Gustav report is a shared responsibility

Even as far away from Gustav as Manatee County luckily is, we can still feel its force in stronger winds, blustery skies and surfer-force waves here today. How horrific will its landfall be? We'll know all too soon.

As the morning update stated, its winds are still churning at 150 mph, with its sites still toward Louisiana's coastline. We'll continue to update you here, courtesy of working with our sister McClatchy newspaper, The Miami Herald. As the storm worsened last week and this morning, our editors -- especially in Miami and in Biloxi, where the Sun-Herald staff geared up for the potential of a Katrina repeat -- shared plans and lined up resources.

Sending staff into harm's way is not a lightly made decision, nor will they be asked to take unnecessary risks. But as Nancy Kenney told Jim Jones in his column today, "We can do something in a disaster." This local woman has worked diligently to tap resources needed in such crises. Through the same type of diligent coverage, reporters and photographers will help monitor this storm's approach for you.

Joan