Those of us in South Florida are thankful that we've had 3 misses lately - Earl, Fiona, and Gaston. I'm currently in St. Thomas, where they weren't quite so lucky with Earl. He came right by. They had a lot of tree damage, with some large trees completely blown over and lots of limbs lost from other trees. I haven't seen a lot of building damage, but it was after dark last night when we arrived. This afternoon's ride to the airport will tell a much more complete tale.

Of course, the NWS is watching another "disturbance" that's coming our way from Africa... but I guess that's the way of things this time of year. We're at the peak of hurricane season and it's not unusual to see 3 or 4 "things" to watch in the parade of "things" coming west out of Africa. I know our island friends have not let their guard down. We shouldn't either. Preparedness is the key.