Floridians Forget Calm Before Storm--Get Busy Now!

If you live on the West Coast of Florida, get out!

Tracking Irma City by City

weather.com
Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari looks a the specific cities in Florida where Irma will have the worst impacts. 

The Worst-Case Hurricane Irma Scenarios For Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville
Tampa Bay

The center of Hurricane Irma's forecast path, the most likely forecast track, now introduces the chance of the eyewall of Irma raking across part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area.

Fortunately, it looks like Irma won't be the worst-case scenario for storm surge that area residents fear.

For that to happen, the center would have to track in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, then make landfall north of Pinellas County. This would not only bring destructive eyewall winds to much of the metro area, but would also drive a catastrophic storm surge into Tampa Bay.

The so-called Tarpon Springs Hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in October 1921. According to an NWS model simulation, this hurricane likely drove a 9 to 11-foot surge into Hillsborough Bay, including downtown Tampa, as well as Old Tampa Bay.

At the time, it was the most destructive hurricane in the region since an 1848.

Hurricane Irma now Category 4, shifts west creating 'very dangerous situation' for SW Florida
ABC News
By MORGAN WINSOR JULIA JACOBO DAVID CAPLAN
Sep 9, 2017

Just hours after Hurricane Irma strengthened Friday night to a Category 5 storm as it made landfall on Cuba, the monster storm went back to a Category 4 storm around 5 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center announced.

Its maximum sustained winds decreased to 155 mph, but the storm remains strong as it moves closer to South Florida at a speed of 12 mph. As of 5 a.m., it was 245 miles southeast of Miami. Just three hours earlier, it was 275 miles south-southeast of the city.

The storm's track has shifted slightly to the west, creating a "very, very dangerous situation for western Florida," says ABC News meteorologist Daniel Manzo. Major hurricane conditions will slam communities on Florida's west coast, including Naples and Fort Myers, he added. Landfall may also occur as far north as Tampa as a strong Category 3 hurricane.
read more here

If you live in a mobile home, get out!

Hurricane Irma: Thousands living in S. Florida mobile homes face greater threat

Rodrigo Felipe's home is an old trailer he shares with five others in Immokalee, directly in Hurricane Irma's predicted path up the middle of Florida.

He wants to get out of the storm's way, but he doesn’t have a car or money to evacuate. Like tens of thousands of residents in Irma's way who live in mobile homes that likely can't withstand the storm's force, Felipe sought shelter elsewhere.

Many of Florida's mobile home residents are immigrants, including those who are undocumented. Felipe, a farmworker from Guatemala, worries that he and others who are undocumented won't have a place to go.

“I don’t know where we are going because we don’t have documents,” he said. 

If you can't get out, get busy now!

For mobile homes, get out of them and get to a friend's house or shelter. 

Get a backpack for everyone ready. 

Find a ladder to get to your roof.

Make a check list of what you have to have.

Print a list of shelters with how to get there and put it in a plastic bag. You can't read it if it gets wet. You may not have cell service, so you need to do some things the old fashion way.

Charge cell phones!

*IDs, birth certificates, policy numbers or at least put phone numbers into your cell phone for everyone you have to notify besides family and friends.

**banks **pharmacy **insurance company 

*Medicine, put them in plastic bags to protect them.
*Cell phone chargers for when you get to a power supply. Put them in a plastic bag. Keep in mind that not all chargers will fit yours.
*Water bottles, pre-freeze a few before you pack them and have to head to the roof. 
*Get pool floats blown up and attach a rope in case someone falls off. They can also help if you have dogs that can't get to the roof.
*Find anything that will float and know where it is.

Pick an area of your home to hide in like an interior closet. Put flashlights, water and battery operated radio along anything you can put against a door like a mattress.

Here is an official list

Basic Disaster Supplies Kit

To assemble your kit, store items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:

• Water - one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food - at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Tens of Thousands Military Personnel Ready to Risk Everything for Us in Florida

Tens of thousands of military personnel prepping for Hurricane Irma
USA Today
Kevin Robinson
Pensacola News Journal
September 8, 2017

All told, the National Guard Bureau has identified approximately 30,000 troops, 4,000 trucks, 100 helicopters and air evacuation crews that are standing by for Hurricane Irma support.

PENSACOLA, Fla. — As hundreds of thousands of Floridians trek north to escape Hurricane Irma, tens of thousands of military personnel are heading south to prepare for rescue and recovery efforts.

Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said Friday afternoon it was too early yet to know where and how much support Florida would need in the wake of the historic storm, but he said Department of Defense assets would be "very ready and willing to assist if called upon."

The Department of Defense reported it has identified several possible bases to serve as staging areas for post-Irma support operations on the East Coast — including Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; Fort A.P. Hill, Va.; Moody Air Force Base, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

“Right now, majority of this is preparation,” Davis said. “We’re identifying where bases are and ideal possible bases, but until things actually shift we can’t actually respond.”
read more here

Please keep in mind that as these men and women ready to risk their lives to help us here in Florida, have left their own families, homes and concerns, to take care of total strangers! Please include all our responders in your prayers.

Whenever I hear a siren I pray, "Father, please watch over them!" because they are always watching over us!

Florida Needs to Learn From Harvey's Mistakes Preparing for Irma

Harvey victims can't always get life-saving aid easily, volunteers lament

FOX News
Hollie McKay
September 6, 2017

After Hurricane Harvey slammed ashore almost two weeks ago, scores of Americans made their way to Texas – but offering a helping hand in crisis is far from straightforward, which has left many volunteers frustrated and disheartened.

Water bottles waiting to be delivered to those in need after Hurricane Harvey.

Major players from the Texas National Guard and Texas State Troopers to the Red Cross, FEMA, Salvation Army quickly dispatched into the disaster zone, along with police, church groups, local and state aid groups and other well-intentioned people, quickly creating a chaos akin to too many cooks in the kitchen. It left assets and supplies languishing.

“We were trying to help a small community of people without food, water or electricity and had little contact with rescuers to receive supplies. They were very upset,” Chris Fiore, a 20-year-old volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Texas native, told Fox News this week from Deweyville, Texas – a small town about 110 miles northeast of Houston washed out by floods. 

“But we were told by police that they couldn’t let anyone in and didn’t seem to have a good reason behind it. We had cases of water, MREs, dog food and basic sanitary items – we just wanted to bring people supplies. It was impossible for me just to sit in my house while people are in need.”

Fiore was joined by five well-trained U.S. military veterans that had aligned with Southeast Texas (SETX) Disaster Relief. One of those veterans told Fox News that for the first couple of days they routinely saw and heard law enforcement personnel actively turning away volunteer search-and-rescue organizations with supplies or information about people who needed help.
read more here

Links for Florida Veterans During Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma Updates – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Information on this page is current as of 10:30 a.m. EDT, Sept 7.  For the latest on VA’s response and inspiring stories of service to Veterans impacted by the hurricanes, read more on the blog. For those impacted by Hurricane Harvey, click here.

VA Medical Centers, Clinics and Other Facilities

Veterans from storm-affected areas who require immediate assistance may contact the Health Resource Center Disaster Hotline at 1-800-507-4571

For the latest updates on operations at specific VA facilities and associated clinics, please visit your facility’s website and the Facebook pages listed below. Information provided on the facility pages may be more current than what is posted here.

• VA Caribbean Healthcare System (website)  –  VA Caribbean Healthcare System (Facebook page)
  • All outpatient appointments and elective procedures at all the clinics in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have been cancelled for September 6 and 7, 2017. The Emergency Room located in the San Juan VA Hospital in Rio Piedras will continue operations. The VA Hospital has the coverage and supplies to continue services to Veterans admitted in the inpatient areas.
• San Juan Regional Benefit Office (website)
  • The VA San Juan Regional Benefit Office will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 7 for the entire day due to Hurricane Irma.
• Puerto Rico National Cemetery (website)
  • Puerto Rico National Cemetery will be closed until NOON today, Sept. 7, 2. All services scheduled for September 6th and 7th have been rescheduled or postponed.
• Miami VA Medical Center (website) – Miami VAMC (Facebook page)
• West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (website) – West Palm Beach VAMC (Facebook page)
• North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (website) – North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (Facebook page)
• Bay Pines VA Medical Center (website) – Bay Pines VAMC (Facebook page)
• Tampa VA Medical Center (website) – Tampa VAMC (Facebook page)
• Orlando VA Medical Center (website) – Orlando VAMC (Facebook page)
• VA Vet Centers –  updated information on Vet Center operating status in the affected region.
• Additional facility information:
  • The St. Petersburg Regional Benefit Office outbased locations in Sunrise and West Palm Beach will be closed beginning 12 pm, today, September 7. These offices will remain closed on Friday and Monday, September 8 and September 11.
  • The St. Petersburg Regional Office and all remaining outbased VBA locations in Florida will be closed on Friday and Monday, September 8 and September 11.

  VA Pharmacy Disaster Relief Plan

  VA has activated the Pharmacy Disaster Relief Plan for Veterans in Hurricane Irma impact areas. Eligible Veterans in the affected areas with a VA ID Card needing emergency supply of medications will be able to go to any retail pharmacy open to the public with a written prescription or active VA prescription bottle (not older than 6 months and with refills available) to receive at least a 10 day supply. Note: This does not include controlled substances. Patients must present a valid VA ID Card.
  The Heritage Health Customer Care Line is available for VA patients in the affected areas at 1-866-265-0124, option 1. Heritage’s hours of operations for hurricane coverage: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET

  VA Benefits

  VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration has developed mechanisms to help Veterans receive their benefit payments if their normal mail cannot be delivered.

Floridians Prepare for Monster Invasion, And Irma!

National Reporters and Irma, Which is Worse?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 13, 2017

This is what is coming to Florida.

Hurricane Irma Is Passing Over Virgin Islands as a Potentially Catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane; Dangerous Threat for Florida, Southeast

Weather Channel Update

Sep 6 2017 04:00 

But so are they!

You may think this is bad enough, but consider what, or who, is coming because of Hurricane Irma, it can be worse than it has to be if reporters forget that our lives are on the line now and for a very long time to come.

I remember Charlie, Frances and Jeanne in 2004. None of them were much fun. Every year since then, whenever hurricane season started, as soon as the weather report had anything brewing in the Atlantic, we took deep breaths, and waited, remembering what we had already experienced. To put it bluntly, it sucked!

Most of us paid close attention to what was happening in Texas and we were heartbroken for them but we we also deeply admired how they responded. They helped each other! They helped total strangers. They did whatever they could to make sure they did not let anyone do it alone without trying to make a difference.

We saw all the First Responders leaving their own families and homes to make sure Texans were as safe as possible. We saw National Guardsmen, Coast Guard, volunteers from all over the country and groups, rush in to help total strangers. 

What we saw were images like this on the Weather Channel

Matthew Koser, hypothermic and shaking, is rescued from atop his car after looking for important papers and heirlooms inside his grandfather's house after it was flooded by heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey August 29, 2017 in the Bear Creek neighborhood of west Houston, Texas. The neighborhood flooded after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir. (Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

What we also saw were many reporters also risking their lives to make sure their stories were told. Most, were commendable and people from across the country responded because of how you told their stories. You showed us the heartbreaking images of destroyed homes as much as you showed us the heartwarming images of people being rescued.

What we also witnessed are things like this.

I track what you are reporting all across the country on veterans stories. It is bad enough that few of the national reporters care to get the story right and do not take the lazy way out, that is, when they bother to report on them at all. Most of the posts within the over 28,000 on Combat PTSD Wounded Times, do not come from CNN, MSNBC or FOX, even though all three are operating 24-7. Guess that politics means a lot more than our veterans, or is it just an easier topic? Not sure which anymore.

Most of the reports here are done on the local level, all across the country by their local reporters, telling the stories about people right in their own backyards. When we are hit with something like a natural disaster, so are they. They do not get to hop on a plane and get back to their own territory and put is all behind them.

With Social Media what is now, to tell the truth, national reporters are not as vital as they used to be. It is about time that they either figured that one out and respected that their topic of the day is our lives!

So, as the stores run out of water, bread, and food, along with alcohol, gas stations run out of gas and everyone is getting evacuated into the Orlando area, looking for what we don't have. I was driving to work at 5:00 am, searching for gas to make sure I'd be able to get to my job the rest of the week. Finally after 3 statations, I found some left.

Please keep that in mind when you are complaining about the hardships you have to endure to report on what we will have to live with long after you get to go home and forget all about our stories the same way you just forgot all about Texas and what Hurricane Harvey did to them.