Hello From The Center of Ike's Cone.. Getting Rain From Tropical Storm Hanna

This column has important advice further down if you live in the Cone like I do..honest real advice, please heed it!

So, I woke up to incessant rain falling outside my window and it rained like this all night. The ground is a little saturated but there is very little breeze blowing. Nice of Hanna to throw us kisses as she slipped past us on her way up north. I mean we wouldn't want to feel left out.

We are in the cone, still... deeper into the cone. I'm afraid to look at the models. I saw them at 2 am, I was not impressed or happy. A few still curve it off shore, a few show her to the southeast turning into land trying to catch a front.

I'm sort of afraid to look at the water vapor loop to try and find the front because I'll see Ike. Seriously, he is spinning in the bottom corner this morning of every local channel. We are ramping up for nonstop coverage of Ike, the before, the almost here and oh gosh there goes the cable and hope I have enough batteries for the TV Walkman to last me through the storm and for the month afterwards when we won't have weather.

So...all of this being said this is how it goes this morning.

I told the kids this morning to make a list of anything extremely important to them such as jewelery their boyfriend may have given them, favorite CDs, pics and throw it in a small Publix sort of bag because if we do leave and go to my brother Ronnie's and this storm hits as a Category 4 my little rented house without shutters and lots of jalousie windows (a few with small cracks) might not be here when we get back. I think I was clear on that. I guess maybe the Academy yearbook or those pretty gold earrings.

I sit here surveying my room from my perch in my bed thinking what would I not want to lose and where could I hide it.

Seriously, if you live in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or the Upper Keys you may want to make a list of what you want to take if you go to ride out the storm somewhere and I don't just mean food. If you are going to Aunt Tillie's take your wedding album with you. And, the hard drive obviously. If you are going to ride out this storm than find places in a closet that you can put away family pictures in a waterproof container wrapped in a garbage bag and pray the garbage bag does not fly away.

I am not trying to scare anyone just being honest.

This is what you could be preparing for:

http://www.wisn.com/weather/1629621/detail.html

Read it..think on it. Deal with it.



If a Category 4 or 5 hits this area this is what it looks like afterwards. Even shutters aren't going to help you a whole lot but it's better than not having them obviously, duh... as the kids say.

If a Cat 4 or 5 hits ...your roof may cave in, your shutters may fly off, your windows may break, your possessions might not be in your yard but your neighbors yard.

If a Cat 3 hits and you have shutters or an interior room not in a low lying, evacuation zone your house might still be there and you will be able to dry out anything that got wet.. maybe and put your life slowly back together.

If a Cat 2 hits... be very thankful. Your trees won't be there but your house will be.

If a Cat 1 hits.. do a victory dance before and after, eat those twinkies, drink your Arizona Iced Tea or Beer and give thanks, a lot of thanks.. your umbrella tree needed pruning and you will have a few days off work as you watch a lot of cute out of state FPL men try and piece back what was called a power grid by stringing those wires that came down and oh...hope you know how to use sterno or build a fire. You will be VERY, VERY happy you only got a Category One. Give thanks and money to the Red Cross who will be helping the people to the north or south of you who got the storm dead on.

If you live in a condo near the water with those really nice hurricane glass windows and strong sliding glass doors (Moe are you listening to me, Levi might read this and explain it to you) do not expect them to protect you but that really nice interior hallway for the elevator that services your Loft will protect you should you not choose to come to Ronnie's.

Ronnie if you are reading this: Buy water! Buy batteries. Can we go to the beach Sunday morning for a few minutes please.. (I want to stay in your office, okay? Maybe Mother's condo is better with that interior closet and dressing room?)

IF you work in an office in the downtown Miami, Ft. Lauderdale area listen up:
Take anything of value you with you or hide it deep into a drawer and hope it will be there when you come back as those windows in those tall buildings did not stand up well to Wilma ... and will fare worse with Ike. Take that framed pic of your mother, brother or boyfriend or child and hide it where the sun don't shine.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Run from the Wind..no wait... Hide from the wind, run from the water.

Pay close attention to the advisories, the local weather and that little voice inside you.

My son Levi just came in.. wants to know what we are looking at here and reminded me the whole house is jalousie windows everywhere. Got to go.. we need to talk.

That's it from Bobbi this morning.

No pretty pictures, not hot shots, no cutesy songs. Just some serious talk and advice.

If you live in the Miami Dade area stop what you are doing and make a plan, a list and start preparing.

IF the storm moves away, curves away, weakens.. GOOD. But, don't rely on it.

Oh..and pray!

Mucho Besos Bobbi ...