Lambchop mentioned being worried a few days ago. So I hope she will be okay. Poor Lamby! And djm mentioned JES, so I hope for the best for him too. For all of you down there.
Here I am in relation to Dale’s location…
Here I was during hurricane Jeanne, Frances, Charlie and Ivan. This is a satalite image of Jeanne.
Needless to say, I’m not ready (mentally) for another assault… at least not this early in the season… sigh…
THanks for your concern and well wishes everyone. Dale, I’ll do what I can to distract Dennis long enough for you to ‘exit stage left’… in true Snaggle Puss fashion. Wow, I have just dated myself again. 
Dennis is now up to sustained winds of up to 150 mph. If it reaches 155 mph it will become a category 5. All of you stay safe in the area!!!
My wife and I were planning a trip to the Keys, I guess this is as good an excuse as any not to go.
I hope Tony down in Miami weathers this one out OK. G’Luck Boy’o.
The hospital where I work just went to Phase II preparations. That’s the stage marking the point at which no more actual useful work gets done. 
PHSD (post-hurricane stress disorder) is busting out all over. When they announced Phase II, one person burst into tears and still hasn’t stopped. She’s just sitting there working away with tears streaming down her face. Another started sniffling . . . moaning “I can’t do another one of these . . . I just can’t.”
In Phase II, we bag, tag, and secure anything electronic. I went off in search of plastic bags, returned with them, and dumped a pile on each desk. As these folks came back from lunch, you could hear curses . . . “Oh, !@$%! It’s the *^@! bags again! I just got everything OUT of the bags from last year! I CAN’T DEAL WITH THE BAGS AGAIN. PLEASE . . . NO MORE BAGS! CAN’T THIS JUST STOP!!!” (Now you see why I snuck the bags onto their desks while they were gone . . . I don’t want them associating me with those bags. )
Some of these people still haven’t rebuilt from last year. The poor moaning soul above had roof damage during the first storm, then a car smashed by a tree during the next. Cost her $2500 to get the tree removed and the car was totalled. The tree was a gorgeous old oak, and she was rather attached to it. She’d just gotten it cleaned up, and the roof repaired, when the third storm hit, dropping her other gorgeous old oak on her other car.
How am I dealing with all of this? Well, I didn’t break down into tears! Not me! I threw up instead. Felt better immediately.
Now, I’m keeping an eye on the NOAA website to see if Dennis shows any easterly movement. If it does, I may have to evacuate, as I’m at only 3 meters elevation (if that) and 5 meters from the water.
Much thanks to Joseph for including me on the map! You’re a prince, Joseph!
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That’s very scarey news! Catagory 5? Yikes! You folks batten down real tight and do everything you can to stay safe, k?
Is it my imagination, or has there been an increase of bad hurricanes/number of hurricanes along the south/eastern region over the last few years? Anyone familiar with the statistics on this?
Sara
Updated with lambchop’s location.
I went to St. Petersburg College and know the area well. Good luck lambykins!!
Hey, Joseph, with you being near the northeast side of the storm, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see your avatar! 
There is certainly a good possibility of that… I must be sure to have plenty of batteries for the camera.
Joseph - I still do not like your avatar!
OK, what about this one?
<------- hehe! 
(But seriously, I’ve been there and done that.)
… ditto. 
A simple guide to Hurricanes from the B.B.C.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4588149.stm
Hang in there all you guys .
Slan,
D.
Joseph and Brassblower - you are both SICK!!!
… aint it the truth, aint it the truth?
But seriously, I am a storm spotter. That is a person who waits for severe weather to enter his area, then makes observations and reports. As opposed to either:
A. a tornado chaser, which is someone who travels to an area where severe weather is taking place in hopes of observing or capturing a tornado on film, or
B. a storm chaser, which is a dishonest home-repair contractor who shows up in an area in search of business shortly after a major storm.
Most of my sigthings have been while I was on the road driving all over the US from gig to gig. I did every now and then get the chance to go out with spotters in MN… but that was a good long while ago.
All the best to you and your family Dale…
Miami was sunny this morning, windy this afternoon. By 5pm we had the first band of showers pass through. For 20 minutes it was raining sideways!
It’s more stable now but heavy rains are expected this weekend.