Evil Captor that was tropical storm Alberto in July of 1994 that got middle and south Georgia. I witnessed first hand the flooding in Albany and Newton. Our big worry now is we’ve had lots of rain and if Ivan decided to park itself north for a few days it could be that all over again.
I’ve got three New Orleans refugees staying in my house right now, though it’s looking like N.O. will be spared the brunt of the storm. Here’s hoping everyone else on the gulf coast makes it out safe and alive.
The Long Road, I absolutely loved your third post in this thread. It was a cromulent, delicious mix of resignation, disgust, and profane sensibility.
Oh yeah, I know Robertsdale. I just passed through there last week with my girlfriend. We went to Orange Beach for a few days and (of course) passed right through Robertsdale (I also used to inspect their public water system for the state of Alabama, but that’s neither hither nor thither, I suppose.) I’m glad we got to see Orange Beach one last time before the storm, since I think Ivan is about to give us all a rather pointed lesson on barrier island and beach erosion.
As for the pine trees, I hope they’re longleafs. They have a nice fat taproot, so they generally fare better in bad storms. If they’re shortleafs or loblollies or Virginia pines, they might just decide to rip out of the ground and go wandering off.
I was at Dauphin Island Sealab in '95 when Erin and Opal came through (actually, I spent a lot of time fleeing northward, as I recall.) Ugh. I have no problem with hurricanes conceptually. Neat stuff. It’s the vicious reality I have trouble with. 
I remember Erin and Opal. I was living in Fairhope at the time. Erin wasn’t that bad. My father (an old navy man who loves a good storm) sat outside under the carport smoking and watching the storm. We ran from Opal, but we ran right into the path of it. We would have been fine if we had stayed in Fairhope. We ended up in Troy in a relative’s “house”. I love my family dearly, but we do have some serious dirt-legs in the mix, so the “house” we were in looked like something people keep thier tools in, in the back yard. I had some serious stomach acid that night as I watched the walls creak in and out with each blast of wind.
Oh well. We made it out of that one and my immediate family is safe from this one. I hope you and yours stay safe and out of the way when this big bastard makes landfall.
-Daniel
Just wanted to point this out. They are predicting 30+ foot waves from the Mississippi/Alabama line all the way east of Panama City, FL tomorrow morning. Bye bye, beach-as-we-know-it. I hope nobody has the bonehead idea to have a hurricane party on the beach this time. I remember stories of broken, bloated corpses washing up days later after Camille (not to mention the guy who tied himself and his dog to the pier, thinking the storm surge would never get that high. Guess what. It got that high. And more. They found him and the doggie a couple days later. Still tied to the pier.)
I remember it seeming like Opal chased me north up I-65 in 1995. My family all blamed me for the 90 mph winds we were getting in Montgomery.
And thanks, Greathouse. Same to you and yours.
I live near Ft. Walton Beach and it seems that Okaloosa Island is already flooded. I saw that on live TV. I expect the power to stay on in my area up until the late afteroon, so I’ve been soaking up the Internet as much as I can. I don’t expect to get back online until possibly either the weekend or next week.
We’re about as prepared as we possibly could be. My mother has fixed a ton of food(stir fry, chili, lasanga), and we’ve got a ton of snacks, sodas, ice(we made our own) and drinking water. We filled the bathtubs and sinks, moved potentially lethal weapons inside. I’ve got a Game Boy Advance SP, tons of candles, batteries, flashlights, a gas stove, oil lamps, books and paper.
It’s really windy and rainy now. Nothing we haven’t had before, but I’m sure it’ll get much worse later on as we get the East side of the storm.
Oh, and my mother was SHOCKED that many people were buying beer.
I can’t say I blame them. But, she did say that warm beer would have to taste like pea, so I’m assuming that beer would be going in the coolers.
All you Gulf Coast Dopers are in my heart right now. We lost our house, three cars, every last piece of artwork I had ever produced and all the pictures of me since I was a baby that my mother had just sent me in Hurricane Georges. Took two years to rebuild and sell, and we’re tucked away in the Puget Sound now, watching in horror as Ivan takes the same path Georges took. Please stay safe, everybody!
My home is in Gulfport, MS, and my family is leaving for Oxford today to stay with my brother at Ole Miss. Our house made it through Georges without horrendous damage, so I’m hopeful.
I’m safe in California, but I wish I was at home with my family. 
Your mother’s thoughts fit right in with the governor of Puerto Rico, as Jeanne hits there:
Depends what kind of beer. Your basic Bud, or Miller, yeah, it’s going to taste even more like crap warm, but something with some body to it wouldn’t be too bad, necessarily.
I have family, two uncles, in Pensacola. One has taken his family and fled inland to Mississippi, and the other has boarded up his home (I don’t remember if it’s a house or a mobile home) and gone to stay with his in-laws.
Mmmmmmm… vegetable beer.
Seriously, Gulf Coast Dopers, best of luck and keep us informed. Chain down all your outside stuff, grills and the like, and throw lawn furniture into the nearest pool for retrieval later.
Our thoughts are with you.
I meant PEE. Hehhee…
Anyway, we’ve got two bottles of Greek wine. 
Looks more and more like it wants to go to Mobile.
My wife is reaching the end of her rope and might snap. Not because of the storm but because of I’m pointing out what a good idea it was to purchase certain items. Our weekend shopping excursions(all year long, not just in hurricane season) usually go like this:
Me: Oh look, an oil lamp for $4.50. That’s a good buy, I’m getting one of those.
Wife: Why the hell do we need an oil lamp?
Me: Because if we get a hurricane next season it will come in handy when we have no power.
Wife: Stop being so paranoid.
Fast-forward to yesterday:
Wife: Do we have enough fuel for that oil lamp? Make sure to put it where we can find it easily when we lose power. I wish we had more of those.
I can’t say anything because of my huge shit-eating grin.
Take the above conversation and substitute batteries, flashlights and water for oil lamp and that about sums it up.
Bring it on, Ivan you Mo-Fo! I’ve got three chain saws in good working order and a gas powered generator with plenty of spare gas. Cars, trucks and tractor are parked out in the middle of the pasture where trees can’t fall on 'em.
The Coleman stove’s checked out and ready to cook on.
We’ve got lots of relatives piling in here because they know we’ll have lights and water.
Hurricane Party!
Alabama Power Company is saying it could be two weeks before service is restored. That’s Ok, we went 24 days after Opal and we’re still here.
Everybody hang tough!
My christian name is Ivan. I prefer “Ive”, kinda like “Dave”, but whatever, the fact remains my name is Ivan and right now, I really wish it wasn’t.
Best of luck everyone. I hope my namesake doesn’t wreak too much havoc.
Sheesh, sitting here at my aunt’s house near Ft. Lauderdale watching the CNN coverage, I’m thinking a) thank God it isn’t hitting here again, because South Florida has had enough headaches the past few weeks; b) how is it possible that some estimates are that 100,000 people, about 10% of the population of New Orleans, haven’t left and/or have no way to leave? and c) sheesh, I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans, but if things get as bad there as CNN is predicting, there may not be a New Orleans to go to for quite some time - they are estimating it could take several weeks to several months just to pump out all the floodwater, let alone repair any damage, and it’s conceivable the Big Easy could get hit badly enough that it would make sense to scrap the entire city and rebuild further inland.
Holy Cow. I hope everyone is OK.
I told you to be sure to include at least three items in your list, too! 
Seriously, may you fare well through this looming nightmare, and be back soon! Our prayers are with you.
You and your aunt be on the lookout – WeatherScope (I’m not sure which of the algorithms it uses) forecast suggests that Jeanne will be coming up the Bahamas and then skirting the Florida coast up the whole length, staying very nicely over the Gulf Stream so she can keep herself at full strength.
It’s here. 7 people are dead so far from tornadoes.
Ivan is supposed to remain hurricane force at least until it hits Montgomery, and should remain tropical storm force until it’s nearly in Tennessee, where topography and a developing northerly high will most likely conspire to keep it in place and wring it out like a sponge. Rainfall totals in parts of the Carolinas, east Tennessee, and mountainous Alabama may top 15 inches.
Nearly 200,000 people are without power.
This is one for the books, folks.