My experience since moving to Florida has been that power goes out all the time at the slighest storm. I come home several times a week to blinking clocks and a reset computer. I went through Frances last week -- actually almost 2 weeks ago -- here in Vero Beach and the cable TV went out around 9 am, with power going bye bye soon afterward around noon during minimal TS winds.

My old fashioned land line phone lasted until at least 11 pm. Later during the worst of the storm (after midnight), I picked it up to test it and it was dead. My ATT cell phone had coverage throughout most of the storm and most of the time in the days and weeks that followed. Other companies had less reliable or no coverage for several days.

The point is that you shouldn't freak out just cause someone is no longer posting. Power goes out early and over a wide area with a storm like this. Transformers explode and trees topple. As scary as it is loose contact with the outside world while a storm rages around you, it's probably safer for the folks enduring this storm to be paying attention to their shelter and family (and pets) rather than reading posts right now. Later, once the storm really digs in is when you wish you had the distraction of the computer, the TV, or a phone.

By the way, my power finally got restored yesterday.

Dude...not freaking at all...just kinda have FP's MO and it's odd he hasn't attempted to either post or at least check in...das all