime in September.

Hi OO, Neopolitan (who you referred to in your last post as &quot;P&quot; ) is now in LA on a long US trip. I sure his residence will be alright..well I hope all of Florida..anywhere that it being threatened with a hurricane will not be hit by one. I'm wondering about LongBoatKey also. Best wishes to everyone in the path of Ernesto!

Yes, we made our trip yesterday to get lots of water and batteries,too. Here in SW Louisiana, the hurricane is all everyone is talking about. Everybody is still shellshocked from getting too much of Katrina and Rita last year.

I'm especially hoping it stays far away from us because we have our 17 year old granddaughter from Virginia living with us this year and she is really scared of the whole idea of hurricanes!