Ernesto targets Florida

[Soldier4Christ]

Ernesto briefly became the first hurricane of the year Sunday, pummeling Haiti with hurricane-force winds before weakening into a tropical storm as it continued toward Florida.

But the storm was expected to restrengthen this morning and wallop Cuba. On its forecasted path, it could become a hurricane again and reach Florida by Wednesday afternoon.

 "It certainly looks like it's going to impact a significant portion of Florida before it's all over," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.

Tourists were ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys Sunday as a hurricane watch was issued for the area. Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency while Floridians prepared for what could be the state's ninth hurricane in the past two years.

Hurricane center forecasters said Sunday that Ernesto could hit Florida as a hurricane, but they pointed out that the storm's forecasted path and strength may be dramatically altered by its journey across Cuba today.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, Ernesto was 155 miles south-southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, and about 600 miles from the middle and lower Keys. Forecasters said it was moving northwest off Haiti's coast at about 7 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Earlier Sunday, sustained winds had been as high as 75 mph.

Palm Beach County officials did not have immediate plans to activate the county's emergency operations center, noting that Sunday's forecast predicts the county will escape the worst winds.

"If you follow the current path, we would not have hurricane-force winds here," County Manager Bob Weisman said. "We are preparing, but we are not activating."

On Sunday, Palm Beach County seemed comparatively calm. Water was being snatched up at local grocery stores, but Home Depots had not been inundated with the typical pre-storm rush.

"I'm really not seeing it yet," said John Fernsel, assistant manager at the Home Depot on Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens. "It's just a little early at this point."

Until Sunday, Ernesto had been projected to shoot into the Gulf of Mexico, possibly threatening New Orleans and the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast.

But a high-pressure ridge in the Atlantic that has been pushing Ernesto toward the northwest is weakening faster than expected, said John Cangialosi, a National Hurricane Center meteorologist. This has prompted forecasters to shift Ernesto's projected path farther east, toward Florida.

"We're all in the cone here in South Florida, so everything's a possibility," Cangialosi said.

Ernesto passed over the tip of Haiti's southwestern peninsula Sunday. Forecasters warned that as much as 20 inches of rain could fall in some mountain areas, raising concerns about flash floods in the heavily deforested country.

Officials went on the radio to warn people living in flimsy shantytowns on Haiti's coast to seek shelter in schools and churches.

"These people could be in great danger," Adel Nazaire, a coordinator with Haiti's civil protection agency, told The Associated Press. "Flooding is the biggest concern because a lot of residents live along the rivers and the sea."

In Cuba, a hurricane warning was issued for six eastern provinces. Tourists were evacuated from hotels in the southeastern province of Granma and baseball games scheduled for Sunday night in Havana were played earlier in the day.

Visitors also were preparing to evacuate in the Keys, where outgoing traffic on U.S. 1 was steady but not heavy Sunday afternoon.

Jim Rogers of Lodi, N.J. was part of a group of eight staying on Key Largo who were planning to stay until Thursday or Friday but now would be leaving. Rogers said the group might go to Naples, but they were not going home.

"You don't know where to go. You don't know where it's going to blow," he told the AP. "You don't want to be in Key West."

[airIam2worship]

hurricane watches are already up for southern Florida, the county I live in today are having a meeting later this morning to find out if our emergency centers need to be activated and to find out when hurricane watches or warnings will be going into effect. I live in central Florida so for you wanting to watch the shuttle go up,  right now they are trying to decide if it should be taken away to prevent damage. It takes 12 for it to be moved 4 miles andd millions of dollars in gas.  Right now I ask all of you to pray for us, we still have a lot of damage that is still being fixed from the 3 hurricanes we had the year before last. By tonight or later this evening at the soonest we should have mor detailed information.

[Shammu]

Already praying for you, and others in Florida.  As I do have family (Uncle & Aunt & bunches of nieces, and nefews) in Florida to sister.

[airIam2worship]

Hurricane watches are up from New Smyrna Beach on the east coast all the way down to Miami and on the Gulf coast all the way up to Chokolocksee, I lilve in between either coast. There are prepareations being made to start evacuations in Brevard county. Much if not all of Florida will be affected by this hurricane.

[Shammu]

My uncle and aunt live in Orange. Most of the rest live in Tampa, and Pensacola area.

[airIam2worship]

Brother Bob is that Orange County? I live very, very close to Orange country, as a matter of fact that is where my church is.
But straight from Florida the lates news from our local channel.... ....
NEWS FLASH.... the hurricane watches have from New Smyrna Beach down to the Tortugas has been changed to Tropical storm watches, however some counties near the coast Seminole (that's the county I live in), Orange, Brevard,Volusia, Flagler, Lake and a couple others are inder Tropical storm WARNINGS.... Some of us will have winds up to 60 MPH and up to 5" of rain, there is also severe weather warnings that means we could get tornados as well.. This is great news for us in that while we will get a lot of rain and wind it will definitely not be anywhere near as bad as it would be if it were even a category 1 hurricane. I am expecting the wind and rain to start sometime around 2pm tomorrow and intensify as the storm passes over us until a little after midnight. I am thankful that the evening is usually a lot cooler and if the power goes at least it won't b with temperatures of up to 95 degrees.

 I thank you all for your prayers, please continue to uphold the people of Florida in prayer, as meterologists can not forsee ALL and we are just praying that all we will get is the rain, that we need so desperately.
I thank God for HIs loving mercy and for our being spared from a potentially devatating situation.

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen sister I will continue to pray for you all there.

[Shammu]

Brother Bob is that Orange County? I live very, very close to Orange country, as a matter of fact that is where my church is.

Yes they live in Orange county

[airIam2worship]

I will have a live update from the local channel here in a couple of minutes. Went to the store to get some things and you should see how they raised the prices of canned foods.

Ok just got an update, storm has weakened a lot intensity of wind and rain has weakened.

[Soldier4Christ]

you should see how they raised the prices of canned foods

Normal price gouging. There should be a law.   

[airIam2worship]

they wanted 99 cents for one small can of vienna sausages, and $5.49 for a 2 pound can of Dinty Moore beef stew, and 1.79 for a small can of campbells soup. We ended up getting ramen noodles 6 for a dollar. I remember when they were 10 for a dollar before the storm.

[airIam2worship]

Latest update: Ernesto is now just a tropical depression, and actually it's been raining on and off all morning, but that's about it. The skies look like they are starting to clear up. We are still going to be expecting heavy rains hroughout the day, but not too much wind.

Thank you all for praying 

Thank You Lord!!!

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lord is indeed wonderful. We have had a very mild season so far as far as hurricanes go.

Thank you Jesus!

[airIam2worship]

Brother it seems that for several years now the worst hurricanes occur between late August and late September, those are the months we have to be careful here.