I hope she will be okay but it's way better to be prepared. Gustav looks dangerous and if I was in that area I would be planning to leave now. See the link below.
~Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: What to do

I've lived on the Texas Coast all of my life and I have never evacuated. Three years ago, people were so spooked by Katrina, that when Rita was headed our way, they panicked and there was absolute gridlock on the freeways. It was very poorly planned, contra flow lanes were not open, no gasoline or anything else available. Rita didn't hit here, and there is seldom a mention of the over 100 people who died due to heat stroke, etc., sitting in hot cars, that moved maybe 10 miles in 24 hours.

Personally, I would never leave to go very far, and I won't go until the last minute. They had everyone going east because they thought it would come in more to the west. Our deckhand went east to Jasper, and it went right over the top of them, and she was stranded there for three weeks before she could get enough gas to get home on. We got maybe 1/4 inch of rain out of it here.

If you're really scared tho, get out early, so you don't get
caught in traffic. I don't know how it is in Florida, but here, way too many people that didn't need to evacuate contributed to the problem.

They just went over the Evacuation plan for our area. Since Rita was such a disaster evacuation. All Coastal Residents are suppose to leave first. There is a Section A, B, C and D for evacuation.

My little town on Interstate 10 is an official re-gassing station. There is Gasoline reserved for evacuations for disasters. I am at the Cross Roads of Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

Our 92 year old friend in Galveston will be leaving with her Son for Labor Day weekend. She will stay there with him until the "all clear" is given. No reason to take a chance.

Anyone, who is frail and in the Gulf Area should just leave before the traffic jams start as a precaution. Sometimes the evacuation is just as "scarey" as the Hurricane.

Just my two cents worth.

Gayle

i would assume at least with this much warning she can at least get important papers together (insurance, medical, cash, and photos) i'd make sure the cell is charged, full tank of gas, enough people/pet food, and buy plywood now before there's a run on it. even if it changes direction, the ply can be stored...

while dh and i never had to, we did have plans for fire or earthquake. (we lived in a burb of san diego) at the one end of this mini valley was a dam, which, if the "big" one hit, would have flooded, and blocked in or out. we set a meeting place, and with kids in 2 different schools, each took responsibility for a school. thanks be we never had to test it, cause the fires we had never got close enough...

I live on the Alabama coast for 31yrs have never evacuated have heard to many horror stores of people that tried to get out being stuck on the highways.
Ronm80 your DD is just around the coast line from me, tell her to be sure to have all important papers in a zip lock bag and come on over we have all the supplies generators ect.
Gillian.

Ron, I sure sympathize with your DD's plight. I'd advise that she follow the instructions on the "What to do" link that was posted. Also, she should do it now and be fully prepared to immediately evacuate if/when the notice is given. She's got a couple of good choices for her route of exit.

First I-10 to the exit at Cottondale, Florida and then 231 North to Dothan, AL. (That would only be a 2-1/2 drive for her under normal traffic conditions.) There are lots of hotels in Dothan and they will be expecting evacuees. Also, there are shelters already being prepared there and through out our state. She should try to make hotel reservations NOW. Other points along a northward route in Alabama on Highway 231 would be Ozark, and Troy. I've forgotten the "window" but if at some point, the Panhandle of Florida is under mandatory evacuation, then Highway 231 will be changed to only northward bound traffic which will give all four lanes a northward flow.

Another option for her would be I-65N. Her best chance at accomodations for hotels or shelters would be in Montgomery, Prattville, Clayton and Birmingham. Again, at some point in that "window of time" that I mentioned, I-65N will also be changed to northward bound traffic only.

If you need more specific information or questions, you're welcome to e-mail me through my member page. I know how it is to fear for one of our "chicks" and be concerned about about their safety.

with all due respect i think she really should head northeast, like macon GA. dothan is really not that far and if the panhandle/AL area gets it she may have trouble getting out of there back to PB. a cat 3 hitting the coast can be a cat 2 100+ miles inland. there is a huge high pressure system over FL keeping gustav from coming here so her best bet is to get eastward. then watch the news carefully as hannah is on deck next....

in 2004 charley hit port charlotte as a cat 3 and travelled 5 hrs over land to orlando and still was 100 mph. that was the scariest night of my life and i do not scare easily. that day the path for charley was set for tampa and late afternoon the path changed. we're in the orlando burbs and our power went out at 5:15pm, no reason for it, it was beautiful. forecasters said it would travel 5 hrs over land and be a bad storm overnight in orlando and we had batteries, candles and all the fruffy things then recommended. well after 5 hrs w/o power we were running out of batteries for the radio and flashlights and it was getting hot in the house from the candles burning. then the forecasters began a scary panic because the storm had only lost a bit of kick. nothing will make you want to throw up on the spot like a forecaster freaking out on the radio/news about how bad it looks for your city when it's already too late to do anything but huddle together and hope all the windows, roof and walls don't get ripped off your house. 100 mph for 30 minutes is very bad, that is my limit now for staying put & that is w/ 5/8" plywood on all windows & doors. back then it was thought that in this area you did not need to board up, have generators, a weeks worth of water & ice, 50 gals of gas on hand etc..., only one other time had a hurricane come thru orlando that was donna back in the 60's. an evacuation notice went up for orlando but it was w/in 2 hrs of being here and hotels were filled up w/ tampa people and we were not getting caught in the SUV. we did not evacuate obviously and the shelters are only 5 miles away but they were not open. after charley we boarded up because 1 week later francis came and we stayed boarded up for another month thru jeanne. we now own a generator we got after charley cuz the power was out for 24 days straight :-0 along w/ that 10 gas cans, atleast 2 battery powered lanterns, a bunch of flashlights, enough back up batteries in every size to run a week straight on. a spare always charged, car battery w/ large power inverter which is what we use for power loss under 24 hrs (5 times this yr already lol) which runs 2 large fans & 2 lamps (or a small tv) for 8 hrs straight. the only thing i long for is a huge stand-by generator which i will probably get after i get my new roof & windows this yr. after this storm recommend to her to get flood insurance if she doesn't already have it and all the things listed above, you really can not live in FL w/o these things. in 24 days w/o power i spent more than what a big back-up generator costs to keep our lives going normally and i never got my insurance co to cover the more than $15K in hurricane damages. it is very expensive to live here during active hurricane seasons, it's better to shell out the $$ now for the needed supplies than try spending wayyy more later.

what would i do in her shoes? RUN and now and get as far away as possible. i can not ever imagine living that close to water and getting thru a hurricane even at a local shelter. until you go thru a bad one you can not even imagine what it's like. i have a friend who lived in marathon down in the keys when Andrew came thru. her parents would only evacuate to homestead to a friends house. they nearly died when the house collapsed around them and everytime a storm is forecast she hits the road, getting as far away as possible, even for small 70 mph storms.

roads are going to be packed after tomorrow, she should plan to go early fri, just in case. if it stays away from the panhandle then all this was just practice and it's far better to learn from practice. get all important papers, valuables, pets and anything else she wants to keep out of the house. 4 yrs later i still have all my important & sentimental stuff packed in rubbermaid containers... ~ liz

We lived in Panama City Fla when OPAL came thru. The commander of the AF Base wouldn't release anyone until about 3 hours before expected landfall. We took off East to Gainseville. and were able to get a hotel roo, Those that went north to Dothan Ala that late played it out on the road with no protection.

I suffered no damage (rental in a Manufactured Apartmant complex) DS just had his For Sale sign blown down.

I've ridden out a few whil living in Miami in the 60's - 90's.

God,I wouldnt want to be in any of your shoes....

I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I'd be leaving before tomorrow morning. May God bless everyone in or near the path of this thing.

Suzi

Ron,

Our family lives in Milton, about 20 miles from Pensacola. If your DD is ON the beach, she should evacuate. After Hurricane Ivan came through a few years ago, the beach area was torn up completely. The surrounding counties were hit pretty hard and where I am, we were without power for about 3 weeks? I believe that's correct. I would say she could wait until Saturday to see the projected path for that time and if Pensacola is in the cone of uncertainty, she should leave.

As others have mentioned, Dothan is not that far away, so she should find a place further away than that. Our area is not near the beach, so flooding is not an issue for us, so we will be staying. The most we got from Ivan was a ton of rain and wind. The only damage was our double drive gate that caved in.

If it does hit, we'll be able to hear the local news anchor Bob Solarski say "There is a human walking on the beach." That was part of his commentary after Ivan went through...what an idiot. lol

~Cindy Jo

Thanks for all the advice. I sent this link to my DD. If the projected path doesn't change they are leaving Saturday. They live on the beach in a townhouse they leased for one year. SIL is doing a fellowship at Andrews Institute. We live in south Ga. so they will be coming here. She has everything important packed and ready to go. Their son Mac has a 7th birthday party planned for Saturday, so he will be very disappointed. DD and I thank you for your help.

I'd have my cars filled up with gas, and be headed North. I'd be scared I'd get stuck in the exit out of town if/when it hit.
Leslie

Liz is right, it's always best to head northeast from a hurricane. It's why I mentioned the Dothan area since Gustav is projected to make landfall around Gulfport, Ms/New Orleans. (Very similar to Katrina's route and the Hwy 231 corridor actually fared well and was on the far fringe of the storm.)

ron, I'm glad your daughter & family have made their plans and will be headed to your house. I know you must be feeling calmer about the decision.

Minnie, I didn't know you'd lived in Panama City. I remember Opal well. I had a vacation home on the bay just across Hathaway Bridge at that time. We had an 8 ft. storm surge come in with Opal. I'll never forget the devastation I saw once we homeowner's were allowed to get back in to check on our property.

I remember how devastated the beach area was in Panama City. My apt was on HWY98 on the way to the Base I had a storage unit over at Practical Pig on the other side of the Mall. I remember how long it took for folks to get back in their homes. It ruined DS's favorite fishing pier too.

Other DS lives in Navarre Fl They are getting ready just in case I keep tabs by putting in his zip code in the WeatherUnderground link

Here is a link that might be useful: Weather Underground

We lived in GA many years ago my DH was stationed at "NAS Glynco" we brought a home on St Simons Island but sold it when we were sent out to the west coast.
Gillian.

Ron, we also live in Pensacola, only about 12 to 15 miles inland. We went through Ivan and Dennis awhile back and had major tree damage but very little home damage. We were without power for 3 weeks in the heat and gasoline was nowhere to be found for generators. I would definitely evacuate from the beaches for a category 3 hurricane. Many people lost their lives thinking they could ride it out. We rode it out inside a central walk-in closet. Our home is so well built (we built it ourselves) that I believe it would take a cat 4 or 5 to destroy it. Hope your daughter will be well and safe.

Minnie, I believe I know where you're talking about. Was that on the way to Tyndall AFB? And was the pier you mentioned Dan Russell Pier? If so, it's bigger and better now along with a huge entertainment & shopping district called Pier Park. You might not recognize Panama City any more because it's really grown. Some good growth, some not so good. One thing I've really enjoyed is seeing the old St. Andrews Bay area brought back. It's really lovely in that area now. I know how concerned you must be with your son in Navarre. It's beautiful in that area but it's been "storm whipped" quite a few times.