Another major storm. Strike possibility brings it in on the Florida Panhandle, which is the north west of the state. They predict it hitting around Pensacola Beach. 15 minutes from our house. If the center comes onland close to us with catagory 4 or more, the winds will be 160 mph. Right now petrol stations are busy with people filling up and the hardware stores are out of plywood. Right now my husband is boarding up our windows and we are heading out at about 4 tomorrow morning to get ahead of all the traffic, which will clog up the roads as people start panicking. If stays the same as it was when it hit Jamaica, we may not have a house to come back to.

So here's goodbye for the next week. Gulf Power Company say if we have no power it will be down for approx 3 weeks.

Wish us luck

Mr and Mrs Funke

Jeez. I am sorry! Good luck, hope you go back to a warm cosey bed!

Fingers crossed for en ex Sheffield gal

Good luck

Looks like its coming straight for you, lets hope it changes direction and goes further west.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3650682.stm#map

Reports this morning are saying it is heading for Mexico, so you may miss the eye of the storm.

Good Luck Funke88...hope everything's ok.

Please update us when you get the opportunity.

Fingers crossed for you. :mad:

Looks like things could be bad where Funke88 lives

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3661040.stm

Lets hope you can get back online soon and give us an update.

Checked the webcam and it was offline

Good luck Mr and Mrs Funke88 ... hope you're both OK.

Jamie.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but theres another hurricane brewing up in the Caribbean.
Ooh dear, mind you can we really have sympathy with Florida when your all constantly rubbing our noses in it about all the nice weather your having there while were sat in the house avoiding the wind and rain all year round.

Nah.

Originally posted by Cycleracer
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but theres another hurricane brewing up in the Caribbean.


There's actually 2

Jeanne and Karl





Jeanne (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_astorm11+shtml/170853.shtml?) looks to be going on the east side of Florida and Karl (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_astorm12+shtml/170853.shtml?) is away off yet.

sending good vibes, the way of the funkes, and their neighbours!

PT

Well after a week we finally got power back and internet yesterday.

We survived. We had a tree smash the roof of the front of our house. No water, no power, no petrol, no telephone for 5 days. We got food, water and ice from the Red Cross. We had to flush our toilet with buckets of water from out next door neighbours swimming pool. The fence was down!

Pensacola Beach and Orange Beach where I work has been flattened.

Not sure if I have job to go back to. I am off work until further notice.

This has been a humbling experience. We are lucky to have our lives. The skyline of our neighbourhood had changed with all the trees down. Devastation all around us. So much has happened that it is hard to describe.

Hurricane Ivan Photos (http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/guides/hurricane/galleries.shtml)

Of course we did Funke.

We know you've had some tough times out in the states.
Here's hoping the worst is now over.

Are you still getting paid from the hotel even though you are not at work?

Good to hear you are OK:clap: :clap: :thumbsup:

I was begining to worry about what had happened to you guys.

Those pictures have certainly put things into context, I didnt realise the amount of damage it has caused. Not really been much news coverage over here about it, its mainly been all about the Caribbean Islands.

Hope you get back to normal as soon as you can.

Lets us know if you need anything, we could always send a SheffieldForum Aid parcel over.

With things like Hendersons Relish in it to cheer you up. ;)

Thanks Guys.

Tea Bags please Mikey.

DB- I am taking my 2 weeks holiday with pay. As for next week, who knows how I will be paid. It's not like I asked to be off work and I am not sick, so they should pay me or make me redundant. I think they will ask me to go in and simply answer the phone. They can pay me a managers wage to answer the switchboard. Right now only beach residents can go onto the beach. No vehicles can drive on cos of all the sand on the roads, so foot traffic only. It may be a few weeks before the general public can go on and gawk.

glad you're ok.

where do you work?

I "work" (not sure if I still do) at The Island House Hotel on Orange Beach, Alabama. I drive 35 miles to get there every day. We used to have a beach cam on top of the hotel, which is not operational anymore. The eye of the storm came in between there and Gulf Shores. I did log onto the local web site for Orange Beach and they haven't said when the beach will be open to the general public.

My cousin and kids were here from Sheffield on holiday and she evacuated with us. When we got back to our house afterwards they all stayed with us before I could get them on a plane out of here. I told her if she stayed I would put them to work cleaning up. They decided to go home! I emailed the Sheffield Star and a reporter wrote back to say that he would like to hear her story. So if she is willing to talk to the Star I will let you all know and you will probably read all about her ordeal on the front page. For a 2 week holiday staying in a luxury apartment, they had 2 days on the beach, 2 days in a grotty hotel and 5 days without water or power sleeping on the floor at our house. They were glad to fly out of "paradise"!!

Here you go here is my surprise virtual aid package, hope you enjoy.

To have with some comfort food (http://www.hendersonsrelish.com/content/images/bottle.gif)
for the morning (http://www.thebritishshoppe.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Taylors%20yorkshire%2040%20t%20bags%20large.jpg)
A few reminders of Sheffield
Hooray (http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Clubs/Crest/2003/11/03/Sheffield_Utd_c.gif)
Boo (http://www.mcfc4ever.com/kampfakta/logoer/sheff_wed.gif)
Ahhhhh (http://www.bochum.de/html/sheffield.jpg)
Ahhh2 (http://www.2747.com/2747/world/city/sheffield.jpg)
Home Sweet Home (http://www.subways.net/uk/sheffield.jpg)
Coat (http://sheffieldu3a.org.uk/Sheffield-fullcoatofarms.jpg)
Be careful with these (http://www.littlemesters.com/Catering%20knives/boning%20black2.jpg)
Nice view (http://www.pearlgifts.bizland.com/fxh01.jpg)
Nice view again (http://www.andrea-setzer.org.uk/JPEGS/peak3.jpg)
and finally something to make you go (http://www.ilmot.co.uk/Wards2X.jpg);)

Ahhh thanks Mikey. I enjoyed the Yorkshire Tea. Actually my cousin brought me 250 PG tips tea bags and a big bottle of Branston. I banned them from opening the Branston. But of course they did dig into the tea bags. Luckily we have a gas BBQ grill so we could at least boil water. Can't have 4 Brits in the house and no tea in the morning. Now that would have been hell.

It certainly made me laugh. Thanks again.

Having 4 Sheffielders around me for a week gave me back my accent. I actually said "gee'oer will yuh" Frightening! I haven't said that in about 20 years.