Opinions?

[nomolos]

I live and work in Jacksonville, FL. On the way to work today, I95 north is already starting to fill up with traffic and alot of it is already stop and go. I only predict this to get worse tomorrow and this evening. The crossover to make 1-10 completly westboung near the I-295 merger seems to have begun as they are clearing off this stretch of road.
All the schools in our county are currently closed tomorrow to keep traffic off the roads and so that they have the ability to evacuate w/ family if need be. Now my place of employment still has said that friday is a normal working day. And preperations need to be made to care for your children while you are at work. I don't understand why? The traffic at 5pm is going to be horrendous!! Much moreso than it normally is.
Their reasoning thus far is that it has slowed down, wont even be here until sunday, and is supposed to hit south of us. Personally I think this is very irresponsible of the company....we have family coming up from daytona tonight and we will be making a decision soon on wether or not to leave jax. Why don't people take this thing seriously?
thoughts?

[Brent]

Jacksonville will only see rain, a few isolated tornadoes, and gusty winds.

[Hou~TX~Mama]

I wouldn't let what my employer says dictate how I protect my family. If you feel you need to leave, tell them you are taking the day off and just leave. Deal with them later. It's not like a Cat 4-5 comes along every day.
There's no way I'd be in any part of Florida right now, because even though they THINK they know where it's going, it's not a given. What if this thing decides to ride the coast? It will be too late to decide to leave. Just my opinion. Good luck.

[Brent]

I agree with that. Never let your boss tell you what to do.

[vbhoutex]

At this point I do not see any reason to plan to leave Jacksonville. Jax will probably get some very rough weather maybe even gusts to Hurricane force, but nothing like areas to the South if the current track holds true. If you are very near water there could be flooding dconcerns you need to take into account.

On the other note, my employer has in the past and will be if necessary in the future been told that they don't matter in plans I make to keep my family safe!!JMHO.

[clearwater]

There's no way I'd be in any part of Florida right now, because even though they THINK they know where it's going, it's not a given. What if this thing decides to ride the coast? It will be too late to decide to leave.

I'm sorry, but this kind of commentary makes me nuts -- 16 million people cannot evacuate the state in a day. And there are people at higher risk than others -- if people in low risk areas decide to evacuate due to panic, EVERYBODY gets stuck on the road.

That said, don't let an employer make the decision for you.

[Hou~TX~Mama]

You're right, that is true. It would be horrible. If I was on the coast in Jax, I would probably just panic and want to leave. I think I was just trying to stress the point to the question about the employer.

[clearwater]

If I was on the coast in Jax, I would probably just panic and want to leave.

Completely understandable.

[CaneCurious]

I agree. Do not let your employer dictate how you keep your family safe. I had a situation with my boss during TS Isidore and Hurricane Lili, one week apart. He actually came to work during the hurricane and expected me to be here. I did not evacuate but the schools were closed and my kids were home scared because of what they were hearing. Stay strong and stay safe.

[alicia-w]

we used to have a boss who didnt live in any of the evac zones. he thought if he didnt have to, then by golly, everyone else would have to wait until the base commander said go,

our new boss lives on the water and is well aware of what it takes to prep for a storm. an early dismissal the day before it hits is a laughable amount of time to get ready.

take the time off to protect your family and property. with any luck, the boss wont be the boss when you get back (or shortly thereafter)