@apraxiamom, I’m also in Savannah! Moved here one month ago. Watching the updates carefully. My assumption is that we will evacuate, but at least current predictions are that Irma will weaken befor hitting our area.
The photos coming out of the islands are truly shocking. Now if they get hit with Jose…
Not only are homes damaged, but shelters, governmental offices, communications infrastructure, airports, ports. 95% of the French side of St. Martin is reported to be damaged, with a death toll that currently stands at 6 but is expected to rise. Barbuda has been flattened. This is one b of a storm.
Teenaged pro surfer dies in Barbados, riding Irma’s waves. 16 years old.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article171707367.html
edited to add: broke his neck http://www.surfer.com/features/barbados-junior-pro-zander-venezia-passes-away-after-injury-from-heavy-session/
My hairdresser knows many locals in Antigua, and they were ok. Per their report, damage was less than other hurricanes.
My Miami S and DIL will be heading to her parents’ place more north and west in FL, this afternoon. There are mandatory evacuations for Miami-Dade zones A and B. They are just over the line in zone C but not waiting any longer. They will then all re-evaluate and see if they need to keep going farther.
Thx for the replies. My friends have decided to drive from FLL to their home in MD. They had a flight tomorrow AM and were told the airport will close sometime tomorrow time TBD. Now they are sitting in traffic on I 95.
A nationally syndicated talk show host is telling his viewers that the media is just over-hyping this storm and that it’s basically a conspiracy to create fear.
That’s terrifying because people will listen, and people will likely lose their lives over it.
I fear that as well Romani. There will be deaths on the roads due to car accidents probably.
I hope it is over hyped. Personally, I’m binging on GOT. I went to a yoga class early to ease the tension.
Still, gas stations are out. Many people I know left town. Home Depot was an orderly zoo at 7 a.m.
My son is relieved I’ll be staying with relatives, who have a generator
If it was me, I’d definitely vacate unless I was a first responder, medical personnel, or some other person with a need to be there. And I’d drive at night in the hopes of minimizing congestion. So what if it turns out to be less severe than predicted? Why take chances?
Unlike other crap, though, this storm will manifest. He can’t pretend when the wolf is blowing the house down.
Someone may have already jumped on this…but The Points Guy tweeted this two hours ago…
" I chartered a jet to evacuate family & I have 2 spots. Departs FTL- Trenton tmrw ~9am Pregnant/disabled/high-need email tpg@thepointsguy.com"
Also, The Points Guy tweeted for those with Pets flying on Delta:
Now through September 12, Delta is waiving all pet-in-cabin and checked pet baggage fees for travelers leaving from — or returning to — 27 airports across Florida, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.
From CNN:
Another update on the weather models. The latest one shows the eye passing just south of the Turks & Caicos and then it jogs a little to the left towards Cuba tomorrow night before making the sharp right turn. I think this little jog towards Cuba will be the critical factor in determining where Irma makes landfall. If it doesn’t happen then the storm will stay out in the Atlantic. If it hugs Cuba’s north shore then the track will be over Miami. The official NHC forecast track is in the middle of those two possible tracks.
If Irma stays out in the Atlantic, but not far in the Atlantic, isn’t the monster storm surge still going to happen?
S’s GF’s parents live in/near Miami, IIRC Coral Gables, and I emailed him yesterday to say that if they felt like a northern vacation they were welcome here. He says that the schools are closed–she’s a HS teacher–and they are going to a family cabin in NC. Lucky that it’s NC, not SC.
On one of these thread I posted that my parents got tired of evacuating from Hilton Head. It sounds as if HHI may get the bashing they escaped when Hugo turned slightly north and devastated Charleston and environs. I hope it spares Charleston. 
I simply would not evacuate without my dog. That would mean that I would have to make plans to evacuate sooner, rather than later. So be it. My nephew and I heard a piece on NPR by some woman talking about what she would have done if better prepared in Houston. She spoke of “securing” her dogs in their house, and then leaving for a neighbor’s place, apparently on slightly higher ground. We were both appalled at her selfishness and cruelty. Are you telling me you couldn’t take them with you? Even if the neighbor wouldn’t let them in the house, they couldn’t be outside the house, on safe ground? You are going to crate them or tie them up to drown? Still furious.
Read that Miami and FLL airports will close on Friday afternoon, around 4. Orlando expected to remain open on Saturday.
@romanigypsyeyes , this happened after NJ got clipped by Hurricane Irene in 2011. There was a lot of hype and the storm basically fizzled out. The next year when Sandy hit, it was much more severe and many people didn’t heed the warnings .
This happened last year too with Hurricane Matthew.
“Matt Drudge takes heat for tweet implying hurricane is government lie”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/10/06/matt-drudge-hurricane-conspiracy/91705834/