Jim Cantore is in in town. Oh shit!! I live in Melbourne, Florida so gonna really be rocking and rollin these next few days. Hatches are battened down, storm shutters up, beer, and cigars stockpiled. Now just wait.

I've been through a few in the Outer Banks and they are a pip. All you can do is hunker down and secure your property. We will be praying for you and hope that it moves along quickly.

Bob, you and all ICErs in Matthew's path will be in my prayers. (Including myself!)

Stay safe DFT. Let us know you're OK when the worst is over.

I went through too many to count (Erin and Opal in 95 and however many came through from ’04 to '07). It was one consideration when deciding where to go after retiring from the military, so naturally I ended up in Washington.

Watch the storm surge and keep an eye on any trees around your house.

I have been thru three in Florida and one in Ohio (!) when Rita blew thru. By the time it got to us it was all wind, knocking out power all over the city for up to a week!

Do not take any chances. Stock up on water, for one thing. And stay indoors or go to a shelter!! I rode out all of those FL hurricanes in a trailer and it was not fun.

Good luck! My brother is in Putnam County, just inland of Volusia, and he is off work for the next two days. (he is a middle distance trucker for FedEx) He has been keeping me posted, but is expecting to lose power and cell service this evening. Oh, boy.

Calm before the Storm is so very apt. Outside with beer and a cigar, not a peep to be heard, except for a breeze from the northeast. Ominous.

We're all belted in and ready with plenty of water and non-perishables. Lots of books and crosswords on hand, and my iTunes is chock full of audio goodness!

I have prayed for all in the storm's path. I hope everyone comes through OK.
I lived in the Tampa Bay area for 20 years and though we had some close calls we managed to dodge all the bullets.
I never really got hit until Sandy.

Didn't know that Kid, that you live here in the Tampa Bay area. Great place, isn't it?

Hope all our friends on the East Coast, especially our visitor Dental Floss Tycoon.

We got lucky this time, being on the west coast. With that said, stopped at Publix and picked an array of cold cuts, chips and of course some Carlsberg.
I'm ready for the weekend!

My prayers go out to Rick and his family and all other IMWAN members who possibly may be affected.

Hold on to your neighbors man.

Thanks my friend, all is good on the west coast of Florida. Very little rain. Actually with the strong breezes we did have made it a joy to cut the grass this morning.

After that Luke (my black lab) who supervises my work by following my cutting went to the Gulf for a swim to cool down. The waves were great, almost like the Atlantic Ocean (on a normal day).

Rick A.

My thoughts are with anyone and everyone in the path of this hurricane. I hope that all of you and your loved ones will be ok.

Made it through unscathed thankfully! No power outages (at least in our neighborhood), very little wind damage, and we had very little rain all considered. The wind was utterly ferocious, relentless, loud, and unlike anything I've ever experienced before. All family and friends are accounted for and in good shape, with no major damage reported. These past few days it was nice to meet some of the neighbors. A lot of old timers on my street, so we helped them out with their storm shutters, had a few beers, and made the best of the situation.

Did you go outside to experience that wind? If so, what was it like?

It's one thing to watch it on the news or videos on YouTube and another to actually feel it.

I'm glad you made it through the storm!

I did! I walked out early in the morning and immediately started getting pushed around by the wind - and I'm a big load! Hurried back inside as I didn't want to be the major cause of damage on the street. Walked the neighborhood this morning. Behind our condo a large wall separates us from new construction on the next block. Construction debris was piled high behind it – lucky for us as that material would've ended up in our living room.

Walking in high winds is kind of fun - just ask Marcel Marceau - but when they are sustained and there's a good chance a lot of junk is flying around in those winds, it's not always very smart.

Anyway, glad you came through O.K.

I remember walking around on my Army base in Germany in 1982 (Garlstedt - 2nd AD FWD). The post was 30 minutes south of Bremerhaven, which is a North Sea port. Anyway, the wind was so bad that day that I had a hard time walking a straight line.

You sure it wasn't some of the best beer in the world, made by our good friends the Germans.

Rick A.

Yep, I'm sure. Now that I think about it, I was walking to the main gate to take a taxi to town (Osterholz-Scharmbeck) to, ummm, drink.

So the walk in the wind was kinda practice?

Rick A.

Not always - ask Karl Wallenda...