Jocelyn_P

Last I heard yesterday Wilma was upgraded to a Cat 1 Hurricane. I woke up this morning to hear it's a CAT 5??? with the lowest recorded pressure ever. They say it's headed to Florida. Good grief. My thoughts and prayers are with you all in the Sunshine State, or wherever this thing ends up.

P_M

Wishing all the best for our Fodorites in Wilma's path. You will certainly be in our thoughts and prayers. Please check back with us when it's over to let us know you are OK.

BTW, what the heck is going on? (that's a rhetorical question) It blows my mind that we have had so many storms this year. Wilma is the last of the named storms. If another storm occurs they will start using letters from the Greek alphabet. So God forbid, if there's another one this year it will be called Hurricane Alpha.

To the hurricane gods--ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

GoTravel

P_M, we have had years of many storms (not quite this many) but those storms blew out to sea and no one paid any attention.

I hope Wilma scoots around Cuba, Florida, and heads out to sea.

Fortunately, the southern Atlantic is starting to cool down which will help kill the intensity of the hurricane.

Living in hurricane prone areas, you do know that hurricane season is from June 1 through December 1st. It used to crack me up that people would say the season is only August and September.

Statia

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone on the Gulf Coast and especially Florida...once again. This is crazy....what a season. I agree, enough already.

cd

It will probably not hit as a cat 5 and it's not as large as Rita or Katrina but just heard they are evacuating the Keys.

cd

That is evacution for non-residents.

Cassandra

Some are reporting that it's looking like it could be even more powerful. Poor Jeb Bush was heard to ask "why us?" The only answer, Governor, has to do with geography and climate, nothing else. Here are good thoughts for all our friends (and my relatives) in Florida, that maybe it will have one of those sudden depletions of power just before landfall. And everyone, get ready to dig back into those compassionate pockets -- just because some areas are the most recent victims doesn't mean they are less deserving.

SiestaLinda

Thanks everyone for your thoughts--this one scares me cuz the "cone" is almost the whole state of Fla. We have tickets for Thurs nite to see Neil Diamond in Tampa and spend the nite there. We are going ahead with our plans and just leave really early Friday morning to come back to Sarasota.

On Friday we will batten down the hatches and if we are evacuated we are just going to go to friends that are a bit more inland.

Last year Charley did sooo much damage all over the place I mean Arcadia is no where near the coast, so crazy to drive all over the place. But we do need to get off the Island.

Again, thanks for your thot's and prayers, we appreciate you all.

Wednesday

...I think I may be out of the way here north of Orlando, but you never know...Patrick, I hope it turns prior to coming that way !! Be safe all !

ncgrrl

My thoughts are with all of you in the cone of uncertainty. My wish is for the storm to die at sea and avoid all populated areas.

Though Katrina and Rita did a lot of damage to the US, Stan caused a lot of damage in Central America.

If some super smart weather person could come up with a way to channel hurricanes away from land, I'd nominate him/her for a Nobel prize.

BTilke

Good luck and fingers crossed for everyone along the Gulf. When I saw the news this morning, I couldn't believe it.

Just out of curiousity, I then googled the phrase "another f***ing hurricane" and got 1300 hits.

GoTravel

My mother and father are in Cudjoe Key right now and I can't contact them.

They went down for Fantasy Fest so I hope they are paying attention.

They don't live there full time but part time so they aren't technically being evacuated.

SAnParis

Guess it's a 'wait & see' on my Conference in Orlando next week. These things have already postponed my trip to New Orleans, I guess I should start looking at Canada for my trips going forward. Hopefully it just stays out to sea...

highbay

GT- They've called for a mandatory evacuation for all NON-residents of the Florida Keys...so hope they got the word. I thought they stayed farther up the chain around Islamorada. Anyway...good luck. Have friends here in Tampa Bay area that were going to Fantasy Fest as well.

Now we all have to batten down!!!
So tired of this season and wish it were over.

MelissaHI

I'm supposed to leave for Miami on Thursday night. My conference starts on Sunday. do you know.....the conference organizers have not even sent out an advisory to attendees? Well, I'll wait it out a bit as hurricanes are erratic and the path could change.

Scarlett

The size of this storm is horrifying! I hope everyone gets out and stays safe way before this gets any closer.
My daughter in Jax has friends in Miami (whose home is still damaged from the 1st storm this year) who will most likely be staying with her..
I do hope it skips Florida somehow.
Tampa, stay safe!!!
Let me know if you want to move to Portland, they promised me No Hurricanes ~

Voyager2006

and we as a nation continue to ignore the effects of global warming..sigh

Cassandra

Uh oh, looks like the projected path is veering more northward -- anyone in the Sarasota/Bradenton area want to check in and tell us what they're telling you? My mother's in a wheelchair in a retirement home in Sarasota and I'm beginning to wonder if I need to hightail it down there and get her out.

GoTravel

highbay, my dad recently bought a place on Cudjoe Key. I have no idea why. My mother refuses to turn on her cell phone and no one is answering my dads.

I'll be PISSED if I find out they are dilly dallying in Key West for Fantasy Fest.

Good gawd is it just mine or do parents revert to 21 years old?

Melissa, don't wait and see, take action first. Call the airlines, call the hotel.

SiestaLinda

Cassandra--sorry no new news, they did say that Sarasota County is calling 1500 special need people to see if they need help. But right now too soon
to determine which way it will turn.

I think most retirement homes have excellant emergency plans in place, but you might want to call them just to be sure..