"Food, take whatever food we can from the refrigerator and pack a cooler, and then we have this nifty little thing that's an emergency kit," said Christa Crawford.
For the Crawford family preparation outweighed hesitation. Leaving their home behind in Melbourne Beach for the temporary digs of Best Western in Auburndale.
"It's a little stressful because you don't know what you're leaving behind, you don't know what your going to come back to, it's hard packing everyone up and hoping for the best," said Crawford.
The best they could hope for is a near miss,the worst, they're really not trying to think about just yet.
Their eyes, like many others, will be glued to the ever changing hurricane models.
"We plan on staying here two nights, possibly three," said Crawford. "Friday it's supposed to hit Melbourne Beach pretty hard at this point but if something changes we'll go back earlier."
She says her husband, two kids, and grandma got out early to avoid the major traffic jams that come along with mass evacuations.
Many others have done the same.
Rooms at the Best Western where they're staying are sold out, with most hotels in the area offering discounts to those fleeing the storm.
A storm that's offered us a glimpse into its distractive power in both Jamaica and Haiti, now heading this direction.
The risk of staying put, just too great for this family.
"Stay here and ride it out and make the best of it," said Crawford.
