TROPICAL STORM IDALIA

Rain forecast looks fairly reasonable at 2-4 inches at the moment,

TROPICAL STORM IDALIA

Wind looks somewhere between 40-70 mph, the bands are narrow and the map is small. .

This joke is getting old, as it has been told for many years..

Good One, Hahahaha! :a20:

Brilliantly engineered the removal of water to prevent floods. My hat is off to the engineers who designed this system.

A hurricane party is for those riding out a hurricane - i.e. might as well get drunk and have a good time before you die in the hurricane NOT to celebrate the fact that it either passed you by or you survived it. There is absolutely NO celebrating someone else's misfortune, so nothing really inappropriate happening.

The correct word is not cautious, but ALARMIST. They will always make things sound much worse than they are. They will show you videos of the worst place in town, not the average.The goal of TV news—and weather—is to keep you watching, as that’s what establishes what they can charge advertisers. I recommend the online site Weather Underground, which is less alarmist than The Weather Channel and posts the government weather forecasts.

I am amazed at how many people run to Walmart/Publix to load up on groceries when a hurricane warning is announced here. Wondering . . . do they want more food to spoil should we lose power? Are they going to cook a Thanksgiving meal? Will they drink 27 gallons of water/day? We are only affected for about 2-3 days. And gas, are they expecting to drive to the Keys, to Memphis? I don't get it. Why and how have Americans become so self indulged? Why would a couple need 5 cases of water which ... in turn ... would leave the shelves empty for the next couple? Human nature amazes me.

Many people in the Villages eat out every night. They buy food because their cupboards are empty. Some people are hosting family/relatives who had to evacuate from the coast. Some people recognize there will be some damage in TV and buy food for a couple of days and stay home until everything is cleared. Some people are kind and take care of neighbors who are ill, disabled, or for whatever reason are unable to take care of themselves. Americans I know are not self-indulged. Instead they come together when the community needs help.

Gas is important if the storm suddenly makes an unexpected shift and it is obvious it is coming at you. This happens often! If it does, you now have a small window of time to get out of Dodge. Depending on the damage/flooding, you may not be able to return for a few days. Gas is also used for generators. Some of the generators being used are in hospitals, fire stations, stores, etc. etc. Shortage on gas is possible.

Think your right, make things sound worse so people keep the news on and worry with the result the news station gets higher ratings and makes more money.

As of 2 pm today (Tuesday), it looks like we are going to dodge the bullet.

I hope we get SOME rain. Seems like lately every time the forecast rain, it passes over us and we get a sprinkle IF any at all. Oh well, I better go out and do some yard work, just in case.

Yes, and you can suction gas out of car tank into generator if needed.

Not really. All modern cars have baffles to prevent siphoning.

Word is, Jim Cantore headed to Cedar Key. If true, WHAT WAS HE THINKING!

I have the equipment (very narrow hose) to bypass that feature on my car but it depends on what type of anti-siphon you have in yours. The cart tank is easy.