The first real report of substantial damage in Polk County has been noted. There was word of a possible tornado in north Lakeland a little while ago, causing a downed power line/tree and a fire at a house. And we haven't had anywhere near the whipping winds and torrential rains that the TV reports are showing from the Atlantic coast...that won't likely come until early Sunday morning.

I've been monitoring the local amateur radio networks on 2 meter channels (I've have a Technician license for three years and had a Novice ticket before that but let it expire so had to test again). The shelters are at approximately 60% capacity countywide, with several specific sites at capacity. One operator came on from a Haines City area mobile home park where around 25 elderly people were gathered in the clubhouse, including several on oxygen. They were not going to a shelter. Fortunately, the clubhouse is a newly constructed building (about a year old), so I pray they will be OK.

I saw where Pinellas County has ordered a mandatory evacuation of mobile homes, manafactured homes, and recreational vehicles effective a midnight. And I thought Hillsborough waited too late...

Watching the Tampa/St. Petersburg TV stations, what a constrast from the Charley coverage, when they went wall-to-wall beginning a couple of days prior to landfall. Only Bay News 9 went in that direction today. The network affiliates concentrated on NASCAR (NBC), college football (ABC), US Open Tennis (CBS), and whatever programming WTVT (the FOX station) had to offer. They all provided coverage regularly, but not to the extent they did with Charley, since the direct threat to the Tampa Bay area is apparantly considered not as serious...only heavy rain and tropical storm winds.

And let's keep an eye on the newest storm in the Atlantic, Ivan