Ivan the Terrible is now a Cat 5
 

As if this is news to anyone with a pulse in Florida. I awakened to look at the latest NHC track and swallowed hard. Straight up the middle.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics...F/060908W5.gif

I'm having deja vu as my thoughts are the same as last week. My only concern in getting enough petrol to get out of the state.

160 mph means devastation for Jamaica. The path could still turn but where could one go for a short evacuation. Inland would appear to be out. LMF

God works in mysterious ways!

Top Man, I don't think you are on top of anything. People in Florida are in shock from three weeks of serious weather and many are in fear of the next storm.

My only regret is that Fodors does not have an ignore feature on their website. Over the past few weeks many people have come here to share their experiences and suggestions on how to handle the stress of living in Florida during the 2004 Hurricane Season.

I'm sorry that you are only able to be snide. Your remarks are not clever or amusing, you do not even qualify to be a minor troll.

TTFN LMF

LMF, I am so upset I had to take a sleeping pill last night! We are going on a 2 week trip to England on Tues, and now I am looking for contingency plans to get to Atlanta for our flight, because more than likely RSW will be closed Tues. This is just all toooo horrible IMO, esp for those heavily impacted by C. & F.

Like just about everyone else in the country, I know people and have relatives in Florida. The stress of the last couple of weeks has been palpable even from where I am in upstate New York (the other NY). My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Since there is little that can be done from here other than to donate to the Red Cross, I spend a good bit of time tracking developments in the Tropics and Florida online. Here's a few of the hurricane sites that I've come upon that might help you residents make decisions about whether to hang in there or flee.

http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/

Go to the "Ivan" page on boatus.com and then click on the "Spaghetti Model"...Very interesting.

A navy site with a frequently updated storm track:

http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html

This one has reports from across the Carribean from residents of the islands...reports from Grenada are just coming in and are grim...

http://stormcarib.com/index.htm#reports

Let's hope Ivan jakes a sharp left and heads out to sea.

Lilmsfoodie,

If Topman is being "snide", Why is it that when hurricanes bear down on Florida, we all have them " in our prayers".

If people go to church on Sunday and pray that Ivan misses Florida, are they being "Snide"?

Think about it? Topman is right on in his assesment. Three storms that are considered an "act of god" is mysterious.

Please allow me to first say that my heart goes out to all Florida residents who have had to tolerate the last two hurricanes, and await (possibly) the next one. You've been hit very hard this season.

However, at the risk of being verbally attacked on this board, you knew the risks when you moved to a state that is susceptible to such storms. I also would like to add that here in the NE, we have suffered through several very harsh winters. Our transportation systems have been crippled, sometimes for several days at a time; we have lost power; lives have been lost in weather-related accidents; and on top of all that, we have to dig out. But I have never seen nearly as much coverage on this board for any of those very intense storms as there has been for the two recent hurricanes. At most, people who have booked trips to NY have posted their fears that the airports might be closed.

Again, my thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by these storms, but I felt that this needed to be said.

As a native New Englander, I think digging out your car and losing power pales in comparison to having your house blown away by a hurricane. I'll take the New England risks any day.

gojacks -
Did you read the previous post from TopMan about it being a result of the voting issues of 2000?

I think LMF had that in her mind when she responded to TopMan.
Renee

along with Jamaica, for the current time, keep the people of Grenada in your prayers. According to news reports, their island has been devastated.

.....On a different thread? I didn't see it.

OK. For everyone who says we "knew the risks when we moved to the state", I have to admit that when I was ten I had no idea! My choice to stay is my own. God has nothing to do with it.

Topman, pls. go take your lithium.

I can't find the posting now. Maybe it was pulled?

I just don't get people like TopMan (JonJon, or whatever his current name is). He is well traveled and sometimes offers very helpful advice, yet for some reason he feels compelled to "stir the pot." Attention-seeking, perhaps?

I can't believe a third one is coming. Stay strong.

As an aside, from what I understand as a Christian, God does not punish people here on earth; judgment comes later.

I'm so tired of hearing about "knowing the risks" when I moved here. I moved here in 1972 and this is only the second time in those 32 years that I have any noticeable affects from hurricanes (and so far, still none of any significance). Some of you act like it is a constant threat. There are few places in the entire United States that haven't been subjected to a couple of disasters in the past 32 years! Are you also suggesting that anyone who lives in New York city is an idiot since they have been the object of two terrorists within two years? Or that anyone who lives in an earthquake zone including the entire state of California "deserves" total devastation since they knew what they were getting into?

by the way I really do know the difference between "affects" and "effects".

Good old Fodors...only here will you find posts that indicate that God is punishing Florida for an election scandal or that victims of devastating storms don't deserve any sympathy because they chose to live in an area where such events are possible.

How embarrassing it must be to have such small minds. Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves although I expect that that isn't something you're capable of. What the heck is wrong with you people?

You're so right Patrick. I've lived in Florida since 1973 and have only experienced three significant hurricanes and two of those were in the same year. I lived in California for 5 years as a child and went through two major earthquakes. It doesn't matter where you live...things happen. That's nature. The best advice for any natural disaster is to be as prepared as possible. I can't stress enough the importance of having hurricane shutters (and not living in a mobile home if at all possible). My thoughts are with you all in South Florida and I'm sure you'll forgive me if I keep hoping Ivan does not hit the Panhandle!

Now theres a secular post. "Thoughts " and "hoping" rather than praying.

It's OK to pray people. Floridians will be doing alot of it this week.

"How can people be so heartless, how can people be so cruel, easy to be hard... easy to be cruel.." "Hair"

We don't mind secular posts, nor the opposite. Personally, I don't mind Topman's posts, either, but I do feel sorry for someone who is so unhappy. Always looking to not just "stir the pot" but unload his unhappiness on others. Oh, well. Life is full of miserable people who like to be abusive. And lately, life is full of hurricanes. What's one to do? Crawl in a hole?

None of these weather "events" are fun. Since moving back to North Carolina 13 years ago, the weather patterns have been positively freakish!!! We've had Hurricane Fran, also an unbelievable snowstorm (for this area!) of 25" of snow (in an area totally unprepared for it), and an unreal ice storm a couple of years ago that knocked out power and services for days and days!!! The hurricane was, by far, the worst for the most people!!! Personally, the ice storm did more damage to our property, and left us without power longer. But the morning after Hurricane Fran came through, we stepped outside and it was like a war zone! Trees sticking out of roofs, cars smashed by flying debri, people walking around in a daze. I am more afraid of hurricanes than anything else.........

By the way, one thing that people often mention in their discussion of why they live in an area that might be subject to hurricanes:

With hurricanes you have warning. There is no reason to be killed in a hurricane if you follow normal precautions. This cannot be said for earthquakes, tornados, and even floods, not to mention terrorist attacks and other disasters. Maybe there's something more safe about a hurricane prone area than most other areas of the country.

Friends in New York told me that they had flooding all over the city yesterday and particularly in the subways. One said it was left-overs from Frances, another said it was a nor'easter. Don't know which is true but it sounds like lots of looney weather out there this year.

Are you accusing me of being unhappy?

;-) ;-) ;-)

Don't worry, I'm happy.

Don't worry, be happy. That should be the motto of the day. I'm sooooo over being stressed out about hurricanes, this nation of ours, etc, etc. Gojacks, did you take your lithium? Or did you just get happy naturally?

No meds for this happy soul. But, there may be some bipolar folks here who might take offense to that statement.

Meds are a way of life, now. No offense intended. Lithium has been a life-saver for bipolar disorder, whereas the old alternatives (thorazine and electro-shock) were a mess and made the patient worse.

Leona, did it hurt when you hit your head?

You don't have to be on the coast or in Florida to be sacked by a hurricane.

If you read the news, Frances did horrible damage to Atlanta and if my grade school geography memory serves me correct, Atlanta is about 300 miles from any coast.

Please think.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned global warming especially after the movie, Day After Tomorrow.

Global warming? It was the coldest summer preceded by a frigid winter in the northeast. Maybe no one mentioned it because it was a MOVIE.

Wow...what a thread...

Does anyone KNOW how hurricanes get their names? Is it boy, girl, boy, girl too?

...wrath of God, act of God, natural disaster...keep thinking and praying...

So, with this major heat wave in California...what say yee?

Leona et. al.--Bless your hearts!

Should I sue my parents for making me move to FL when I was six months old?

As of right now, the Keys are being evacuated..many computer models show it coming to west coast of FL. MY DH is soooo nervous he went to the local Philly cheeese steak place and is getting a big cheese steak with frys!!! He says he deserves this comfort food now. Personally I am scared ####less! Judy

Judy:

Pray...do not be afraid. Have faith!

Judy I can relate to your husband. I ate my way through Charlie and Frances.

Not only is this physically draining but it is emotionally draining.

This hurricane season is sucking the life out of me.

We just got our power restored around 11:00am. It was out for 4 days. Just in time to see that we might take a direct hit from Ivan.
By the way...I am a 5th generation Floridian...who do I sue!

It's truly saddening when people start posting in a political way re. these hurricanes!
My thoughts and prayers may be different than some others thoughts and prayers, but I do pray that no one is hurt by Ivan, in Florida or the Carribbean. It's just unbelievable to think there could be 3 in a row.
Keep it non-political.

Scoff at global warming if you like, but will we ignore the evidence until it is too late? Check out this month's National Geographic on Global warming. Here is an excerpt from the web site:

"Scientists who assess the planet's health see indisputable evidence that Earth has been getting warmer, in some cases rapidly. Most believe that human activity, in particular the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, have influenced this warming trend. In the past decade scientists have documented record-high average annual surface temperatures and have been observing other signs of change all over the planet: in the distribution of ice, and in the salinity, levels, and temperatures of the oceans."

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/...re2/index.html