We'll probably be evacuating in the morning, the way things are looking. I hope we've buttoned up the house well enough. We're only a hundred yards or so from the Intracoastal at the north end of Boca Raton, just south of Del Rey Beach, so we may get some flooding, if it keeps heading in the direction that it looks like. Palm Beach and Broward counties may be really plastered. It's looking pretty scary out there. I hope that we're not without power for too long, but the size and intensity of this storm looks like it could make Charley a spring shower in comparison, and this may be the new record holder for damage in dollar value if it hits here. Rush Limbaugh (who lives up the coast in Jupiter) may become homeless, at least in Florida.

I still have a few pieces of plywood to attach, but our storm shutters are up. Don't know when I'll be able to check in, but I will as soon as possible. I sure picked a heck of a week to move to Florida.

Damn, Rand.
You take care.

Keep your head down, Rand!

Good luck and hang on tight!

Take care and good luck!

Good luck. I've got a brother in Miami who works for a contractor that does work on power plants. Every time one of these things hits, it sounds like the guys fixing the power lines are busy for weeks.

Here in the Midwest, we only get tornadoes.

Jeff

Take care Rand. Hope the worst of it misses you. Heck, I wish it would miss everyone. Good luck to you and all Floridians. If wishes could move storms this one would about-face and return to the open sea. And to think, I was THIS close to moving to Florida myself in the late '80s. Things like this make me glad it didn't work out (but I still hate Michigan winters.)

I listened to Rush on Wednesday and he was a bit of a prick about the whole thing. He has this rather pompous attitude toward his staff. After saying that he might end up "homeless" (of course, the guy is a multi-millionaire with a penthouse apartment in New York City), he then said "my staff will have to fend for themselves... just kidding!"

Does anybody wonder why this guy's housekeeper went and blabbed to the cops and the National Enquirer?

Whatta jerk.

Gosh! When did you figure out that one about Rush?

Good luck Rand!

Well, yeah, Rand, late summer is the *perfect* time to move to hurricane country :) Just like a friend & former coowrker who moved from San Diego to Wisconsin in December, it's all in the timing...

Seriously, though, I suggested to my brother who lives in Satellite Beach, that he cut away the screening on his patio enclosure to reduce the windage- I saw a video of Hurricane Charley hitting Punta Gorda, and the fabric just acts as a (slightly) porous sail. Better to get down to bare poles, if you have such a structure on your house.

"Gosh! When did you figure out that one about Rush?"

Long time ago. But he manages to be charming while being a jerk. It's amazing that so many people call up his show to kiss his butt.

Good luck, Rand.
We (in SW FL) are just hunkering down and hoping it doesn't come straight at us. And that the downed trees from Charley don't all turn into missiles.

Latest realtime visual and IR satellite loops (see http://www.intellicast.com/ and go to the active tropical systems page) makes it look like the eye is starting to veer north of the projected track. Good for Rand, perhaps not good for the Cape or northward.

Good luck, Rand.

If you can, please call or e-mail Andrew to let us know you're OK. Having been through some hurricanes, I'll be worried about you until we hear you've made it through OK.

It's probably too late to do anything about it now, but your regular insurance won't cover damage by rising water, i.e., flooding. If you live near the water, hope you've got flood insurance.

Take care.

Actually, Barbara, I don't have Andrew's phone number. I also don't have convenient outgoing email right now, though I can receive it fine (hint, hint, Andrew).

But I'll call Glenn once I know my status, even if I can't post, and he may relay it on Instapundit.

Best of luck.

Guess that's why Instapundit is the Blogfaddah, Rand. ;-)

Greatings from a neighbor to the north, in West Palm. Maybe I'll see you down in Delray soon, if the wind rips off my roof and lofts me your way. ;)