I can't believe that Tropical Storm Fay is heading directly for us!

Hello sunnflr. Oh, gosh, I sure hate to hear you've been through plenty of tornadoes. Those things are wicked! Thank you for your wishes and prayers to stay safe. I feel like we will fare this one better than Hurricane Charley. I hope I'm right about that. Plus, I don't really like wishing it doesn't come here because that's like wishing someone else will have to deal with it. And I definitely can't feel good about doing that.

Maybe it'll just turn back into a depression and won't hurt anyone. That's what I hope for anyway!

Even if it stays at the Tropical Storm level, that won't be too bad at all. We don't mind the rain so much as all the wind that comes with a hurricane. Yes, there's still time for it to dissipate or just not strengthen.

Hopefully it will pass through. I am in the North part of Florida. Close to St. Augustine Florida. Thanks for your well wishes.I am glad you and your family are alright.

Hi Shaun72. Yes, Fay has passed by us already. We are just fine, thank you for your concern. We had intermittent rain and gusty winds from about 2 or 3 a.m. this morning until a couple of hours ago. It stayed overcast all day. We ended up with 2 to 3 inches of rain. There was no lightning and thunder or tornadoes near where we are (north of Ft. Myers on the southwest coast). We were just on the outer edges of the storm and didn't get any of the storms near the area of circulation in the middle of the storm. As you probably know, those storms tend to be the strongest. I hope that you and your family will fare well. Once we all do what we can do (hurricane shutters, strong garage door, food, water, emergency first aid kit, etc.), then there's nothing to do but stay inside and wait for it to pass. I wish you much luck and trust that you will all be safe. Take care.

thanks. you all are in our prayers also. Floridians united against tropical storms/hurricanes lol FUATSH!

Hello sweetdesign. Sorry to hear that Fay is also coming your way. We've been watching the Weather Channel's reports at 50 minutes after the hour every hour. That way, we know what's going on. Guess you'll get to stay home on Wednesday then. Hope you hang in there and try to make use of the extra time indoors. Take extra special care, sweetdesign. I'm sending positive vibes your way.

Thank you...and FEMA was no help...I could go on a big ole soap box over FEMA but I won't.. It was devastating not to be able to get back home. Well we don't have our home anymore. But it's ok...they say when God closes one door, he opens another...I believe that with all my heart cause he sure has been good to us. Again, best of luck to you and yours. I will keep you in my prayers.

Hi Wyldrose. Oh, I am so sorry to hear you had to go through that terrible Hurricane Rita. That's just awful that you lost your home and business. I can't imagine not being able to get back into your own home for a month and a half. I truly hope that you will soon be done with the after effects of it and be able to progress with your life. The county will state if we need to evacuate but for this one, I doubt that will happen as it is only a tropical storm and they are saying the highest it will possible get is a Category 1 Hurricane. They have already suggested that people living in manufactured homes evacuate, but we live in a "regular" house. Of course, if it was a pretty bad hurricane coming (3 or higher), we would probably evacuate. We evacuated 3 or 4 times in 2004. Thanks for your positive wishes and I am absolutely certain we will be fine. All the hurricane shutters are up, the garage door is bolted down, we have batteries in the radio and 6 flashlights at the ready. Plus a first aid kit and all our important documents together. Thank you, Wyldrose. Do take care.

Wow, Opal26, that sounds like quite a blizzard indeed. Yes, snow that high is pretty scary. We used to live in IL and we had a couple of times where the drifts were so high I couldn't see over them. And when cars get completely covered over and the excess snow has to be dumped in the river, well, that's just crazy! When I was a kid, we would all just pray for "snow days" so we wouldn't have to go to school. But, we didn't have all that many of them. Thanks for sharing about your blizzard, opal26.

Oh excuse me it wasn't a snow storm it was a blizzard!

Oh no I was a hurricane!

Hello Chevee. Sorry to hear you had to go through a hurricane. Yes, they do unleash wrath, don't they? People who haven't been through them simply can't get a handle on what they are like. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes. Yes, even if it stays at Tropical Storm strength, I think we will weather it pretty well. All the hurricane shutters are up. We finished the ones across the front door and windows this morning. I ran to the store (again) to get more food, just in case. I'm thinking if it stays a Tropical Storm or upgrades to a Category 1 hurricane, we should make it through okay. Our roof is new (after Hurricane Charley) and we've got the shutters (also new since Charley), so we've done everything we can to make the house sturdy. Oh, and we have the tie-down bar for the garage door, new also since Charley. Note to Opal26, yes, that hurricane was no doubt named after you...Don't feel bad, my real name is "Rita" and Hurricane Rita yielded quite a bit of devastation a couple of years ago as well.

Hello sedel1027. Sorry to hear that anyone has had to live through even one hurricane. Gosh, I hate to hear that you evacuated for one hurricane only to be hit by the next one. That's just awful. But glad you got through all that safely. I do not like the thought that hurricanes are a way of life, but I supposed you are right. Hm, I guess we think incorrectly at my house, we always feel better if it's "just" a tropical storm but can't stand the word "hurricane". The tropical storms we've had just rained and rained all day but that's about it. Hope you will stay safe this hurricane season, sedel1027. Thanks for your response. Take care.

Hi cripfemme. Glad you don't have to contend with hurricanes. Blizzards can be a pain also. I used to deal with those when living up north. Thanks for your concern. We are pretty much as prepared as people can get down here. We just put up the rest of the hurricane shutters this morning over the front door. And right before the storm hits, we'll put up (or down) the tie-bar for the garage door. Yes, I'm going to make a homemade pizza and we'll be watching the Olympics and maybe a movie or 2. Take care and thanks again for your positive wishes.

Hello barbiegirl13. I'm glad you don't remember Hurricane Hugo as I'm sure the memories would not be all that positive. It's interesting that you are in Illinois now, because, guess where I'm from? Yup, Illinois. My husband and I moved here to Florida 5 years ago. Yes, Illinois has a history of quite a few tornadoes and the devastation they bring is unbelievable. I've seen the results of many of them over the years. Very scary. Sorry to hear your town was recently hit. That is so hard to see and live near and it seems to take forever before things are fixed and back to normal. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am hoping no one anywhere will suffer severe hurt or damage from this coming storm.

Hello kimbers867. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and prayers. Yes, we are quite hopeful that the storm will not rise further than a Category 1 Hurricane. Yes, seeing the aftermath of a hurricane is quite sobering, isn't it? And it sounds like you know what living through one is all about. It's just the pits to be without power, particularly in August when it's so hot. I think I could go without the TV, lights, and internet, but I gotta have the air conditioning! Isn't that interesting about people rebuilding their home on stilts? Quite a few have done that down here, since Hurricane Charley. I for one would not trust those stilts to hold the house steady if a big surge of water hit them. Well, I'm sure I'll be letting all my myLot friends know what happens over the next few days, if it's anything interesting or exciting. Thank you again for your prayers and thoughts.

Hi revellanotvanella. I, too, hope you don't ever have to go through a tornado or a hurricane. Yes, the wrath that a hurricane unleashes is just impossible to imagine. When Hurricane Charley came through, the noise was just deafening, even though we were, of course, inside a large building that was designated as a shelter. And we were in an interior room of the building as an extra safety precaution. The rain was just dumping out of the sky, like it was in buckets. All I could think about was, how much longer can this building take this? The building was sort of "breathing", the walls and roofs were shuddering and shaking alot. After an hour or so of that, there was a very loud "whoosh" and water began dripping into the room through the ceiling/roof. After about 20 minutes of that, the very large square ceiling tiles began dropping on the floor. Everyone in the room (over 500 people) gathered up against the walls of the room, hoping a ceiling tile would not hit them. Some of us were running around with the garbage cans picking up the tiles, or placing the garbage cans wherever we thought the next tile might fall. We sheltered the kids by putting them under the tables against the walls, trying to keep them calm. Yes, I do think people, like us, who choose to stay in FL will experience many hurricanes. We just moved here 5 years ago, and my husband adores living here. I hope that people around the world, especially in the U.S., begin to get more interested in global warming and saving the environment. Because, without that, I'm afraid we've got plenty more storms headed our way. Take care and thanks for responding.

Yes, Bluepatch. We're all pretty sure now that this one will either remain a Tropical Storm or be upgraded to just a Category 1 Hurricane. It's just for those of us who live down here and experienced Hurricane Charley, nothing is for sure until right before it happens. Charley was on its way through the gulf and jumped from a 1 to a 2, then a 2 to a 4 in 1 hour! We about fainted. It was too late to try to evacuate at that point. It was pretty hectic after that point. Anyway, we're already feeling relieved that that's probably not gonna happen. Thanks for your good wishes. Take care.

Hi wilsongoddard. Yes, blizzards are pretty scary, that's for sure. Especially white-outs when you are driving. I can't stand those. Yes, you are lucky not to live in a place where the hurricanes come. Yes, I'll take a rain storm that lasts for several hours over the horrid winds and spin-off tornadoes that come during a hurricane. I've not been in a flood either and definitely don't want to. We do have our flood insurance though, in case that happens as the result of a hurricane. Take care and thanks for sharing.

I haven't been to a hurricane party in quite some time.I went to one when Hurricane Danny made landfall in 1997 (we were drinking at the bars until they forced everyone out) and the when I was living in North Carolina in 1999 Floyd made landfall and I got a bunch of people together for a hurricane party - none of them had even been to one before because they were from the mid-west. The last 2 hurricanes I was in the south for, one we took a week long vacation - I think *think* that was Andrew - and the second one we were glad we left for due to the destruction in the New Orleans area - of course that was Katrina.

Hello Sophia2007. How lucky you are that you've never had a problem with hurricanes. We've lived here just 5 years and already experienced a direct hit hurricane. I think anyone who thinks a hurricane is a time to have a party has not ever been in one or never had to pay money to replace what was lost to them in a hurricane. Bet they've never waited 2 years for contractors to fix their home or chased after contractors who took their money and wouldn't return to do the job. I have experienced one and believe me, there wasn't a single thing even a little bit jovial about it. Thanks for your response. Take care.

Hello ellie333. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes. We are as prepared as we can be and are hoping it won't be stronger than a Category 1 hurricane. It is customary for storms and hurricanes to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico because the water is so warm there. Warm water strengthens hurricanes. I didn't know that until we moved here. I have learned alot of weather facts since coming to Florida. Thank you for the huggles!! Do take care.

Hello paisleylass. Michigan sounds like a pretty decent place to live, if a person doesn't mind a lot of snow. I don't mind it too much, but I might if I had to live in it! Glad that most bad weather passes you buy. Yes, thanks for your well wishes and prayers. I'm feeling like we will do better in this one than we did the last one.

Hi Louise. Well, it's like my husband says, "We've done everything we can do to be safe." We had to get a new roof the last time so we're hoping our newer roof can take the stress and strain. Plus, we didn't have hurricane shutters the last time, and we do this time. We didn't stay inside the house last time, but if it's not predicted to be higher than a Category 1 Hurricane, we're going to try staying in the house this time. Thanks for your concerns and wishes to stay safe.