TD#5 terrifying look like TD#3....

[Steve Cosby]

Nogaps takes this storm into the same general area as Charley in 6 days.

Nogaps is kindof the forgotten model, isn't it? It doesn't do great but it doesn't do bad either?

[Mello1]

What do you call someone staying in a mobile home during a hurricane? Idiot comes to mind, Unwise, Stupid but those are a little to harsh for you. These people that were injured and rode out the storm within the storm surge zone and in mobile homes have nobody to blame but themselves. This hurricane didn't just develop yesterday its been out their for awhile and if I remember they had watches up 72hrs before the storm made landfall. I know many people called for this to be a major hurricane so people can't play that card. Its just like people saying they didn't have warning when a tornado was coming and you go back and look and they had 30 minutes lead time.

It may help to put things into perspective. I think that this whole conversation is developing into blaming the NHC or the people who stayed. The NHC did it's job correctly, no question about that. They provided a cone area based on several tracking models as to where this thing was most likely to hit and the storm hit within that cone.

The problem was how that information is dissminated to the public at large as well as the decisions made by Fla. officials in concentrating it's efforts in one location. I would imagine that Fla. officials will rethink a few things for future events. Lastly, remember that Porta Gunta is largely a retirement community. That means a lot of elderly people and if they are anything like my dad, you have to make them leave. I do wonder why a mandatory evac wasn't issued for that community, given that the majority of the people there live in mobile homes within the strike area cone.

I was away from my computer most of yesterday, so I was watching the 'news' on cable. All of them were gearing up for a Tampa Bay event. That might be where the biggest problem lies....

[Steve Cosby]

The problem was how that information is dissminated to the public at large as well as the decisions made by Fla. officials in concentrating it's efforts in one location. I would imagine that Fla. officials will rethink a few things for future events.

I think you hit it on the head. It really was not anything more than how information was disseminated and how it was acted upon (either by the people themselves or the authorities).