I live in Jacksonville.

Saw military convoys heading east, and people are coming from the south. I didn't see any, but I imagine there was another stream of utility and tree cutting type trucks like during Rita and Katrina also heading south and east.

I went to town to get an egg mcmuffin, and they are completely packed, so i went to whataburger instead.

What is the special occasion?

Oh yeh, evacuation. That's right. I almost forgot, and the storm has picked up speed eh?

Must be nice to have those privately owned automobiles to pull this off.

I saw dozens of ambulances from all over Louisiana and Texas headed into New Orleans. Some meant to evacuate the patients from the hospitals, and some to stand by during the aftermath, I assume. I also saw tv news trucks lining up all along I-10 to get that all important contraflow shot.

We've put deposits on trucks to roll South if there is another disaster. We're not sure of what equipment to bring other than generators; since we don't know crowd size etc.

I would rather forfeit the deposits than see the misery we saw after Katrina. The Red Cross is better prepared than last time and has a lot of evacuation areas already listed. Last time we sat in Macon, Georgia for two days just waiting for instructions on where to go. Let's hope it's nowhere this time.

Here in Oklahoma City, the National Guard and some local hospitals have already made arrangements to move patients from New Orleans to hospitals here.

The Mayor of New Orleans has urged everyone to leave town, and many communities throughout the nation have already made arrangements to house the evacuees.

After the fiasco of Katrina it would seem that both the government and private sector have acted with far greater prepardness and effiency to ready themselves for the worst case scenario here.

Hopefully Mother Nature will be kinder to New Orleans this time around, and much of the support and mobilization won't be needed.

At least we don't seem to have our heads up our asses on this one.

Dem, once again, I'm glad that you got out safely. Thanks for letting me know that you're alright.

Thank God,TXDem you have left. CNN reports only 10,000 people haven't left NO yet. There are 4,000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, 45% of USA oil comes from this area.

It looks like your about to get wet!

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@ midnight the rain was about 35-50 miles east of you, right now your in a tornado watch area, you also have watches for flooding out...

hey guys! come this friday I'm going to have my hurricane cherry broken it seems.

Hanna needs to stay away!

Hurricane Cherry?

Tsk, tsk...

Please explain what you mean by this, young lady. I am an innocent, niave old man with virgin thoughts and ears.

Hurricane Cherry?

I like the sound of that. It has a nice ring to it. Should be a good song, poem, or essay there.

It also brings to mind a certain individual of my acquaintance.

Hurricane Cherry...

Maybe I need to run with this puppy...

Thank you, my dear young lady, for the inspiration you often provide me.

Hurricane Cherry...

lmao, it means i've never been through a hurricane before (and please no references to the lad that posts in here)

Oh heaven forbid. I wasn't even thinking of any particular invidual on the boards.

What lad are we referring to?

The first hurricane I went through was Betsy, I believe, in 1965. The brunt of the storm hit New Orleans, but Mobile got a good glancing hit from it.

We spent the night in an air force barracks converted into a shelter.(the barracks was said to be the most solid structure on the base and had it's own back-up generator), and just generally made a party out of it.

Did have to go out and play in the wind and rain a couple of times. The wind would knock you over, and it was neat to watch the flying debris.

Though very stupid of us to be out in it. Just a dumbass 14 year old at the time though. Well, almost 15. Old enough to know better anyway.

Hurricane Cherry is something one should approach with great caution.

Unlike regular hurricanes it doesn't have an eye but it does have a vortex. Once you are in the vortex it is next to impossible to get out of it. If you attempt early evacuation severe repercussions can result; such as loss of limb; low back dislocation, lacerating wounds to the back and curving horizontal wounds to both sides of the lower lip.

It is usually a rare and mostly one time experience; but it is a weather phenomenon best experienced when young and in good condition.

I digress.

I just got it started.....