Hurricane Irma strengthening in the Atlantic

I'm waiting for news about St. Martin. Early reports suggest they got hammered.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

lol Roger that. I don't trust what they say about the levees either. Must admit I'm glad I'm on the north shade at least.
All I have is a tiny house literally. I have everything crossed that this big dog keeps leaning East.

Just a two more windows to be shuttered. Doing them tomorrow. Everything else is about as secure as its going to get.

I throw papers for the PB Post and I was amazed last night at how many houses seemed like they hadn't heard the news. What really stinks though is that my job expects us to get those papers out up to the last possible minute. I'm 58 and me no likey that idea, but I'm kind of stuck with it. Blah

a reply to: AndyFromMichigan
Check the videos I posted on the last page, its all aftermath from St. Martin and other islands.

a reply to: onehuman
You and my mom are on the same wave length.

She just asked that same question.

Just praying for all to stay safe. If things get bad, we will get stronger.

If Florida survived that cataclysmic 1928 Lake O storm, we will survive this one. I pray that not one person is harmed during this storm, and pray we never experience a storm like the one in 1928 every again.

a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

Same here. I have lots of relatives and friends in St Maarten. At least one of them is okay.

(Just pasting a reply I made to another thread that was closed, which was about Evacuation in Florida.)

I think the biggest fear is that the hurricane won't have lost so much force when it hits Florida, most of the islands it has hit...and by all accounts very bad damage, all those islands are pretty small.
I think everybody should get OTF now. Another possibility is that the terrific amount of rain and water expected, could eventually cause sinkholes if the pressure of the water weakens the caverns around that area.

a reply to: smurfy

The highlands of Cuba could do some Damage to the storm if it tracks over them; that will weaken it somewhat. If it takes the turn sooner and tracks east of Florida, the coast will be on the backside of the storm and it makes landfall further up the east coast; can still wreak havoc even so.

Please be safe and take care everyone who is in this things path.

Let's not all count our Florida strikes yet.

There's a pretty strong cold front tracking across the country as we speak. It *could* bounce Irma up the coast instead of letting her make landfall in Florida. That may or may not be better. It may only prolong the inevitable hit or she may get deflected or she may still hit Florida.

But someone on another site pointed out that they keep delaying how fast she's coming in, so there may still be hope that she moves off.

As bad as it would be for the East coast, having that beast move in to the Gulf of Mexico would be the proverbial straw that would break the back of Texas and/or Louisiana. It looks like that is not going to happen, but these things are still hugely unpredictable this far off. I certainly do hope it hooks off NorEast and winds itself out in the open upper Atlantic.

Also , someone mentioned Sint Maarten. I had the Juliana Airport webcam on most of last night. It was incredible. The fence on the beach where the planes land almost in the water, was all twisted around and a car ran through it. The palm trees that were left were bent over at right angles and looked like the flames of rocket ships. Finally, the pole that had the camera mounted fell over and the video blanked out almost immediately, but you could still hear the roar in the microphone until the whole thing just lost power and blanked out. At the end, the controller of the webcam panned around frantically trying to show different aspects of the damage. This happened right before the eye passed over the island and the horizontal speed of the wind was absolutely astounding. There had to be major damage on the island and I hope everyone was able to make it to shelter


Addend: Imagine going through the eye of that thing, where everything comes to a halt, just to have it all come back on you a half hour later from the opposite direction. This is what probably causes the most damage, as everything that was weakened and bent one way now bends in the opposite direction and snaps. Still waiting on a full report of what happened there.

originally posted by: AndyFromMichigan
I'm waiting for news about St. Martin. Early reports suggest they got hammered.

There were tweets from English visitors, (I think) that said they had evacuated and were hunkered down in a concrete stairwell, that the noise was horrific, and that they were really scared, but were in a solid area.
Weather stations are all saying that the storm is the size of Michigan, and if it does does go in a Florida direction, it will still be deadly and highly damaging, while people should get out now. It's cat 5 now, how much weaker if and when it gets to Florida, they don't say, but still give the former warning.

www.accuweather.com... 2657

a reply to: charlyv


saw the same livecam, as it was about a mile from where my loved ones were, no news as of yet though.

originally posted by: Dumbass
a reply to: charlyv


saw the same livecam, as it was about a mile from where my loved ones were, no news as of yet though.

Wow, too close and I hope they are all ok. The governor of the island was real strict about people near the coast getting out of there and he had set up 5 major shelters in the mountainous high ground area in the middle of the Island and was providing transportation for anyone without a vehicle.

originally posted by: smurfy
There were tweets from English visitors, (I think) that said they had evacuated and were hunkered down in a concrete stairwell, that the noise was horrific, and that they were really scared, but were in a solid area.
Weather stations are all saying that the storm is the size of Michigan, and if it does does go in a Florida direction, it will still be deadly and highly damaging, while people should get out now. It's cat 5 now, how much weaker if and when it gets to Florida, they don't say, but still give the former warning.

The latest prediction from the National Hurricane Center has it as a Cat 4 when it hits the southern tip of Florida. Miami and the Florida Keys are in for exactly this sort of hit.

The wind seems to be picking up....185mph is quite brisk.

It looks like Irma has her wicked heart set on destroying two of my favorite bars. Alabama Jacks on Card Sound Road on the north end of Key Largo and oddly enough, The Hurricane Bar on A1A in Marathon.

originally posted by: Nickn3
It looks like Irma has her wicked heart set on destroying two of my favorite bars. Alabama Jacks on Card Sound Road on the north end of Key Largo and oddly enough, The Hurricane Bar on A1A in Marathon.

I hope Irma spares Hog Heaven. Got a gig there after Thanksgiving with the "Catfish"

I was hoping to also get in a little fishing for Bones and baby Tarpon on the flats but they will be trashed.

a reply to: Nickn3
I haven't been down that way in decades.

So Alabama Jacks is still in operation. Wow! I have some what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas moments from that place.

And I am talking way back, around the early to mid 80s.

I hope Irma spares Hog Heaven. Got a gig there after Thanksgiving with the "Catfish"

That is a good omen. I would like to be there to see it. Make it so.

Oh my God....

originally posted by: olaru12
Oh my God....

That was it. Unbelievable raw, evil power. Remember hanging on to that fence for dear life as the jets backed into it and put the pedal to the metal or just lying down on the beach and watching them almost land on you. It will be a while before we get to experience that again...

In retrospect, there were a few injuries last year from people that did not know what to expect and followed the 'experienced' onto that fence.
Now that it is destroyed, it will probably be made safer ... thus still destroying a sacred right of passage for people that know it and flock to that beach every year for a thrill that is hard to obtain any where else.