Coordinators:
 
Depending on the next several hours this may be my last message to you for
perhaps 24 hours (depending on power and phone lines to the hotel).
 
First some good news it looks like from Boyton Beach, FL south all is well
danger has passed.; that would include the hugh ferret shelter in Miami.
 
We had our first big band come through around 1:30 lasted about 30 minutes
then sun again.  The big band will start to hit us between now & midnight
we are only expecting winds of 70 to 100MPH (if it continues it's northwest
movement we may only get winds of 50 - 70 MPH) but we are also under flood
watch for 6-10" of rain.
 
A strange occurrence.  If I walk west here on the second floor I can
actually see the room of my mobile home!
 
On other fronts it doesn't look like the treasure coast of Florida will
fair as well Melbourne, FL, Singer Island, and Cape Canaveral will probably
be harder hit then here (we are about 30 minutes from Melbourne, FL).
 
Bid thanks to all the coordinators for what they are doing.  Especially
Gary Holowicki who has been calling all of you to keep you up to date and
ask you to call shelters in GA, SC, and NC.
 
Right now it looks like Hurricane Floyd will make landfall in either
Northern, GA or Southern, SC.  This is a terribly destructive dangerous
storm PLEASE when you talk to the shelter be sure they understand this.
 
Too many many people waited to leave and most of the roads east to west
(I.E., Hwy 70 & Hwy 60) have closed because they are flooded and people are
stuck in their vehicles.
 
On another positive note.  There are no less than 60 - 100 animals in the
Best Western where I am staying.  All the employees here have been
marvelous and I am helping out with the very elderly handicapped people who
have animals and are staying here.  I was surprised at the number of people
in Wheel Chairs that are on the first floor.
 
O.K.  I'm not saying Southern Florida is totally our of the woods but I am
VERY concerned about the shelters north of here.  So Barbara Ludt (last
addressee in the Send To and her shelter may be in BIG trouble.  Last
message I received from her was that she was beginning to move the animal
and hunker down.  This will be the second time Barbara and her crew have
been through a disaster (remember the fires in North Florida Last year).
Barbara got 70 animals in her shelter.
 
So that's it for right now.  If I can get on line when the storm is coming
through or right after I will, Otherwise I know how capable all of you are
at assisting in times of disaster - lets hope we don't have to:
 
AGEDOG1 down and gone till later
 
Chere McCoy
Director, Ferret Friends Disaster Response International
[Posted in FML issue 2805]