I'm still here. You don't get rid of me THAT easily. Phulllease.

Seriously, this one does scare me. Even here in the wilds of the City of the Red Stick (Baton Rouge) and 100 miles off the coast, we are battening down the hatches and have made evacuation preparations. My parents and in-laws left the Big Easy yesterday for safer havens. Now the government is calling for a full evacuation of the entire city of New Orleans.

Pray, folks. Pray.

More later,

.....CLIFF

My prayers are with you Cliff. I'm in Jupiter, FL and had two Category 3s (Frances and Jeanne) come over my house last year. We made it through ok with many valuable lessons learned. I now store quite a bit of gasoline for the generator during hurricane season and bought a battery operated wet/dry vac to attack the leaks.

None of that really makes much difference in a Cat 5. Be safe and good luck.

Craig.

We are here and ready. We live 25 miles north of Gulf Shores and rode out Dennis this year and Ivan last year. I also was on the homestead here for Fredrick in '79. I was 7 years old and visiting relatives in Baton Rouge when Camille roared through in '69. Hurricanes are a way of life here and we have always stayed and prepared as best we could.

So far today we have had three rain bands come through with about 5 minutes of heavy rain and mild wind. We just came out from a tornado warning and it's still early in the game. The generator is warmed up and full of gas. The MREs and water are located throughout the house and there are lots of flashlights and batteries.
We are on the eastern edge of the warning and our prayers are with the folks who are in the direct path. This is a major storm that will cause a lot of damage... not just along the coast but far inland too.

All:

I'm fine. Here in Baton Rouge all we had were tropical storm winds/rain, with an occasional gust of hurricane winds. We only lost power as the storm was winding down. No other damage, just a lot of yard cleanup (thank goodness for kids out of school!)

New Orleans is another matter. It is under water, and the water is rising. Martial Law has been declared. My parents and in-laws may not get back in to see their homes for weeks. In Baton Rouge, as in many other parts of the surrounding area, thousands of New Orleans evacuees now find themselves homeless, jobless, and with only a day-or-two of clothes, food and money. Our church, like many others, are setting up food kitchens, finding clothing and toys for kids, helping those without a place to stay to find shelter.

It is going to be a very, very interesting next few weeks.

Stay tuned.

.....CLIFF