Hunkering down

[-Pv-]

12AM EDT
Roughly 3.3 million out of 7 million customers without power as storm continues to advance on Tampa. The storm surge at Key Largo totaled six feet. Cat 2 and 100 MPH winds. Seven Million people in Florida were asked to evacuate (1/3 of the population.) The storm center should leave FL Monday late afternoon while 1/2 of Florida is still in tropical storm conditions (39 - 75 MPH winds) and continued heavy rain, thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Three inches of rain has fallen in NE Florida and flash flood warnings are in effect there.

Orlando is next arriving there between 2-4AM local time.
Six inches of rain has fallen so far in some areas.
18 mobile homes near Canaveral Space Center destroyed by tornadoes.
Brickell Avenue in Miami is submerged while the C9 canal is near maximum.
Edgewater neighborhood is under water.
-Pv-

[-Pv-]

1:00PM EDT Mon
Crossing into Georgia as Tropical Storm 44-65 MPH while Thunder Storm conditions encompass a four state area and most of Florida 415 miles wide. 28 arrests for looting.
4.2 million without power. 77 million spent so far including 7,000 National Guard and over 400 shelters. Clearing roads and restoring power (11,000 utility workers) will slow the initial cleanup and rescue effort. Pre-staged necessities are in place to distribute (including motor fuel) as soon as it's safe to do so with 1 million gallons of water, 11 million meals in 67 trailers and 700 cases of baby supplies. Wide spread storm conditions may be in effect for days.
Storm surge at Virgina Key, in Biscayne Bay, was close to 4 feet above normal tides Sunday afternoon. At Naples, in the Gulf of Mexico, storm surge topped 4 feet above normal tides early Sunday evening.
Over 10 inches of flooding shut down a stretch of U.S. 1 in Ft. Pierce, Florida, Sunday, with water reportedly into at least one home and parked cars flooded.
Flash flood emergency declared for downtown Jacksonville as St Johns river exceeded previous records during a 5 foot storm surge where twenty seven inches of rain fell in 24 hours with another two ft expected. As of 4:40 PM Mon, 32 knot gusts remain.

Flooding has begun in Georgia.
Storm surge and flooding expected well past mid South Carolina.
Atlanta where a lot of evacuees escaped will also be affected.
Storm surges if occurring at high tide will produce:
Tampa Bay- 4-6 feet
Ochlockonee River on the panhandle- 4 to 6 feetSouth Santee Beach in South Carolina- 4-6 ft
St. Johns River- 3 to 5 feet

Some areas could get up to 20 inches of additional rain fall.
Northern Florida Peninsula: 3 to 6 additional inches, with storm totals of 8 to 15 inches.
Central Florida Panhandle: 2 to 4 additional inches.

Power outages from tropical storm-force winds are expected to spread as far north as the Tennessee Valley Monday and Monday night.

Over all, the time the storm spent raking Cuba prevented it from arriving as a cat 5 storm.

-Pv-

[-Pv-]

By noon Eastern Monday, both Jacksonville and Charleston are experiencing record flooding and storm surge. Warnings continue untill 10P Eastern. Total deaths so far, 44.
-Pv-

[GeneralGamer]

Well I can't give you stats, and you probably have seen many more weather channel reports than I have. But I can give you my perspective.

Being on the east coast we didn't get the worst of the storm, however it was enough. We were shuttered in, lost all power and listened on a radio for the storm's path and waiting seemingly forever for it to pass. Constant swirling winds. No flooding but we were in the 12 to 3 o'clock location of the storm, which has the tornadic activity, in the outer bands. That's were a lot of bad things can happen. Many trees uprooted, property damage,and lots of large debris flying around.

We many tornado's on the ground. In our area 6 at one time. One passed 200 yards to our east. You could hear it ( yes a freight train) and the emergency warnings, but not see a thing because of the wind and rain.

To give you an idea, we do have a cell tower pole which is about 6 feet across at the base and 150 ft tall. All utility poles down here are huge. Cars hit them and get totaled, but the poles hardly get a scratch. But about 100 feet up this pole had 2 huge dents and holes in it from being hit by, (I can only guess) a palm tree. This had to be from the tornado passing by. There were transformers blowing up near us as well. You see it happen on TV but what you can't experience it the loud eerie noise it makes. Like a bomb exploding slowly, shaking the ground and walls of your home.

What some people don't realize is when the wind gets over 30-50MPH in a hurricane all outside services stop. No fire, police, ambulances will answer any calls, due to the unpredictability of the storms. So your on your own. It becomes a very small space you are living in.

So the experience was intense, but we are safe, and we just got power back after two days. FPL ( Florida Power and Light) are professionals with hurricanes for sure. Hats off to all the first responders as well.

Obviously we made it through and it's time to catch up. Thanks for your thoughts during this time.

[-Pv-]

Thankful to read the news GG.

13 mil Floridians without power. 1.5 mil Georgians. 180,000 still in shelters and Keys residents are prevented from going home as 42 bridges are being inspected. Critical supplies to the keys are dangerously low as major warships are being dispatched there to help supply and rescue. When residents are allowed in, the supply of essentials will be further taxed with the highway bridges there providing the only land supply route. Authorities are trying to make sure the bridges can take the wait of clogged traffic sitting on them for hours.
-Pv-

[Wiz33]

Welcome back!!!