This Florida resident checking in. We are on the left side of Florida in the panhandle. We may get some of it (heavy rains) tomorrow early a.m. We got lucky. However the rest of Florida is just a mess. I have friends/family still in trouble from two weeks ago and now again. We sit here in our home and all is peaceful and quiet outside. It is hard to imagine, under these circumstances, that within hours we can have devastating rain and winds. We are lulled into putting things off and I suppose that's why many are not prepared. It is exactly what you see on TV. The only thing is, tho, is that you see only seconds of the winds and rain. People inside the hurricane have those winds and rains for hours upon hours without let-up. When there is excessive rain, the grounds are saturated, the trees are over-heavy with moisture, the roots become loose, the trees fall over, or at the least, branches break. The relentless wind drives against your roof and if it grabs a corner, the winds continue til it's just plain gone. I have been in many hurricanes, but this one is beyond anything I have ever seen. We are preparing today by bringing in things - and are always prepared with the rest of the stuff - canned food, flashlights, water, meds. If I suddenly disappear from the site or your emails, just know that our electricity has gone.