Correct about this being an evacuation area (place for people to come) in Florida. Been here 16 years and rode out several. Stay calm and be smart. No need to bing buy gas and water.

European model has it breaking up over the Cuba mountains……
I think the weather man has a deal with the water companies…..I’ll scare them with the “quote unquote hurricane” and you sell them the water….okey deal

When we lived in South Florida we evacuated inland TO Central Florida. We didn’t evacuate at all unless the storm was a Cat 3 or stronger.

Exactly and probably why the emergency staging area for SECO is just south of the turnpike near the intersection of 470 and 501.

At what point do they start to flood the golf courses?

Latest Guidance from Miami
 

Here is the latest guidance from Miami. They continue to keep it downgraded to a tropical storm once it gets up to our latitude and they keep the path mostly off shore. The run to run GFS guidance looks pretty consistent. At this point, we will probably see some gusty winds and showers. It is still far out - south of the Dominican Republic.

HURRICANE ELSA

Personally I would not live on either Coast as statistically they get hurricanes pretty much regularly every year or so and it can be pretty bad. For those of us living in Central Florida lake and Sumter. There is less cause for concern as well the hurricanes do come by the time they reach us they are tropical storms have lower intensity. I'm not saying they're not good but they're not as bad as because and we still can get 90 mph winds. In other words checking your lawn furniture and your gnomes. If you're a newer resident, you should always have a few extra gallons of water in your pantry and some extra cans of tuna fish, just because you never know what is going to be a power outage or a problem with the water for a few days. As a famous movie said " Don't panic" . We had a transformer go down in our community and half the homes were out for 20 plus hours. However that was only once in the 20 plus years I have been here

So, where they going to go? Unless it’s at least 500 miles west and 500 mile north how know won’t travel in the path and possibly run into spin off tornado? So far the tropical storms in middle of state has been like stormy windy day in Oklahoma. When storm approaches you in Oklahoma you prepare to get underground. Now, if I was right on coast I would be concerned. But, they knew that when moved to coast. IMO would be more concerned with spin off tornado than the hurricane around here.

No need to evacuate Florida, just hurry and harvest Cuban tobacco.

this. Tornado of 2007 did more damage to TV than any named storm. Worst of it should we take a direct path will be extended power outages which has never happened since 1998.

Encourage them to leave, less traffic when the real evacuation comes and more gas for us that stay. People that evacuate at the last minute well endure the hurricane in their car stuck in traffic on I75.

Sounds like they, like many others, have been conditioned to fear, as been the case these last 2 years.

The "Ridiculous Post of the Year" award is coming up later in the year. And the nominees are ...

If your friends are panicking about this storm, they should reconsider living in Florida. These storms are common in the summer.

From a ‘moron’
 

I suffer from pollen and dust allergies and have ALWAYS worn an N-95 mask when cycling and even playing golf. If there is a ‘moron’ around a mirror may help you find one….

[QUOTE=golfing eagles;1967710]I assume you were being disingenuous. But seriously, no one should panic. After all, when they do evacuate for a hurricane, THIS is the place they evacuate those people TO[/QUOTE

Having lived in Key West for 31 years I can reassure you that the Orlando area is where we evacuated to.
We are not having the storm surges that coastal towns have.
Have lanterns, batteries, water, non perishable food, manual can opener. Make sure your propane tank for grill is full
and maybe a little butane stove. I would think this would be sufficient to reassure you that you safely ride out stormy weather. Feel Safe.

Before I would evacuate I would personally wait for the SHARPE supplement

Irma was a cat 1 when she passed over central Fl.

I have lived in hurricane alley for over 40 years. 20 years in SE Florida (palm beach county) 21 years in SE Texas (Houston area)never evacuated but watched thousands trapped in grid lock trying to several times.

Stayed home watched the hurricane on TV and never a shingle lifted so I say hurricane schmuricane I’m sticking to my standard hurricane preparedness plan. Nothing that’s my plan. No shutters, no bottled water, no batteries, no generator. No nuthin. Hurricane on. Peace out!

Everyone can calm down. So Fl is out of the cone for now. Possible heavy rains for Broward n Palm Beach. And anyone who panics for a hurticane is new to Fl

This seems like over the top for people living in central Florida. Agree a good plan for living on the coasts.

You are correct and we got a ton of rain as everywhere in TV was flooded to some degree.

Right, thanks to the weather people who make them all sound like Armageddon.

When it passed to the west of us it may very well have been of tropical storm intensity. The winds were on the border between a tropical storm and cat1. It is really of no consequence.

Where do I begin... Been in Florida 30 yrs... Lost my home with Hurricane Andrew 1992, CAT 5, that was Miami. Hurricane Season for Florida is June 1st to Nov 1st. Florida's serious Hurricane's usually happen in Late July through Mid Sept. They come up from Africa and either travel Up the Florida East Coast, or the Gulf. Southern Florida is the section that gets clipped, (IF) it comes close. Now Central Florida, is where we live, I came here to get out of the Hurricane's... majority of homes, 99.9% don't have hurricane shutters because (if) we are in the path, by the time it crosses over land to get here, it downsizes considerably, to just messy, windy but not high winds, and lots of rain. You would move your potted plants inward and lani chairs.. anything that is mobile. Now to relax you , Hopefully, if EVER its life threatening, we would get news of going to a designated Shelter (local)... we are not near water, so no problem with high water . There is a big difference in Home Insurance because we are not in the High Destruction zone from Hurricanes. My homeowners insurance decreased by $2000 a year, my friends were paying $7,000 for homeowners insurance.(in Miami). Now, a Category 1 and 2, can lift some roof tiles, some fences will come down, tree limbs.... its the Category 3, 4 and 5 that you need to take more seriously. We haven't lost power of phones, because most lines are underground. However, always, during the Hurricane Season, have a pantry back up for water, food (non perishable items) meds, pet food, TP, as well as flash lights etc. I rotate my stock as the season ends. If anything, in Central Florida your biggest issue is SINKHOLE... WE do have a few but not bad. So always plan for the worst and hope for the best. I had the Village Daily Sun do a news report 2-3 years ago on me , with what I went through and how to prepare for any up coming storms. I'll post if I can be talented enough computer wise. Also, keep important papers in a plastic bag, if ever you need to find them they will all be together. Make sure cell phone is charged ...

When the water gets above your ankles, you can assume the course is closed……even if there is no sign.
Being on a closed course is trespassing………I read that somewhere.😈

I was glued to the news when the eye of Irma passed over us around 3 a.m. After the eye passed the wind appeared to change direction. We were worried about the water level from the lake behind our house. It was amazing afterward that although the debris field of mostly palm fronds was enormous, damage was minimal.

Love the fear! Make sure you stay in front of the television and believe everything they tell you!

How to prepare for a Hurricane
 

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this is from the Villages Daily News, they did an interview of my experience with Hurricane Andrew and I also, went into how to prepare for Hurricane Season .... CLICK ON LOG INTO FACEBOOK" and the News report will come up.

Media just going from one panic to another, foolish people.

I agree with Bogie, as usual.

Bring all your loose items in from outside. (patio furniture, etc.) Don't panic. The newer homes in The Villages are built to updated hurricane standards. Just prepare to hunker down for a day or so. Keep an eye on local news to see IF and WHERE evacuations are recommended or required. (Typically just on the coast and in low areas unless it's a Category 3 or higher.)

OK, let us review the facts.

1) There is a hurricane south of the Dominican Republic.
2) It is forecasted to move to the northwest and decrease in intensity to a tropical storm as it passes over Cuba.
3) It is forecasted to move into the Gulf and move northward off the west coast of Florida eventually making landfall. Current forecasts keep it at tropical storm intensity.
4) The cone of uncertainty is large and, starting Tuesday morning, nearly all of FL has the potential to be impacted.
5) You should be prepared with food and water and other supplies. This is good advice for all of the hurricane season.
6) You should continue to monitor the forecasts, which are updated several times per day.

Oh stop. It is legitimate for new people to wonder what are the usual preparations for a named storm.

Most people who have lived in Florida for five years or so would not think to evacuate The Villages. We don't have storm shutters here. We usually fare pretty well. The huge oak tree next to Laurel Manor Rec Center did fall during H. Irma. It is wise to have food that can be eaten without refrigeration or heat and to have enough clean water during Hurricane season here in central Florida, although The Villages usually do not have prolonged power outages. (In Irma the older sections did lose power and did have flooding)

The old saying..."You can hide from wind, but you need to run from water". The Villages flooded their own golf courses with their immense pumping system in order to keep homes safe from flooding, during Hurricane Irma.

I had a house in Key Largo for 14 years and people there worried less about hurricanes than they do here. Irma was a Cat 5, as bad as they get, the eye passed very close to The Villages and yet it was just a bad storm here. There is an extremely high probability that Irma will be the worst hurricane that this area will see in any of our lifetimes. In Key Largo we had good reasons to worry. There was no land to weaken the hurricanes and the ocean storm surge could be as bad or worse than the winds. So relax, grab a good book and expect some wind and rain.

Panic and evacuate now!!!! Dont be ridiculous. Watch the news and listen to local authorities.

It’s early in the season. The hurricane needs hot water to strengthen which is why they are worse later in the season. Evacuation really isn’t necessary but whatever gives your friend peace of mind is what they should do. I’m not going anywhere and I’m not worried.

What about the guy driving in his car with his mask on? Will he give himself the virus?

TV isn't anywhere near the gulf or Atlantic. No reason to panic

You think you have enough tp?