Keeping good thoughts for everyone down there.

And now that they say the storm could circle around and hit a 2nd time. Yikes!!!

I hope everyone in the path of this can get out. If you can't, I hope, you have supplies, and a safe place.

Sending thoughts of safety for those in the eye of the storm.

Please get some supplies and be safe. Get out if it's recommended. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. I have a niece that lives alone on the gulf side, she said she should be o.k.

DH and I hunkered down for 24 hours near Raleigh, NC last Feb. We parked our RV as close as we could get to a huge Cabelas store. Then we started getting alerts on our cells, if you are getting this message take shelter now. I was petrified! Went into the store during the worst of it. I told him give me a blizzard and 2' of snow any day.

I lived along the coast of SC for many years and dreaded the onset of hurricane season every year.

I have a slew of friends back in Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Charleston and am worried for them. Stay safe, everyone!

The Gulf Coast of Florida should not have much other than some gusty winds. The local prediction is 1/3" of rain and winds up to 20 mph. However, those mid-state on the other side (Melbourne area) are gonna get pounded.

As noted, I live on the opposite coast, yet that have already cancelled Friday's garbage pickup!

My twin sister is in Vero Beach, close to where it is going to make land fall. I just heard it on the news, so going to give her a call. Don't know if she is in an area that has mandatory evaculation since she is not right on the coast.

One of my stepdaughters is on the coast, in the direct path, as is the house where my parents lived for 30 years. A cousin expects to be evacuated from her Georgia island. Scary stuff.

I'm thinking of you all in the east coast! Stay safe.

This is going to be a disaster for some.

Most East Coast people vacation on the Atlantic side of Florida (while a lot of Midwesterners choose the Gulf side. I remember Rhode Islanders talking about a storm in the 1930's that destroyed both their winter and their summer homes.

Praying that Mathew gets over his temper tantrum and slows down. Please head the warnings. You can rebuild a home, but not a life! And check in as soon as you can to let us know you are safe.

Praying for the safety of all people along the east coast. Residents from an assisted living facility in South Carolina have been brought here to Georgia to the town next to us. We are inland, so they will be safe here.

Feeling too antsy to settle down tonight. Relieved that the hurricane will not make it up to the Maryland coast where I am but very concerned for everyone in Matthew's path. I saw firsthand the devastation of what was by the time it got to me tropical storm Isabel - trees down, debris everywhere pushed up by storm surge, flooding that cut off the small island from the mainland for a time, power outages, loss of property, but no physical injuries in our neighborhood. Gosh our entire dock house floated away with deck furniture still lashed to the roof/deck. We did get the furniture back though. Luckily for us no serious outcomes of the storm. On the other hand, my friends, just last summer, finished rectifying the destruction to their house on the Jersey shore from Sandy. They chose not to evacuate during the storm and luckily the water that came into their house from the storm surge on the bay was not life threatening, but scary enough. When we hear hurricane, we get a lump in our throats and watch/listen to the reports as we prepare. And definitely evacuate. Wind and water are much more powerful than you think.

To all the garden web peeps in the storm zone, stay safe and hopefully the morning will bring peace.

Space Coast here. Some damage mostly trees and debris. Was less than expected. Cape Canaveral got a gust of 107 mph. Only one death reported- heart attack.

On the Gulf Coast. My weather station shows one gust of 32 mph since midnight, with current winds about 18 mph. Total rain so far .1". Schools and government offices are closed (4-day weekend when Columbus Day is added). AND they cancelled garbage pick up for today.

Boops, thanks for the report. My good friend and her husband moved to CC about a month ago. I know the evacuated. Good to know they'll have a home to come back to.

So far we have had little rain and not too much wind. I think its on its way though.

My son lives in the Greenville, SC area, (the upstate part) and they are safe there. Email from him this morning says Greenville County has sent 280 school buses to help get people out.

It's now 6:05 pm and we only had a little rain and some wind. I think its on its way North now.