Take care and have a fun time sweating it out in the Keys. Keep your eyes out for some Semaphore Cactus.

I'm here on the east coast of Florida, right on the beach. It was a pretty nice day today. A little gusty, maybe 20 or 25mph.Barely any rain or wind. Everybody still freaked out though. Never fails. I hope you guys weather the storm, come on down the sun is shinin'!
Matthew

Hi X

Thank you and I wish you well too!

From what I am seeing, the eye of this storm is suppose to pass right over my area. I am on the east side of it which puts me smack into the strongest winds living near the coast.
Some how I have to find a way on one foot to carry my plants to safety:-(

My father was rushed to the hospital unconcious yesterday found flat on his face in a pool of water from the same hurricane that hit the Island he was on. I have had no word yet. This is turning out to be a nasty one for me.

Good luck everyone

Mike

Hi,
to all of you who are in the path of this hurricane...
your in my thoughts and prayers......
be safe and good luck..........linda

I hope all our east coast friends are playing it safe. I think you have the right idea, X - take the plants where they'll be safe. Here, I worry more about large hail than anything else. My GH has roof glass that has stood up to all the hails we've had so far since I've had it (about 10 years.) We had some small hail about a week ago that I thought wouldn't do much damage, but it was driven by some very intense rain. After a few days, I started to see the bruising and marks that were healing. It sucks.

Did I hear correctly that NYC is probably shutting down public transportation? How's that going to affect our NY friends? Does the city just pretty much shut down in this kind of situation?

Denise in Omaha

Hi folks,

I'll check in & out right here (Hiya Denise, thanks for asking). I'm preparing a bag to evacuate. Sheepshead Bay is right out my front door & my evacuation is mandatory, I am at prime 'Zone A' low-lying coast & (I guess why) mandatory.

I have family up in the Bronx who teach up at Fordham, so I'll be taking Mass Transit up there later tonight. NYC has determined to shut down Mass Transit starting around noon on Saturday. Path trains ((NJ) as well, don't know about MetroNorth (CT).

Never before, the evacuations, City probably won't shut down, Manhattan likely will go on in a limited fashion, but somewhat, since we all walk lots here too.

There was a Northeaster in '94 where this Bay flooded its banks, the water level in the basement here was higher than my height, knocked out all the electrical in a 6 story apartment complex, we camped out w/ nothing but gas stove for a week.

Unprecedented to shut down the Subway (except for a strike in 2005). Will be interesting to see what happens. Crossing fingers for everyone.

In an odd way, my plants are the least of it, guess I'll take 'em off the windows sills & place them on the floor (I'm 6 stories up), in case any windows break.

Mike, wishing a good recovery for your Father, along w/ your safety for the when the Hurricane comes up your way.

I'll likely be gone 'til Mon. Tues. Be safe everybody,

(PG) Karen

Karen: Thank you for your kind words for my Dad and please be safe too.

Thanks everyone for our safety and keeping my fingers crossed this storm weakens quite a bit.

Mike

Yes, may she blow out to sea, far out to sea. See ya next week.

Karen

I've been moving plants out of the green house all day,some of the bigger ones on the patio were moved to the basement, not sure whats going to happen in my area but they say it could be nasty so I hope I'm ready
Every one take care
Bear

Hello Everyone,

My powere is on and off..im in the Hurricane right now...

Everything is inside my house, looks like a tropical paradise....

I was going to use my greenhouse, but i was afraid of the temps heading up and over 100 degrees..plus losing it all together..LOL!!!
We still have the center of the Hurricane just below us and the gust are up and over 70 mph.

Containers are inside plams are on the ground on the southside of the house.

Furniture outside is all tied down.

Generators are ready to start when neccessary..which will be soon....

Gas stations are out of gas since yesterday..

UGGGGG!

Good luck everyone...

Mike, im so sorry to hear about ur father.. My prayers are with you and his safe recovery.

Stay safe everyone...

I have the lights flickering now...so it wont be soon for us to loose power...

Lets keep our fingers crossed and that we dont have any major damage.

We just had a new roof put on last week....What timing...

Take care everyone,

X,

Be careful and stay safe...as welll as everyone on the east coast..

We are having tornado warnings right now...

Get this..in one week:

Earthquake here in VB
Hurricane
Tornado

My goodness....

Hope to see you all agasin on line sometime soon!!!

Laura in Virginia Beach (VB) : )

Stay SAFE X, Mike, Karen, Bear, Laura and everyone else out there in Irene's path!! Been through several of these and they are NOT fun! Please take care everyone...hoping for the best and hopefully its a lot less damage than the predictions!! Please post when its over so we know everyone's safe!

X, The weather is wonderful in FL...SO hard to believe the hurricane scooted SO close to us yesterday and we didn't get a drop of rain. You will have fabulous weather here...HOT and HUMID!!

It's reassuring that some of you are still able to post. Hopefully that means our friends who live in your areas are also safe so far.

Mike, I'm glad your father was able to get medical attention. How is he doing? This must add more stress to your life at the moment.

still have power....which is unbelievable....

so if u have friends here in Virginia Beach and near the Chesapeake bay....we are all ok...things are still to come...high tide is expected tonight at 9 and the tidal surge is expcted to rise at least 15 feet.

Winds are still sustained at around 50 with gust up to 70# but they are predicting more later...so we will see..

They major problem im having is the amount od crickets inside the house, since all of the 50 -60 plus Plumerias DR's cactus ets are inside...you can imagine the eyes that are rolling from my dear DH!!! LMAO

Take care..i dont know how much longer i will have on line...but wanted some of youu to know thst we are doing ok!!!

Take care

Laura in VB

Thanks Nancy for the nice comments!!! you are lucky to have missed this one.

We seen to have them alittle to often....ii guess thats why the isalnd of the capes jet out so far...always have been a problem since the beginning with the shoals sinking ships due to the channels being so dangerous.

Hurricanes seem too like to follow the path oof the outerb abnks and follow the coast line...only to hit VB!!!!

See ya!!

Laura in VB

My prayers are with everyone through this hard tie and terrible storms. Please be safe everyone. Do what you need to to stay safe, your plants can always be replaced, your life and that of your families can not.

Mary

My payers and blessing are with you, I am so glad that you posted, I've heard not news today, I am hopefull that Irene will turn east. I am praying that they are all being over cautious so no one can say that they werent' warned. Please be careful, I am so sorry that this is happening to you. I wish there was someway that we could divert this path, we also have gusts of winds up to 60 and it just breaks a few tree and we have fallen trees but no roofs come off where I live. Please keep posting, I am concerned about all of my friends. (family) I have not hear a word in the news all day, what is happening. Norma

Been watching the news all night. I know about VB stay safe, the plants can be replaced. You cannot. Karen and all I am concerned about all of you, you are all closer then my small family. You all keep me from getting lonely. Karen do you have enough food in the house. Will you be able to get mail delivery? I could mail food in, I'm serious about this. Norma

Looks like we made it with very limited damage. I did have to pick up a few plants but was lucky not to loose any.

Thank you for all your well wishes, prayers, and I hope everyone else is doing well.

MIke

Well Hello Again Everybody,

I'm OK folks, am back in the office as of 1:00 pm Monday. Haven't made it home yet, saw my own apartment building on the news w/ pix of it w/ 2 ft. of water in front of the Bldg., likely the basement flooded & knocked out all the electrical of 6 story, 4 bldg. complex.

On the other hand, everybody's OK am waiting to hear about my Mom who was evacuated from rehab facility in Far Rockaways to Phila. (I almost had a heart attack from that news).

Norma, you are a dear to offer; thanks so much. I most appreciate your concern & affection for me (& others who you've come to know here). Have you heard from Cookie? Is she still in my area (if I recall correctly)?

If my sister hadn't insisted I go to her in the Bronx (mainland vs. the peninsula I live on), I'd likely have gone to a public shelter (except that was on the other side of Brooklyn & was dependent on public transport to get there).

Anyway, all's well for now, I may be camping out by the light of the gas stove tonight. If I'm not online later tonight, that would be why.

Be safe everybody, 'talk soon'.

Karen

We have not heard back from Mike re: his father. My Cookie, you mean her daughter that was there at college she has graduated and got a job right away, I have my cat, but I am very much alone here I can go for weeks and see or speak to anyone. I have started downloading my collection of all the odds and ends of plants, giving them to my group for the raffle table, and to the Huntington for their silent auction. I want all of them to go to good homes. I am having a ant problem this year and will get rid of them tomorrow, had to call in a professional, can't do it anymore by myself do to my health, I don't like being older at all except I notice more people are very nice lately, kinder also. I hope my neighbors are not gossiping about me I have at least one man each week coming over to help. I am so lucky with my friends. Norma

Norma,

Its soo nice to have friends to help you...

You seem to be a very kind person and i wish the best for you...

If you have any family members here close to the Tidewater area in Virginia, we are all doing fine.

Between NC and Va 2 million people are still without power..

What a mess...it could have been worse, but fortunately we didnt have any property damage, here in VB.

Take care..

Laura in VB

Irene destroyed a lot of trees around the property and flattened some of my fences. It made me reel because I've been through several hurricanes while living here since 1995 and never experienced anything of this scale. She really kicked our butts here. To see a lot of trees fallen over or destroyed is difficult to see when you're used to them as a part of your 'home sweet home' mentality.

Somehow my street did not lose power, and other than some shredded leaves you would not know a hurricane was around. However many towns near me were without power until today.

Irene weakened very quickly once it hit Jersey. And as we all know by now, Vermont, upstate NY and other mountainous areas had hazardous runoffs to deal with.

I did have a blast in So. Florida!

x