Reports are not looking favorable.

Winds are already picking up. Our area (right between St Pete and Clearwater FL) is due for the direct hit of Charley.

Please pray for my husbands shop. It is in the flood zone and also very likely to loose the roof (metal type building). If any of this happens he can loose EVERYTHING! No insurance to cover it. I'm talking about everything he uses to run his business and all the other misc equipment (its a computer retail/repair shop). This will not be a small loss that we can just pickup and start over. Please pray for an absolute miracle and allow all his equipment to survive untouched.

As for our home, and those around us, we are looking at the most severe winds between 5PM and 1AM Sat morning. That is a very long time, and that is what scares me the most. We are expecting 120-130mph winds at the strongest and sustained winds at 70+. We have secured as best as we can, but who is to say that something doesn't go wrong. Our only "safe room" is a tiny linen closet barely large enough for my DD and myself standing up the entire time, much less getting my husband in there too!. Please pray that he will even join us. He is determined to keep an eye on the house. I'd like to know what he plans on doing when he sees the garage door blow away (okay, I may be over reacting, but it's possible).

We have two large trees that are big enough to crush our house should they fall in our direction and also a 100ft radio tower that could do just about anything. It is safe up to 70mph winds, but that's it.

My mom is just a few houses away but wants to stay at her house. She does have a nice large walkin closet that I would love to have at our house. I hate her being alone. I would love to have our family go to her house but DH will not leave our house, plus we have some nice storm shutters that cover many of our windows safer than moms house. Mom is in her 70s and I worry that she will not be able to hold a door shut if she needs to.

It is so difficult to want to be in two places at once. Very scared to see what things will look like come Sat morning.

Thank you for your prayers. I am praying for nothing less than a miracle on both DHs shop and our homes. Please pray the same for us.

It's 7am now and the news says to be in the house by noon when the tropical winds start. If my nerves get the best of me, I will probably be back online just to do something, if we have power.

By Kernkate on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 07:52 am:

{{{{Dana}}}}, thoughts and prayers are with you. Be safe and keep us updated if your power stays on.

By Bellajoe on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:09 am:

They were just talking about Charley on the news, it sounds bad. I will keep you, your family and your houses and shop in my thoughts and prayers!

By Brandy on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:10 am:

Prayers for the whole situation Dana i'm so sorry you have to go through all of this.Please try to keep yourself and your children safe.And check in as often as possible for i know know i will be worried for you = ( ...Also i think i would probably try to get to my mothers house if it were safer? I understand about your husband and the house and all but really what can he do about it i would rather my family be safe than worry about the house..?Love and prayers to everyone..

By Marg on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:13 am:

Dana, thoughts and prayers to everyone in the path of this storm.

By Rayanne on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:27 am:

I'll keep you in my thoughts.
I am going through the same thing sweety.
We are in this together.

By Dana on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:29 am:

Brandy, neither house is safer. Mom has a walk in closet but no storm shutters. We have a tiny linen closet but storm shutters on the main windows. We both have big trees that can land on us. She lives about 7 house away, so no difference in wind strength either.

By Vicki on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:35 am:

Oh my goodness Dana how very scary! I agree that if your moms house is safer, that is where you should be. If the winds are that strong, there is going to be nothing you guys (or dh I should say) is going to be able to do about anything at that time anyway. I will keep your family and the entire area in my thoughts and prayers today. Please update us as soon as you can. You know how everyone around here worries!! God Bless!

By Colette on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 08:49 am:

Good luck Dana. You and your family are in my thoughts.

By Coopaveryben on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 09:03 am:

I will be praying for you and your family.

By Brandy on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 09:06 am:

Okay Dana i'm sorry i thought there might be better safety for you if you went to your mom's house.

By Eve on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 09:08 am:

I'll be praying for you all.

By Ladypeacek on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 09:45 am:

Will absolutely keep you in our prayers!!

By Melanie on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 10:21 am:

(((HUGS))) and prayers.

By Sue3 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 10:26 am:

Dana ,
your family and my sister will be in my prayers !(my sister lives in Gulf Port).
I hope the winds lose their strength ,or better yet , that the hurricane dies out.
I wish you could all fly to my house,though I know you can`t.

By Emily7 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 10:39 am:

Dana, Rayanne, & Sue3 your sister will all be in my thoughts & prayers.

By Pamt on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 10:39 am:

Dana, 2 years ago we had 2 back to back hurricanes in Louisiana, Lili was a category 4 and might be a 5 by the time she made landfall. We had prepared and were well-stocked. At the last minute I started to panic and wished we had evacuated. BUT....Happy Ending...by the time Lili made landfall she had weakened to a tropical storm and we barely had any rain and didn't even lose power. Hurricanes are weird things and can change directions and power easily. Hang in there and we'll be praying!

By Tunnia on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 10:41 am:

I'll be praying for you Dana! We used to live on the Florida Gulf Coast and have been through hurricanes so I know how scary it is. Good luck and try to stay safe.

By Mommyof4 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 11:20 am:

I will be praying for you! Please update us when you can to let us know you are safe.

By John on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 11:31 am:

Any reason you don't go to a solid brick building nearby (like a school or something) to ride out the storm?
It would seem to be much safer than staying in a house that might be crushed by big trees...

If something happens to the house in the middle of the storm there would be nothing you or your husband could do about it then...
The lives of you and your children matter much more...

By Happynerdmom on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 11:34 am:

(((Hugs))) and prayers... You are not over-reacting. I think I would probably go to a shelter with the kids with or without DH. (I know, easier said than done!LOL) I know my DH would be the same way. So stubborn!

By Karen~moderator on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 11:52 am:

Ditto John. I live in south Louisiana and we have evacuated for lesser storms. No matter how much you are at risk for losing, lives are more important and cannot be replaced.

If you get a direct hit from this storm, there's nothing you can really do by staying, to protect your property. As hard as it would be to leave, I think I'd get out of there while I still could. Good luck!

By Renee on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 12:07 pm:

((HUGS)) and prayers Dana.

By Sue3 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 01:33 pm:

Hope all is well and Dana and Rayanne and my sister are O.K.
I can`t get a hold of my sister .

By Amy~moderator on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 01:58 pm:

Praying for Dana, Rayanne, and Sue's sister, and all of the other families going through this right now. May God be watching over you now.

By Sue3 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 02:02 pm:

I just received a package in the mail from my sister ! It`s a t-shirt from skyway jack`s.
A resteraunt we ate at when I visited her last year.It is hilarious!All the waitress` had them on............
It say`s.......Delicious fried eggs
at Sky Way Jack`s and it has a drawing of 2 fried
egg`s right on the front (imagine where,LOL).
I am going to try to call her right now !

By Sue3 on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 02:06 pm:

Thankyou Amy.I have the weather channel on right now.The Tampa area is just getting the outer part of the storm ,there is still a possibility that it may shift or better yet weaken.

By Vicki on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 02:55 pm:

Weather channel just said it is getting ready to hit Sanibel Island right now....that is one of my favorite places when we are down there!! I hope everything goes as good as it can for the whole area.

By Brandy on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

Hope everyone is safe and sound

By Dana on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 06:02 pm:

For those reading this thread, I posted an update around 1pm with good news. We are totally missed! All is well for this area, but South of us is in bad shape. Category 4 hurricane hit Punta Gorda and is heading to Orlando as a category 2 now. Will exit FL as a category 1.

By Momaroze on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 08:36 pm:

Whoosh! Great news!

By Bea on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 11:43 pm:

We didn't get much wind here, in southeastern Virginia. It came right over us. The rain was torrential though. We had to pump out the pool twice to stop it from overflowing. We must have gotten 4 inches at least. Things are very soggy here, but little if any wind damage TG.