Thousands trying to escape Florida....

Lights have been flickering a bit. Flashlight clipped on my belt. There's a little water coming in under the back door to the Florida room blown in by the wind. We can't figure how it's getting in because the door fits tightly and he's caulked the heck out of the thing. Luckily we have a lot of old towels to put down.

He's gone to bed. I couldn't sleep if my life depended on it, so I'm patrolling the house and eating chocolate. Diet killer but harsh times call for harsh remedies.....or sweet remedies. I'll take the sweet.
 

Lights have been flickering a bit. Flashlight clipped on my belt. There's a little water coming in under the back door to the Florida room blown in by the wind. We can't figure how it's getting in because the door fits tightly and he's caulked the heck out of the thing. Luckily we have a lot of old towels to put down.

He's gone to bed. I couldn't sleep if my life depended on it, so I'm patrolling the house and eating chocolate. Diet killer but harsh times call for harsh remedies.....or sweet remedies. I'll take the sweet.
Keep safe @jujube !
 

During the six winters that we stayed in Florida we heard over and over that they reverse the south bound lanes so that traffic can get north away from hurricanes.
I haven’t seen that on any news where they showed people leaving.
What I keep seeing is the north bound lanes are bumper to bumper but hardly any traffic in the south bound lanes so when are they supposed to reverse them or don’t they?
 
Well, it's almost two a.m. and I think it's over. No damage as far as I can see; oaks still standing. We didn't get as much rain and wind as was forecast. Power was out a couple of times, but just long enough to annoy the clocks. I'm so sorry for the folks on the gulf coast who got pounded again and, of course, for all those in North Carolina where there was devastation from the last 'cane.

Hoping this will be the last one for the season for us, but I certainly don't wish one on any other location, either. Mother Nature sure has her knickers in a twist for sure!

Thanks, everyone, for your kind thoughts and prayers. It fills my heart to know that I have such good friends here. Keep them up for the folks on the gulf coast and North Carolina. They sure need all the good will going their way and will continue needing it for a long, long time.

And so off to bed....
 
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Daylight photos show the devastating floods that have struck Punta Gordon in Florida.
The coastal resort sits about 55 miles south of Sarasota, where Milton made landfall.
Its streets have been filled with water, with multiple boats tossed inland by the force of Milton's winds.
Milton struck as a category 3 hurricane and has now moved across Florida and out into the Atlantic where it will weaken to a tropical storm.
But Tampa Bay residents are bracing themselves for a storm surge in the next few hours as the tide comes in.
The record-breaking wall of water is forecast to reach heights of 10 feet and will destroy everything in its path.

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St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida.

As dawn broke Thursday, officials repeated that the danger had not passed: Storm surge remained a concern in many parts of Florida and tropical storm warnings were in place for much of the east-central coast.
Officials in the hard-hit counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.

'We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out,' Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, said on Facebook.
Tampa mayor Jane Castor said she was pleased the area did not see the predicted storm surge. However, she urged residents to stay inside and warned that 'it's not over' as Hillsborough County could flood when the high tide comes in at 7am EST.
Measnwhile Sarasota officials said: 'We know everyone is eager to see how our community fared following Hurricane Milton.
'At this time, please stay where you are and continue to shelter in place. It is not safe to venture outside yet.'
Clearview, residents are rescued..

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Here's everything you need to know this morning:
  • At least two people have been killed after a tornado levelled more than 125 homes in St Lucie County in southeastern Florida while others were taken to hospital
  • More than three million people were left without power as several months' worth of rain fell in just a few hours
  • The roof of Tropicana Field, home to Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped to shreds when devastating 100mph-plus winds came ashore leaving huge sections of the domed stadium in tatters
  • In St. Petersburg, a gigantic crane teetered off the top of a building and crashed into the offices of the Tampa Bay Times, demolishing several storeys
Hurricane Milton has ravaged the Palm Beach County area, with people rescued from under debris and overturned vehicles littering the streets.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to multiple reports of tornadoes, associated injuries, and trapped people in the Wellington, Acreage, and Loxahatchee areas on Wednesday.
Several people in Palm Beach county were rescued after they were trapped under debris or stuck in underturned vehicles due to strong winds.

Floridians have been warned that their electric vehicles could pose a deadly threat during salt water storm surges.
Fire marshal Jimmy Patronis warned that storm surges in coastal areas can turn EVs and other products powered by lithium-ion batteries into 'ticking time bombs.'
He said there were at least 50 fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries during Hurricane Helene, with 11 involving electric vehicles which had their batteries combust.
“The average citizen I guarantee you does not realize they have a liability in their house with the salt water flooding,” Patronis told the Miami Herald.
 
Monster storm Hurricane Milton left a path of destruction across Florida overnight, leaving several people dead and 3million without power as it heads to the Atlantic.

The first casualties were reported even before Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm around 8:30pm EST, bringing 'catastrophic' flooding, 120mph winds and several twisters - some of which proved lethal.

After making landfall, Milton began rumbling east, ripping up everything in its path before ripping apart the roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg.
A view shows a collapsed construction crane that fell on the building that also hosts the offices of the Tampa Bay Times, after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. October 10, 2024
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Venice Florida
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Bradenton

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday morning that the aftermath of Hurricane Milton was not 'the worst case scenario'.

He told reporters that the worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet - less than the highest levels recorded during Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.

He added crews across the state spent the night clearing debris, and confirmed that President Joe Biden's administration had agreed to all of Florida's request for emergency assistance.

'Our state is a peninsula in the middle of a tropical environment. I mean, we are just built to be able to respond to hurricanes,' DeSantis said.

'We'll survey the damage and get people on their feet. We'll get through this.'
 

mobile home​

noun


Synonyms of mobile home
: a dwelling structure built on a steel chassis and fitted with wheels that is intended to be hauled to a usually permanent site
Or as they're known here in Florida: "Hurricane attractors"

Continuing with the gallows humor, what does a divorce in Mississippi and a hurricane in Florida have in common? Answer: Somebody's fixin' to lose a mobile home.
 
This is the shocking moment Florida residents caught in Hurricane Milton opened their car door to find an agitated alligator snapping at the tire.

Locals were left hysterical as their car became swamped in fast moving water and attacked by 'a big f**king alligator'.

Wildlife experts have warned that animals may be affected by the storms and driven into populated areas, left disoriented and more aggressive from the stress.

As residents reel from the impact overnight, experts say wild animals could still be displaced and finding their way into homes to shelter from the storm.

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Christopher Gillette, of the Bellowing Acres Sanctuary for alligators and exotic animals, warned locals to be wary of any wildlife hiding or taking shelter in areas they may usually not inhabit.

Alligators have inhabited Florida's marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for a long time and are found in all 67 counties.

He explained that alligators can hold their breath for up to six hours at a time, and once the storm has passed, they will begin to resurface.

Severe weather conditions can often displace and disorient wildlife, due to high winds, and flooding can allow more access to unusual areas.

As areas flood, alligators may be seen much more frequently, the FWC suggests keeping your distance and treating them with respect.

If a person believes any alligator poses a threat to people, pets or property, call the FWC Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.

They have also suggested anyone avoid helping or rescuing wildlife during or after a storm if it would put them in danger.
 
Our home has some damage. The neighbor that looks after my home called me at 7 this morning and asked if I was ready for the report. I asked him if he would call me back in 15 minutes. My coffee was still brewing and I wouldn't be able to absorb anything until I had at least one cup of java in my blood vessels.

Someone's large chaise lounger hit against one of my my new windows in the garage. I had all new laminated glass windows installed in my Florida home last summer. The window that was struck by the chaise lounger was fine, but the lounger is destroyed. We also had some branches from palm trees lying against other windows, but all of them are A-OK. My roof took some damage and my roofing guy said he will get out to my place this weekend and fix or replace whatever needs done.

We also had all kinds of crap in the pool. The netting or mesh screening around the pool was ripped to shreds and that allowed all kinds of stuff to come onto my property and a lot of junk is in the pool. I have a clean-up company that will be out there today or tomorrow to do the cleanup.

We have a lake about a block away and my neighbor said an alligator must have been washed out because he saw one walking down the street like he or she owned the place. I guess it was confused and was wondering how it got to where it was. The neighbor said there was a snake in our pool earlier, but he must have slithered out and left. I'm going to fly down next week and make sure everything is back to normal. Oh, our walkway lights all got bent and twisted and a few are broken off. They will have to be replaced.

My wife and I made a donation to the NC Disaster Relief Fund in Raleigh. They need a lot of help. I hope this was the last hurricane for awhile.
 
Those pictures are unbelievable @hollydolly I'm glad to see shelters taking pets. I don't think they should allow mobile homes in Florida going forward. I also wonder how many of those homes were near bodies of water. Both the gulf and fresh water. I still feel devastated for all the people affected by these last two storms.
 

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