Hurricane Ivan

[jslaughter]

So I may be around even less because there's this little storm out in the Gulf and they think it's coming my way...

stay out of trouble guys and please send prayers, white light, or whatever positive energy you've got my way.

I won't say that I am scared - I have the option to evacuate and I'm not planning on it. But I will say that I am concerned - sometimes the aftermath of these things lasts for months.

Take care!
Julie

[BillyGalbreath]

I don't think it is going to turn as much as the meteorologists think. I've run my own data on it and by my calculations, it wont turn at all.. But there is a small chance that it will turn. But if it does turn it will head straight into New Orleans. Which means, You and I both, jslaughter, will be hit by the sides of this storm, but you will get the bad side.. The side that I want. If Ivan stays on the path that I have calculated it is going to come dab smack into Houston, Texas.

Good luck to ya, jslaughter. Pray the this thing hits me head on ! I want it badly ! You guys have no idea !!

[blue]

my prayers are with u js and take care and be safe. i will light a candle for you. by the way has anyone heard from squirley?

[nomas]

Good luck and hope to have you back soon, Jules.

Freddie

[Fawn]

Florida keeps getting ravaged by storms lately!

Good Luck Jules!! My thoughts are with you!!

Heres an image of Ivan from the Disaster Relief Site

[cbee]

& did you see there might be another one following hot on the heels of this one?

I don't envy you guys over in Florida one bit. My thoughts are with you.

[jslaughter]

It's so weird over here - looks like the storm will hit on the Mississippi/Alabama border...I'm 50 miles from Mobile, AL (the eye of Ivan is roughly 50 miles) so there is not doubt we're going to get some hurricane weather here.

Yesterday I was out running around and this town already looks like a ghost town - the malls were closed, most businesses, the University has been closed since Tuesday, and many of my neighbors boarded up their houses and left.

My Uncle, who moved in with me a few months ago, is going to be working through the storm - he'a a bartender, and we live a mile from his bar. (He's not really happy about this)

I will spend today visiting people who are worried about how I will weather the storm and then I plan to stay up as late as possible tonight and once the power is out I plan to crash. I'm expecting this to be mostly alot of rain which stops being entertaining a few hours in.

On a mildly selfish note, I am on a power grid with a hospital, a medical center, a church, and some other businesses so I expect to be back up and running in a few days.

Thank you for the warm thoughts - I'll keep you posted.
Jules

[BillyGalbreath]

Well damn.. I was hoping it would come just a tad bit closer to here. It turned a little more than I predicted it would, and it turned a little less than the meteorologists thought it would... So I guess we were both wrong about this one...

Anyways.. Right outside the eye of the storm is the most powerful - be carefull jslaughter ! Don't do anything I would do ! Good luck !

[sfalexi]

You guys are such wusses. I mean, it's just a little rain . . . .

[BillyGalbreath]

wtf ?! How come he can say shit like taht and everyone be fine with it.. but when I say something everyone jumps down my throat ?!

[BillyGalbreath]

And Ivan makes landfall. It just barely missed me too.

I aint even getting effected at all by this storm. In fact, because of it being so close, it has sucked some of our moisture away and we have PERFECT weather. I haven't seen such a perfect day in a long time. Today is definately a day for baseball and/or beach...

God I wanted the storm to hit here...

I have attached pictures of the storm and I have places markers showing where I am at... Houston, Texas...

[blue]

ja i hope that you a're doing alright!

[BillyGalbreath]

Well, it's done and over with for the most part. Winds are only at 70 mph peak. the eye is gone. Its lost over 75% of its original power. I give it 24 hours before its a TS. Then anopther 24-48 hours for it to die down to normal thunderstorms.. By that time it will be on the east coast states somewhere - meteorologists are predicting west virginia/maryland area..

Here is a map of what it looks like right now. It may look like a bad storm still. It is, dont get me wrong.. But its not very powerful at all. In fact I am still suprised they are still calling it a hurricane. The speeds aren't hurricane speeds anymore, but more of TS speeds.

Power outages are all over the north gulf between LA and FL. So it may be a few days before we hear from JS again. Too bad it didnt hit here - no work for like a week ! hahaha !

--

"Around 2 a.m. CT, Hurricane Ivan made landfall as a strong Category 3 hurricane with 130 mph winds near Gulf Shores, Ala., just east of Mobile Bay and just west of Pensacola. From southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, Ivan lashed the area with torrential, wind-swept rain and destructive winds. Wind gusts above hurricane force were felt in Pensacola, Fla., (98 mph) and Dauphin Island, Ala. (102 mph). Destin, Fla., and Mobile, Ala., gusted between 60 and 75 mph while Valparaiso, Fla., gusted to 90 mph. Ivan has spawned tornadoes from northern Florida into southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama with deaths reported near Panama City and Tallahassee. Mobile picked up 5.5 inches of rain. Waves as high as 50 feet were measured 75 miles south of Dauphin Island. Ivan is now steadily moving northward through Alabama. At midmorning, sustained winds of 72 mph were reported at Demopolis, Ala. Meridian, Miss., and Montgomery, Ala., have had wind gusts over 60 mph. Mainly tree and power line damage will continue northward through eastern Mississippi Alabama and western Georgia. Montgomery has already picked up between 4 and 6 inches of rain through 10 a.m. CDT. Flood watches extend from Alabama, much of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle northward to southern Ohio, most of West Virginia and western Maryland in anticipation of Ivan's very wet north-to-northeast track over the next 2 days.

Meanwhile, now Hurricane Jeanne, after battered Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Wednesday, is now raking the northern coast of the Dominican Republic with 80-mph sustained winds. On Wednesday afternoon, San Juan, Puerto Rico reported wind gusts up to 45 mph. San Juan then experienced very heavy rains and at times rainfall rates were about a half an inch to an inch an hour. St. Thomas, V. I., also was hammered on Wednesday afternoon by wind gusts over 50 mph. It will probably continue to strengthen as it swirls through the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas late this week and weekend.

Hurricane Javier in the eastern Pacific is heading northwestward to off the west side of Baja California. Javier should steadily weaken as it heads northward. Tropical storm watches are already in effect for southern Baja."

- http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/

--

[jslaughter]

Greetings all - I survived, and as someone that has now been through such a serious storm I can say this I was stupid to stay and if you think you want to "ride one of these out" you are incredibly foolish.

I stayed home and watched a movie while watching the storm out of my window - trees were blowing around but for the most part it just didn't seem like a big deal...at midnight the power went out and I was tired of watching the wind blow so I went to bed. I woke up at 2am to a loud crash there was a huge tree down right in front of the house...I knew in the morning I would have to "climb" it to get out but was just grateful that it had fallen in front of the house not on it. I spent the next few hours listening to windows rattling and feeling my walls shake. It became very clear as I heard trees falling that there was a very real possibility that I might not make it through the storm.

When I woke up the next day there were trees down all around the house, including an oak tree that was so large I could hardly get my arms around it. However the house was untouched. Driving around I saw that sesveral tornados had ripped through the area, damaging all of our hospitals, all of the bridges here have been damaged or were wiped out completely. Gas is a "hot" commodity - people are waiting in line for HOURS to get it. Electricity is scare, they are saying we will be without power for 3-4 weeks. The University has cancelled classes until AT LEAST October 4th.

I am online right now through the grace of a friend in Louisiana who drove all this way to bring me a generator, a window AC unit, a grill, all sorts of other hurricane survival goodies. (Including a 45 with hollow tipped bullets!) So while I have no power I am not quite in as bad a place as many are.

I'm glad to see the board is busy - I hope to be back "for real" soon.

HUGS to you all!
Julie

[blue]

glad you are ok. & i heard all about the tornadoes. please take care and be safe. time to rebuild