Yo Phil,

The only Cat 3 I went through was when I was one. My parents rode it out after we went to the shelter around the corner and my sister and I threw up from the heat (probably a airborne virus). They brought us home until the water backed up after the storm and we had to be rescued. The worst I've been through would be the center-of-circulation wall with one of the last three (Isidore?), Bob, fringe of Andrew and Florence.

Main key is stay away from windows (yeah right) and try to set up a safe room in your house if you plan to ride it out. Best thing to do if you don't have a hallway or interior bathroom is to put some mattresses up against a window in that room and put some strong furniture in front of it. You don't have to stay there the whole time, but if all hell breaks loose, you've got somewhere to go. Make sure whatever impliment of destruction you're going to use to free yourself (if necessary) is close at hand AT ALL TIMES. If your ceiling collapses or if your roof fails and the walls fall, you need to be able to get out (saw, hatchet, mallet, maul, whatever). Main thing is be safe.

And oh btw, look forward to the trof after the storm passes through. It feels like FALL here. This is unreal. I don't know what the temps are (low 70's?) but it feels like wind chill outside. A nice break before summer (hopefully) kicks in in Louisiana.

Steve