Preparing for Another Hurricane in Good Ol' Fla.

[ShokWaveRider]

Dorian (Gray) is heading our way. All the best to all our East Coast Florida Residents, stay safe. We are staying put as we always do.

Good Luck!

 

[Dawg52]

This morning when watching the Weather channel it looked like this thing might not be so bad and would probably not make it into the gulf. Now it is looking like it will cross FL and head west. Keeping and eye on it......

 

[street]

WOW! I sure do feel for you people. I will take my snowstorm any day over that. No destruction and just have another cup of coffee and wait it out. LOL

Good luck

 

[bolt]

It's raining, robustly.

 

[omni550]

It's raining, robustly.

Bolt, whereabouts are you located?

omni

 

[Amethyst]

Just discovered that our very nice gas can, bought 2 months ago in preparation for hurricanes, is missing from our garage. Someone obviously walked in there on one of the occasions the door was left open, and walked out with it. There are no more gas cans left in the local stores - no bottled water, etc. either. Now if we must evacuate, we have no gas but what we can carry in the gas tank.

 

[bolt]

Bolt, whereabouts are you located?

omni

This is the .net
My whereabouts are always changing www.net.;D
However I frequent 33050

Best 2u2

 

[Aerides]

Now if we must evacuate, we have no gas but what we can carry in the gas tank.

Most any car can get out of florida on a full tank. We'll decide Friday, but a 3 or less we'll stay put (most likely).

 

[Amethyst]

We're on a barrier island. If the governor says get out, we gotta get out before they close the bridges. Or so I understand the law.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We're on a barrier island. If the governor says get out, we gotta get out before they close the bridges. Or so I understand the law.

Same as us, but we always stay anyway.

 

[RAE]

Latest update I saw has it hitting the Central Florida east coast as a Cat. 3 hurricane, 115 mph. Somewhere east of Orlando, maybe, but they really won't have a good handle on exactly where it might hit until tomorrow or friday. I'm watching this closely, as we are on the Gulf Coast, west of Orlando........right now they are saying the winds could remain at or near 100 mph all the way across the peninsula

 

[omni550]

This is the .net
My whereabouts are always changing www.net.
However I frequent 33050

Best 2u2

Bolt,

Beautiful area.

I often visited a friend who wintered on Big Pine Key. We often bicycled or kayaked around those parts.

Stay safe. (Latest prediction I saw had Dorian headed towards the middle of FL by the weekend, so your locale may luck out.)

omni

 

[W2R]

Just discovered that our very nice gas can, bought 2 months ago in preparation for hurricanes, is missing from our garage. Someone obviously walked in there on one of the occasions the door was left open, and walked out with it. There are no more gas cans left in the local stores - no bottled water, etc. either. Now if we must evacuate, we have no gas but what we can carry in the gas tank.

Might be a good time to go for a 2 week vacation a few states to your north. You will get quite a ways on one tank of gas, and will surely find more along the way to finish the trip. Lots of sights to see up there, and a bonus might be easier gas can availability. You can get one for the next hurricane.

Every evacuation doesn't have to be a "run for the hills" scenario. Sometimes it's just easier to leave early, especially for retirees.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks! We are new at this (although I've lived in FL before, just never this close to water - and there weren't any hurricanes) so all advice is welcome at this point.

Same as us, but we always stay anyway.

 

[Dtail]

Stayed at the local high school for Irma.
Will stay in the house this time, unless it develops to a Cat 4. Not crazy about driving north myself.
The Euro model has it crossing the state beneath the Tampa area. Could get interesting.

 

[aaronc879]

Most any car can get out of florida on a full tank. We'll decide Friday, but a 3 or less we'll stay put (most likely).

If you live in Miami you are not likely to get out of Florida on a single tank. Best you could hope for is maybe west of Ocala, maybe on your way to Tallahassee.

 

[aaronc879]

Latest update I saw has it hitting the Central Florida east coast as a Cat. 3 hurricane, 115 mph. Somewhere east of Orlando, maybe, but they really won't have a good handle on exactly where it might hit until tomorrow or friday. I'm watching this closely, as we are on the Gulf Coast, west of Orlando........right now they are saying the winds could remain at or near 100 mph all the way across the peninsula

That doesn't sound good. I have family in Leesburg and Oakland. I may have to reach out. Stay safe.

 

[Aerides]

If you live in Miami you are not likely to get out of Florida on a single tank. Best you could hope for is maybe west of Ocala, maybe on your way to Tallahassee.

I'm in S Fla, my small SUV gets about 350 miles on a full tank, I'll get to Jacksonville at least, not worried about finding at least one gas station on the way up if I leave friday, but after Saturday we'd stay put.

I've been thru enough of these, and the house is as hurricane-safe as can be, but a 4+ isn't something I want to test in person.

It's way too early to start making and firm predictions for which parts will be hit or safe. Tomorrow will still be too early. Those lines are very vague and often move. This is where we all set our clocks by the NHC advisory schedule and just go nuts.

 

[socca]

FWIW, here are some of my favorite hurricane-monitoring websites:

• National Hurricane Center

• GOES-East, Caribbean Sector

• Earth Global Wind Map

• Mike's Weather Page

It's shaping up to be an "interesting" weekend in Florida. I prefer my weekends to be less interesting.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks! We are new at this (although I've lived in FL before, just never this close to water - and there weren't any hurricanes) so all advice is welcome at this point.

I agree with the leave early option if you have the flexibility. When I was a kid, they thought Hurricane Camille was going to hit somewhere else. At the last minute, the forecast was revised and it was a direct hit on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We evacuated and our house got 3 ft of water in it. We lived about a mile from the beach.

My sister and her husband did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina. They got over 5 ft of water in their house. Luckily it was a 2 story house but they were pretty scared as the water was rising.

I’ve been through several hurricanes and they’re nothing to mess around with.

 

[atmsmshr]

Drat.

Current track is through the house. Subject to change.

Sometimes the paradise on the barrier island seems less desirable.

Myself and DW tired of placing shutters each storm. Last year I installed accordion shutters on the back and sides of the house. I got a 10x20 ft Kevlar screen for the back porch years ago.

Previously ordered, We had impact widows and door installed on the front of the house on Monday. Passed inspection Tuesday. Yesterday I installed the trim and cleaned gutters. Today is caulking. Tomorrow Habitat picks up the old windows which are in good shape.

House should withstand a cat 3 - if the storm surge does not get us.

Now that I am retired and won't be running a response center in a bunker, DW and I can stay together. Friends have a well built bug out place inland.

Sigh

 

[JoeWras]

Every FL hurricane is new because of the change occurring in the state.

There are 3.5 million more people than Wilma (2005), and even about 300k+ since Irma (2017). New development too.

So it seems every storm is worse than the last. And in human impact terms, it is, because our footprint is larger.

But consider the 1928 (yes, 1928) hurricane killed 315 in Puerto Rico then came to FL and killed 2,500. Yes, over 2000*. That storm had a similar track, although it was stronger at PR.

FL had 1.4M people in 1928, and 21M+ today.

What's the point of all these stats? My point is be prepared. The state is getting very crowded. I-95 is busy on any day. Once everyone decides to leave, it will be a parking lot. Be very careful in your planning.



* - We did not have the preparedness in 1928 that we have today. The '28 storm flooded the big lake and people died in an unimaginable flood. The lake is managed today. Still, because of development, it is hard to predict what can happen with wind and massive rain.

Weather history is a hobby of mine, especially historical Florida hurricanes. I got the bug when I lived there. I visited the memorial site at Belle Glade, and it made me cry.

 

[Dtail]

Latest forecast has it at 125, but slowing down.
Possibly a bit worse for our eastern folks and perhaps a bit better for our western folks.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

The center of the cone and the other models seem to be moving a little south. Still a couple of days too early to know for sure.

Living on an island the risk of leaving is when you can get back to mitigate any potential damage. They close our bridges (3) for a couple of days. We do have a gennie but rarely have to use it as we are on the same grid as the hospital which is less than 1 mile away as the crow flies. Power if lost at all, comes back within hours.

We all have to make our own decisions on whether to leave or not. That is the big decision.

AND...………

 

[JoeWras]

Living on an island the risk of leaving is when you can get back to mitigate any potential damage. They close our bridges (3) for a couple of days.

It is a difficult decision.

Last year in NC, people (rightfully) evacuated from the coast. Some came back as the storm was winding down and they made it to their property. However, most waited another day and then were blocked by flood waters for almost a week.

The state has plans to raise sections of major roads (I-95 for starters) to avoid this in the future. It will take decades, however.