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[Shutter]

Dade County codes are the strongest building codes around....everything put on a building must have engineering for 150 mph wind load. (3 second gust) they can withstand 150...the safest place in the house is the bathrooms. walk into a house that has just been framed and you will see the bathrooms have tight corners boxed in due to the size of the area...

The funny thing is, they did away with Dade County codes and now go by FBC (Florida Building Codes) still just as tough. most homes are block concrete which now requires filing the cells inside the block. hurricane straps, and clips are added to roof framing. every door, and window must be hurricane rated.even light fixtures on exterior have to be rated.

[Shutter]

This thing will destroy the islands....odds are it's gusting to 200....


At 800 PM AST (0000 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was
located near latitude 17.2 North, longitude 60.5 West.  Irma is
moving toward the west near 15 mph (24 km/h).  A turn toward the
west-northwest is forecast to begin tonight and continue for the
next couple of days.  On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous
core of Irma will move over portions of the northern Leeward Islands
tonight and early Wednesday, move near or over portions of the
northern Virgin Islands Wednesday, and pass near or just north of
Puerto Rico late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 185 mph (295 km/h) with higher
gusts.  Irma is an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.  Some fluctuations in intensity
are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to
remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple
of days.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175
miles (280 km).

The minimum central pressure estimated from Hurricane Hunter
observations is 916 mb (27.05 inches).

[Shutter]

another storm (Jose) is right behind this one....just what we need, a double whammy...

Check please 

[Bruce A. Smith]

Please stay safe, Shut. Tomorrow may be your last day to be a hero. After that, please do what you need to do to get through this, as I would imagine that Florida will begin to get Super Crazy on Wednesday - evacs, transfers of hospitals and nursing homes, traffic jams, frayed tempers, gasoline shortages.

When is landfall predicted? Early Saturday?

[Shutter]

I see it turned right into us overnight..if it stays on the present track we are in serious trouble. the eye is coming right over south Florida. not a good thing to wake up too.

Hero? no, I'm just a guy who see's a lot of people in danger and does the right thing I would expect anyone to do when trouble comes knocking. gas shortages were already happening yesterday. supermarkets were getting low. today should be very confusing for many. the roads will be rather thick I'm guessing slowing my progress down. I'm not going to be able to full fill the needs of many I have had contact with. sadly, I will soon have to shut my phone off. I doubt I will be working past Thursday. my family is now my priority and the safety of them. my mother is alone...I will be staying with her without question! I haven't finished putting her shutters up so that will be completed today.

it's 6:30 am, I have to leave and begin my travels. I'll try to take some pics of things that might be of interest today and post them if I can...

Shutter

[Shutter]

This was a crazy day...many gas stations were empty, no bread, water, batteries etc. it's funny, they have running water at home and go an buy $100 worth of water? lines were beyond a quarter mile at some stations..LP gas is another long line..traffic was bad. rain started to roll in towards the end of the day...

I'm now at my cutoff point on trying to help people..it's never ending, the phone just keeps ringing. I need to help my family now. my mom thinks I've abandoned her  my sister has a two story condo, so of course I have to go there too tomorrow.

These storms never bother me, but this one has me really concerned. the video coming out of Puerto Rico is shocking. this thing is not playing at all. it's pissed beyond belief. communication will become an issue in the coming days. all that we can pray for is a easterly turn, a big one, but I don't think it's going to happen..

I forgot to put my memory card in my dashcam, so I used my phone, and finger lol

[Shutter]

This is just insane video..

[Bruce A. Smith]

Shutter, at the risk of saying what you may already know, Irma may be bigger than anything you or I - and the rest  of the world - has ever seen. Be safe, and all the best to your family. I assume we will not be able to hear from you for a while, starting in the next 24-36 hours or so.

[Bruce A. Smith]

I see it turned right into us overnight..if it stays on the present track we are in serious trouble. 
Shutter

I concur. You and everyone in South Florida is in jeopardy. The question is what to do about it. Your plan sounds sensible. Button-down, board-it-up, and ride it out in the safest place you have with the people you care most about.

What are the roads like in Florida? Massive traffic jams? My sense is that everyone in the Keys had to get out, along with all those in coastal and lowland areas up to Palm Beach, plus everyone with medical needs that require 24/7 electricity and care.

[Shutter]

Mandatory evacuation hasn't started..once the warnings go up then they will announce the evacuations. then the roads around the coastline get jammed up. inland traffic is heavy but not too bad..

Hospitals always have electric...lots of people got smart from Wilma and have generators.

[Shutter]

Shutter, at the risk of saying what you may already know, Irma may be bigger than anything you or I - and the rest  of the world - has ever seen. Be safe, and all the best to your family. I assume we will not be able to hear from you for a while, starting in the next 24-36 hours or so.

Thanks, I'm sure I will lose communication by Sunday. cellphones go down pretty quick, electric flickers for hours as transformers explode. you can see and hear them go. the wind starts howling with the sounds of metal banging and sliding, tree's cracking..

If you have storm panels (metal) you hear things hitting them..accordions rattle and shift with the wind..you have positive & negative wind loads with a storm..you can see the panels come to life, breathing in and out with the wind pressure. water will start to break through doors running down the sides, or coming through at the bottom. bad storms bring a lot of roof tiles down with a constant thud hitting the side of the house, or windows. when the lights go out, you can hear ever noise as if you gained another sense.

I just hope it continues to shift easterly..I need 60 miles from the center. sadly, this puts the storm on the Bahama's to make most of South Florida safe. will it happen, I have my doubts...

[georger]

Shutter, at the risk of saying what you may already know, Irma may be bigger than anything you or I - and the rest  of the world - has ever seen. Be safe, and all the best to your family. I assume we will not be able to hear from you for a while, starting in the next 24-36 hours or so.

Thanks, I'm sure I will lose communication by Sunday. cellphones go down pretty quick, electric flickers for hours as transformers explode. you can see and hear them go. the wind starts howling with the sounds of metal banging and sliding, tree's cracking..

If you have storm panels (metal) you hear things hitting them..accordions rattle and shift with the wind..you have positive & negative wind loads with a storm..you can see the panels come to life, breathing in and out with the wind pressure. water will start to break through doors running down the sides, or coming through at the bottom. bad storms bring a lot of roof tiles down with a constant thud hitting the side of the house, or windows. when the lights go out, you can hear ever noise as if you gained another sense.

I just hope it continues to shift easterly..I need 60 miles from the center. sadly, this puts the storm on the Bahama's to make most of South Florida safe. will it happen, I have my doubts...

where is the server for this website?

[Shutter]

Not sure where it is..I don't think it's here..probably California, or west coast somewhere...it won't go down..

Then again...

PO BOX 783
TILTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE 03276
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

the actual server is in Chicago..

[Shutter]

doesn't appear that much changed overnight. the eye is still directly in our path. the time frames have changed and a loss of 5 mph. the island will begin to disrupt the storm but I don't know how much they can slow the beast down. perhaps the miracles I asked for with my friend I lost will appear out of nowhere? maybe Chuck can help from above, sure could use him now.

lots of people seemed to be much more aware than the usual storm. many have already taken care of there homes, businesses have started to board up in the last couple days vs the last couple hours. lots of moving vans on the roads. I haven't heard any reports of rage at the gas stations, or supermarkets. we might have learned that we are all in this together.

The phone is already starting to ring, but I can't help them anymore. guilt is starting to set in as I have no choice but to take care of myself and family at this point. I have a few people I will still get to because they don't require hours of help. I just can't get to them all as I have always done in the past. the smaller storm allowed me to be out helping people very close to the approach point. the main problem that is occurring now is so many people recommended me and then they do the same like the VO5 commercial...or just like a new drug dealer, it spreads like wild fire once the word gets out.

Lets see what today brings.

[Shutter]

The islands can slow storms down but it depends on it's severity. storms like this might not be affected much traveling over them, laughing at them to an extent.

hotels are flooded with people, flights are booked. it will soon come down to cars being the only way out of here. I wish my mom still had the condo on the west coast. I would pack up and take her there, along with my brother and sister.

The storm can still change course and categories but one never knows what's on it's mind.

I accepted one more call..I've helped these people over the years. they are very wealthy, but most of there family will be taking shelter there. she is not even in Florida but her sons from different area's will be going there, along with there family. yes, she could find someone else but she always knows I'm there. the sound of relief makes it worth while, very sincere. she is already aware of a safe place in the house for them because even those homes can be destroyed. this is probably in the range of 25 to 30,000 square feet. it's huge. I think I have a picture of it somewhere. I should be complete with my adventures by 2-3 o'clock and turn full time to my needs.

The woman I'm helping just called back offering me and my family shelter if needed! that's the type of people I know! I declined, but thanked her several times for the offer. now, if we can just get the rest of the country to learn that we are all in this together, perhaps the bullshit going on with politics could stop! you can't divide shit down here at this given time!

well, I'm heading out into the jungle. I will post later today with some updates.

Godspeed...