Stay calm and re-visit each step in your family hurricane plan.

In nearly 59 years of living in Florida, 40 of which were in multiple locations along the east coast of Florida, I've experienced the fringe on one Cat 4 (75 miles out on the "good" side of Floyd), within 40 miles of four Cat 3's (Donna as a toddler, Frances, Charley, Matthew) and the eye of Cat 2 David. I've been in 6-8 tropical storms (several on a sailboat). Each time I had a safe room or "hurricane hole" to ride out the worst conditions forecast. If Irma comes up the Florida peninsula and weakens to a Cat 3, we're staying in the original concrete block section of our house (built in 1950). If Irma holds as a Cat 5 (or a strong Cat 4) and the forecast has her riding up the east coast of Florida (a possibility), the wife and I will pack up the labs and cat and drive before conditions become perilous) west 75 miles inland to leave and shelter at the farm I grew up on.