I continue to hope this one will veer farther east, yet, and not ravage the entire coast of Florida, but this is the latest NOAA projection map. As you can see, by 2:00AM Monday morning, Irma is estimated to be arriving at Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona is about 50 miles from us, and this huge storm is well over 100 miles wide. That means that we are very likely to get hurricane force winds Sunday night and into the day Monday. My son lives in Gainesville, about 100 miles north of us, and it appears they will have some really bad weather too, as Irma moves north.
It also appears Irma will be paying a visit to Charleston, S.C., by 2:00am Tuesday morning. My daughter and family live in Charleston. So, right now, this storm is bringing me nothing but worry! South Florida is in even more danger.
I continue to hope the storm will be downgraded long before it reaches us, but that’s by no means a sure thing. Please keep everyone in Irma’s path in your thoughts and prayers. I’m a Florida native, and have seen more hurricanes than I can count over the years. I know the drill, and I take them VERY seriously. We prepare, and then wait to see if we are told to evacuate. So far, that has never happened to Mark and I, but if they tell us to go, we will. This storm makes me very, very nervous.
Irma will be the sixth hurricane to threaten us since we moved into this house in 2004. FOUR of them either came directly over us, or very, very close in 2004 alone. This one is worse than any of those, and I’m praying it continues to move EAST–far, far away from the shoreline. In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in harm’s way. PLEASE, fellow Floridians, follow the advice given to folks in your area, and stay SAFE.
The Write Stuff 
We hear the news here as well and think of you all and all the Caribbean islands that are so badly hurt.
Keep safe and obey orders. With warm thoughts across the Atlantic.
💕🦋 miriam
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Thanks so much! Yes, loss of life is mounting in the islands. They just have nowhere to go, I’m afraid, and they always get the first punch. I’m very sad for them, and everyone else in the path of this storm. Don’t worry. If they tell us to go, we’ll go. 🙂 Hoping Irma takes a sharp right turn, though, and we avoid the worst of things.
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It’s good to hear personal updates. There’s plenty in the news and our intrepid reporters stand there in peril ( I always wonder where they actually stay when all around them is being flattened). It’s hard to take in what it must be like to have your whole island flattened, our news has managed to hear of a pregnant British woman trapped/missing on Barbuda – I guess news is always skewed to different points of view! Meanwhile individual households on islands and the mainland all have their own worries and preparations. Good luck.
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I know what you mean about the reporters, standing there on the empty beach, ten foot surf behind them, and winds nearly knocking them over. I’ve never been sure why they have to take that risk. Seems like a zoom lens would let them get the images of the storm from a safer spot. But you are right that to get an overview of what’s happening and where, you have to watch a lot of different coverage. Thanks for the well wishes! Hopefully, this will soon be over, and with less destruction than we are currently fearing. 🙂
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Good to hear you are as ready as one can get, Marcia. We’re stocked up and waiting to see if we need to put the window boards up and/or evacuate.
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We’ve never had to board our windows (even when Charlie passed directly overhead), and we’ve never been told to evacuate. In fact, I don’t remember the Orlando/Sanford area ever being put on mandatory evac notice. We are pretty much on the highest piece of land in Florida, even though that’s not very darn high. We’ve brought in and/or tied down anything that looks like it might become a deadly missile, and stocked up on supplies, including gas for the generator. Power outage is normally what happens here, but with Irma, all bets are off right now. You stay safe up there, too, Kass!!
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My niece and her family have evacuated. My best friend from high school survived Andrew in 1992; she snd her husband live in Fort Meyers. I grieve for all the wildlife that will perish. I pray for everyone’s safety and hope the hurricane swerves east, out to sea. Take care, and keep us posted if you can. Hugs, Linda
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If I were anywhere near Ft. Myers or Miami, I’d already be gone. I suspect that part of the state will get hammered, even if Irma continues trending east. Andrews was devastating, but this one has the potential to be much, much worse. It is certainly far more powerful. 😯 Praying for everyone from here to Charleston, and maybe beyond.
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Thinking of you. I keep see those awful pictures of the destruction so far. I so hope it will be downgraded.
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From your lips to God’s ear, Mary! Downgraded and moving more and more east. That’s what we need!! Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts! 🙂
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Ditto all.
Of course, you know me and I have to grouse: “Evee ting gon be ar’right, mon.” 🙂
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I sincerely hope so. NOBODY needs this one! And sadly, some are already suffering from it. I keep hoping to see it veering off into the Atlantic, and sparing us any more destruction and loss of life. You stay safe, as well!
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Thoughts are with you, Marcia. Such destruction it’s caused so far! We see it all over the news; those poor people. Here’s wishing it moves away easterly or downgrade. .x
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It’s an awful storm, Judith, and Sunday night will tell the tale for us. Whatever Daytona gets, we will get here, too, except for storm surge. We aren’t near the water. So, if it’s still a hurricane by 2:00am Sunday, that’s what we’ll have here. I’m praying for downgrade, too, and that push to the east. Will let you know how we fare. 🙂
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Please stay safe! Don’t wait too long to get out because the roads will be a mess.xx
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True, but they do evacs here by country, in order to stagger the traffic better. When I checked earlier, they were still only issuing orders for Miami/Dade and Monroe counties, but I’ll be watching closely. Thanks for the well wishes!! 🙂
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Sitting here in Central Florida just like you. I’m all stocked up, gassed up, and waiting. Time to get out a jig saw puzzle – the best thing to do as you wait for the storm to move past. I am fortunate to be in a pretty high area (for Florida), but like you, I sure don’t want to be on that Northeast side of the storm. That’s where it is the worst. Keep on truckin’ EAST Irma! Stay safe and “hunker down” as the weatherman says! Good luck to everyone in harm’s way.
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And to YOU, Marie! Yep, at this point, we just watch and listen, and do what they tell us. AND hope for the best, of course, which would be for Irma to die a lonely death, in the middle of the Atlantic, before she hurts another soul! I keep praying for that sharp, easterly turn. Stay safe, Marie! I’ll still be working right up until they tell me to leave, or we lose power, whichever. At that point, if we’re still here, I’ll catch up on some of my reading, as long as the roof over my head stays in place!! Saying my prayers, here! 🙂
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Reblogged this on O LADO ESCURO DA LUA.
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Oh dear, Marcia, these hurricanes are so worrying. They seem to be much worse this year. Praying for safety of you and yours.
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This has been a busy season, though certainly not a record breaker in that regard. Still, even ONE hurricane is more than we need, and especially when it’s packing the kind of power Irma is. Thanks for the prayers, and I’m HOPING the eastward trend continues. It has turned a bit more so since I posted the map above, and we MIGHT dodge the bullet up here. But I fear south Florida is in for a terrible time. Still, hurricanes are fickle. (That’s why they USED to name them only for women.) Anything can happen. 🙂 Thanks for the prayers! ❤
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Please stay safe. Sending prayers and hugs your way.
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Thanks so much, Darlene! Snatching those prayers right out of the air!!! We need ’em! It now looks like we will be taking a direct hit sometime late Sunday/early Monday. 😯 Pretty scary stuff!! I’ll keep posting as long as I can, but I’m pretty sure we will lose power at the very least. Possibly for a few days. If the house holds up, we have a generator to keep the fridge going, and a little window a/c unit in the bedroom, so we can escape from the intolerable heat. At least, we have the generator as long as we have gas. All three vehicles are full, and we have more for running the gen. Now it’s wait and see time. So far, no evacuation orders for our county. Yay.
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I do hope you will be safe, Marcia. Sadly the destruction already caused is just horrific. Best wishes to you and your loved ones.
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Keep sending those good thoughts, Norah. I’m a firm believer in positive energy! I may be a nervous wreck right now, but in my heart, I believe we will come through this, as we have so many others. (Tell me again why I haven’t moved to the mountains, long ago??? Oh, yeah. My husband wants to stay here. He’s winning the argument. So far. 🙂 )
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I hope he continues to win and the hurricane blows away out to sea.
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I’ve been following that storm all week Marsh. It’s unfortunate that initial hopes were that it may divert back to the right into the ocean after all the devastation it already caused so many beautiful Caribbean islands. And it looks like Miami and the Keys will take the brunt of it. I feel so bad for everyone and sending prayers hourly. I think you’ll get some bad storms, but I’m willing to bet it won’t be as strong or fatal by the time it reach nearer you. Stay positive. Stay safe. Many are praying for you all. ❤ xx
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