My electric service was restored today… living on power inverters and generators for 5 days. Here comes Ivan:
My thoughts are with ya, man.
I guess Charley and Frances were just to soften you up for the big one. Ivan looks SCARY – it’s the strongest hurricane in 10 years. That plus saturated ground, structures and trees that have already been damaged will make for one nasty time.
I hope all our buds in FLA will be safe.
I hate to see it heading right for Jamaica. I was living there when Gilbert absolutely devastated the island in 1988. Gilbert was so huge that we were buffeted by winds for nearly 24 hours. There’s no escape route or emergency shelters on the island. It’s not like you can drive inland to safety. Many people live in shacks. Even the well-built homes had major damage or destruction. We were without electrical power for 2 weeks, and without running water for 4 days. All the phones were down for several weeks. We were lucky. Many people were without these utilities for much longer. There was no food in the stores, and no way to keep it refrigerated. Their entire agriculture was destroyed, as were all the poultry.
I’m hoping that these forecasts are wrong, and that the hurricane finds some nice unpopulated area to aim toward (water would be fine). Tony, be safe!
Dana
Do you suppose God hates Florida because of the voting debacle, retirees, bikinis, alligators, or what?
Personally, I think enough’s enough. Poor folks all over that area - hope this one suddenly dies, turns, or implodes.
Susan
CNN reports that Ivan is responsible for structural damage to 95% of the homes in Granada. They’ve upgrade it to catagory 5, Gilbert was only a catagory 3; so, Jamaica is bracing for the worst.
If Florida gets this third strike, they’ll be out …
Playing a tune for those in harms way throughout the Carib.
As of 8:15 this morning. 
Pretty impressive, huh Paul.
I figure it will pass Atlanta this time next week!
That kind of superstition creates a cloud. Clearly, God has nothing to do with anything. If she did, destruction and devastation would be more selective than arbitrary. Think about it.
It was a joke.
Susan
Oh! Please forgive me! I thought I could read some kind of personal bitterness in your statement.
No problem. My “humor” is frequently misunderstood on this board. Welcome, btw.
Susan
There was one bright spot from Francis. Jennifer Lopez was forced to fly coach out of Miami because she couldn’t get her normal private flight service during the evacuation! 
I would have loved to be the person sitting next to her on the plane. 
I would explain to her in extended detail about the virtures of whistle music and how she should incorporate the whistle into all her songs and movies. I would also drink heavily which makes my powers of reason and persuasion all the more powerful!! 
I assume you are talking about J-Lo, and not the one on the Weather Channel (who, IMO, is cuter). 
Yeah, Tony, it’s truely awesome. It’s beautiful in a frightful way.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. I hope we
don’t get any tornadoes from it. I’ll be praying for all the
Islanders and the folks in Fla. That’s for sure.
Best,
Paul
I’m sorry, yes J-Lo. Crap! I hate it when I’m not a hip cat! 
Reuters image:
We have had it pretty good in Florida for quite a few years now. I figure that the law of averages has caught up to us. I guess this is what we should expect living in an area of the country that is known for being nailed by hurricanes. Paradise has its price.
Paul, that is a mighty photo of Ivan.
Tony, it looks as though you ought to keep those boards up…I haven’t unpacked from Frances.
Most of the boards are still up, the rest will go up Sunday.
I’ll probably gas up the generator tomorrow.
We, ‘she who must be obeyed’ and I, have made our reservations at a nearby hotel. If the winds inland are going to be as strong as they are saying the will be, then there is a very slim chance our match box of a home will survive them. Man, I hate all of this relocating stuff!