Tjin - thanks for the comments.
I hope that the people of the Turks and the Caicos make a huge effort to do the evacuation. The predictions say that the storm surge there - the rise in the level of the ocean - could be as much as 20 feet at those islands.

It has been interesting to watch how the real ground track of Hurricane Irma plays out. The computer models being used by scientists at NOAA appear to be bang-on. The models are now saying that all of the Florida keys will be hit with hurricane-force wind and rain. And that the whole east coast of Florida will be impacted by this storm. So it looks like the predictions of Barclays - this will be one of the most destructive events (in financial losses) for the USA - could be true. The eye of the storm is predicted to be very close to the Florida coast.

Meanwhile LED said ...
Most gas stations in Fort Lauderdale are out of gas, and the general mood here is panic.

Thanks for checking in, LED. Really hope that you can give more news in the next few days. I hate to say this - but the computer predictions for Irma have been surprisingly accurate. Those storm scientists are getting very good at predicting the paths of Hurricanes. Irma is predicted to be on a slingshot path, directly past the Keys, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It's looking like there will be a lot of damage from this storm. Not a good time for people to wait - to fill their cars up with gasoline. Please send more updates, if you get the chance. And best wishes for your own preparations.

Jeanette and Les - same thing goes for you. Best Wishes for your preparations. At least you were both smart, and you went shopping for supplies ahead of the rest of the crowd. Les- hopefully you are on the road now!