I'm not sure if there's a forum for this or not but I'm very nervous about this storm coming here

[igiftcenter]

I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and my anxiety level right now is very high. I have barely worked on Z all day, spending my day prepping my house, taking in anything that could become a projectile in the wind from the hurricane, trying to plan ahead with a storm that is currently showing a path of uncertainty other than it being the most dangerous storm to ever come to our area in over 100 years... and I'm not too proud to tell you I'm scare sh_t.

I am likely to lose power in the next day or two, the hotels are all booked up except for the ones on the beach...where nobody wants to be right now. I had a hotel booked for north of Tampa but now looks like that's a worse place to go than where I am now 😞
Anyone else who lives here... be safe and evacuate if asked to. It's not worth your life.

Wish you all... safe travels

[PacifierCity]

Be safe.  Take care.  Hope to hear from you soon!

PC

...................

[Cat]

Stay safe! Wishing you the best! 

[idraw]

Mark, You May already know or have done most of these things but just in case—

About the hurricane, if you are going to ride it out in your house, fill your bathtub with water, any other containers too. Batteries and flashlights, candles and matches. Canned goods, can opener. Portable battery operated radio. Charge your cell phone, laptop ahead of time. Important documents in waterproof container. Remember Medical records, pills. If you choose to leave, go east to winter haven (my best suggestion), lake wales, or Lakeland. Before it gets too rough to travel. Let someone know where you will be and how to contact you. Prayer helps too. (Charlie 2004 power was out for 6 days, trees went down because the ground was super saturated, so lots of roads blocked) Be proactive.

[igiftcenter]

Thank you for your suggestions. As it turned out we went north instead of east and it was a wise decision / guess. Just figured a cat 1 in Orlando (where out hotel is) was going to be safer than a cat 3-4 near the gulf. 
I packed as if I would never see my home again.... just preparing for the worst in case that's what life was going to throw at us. The year I bought my current house a cat 4 hurricane was heading right to my home area. I drove all the way to Atlanta to stay with family.... and the last few hours before landfall that storm did a quick shift away from out area. I have been blessed, twice now.

[idraw]

Mark, the hurricane feeder bands blessed me with 20 tornado watches and warnings, one tornado hit in a town close to me. My phone (screaming alert!) and tv both had nervous breakdowns from the alerts. Just to let everyone who is reading these posts that it isn't just the hurricane that can be dangerous, the feeder bands have their own tornado tools.
I have a friend who lives in Winter Haven , the only things they experienced were some standing water , 75 mph wind and an overnight power outage. (I lived there when Charlie crossed thru Winter Haven in 2004)

[JLynnW]

My prayers are with you and all who will be affected.  I have moved from the Fort Lauderdale area to North Carolina for a fresh start and to try to avoid the anxiety you are feeling now.  Much of my Family lives in Pinellas county and are on the Police force, in the medical field and the National Guard and will not be evacuating, so I truly understand your fears.  You have prepared, now is the time for Faith and to Hope for the best.  I'm afraid the aftermath will be most challenging, but remember no storm lasts forever.  I wish you to be as safe as possible.

[LakeEffects]

Hoping it's not as bad as it sounds! Stay safe, Mark, and keep us posted.

Deb

[CrazyMermaid]

I understand how you feel. I live on Cape Cod quite near the ocean. That seems like a scary storm headed your way. In 2013, a really bad storm was headed here I decided to pick up my elderly Mom and go to the local high school which was official Red Cross shelter. If that is an option, I suggest it. It was very therapeutic to be with emergency experts and other people. We were there 3 days. Wishing you the best. I'm sure you have your Go Bag all set. You would be a fool not to be afraid. Let us know how you are doing if you can. 

[Windy]

Oh my gosh.....I have a friend who just moved to Hudson, of all places, which has been pretty much bullseye for the entire period I have been watching. I am not liking what I am seeing. I will be thinking about the both of you!

[DancingPelican]

Thinking of you and praying you will be spared any serious impact from the hurricane. We just moved to VA from coastal St. Petersburg, FL in the spring and understand what it's like to wait and watch an approaching hurricane. If you have a car, try to make sure it is on high ground to avoid the flooding. Stay safe and check in with us when you can.

[kristenj]

My heart is with you this week. I'm on the other side of the state in Melbourne Beach. The watching and waiting is so hard -- we went through it with Dorian which ended up staying off the coast. Hoping you avoid major damage to your home, but most importantly, stay safe. ❤️

[klstock]

Hope you and everyone in the area keep safe. When you are able, I hope you can come back and post you made it through the storm ok.

[jennifer22]

Stay safe! I wish everyone in that area as mild a storm as possible ❤️

[WHS_Designs]

echoing the thoughts and wishes of all those who have already responded--stay safe and let us know when you are able to respond.

[PC11 · Accepted solution]

I’m in Florida too!  Hold on everyone... This one is a big, but remember, if you live in a newer home they have been built to code to withstand hurricane winds.  My thoughts are with all of you on the Gulf.  And remember that help comes fast from all over when the storm is gone.

[igiftcenter]

I took a gamble and drove to Orlando where I'm staying right now with my wife and 2 dogs and whatever belongings we could put in my SUV that mattered most to us.  I'm just hoping our home is still standing and habitable when we go back. 

Have not worked on Z since we left our home. Just dropping in here for a status update. I'm shutting down my device after this message. I wish all others safe travels and heed any evacuation notices... don't be brave. Better to be alive then dead after being brave. Likely to loose power some time in next 24 hours. Best to all

[Windy]

Glad to know you are okay! This must be a terrifying time even though you have relocated to safer ground.

[Doodles]

Hope everything turns out good with you. Our thoughts and Prayers are with you as well.

[igiftcenter]

Happy to say a neighbor scoped out our home and said all is in tact except for a side of house fence gone. We are still in Orlando which BTW also suffered lots of flooding... just not where our Hotel is. 

So thank you for all  your well wishes... and thank you Zazzle for keeping my sales coming in while I was away from home and without power most of the time here until this morning. This platform is a Godsend to me and has been for the better part of 10 years.

Wishing you all continued success and safe travels.... and if your home suffered damage I wish you a fast recovery

[Gina]

I'm glad you are ok! I have been watching this storm with interest. I live in Charleston, SC. We are to be hit by Ian tomorrow.

[igiftcenter]

We made it home... today. House in tact but we have power (thankfully) but no internet. Im typing this using my phone hotspot to access the internet. 

Now I have to put my house back together.... everything I had on the outside was brought inside. There are trees down, plants uprooted, and a fence down. Mind you, I am VERY VERY thankful our home is still standing while others are suffering with no belongings left to their name, only their lives are left.  I wish I could do something to help those in need so I'm going to donate some clothing, shoes and "stuff" wherever I can that will make it's way to those left with nothing.

I would like to recommend anyone who can do the same, to do so if at all possible.  I can't even imagine what life is like with zero belongings left.... my heart goes out to those suffering the monster storm of a lifetime here in Florida. I think the last that one that hit this specific area this hard was in 1921

[Cat]

So glad to hear you made it home safe and sound, and that your home was relatively unscathed. I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the scale of the destruction. We deal with wildfires here in Colorado, but even something as horrific as the Marshall Fire last December which destroyed over 1000 homes seems tiny compared to what's going on down there. Sending all of my best healing energy your direction... 

[igiftcenter]

Thank you. and thank all of you for your well wishes.

The good news is: our internet is back just now.... so I can get back to work after I clean up all I did to prep for the storm

[CrazyMermaid]

I am so glad that you are safe and your home is intact. It is a double blessing that Zazzle was able to keep your stores up and running and provide you your income.

[igiftcenter]

But I feel so bad for those who lost their homes. And I have a great deal of cleanup left to do here at home... everything we had outside was brought inside. But who am I to complain after what my neighbors to the south have experienced 😞  Just a one hour turn to the north and we would have had a disaster on our hands here. 

BTW even though I drove 2 1/2 hours away to Orlando to stay for the duration of the three days of storm, MANY places in Orlando itself were inundated with rain.... 12 -15 inches just overnight!!!   Lots of flooding and property damage in Orlando and nearby Kissimmee. Just not where our hotel was