General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWest Central FL update
We are out of the cone at this point as Ian has gone more south and southeast. We've had a lot of rain and in the last several hours, big gusts of wind. We're told it will get worse as it moves diagonally across the state.
For reference, we are 70 miles north of Tampa.
We lost power for a couple hours; it just came back on, for which we are grateful. We are prepared, but it's still worrying.
But, my god, what's happening in SW FL?
We lived through Andrew in S FL in '92. This seems so much worse. This is a huge storm.
Please keep our sisters and brothers in harms' way in your thoughts.
livetohike
(22,157 posts)Last edited Wed Sep 28, 2022, 08:09 PM - Edit history (1)
Stay safe .
Blues Heron
(5,939 posts)this thing is truly huge
mcar
(42,371 posts)Amazing
aggiesal
(8,922 posts)Last edited Thu Sep 29, 2022, 12:54 AM - Edit history (2)
Charley's eye was 5 miles wide, while Ian's eye is 50 miles wide.
a kennedy
(29,697 posts)mcar
(42,371 posts)MOMFUDSKI
(5,624 posts)3 blocks from the Gulf west of St. Petersburg. 50 mph winds with gusts to 61. Rain. 5-6 ft storm surge next 5-6 hours. Electricity went off/on a few times but we have electric right now. Gazillions of Electric Power Co. guys staging north of us in town just waiting for the wind to decrease enough for them to start working. 25% of Pinellas County power outage. All good compared to Ft. Myers area. Unfathomable.
mcar
(42,371 posts)I fear the images we'll see over the next days.
Cha
(297,515 posts)I just got a text from my Nephew's fiance in St Pete and they are doing pretty well. She's working at the hospital and he's home with the dogs.
High winds but nothing like the devastating parts of Florida!
Ian is much worse than Hurricane Iniki that we went through on 9/11/92 on Kauai.. it was soon after Andrew!
Stay Safe.. glad you're prepared!
glad your family is OK.
Cha
(297,515 posts)MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)and happy youre safe. This storm is epic for sure. Fort Meyers and Naples are a mess. Ive been watching Ryan Hall Yall and his team all day on YouTube. Theyre wonderfully informative and no commercials. Real meteorologists that state facts and no drama.
You might find them helpful. Stay safe!
mcar
(42,371 posts)Thanks.
catbyte
(34,426 posts)minute breaks. I don't know how he does it.
mitch96
(13,924 posts)I lived in So Fla. It missed Hollyweird but we got some of the "splash" of winds. It hit at 2am and I was looking out of the third floor window of the hospital and it did not look too bad. When my shift was over at 8am I walked home and got a real shock! Trees down, cars damaged by branches and roof shingles all over the place. A few weeks later I took a drive down to
Homestead and was shocked. I kinda sorta knew where I was at but it had totally changed.
I guess Punta Gorda and Ft Myers will experience the same culture shock..
So far where I'm at in Dunedin it has not been bad at all (knock wood) No real rain to speak of and the winds have been gusty but not scary.
Lets see what happens when Ian is around Orlando. Then it will be parallel with my town..
So far we have been very lucky.. It also helps when you are 60 feet above sea level and two miles from the gulf....
Tickle
(2,536 posts)mcar
(42,371 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)mcar
(42,371 posts)I'm so concerned for our brethren down south - and for flooding all over the state.
We really are saturated. We've got a lot of large trees on our property and I am concerned about them as the rain increases.
malaise
(269,157 posts)This will be a catastrophe in Florida
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,400 posts)scarletlib
(3,418 posts)H2O Man
(73,590 posts)Recommended.
niyad
(113,527 posts)brer cat
(24,592 posts)and thanks for checking in.
paleotn
(17,939 posts)Like Sandy and Nicole huge. Andrew was intense, but smaller in diameter.
Rural_Progressive
(1,107 posts)Haven't heard anything from them, does anyone know how that area has done so far?
mcar
(42,371 posts)The flooding and wind damage looks catastropic. I hope your friends are OK.
Cheezoholic
(2,029 posts)But if they were a couple miles inland maybe east of I75 and up over 15 or 20 feet above sea level and in a decently built home I would say they'd be ok. Maybe scared to death! I haven't been to Bonita Springs in 25 years used to have some friends that moved there. I saw some reports earlier on a weatherboard from Estero that it took some very heavy storm surge . Theres no power down there, communications are sketchy at best. I sure hope they're ok and went to an evacuation shelter if they weren't on high ground in a well built home.
Rural_Progressive
(1,107 posts)Don't remember the address and she changed her last name when they got married so I can't even look it up. I do remember when I was trying to find the house that it was about a half a mile east of Hwy 41 and just a little north of Bonita Bch Rd. We walked to the beach so it couldn't have been more than two, three miles.
Definitely not on high ground if I remember correctly. As to evacuating, she would have wanted to go, him, not so much. House was one story, don't recall if it was brick or brick facade seemed pretty well put together but I'm no property inspector.
Thanks for letting me know, if you hear anything more about the area I'd appreciate it if you could let me know.
crickets
(25,982 posts)Fingers crossed your power stays on and the worst is over for your area.
Mozeltov Cocktail
(200 posts)Tampa bay here, we've ducked another one...🤞 just rain and wind gusts.
Naples and Fort Myers look so bad, it's unbelievable. Heard earlier, this is the fifth largest hurricane to ever hit the States.
Skittles
(153,174 posts)your DU family cares
mcar
(42,371 posts)stollen
(419 posts)If their power is back on, they will be breathing easier.
ancianita
(36,130 posts)Ligyron
(7,639 posts)It's only like a blustery day in April.
On the opposite coast 80 miles away...total nightmare, beaches gone, storm surge going blocks into neighborhoods, it will be days, weeks even before the true extent of the damage is known.
Horrible.