Hang in there, Jeanette_Isabelle! It sounds like you're well prepared, hopefully it won't be too bad there.

it sounds like things are calmer ... Irma has gone to a Cat 1 storm. Very fortunate for Tampa. The main problem now is the rain and the flooding.

Yeah, it looks like FL caught a major break! Hopefully the next one will stay out to sea.

Hurricane Irma: Dozens of dogs abandoned, left unable to escape

running on the alternator genset....I'm about 35mi north of St Pete... about 90mph straight line and higher gusts... no damage to the house, lots of limbs down... we dodged a big one...I lost power about midnight and got up, watched the storm till about 2:30am... hope all are safe... regards

Glad you're okay LesSnyder.

UPDATE AFTER IRMA

It looks like there is a general pattern to these big hurricanes.
Off-shore islands get hammered.
Meanwhile, the mainland has to deal with major flooding and loss of electrical power.

The real coin toss was the Florida Keys. Here's what they are saying ...

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Officials were still assessing Irma’s impact in the Florida Keys, which may have borne the worst of the storm. After a survey of the islands, Gov. Rick Scott told reporters that he had seen crippling damage there, including countless overturned trailers and many boats washed ashore. Recovery in the Keys would be a “long road,” he said.
“I just hope everybody survived,” Mr. Scott said. “It’s horrible, what we saw.”

Later on Monday, the Defense Department said that damage to the Keys was so extensive that it might be necessary to evacuate the 10,000 residents who rode out the storm on the islands.
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I still can hardly believe that 10,000 people "waited it out" on the Keys. I understand that most of Key West had slight damage ... just felled trees. But that was only because the Eye of Hurricane Irma passed closer to the mainland. If the Eye had been on the ocean-side of Key West, this story might have had a much sadder ending.

I think that the authorities did everything - and said everything - they could ... ahead of time. But I have serious doubts about human nature.

At the risk of sounding insensitive, how much is it going to cost to evacuate the 10,000 nitwits who were too thick-headed to leave? I will cut some slack for folks on the mainland who might have decided to ride it out - that's a judgement call that could have gone either way. But no slack for the folks in The Keys who were knowingly right in the bullseye, with no hope for a good outcome. They were warned well in advance. None the less, they were welcome to stay. But not welcome to expect me to pay (for their rescue). I will gladly give to general hurricane relief efforts though.

I realize that it is not politically correct to hold people accountable for their own actions. But I am not politically correct.

What do we know about the people who stayed in the Florida Keys? Did they have the resources to bug out? Did they have transportation, some money, and the ability to move, or were they destitute? Were they tied down by a family member who was so sick that she/he could not be relocated? Or were they well-off and just didn't want to leave their fancy houses for fear of looters?

Some people risked losing their job if they evacuated. It seems that at least one major employer in Florida held their employees until rather late. Sure, some people just make bad life decisions, but I wouldn't be so quick to pass judgment without knowing the whole story.

The people who stayed in the Keys were "Conchs", and "Conchs" don't ever leave the Keys.

BTW: Evacuation busses were provided.