Hurricane coming- people going nuts.

[JaneV2.0]

Yes, I'm sure he really doesn't need that personal call any more than the Mayor's did. It just possibly shows the level of animosity our President feels for his likely replacement.

I'm sure DeSantis would only use any call as an excuse to take potshots at the president anyway. He's such a nasty little toad.

[Alan]

I'm sure DeSantis would only use any call as an excuse to take potshots at the president anyway. He's such a nasty little toad.

You forgot the 'competent' adjective. "He's such a competent, nasty little toad."

[ApatheticNoMore]

I have to say although I don’t care for DeSantis because I don’t like some of his policies, he is taking charge. He held a news conference and was clear, articulate and explained what he was doing. He has activated National Guard, and is working with county and city governments to get ready. He has declared a state of emergency for the entire state. During the pandemic I had little faith in Trump but DeSantis instills confidence and is very articulate. What you want in a leader.

So what, any decent governor would. I don't see it as any better than our governor who pulled us through the latest heat wave along with everyone's cooperation. Only Newsom's politics are a definite improvement. Newsom has been competent AND not nasty or toadish. And apparently, although that seems a fairly low bar, that's the deal of the century to hear people talk.

How it should be: competence is the bare bones expectation, and if not they shouldn't be in office (there are plenty of other good reasons to kick someone out of office, but that's not even meeting the minimum)

[Rogar]

DeSantis certainly has the hair of a Reganesque looking promising republican politician.

[flowerseverywhere]

Storm barreling towards us. Storm surge up Tampa bay and south could cause an immense amount of damage. We are expecting 10-15 " of rain. So far just sporadic reports of shortages of gas and supplies.

Some outer bands have gone by. I expect by tomorrow we will be in the thick of it

[JaneV2.0]

Storm barreling towards us. Storm surge up Tampa bay and south could cause an immense amount of damage. We are expecting 10-15 " of rain. So far just sporadic reports of shortages of gas and supplies.

Some outer bands have gone by. I expect by tomorrow we will be in the thick of it

Are you all battened down? Reports sound intense. I would be stress-eating like a gerbil...

[happystuff]

Stay safe, flowerseverywhere and everyone else in the path of this storm.

[Klunick]

Brother and sister in law live in Ft Meyers and said they were in their bathtub pretty much all day yesterday wearing motorcycle helmets and goggles to combat breaking windows and flying debris. Wasn't clear whether or not there actually was any of that or just precautionary. Lost all the trees my brother recently planted. Pool was filled with leaves, dirt, and debris.

[iris lilies]

Hope all of our Florida and hurricane area people here are doing ok.

[flowerseverywhere]

The hurricane passed just east of us. we somehow missed most of the torrential rain, but got five inches. Palm fronds were down, some flooding and roof damage and we lost power for a few hours. Incredible luck. It sounded like a train coming through most of the night. We had minor easily repairable house damage but no flooding on my street. Orlando took a big hit.

There was amazing coordination between state and federal resources.

The devastation in Fort Myers area and again on the east coast is beyond imagination. Several million without power, many failed water and sanitation systems. Sanibel/ captiva bridge destroyed and many homes in the path totally destroyed. There were a thousand FEMA personal standing by, Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters, coast guard, power trucks from many states and national guard on standby. There was a shelter for special needs people a mile from me and there were many people who took advantage of it. Especially disabled seniors. Shelters were abundant and there was amazing communication about them, which took pets and so on.

This kind of damage will take a decade to fully repair and clean up.

I have to say the coordination between the local, county, state and federal resources was remarkable. Despite what the BS news channels say. Today Biden declared disasters in nine countries to release federal aid. That number is sure to increase. Most areas from Gainsville straight north and west to Pensacola had minor damage. But some areas are totally flattened or washed away. The number made homeless will be staggering.

The area where it came ashore is very densely populated, as is Tampa, Orlando and much of the area in between.

I don't know what this will mean for the future of Florida. We have had six category four or five storms in the past five years in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. I cannot imagine how much this one will cost. Insurance near the coasts will be astronomical.

It is beyond my capacity to truly comprehend all the destruction and suffering they will find as they come through looking for survivors. I'm numb with sadness for all those homeless, injured and killed. And proud of all our rescue personal.

Here the coverage was around the clock on all major TV stations. We saw so many scenes that were mind boggling. We just could not believe all the cars, debris, boats and houses floating away down city streets and into the lakes and the ocean and bay. .