Gov. JEB Bush is on the TV now. He's saying that if people haven't already left the area, it's too late. He warns people against using the Interstate highways in the area. People in Pinellas Co.--where Tampa lies--are to stay in the county and seek higher ground. Avoid the highways.
The Skyway Bridge, which arches over the mouth of Tampa Bay, will be open to traffic until winds hit 65 mph; then, it becomes too dangerous.
Warnings, too, that as the wind picks up over the next couple of hours police are going to be seeking shelter for their own safety. They're not going to be cruising around looking for people in trouble.
Local TV is reporting that the Sarasota Co. government is telling people to decide--no later than 1:30pm--where they're going to ride out the storm. After that, it'll be too dangerous to move around.
Right now, there's no rain near my home. Winds are starting to rise, though. A band of storms came through around 4:00am, waking me with lots of thunder and lightning, as well as a lot of horizontal rain.
It seems things are quiet for now... simply waiting for the shoe to drop.
