GUSTAV...

Hi everyone...I have an online friend, "Gus" from New Zealand...he just forwarded this message to me from an online friend of his from the Gulf Coast...
They've been told that "Gustav" is headed for them and could be worse than what they went thru with "Katrina"...
Please keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days / weeks...
...and be Thankful we don't get that kind of weather here in Maine !!

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Just thought I would let all of you know what is going on here while we still have electricity. 
 
We are in the direct path of Gustav and should start feeling some of the effects tomorrow morning.  It should make landfall late tomorrow evening. I live 35 miles from the coast and it is expected to be even worse than Katrina.
 
Our camp on the coast is at the point of land fall and they expect everything in the area to be wiped clean.  It's insured so I am not worried about it.
 
Evacuations started on Friday.  The traffic is bumper to bumper and there is no gas to be found.  We were going to head North, but were afraid to get stuck somewhere with no access to gas.  I would rather ride it out here at home than stuck on the road somewhere.  There is really no place to go.  All of the hotel rooms way up into Arkansas are booked solid.  We were going to take off with the camper but there are no campsites to be had.  I have checked throughout the entire state.  The closest place is in north Arkansas and it would take forever to get there with the traffic.
 
They said that we could expect:
 
sustained winds of 100mph for at least 12 hours with higher wind gusts....
threat of tornadoes....
20 inches of rain....
loss of power for up to 1 week or more....
 
We have plenty of bottled water, ice, can goods, cold cuts, bread and cereal.  Thanks to my son we have plenty of MRE's.(ready to eat meals from the military)  I don't really care for them, but we may not have much of a choice.  All of the stores here have closed until after the hurricane and depending on the damage, have no idea when they will reopen. 
 
Please keep us in your prayers.
 
Love you all,
Huggy/Donna

Oh MAN! I'm so sorry for them! How scary! I'll add them to my prayers! Keep us updated!!!

We prayed in Church this am for those in the path of the storm. Please do keep us posted.

Definitely in my prayers!  Hope everyone does ok down there!  That's some scary stuff!!!

Always in our thoughts, DH sister and family near New Orleans,Not good.... Never know where its gonna turn, Our snow storms are nothing....

Exactly !!
I'm one of the first to complain about the snow and the cold...BUT...I am so glad we don't get the hurricanes and tornados like they do in the south and the midwest !!  We had one tropical storm in Hawaii in the 3 years I was there...and that was more than enough for me

**Happy Labor Day** everyone !!

Definitely, prayers for the gulf coast area and people.

I've been watching the news this morning. It's going to be awful down there. DH has lots of family in N.O. and surrounding areas. When storms come they go stay with other family members in north Louisiana or in Texas. So we know they're safe, but worry about their homes. Such damage last time. DH cousin Connie didn't return to her home until 1 year after Katrina. Had to live in a travel trailer in her driveway while the house was being repaired. They are the lucky ones- they can get out on their own.
It looks like the mass public evacuation plans were MUCH better this time, even including pets.