Hurricane Milton

I think there will be widespread power outages for days. Many crews are up in NC and GA. If you don't have a generator your fridge will go bad in a couple days, a freezer may last several days without power. We were without power last week for 4 days but with a generator. I could run the well for water.
 
Even power outages vary widely in a single area.
We are on the same connection as a hospital, so have never been without power for more than 3 hours. Again we shall see.
Didn't lose power during Irma.
 
Dtail said:
Even power outages vary widely in a single area.
We are on the same connection as a hospital, so have never been without power for more than 3 hours. Again we shall see.
Didn't lose power during Irma.
Click to expand...
I thought that too but Ian I was out for 26 hrs (chest freezer was still 10F when power came on). I am very close to the SPPD building and the substation. I've only had one other short power outage here in 5 years. Across the street from me, the linemen are all staying with their equipment.
 
Lewis Clark said:
I'm evacuating from northern Pinellas County in the wee hours tomorrow, between 3 am and 4 am. Will hopefully miss the worst of the traffic leaving that early. Heading to southwest Georgia for a couple of days. If the conditions after the storm are too bad to return for a while, I'll continue north to our condo in Ohio.

I-75 in Tampa is bumper to bumper at the moment. Just saw a live video on TV.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing you are about a day late in trying to evacuate and that roads are clogged, hotels anywhere you want to stop are full, and gas stations along the way are empty of fuel by now. If you count the number of lanes of road that can get out of the area and think about moving a million or so cars in a day, you'll realize it can't be done.

We tried evacuating Houston in 2005 when Rita was a Cat 5 and barreling towards us (Katrina had just hit New Orleans so everyone was on alert as to how bad it could be). We started a couple days before predicted landfall and were too late, several million of our closest friends were already on the road. We sat in traffic for a couple of hours and still hadn't gotten 4 miles from our house; we realized it wasn't going to work and we would be more exposed to the storm on the road and went back home. We got lucky, the storm went elsewhere. The folks that got on the road were stuck there for 24-48 hours as there was nowhere to go, then cars ran out of gas, folks had nowhere but the bushes to go the bathroom, and the only food and water was what they brought.
 
We are 5 miles inland in Sarasota but thankfully on high ground (for Florida) and are not in an evacuation zone for storm surge. We are going to be staying with friends (same elevation) who have a 1 story concrete block home and shutters. I think we are safe from storm surge but concerned about the wind with only being 5 miles inland. Should be ok if it drops to a 3 and also if it isn't a direct hit here.

Our home is a townhouse with a wooden 2nd story and no shutters. We are definitely safer at our friend's house.
 
simple girl said:
We are 5 miles inland in Sarasota but thankfully on high ground (for Florida) and are not in an evacuation zone for storm surge. We are going to be staying with friends (same elevation) who have a 1 story concrete block home and shutters. I think we are safe from storm surge but concerned about the wind with only being 5 miles inland. Should be ok if it drops to a 3 and also if it isn't a direct hit here.

Our home is a townhouse with a wooden 2nd story and no shutters. We are definitely safer at our friend's house.
Click to expand...
Rooting for you!
 
Exchme said:
I'm guessing you are about a day late in trying to evacuate and that roads are clogged, hotels anywhere you want to stop are full, and gas stations along the way are empty of fuel by now. If you count the number of lanes of road that can get out of the area and think about moving a million or so cars in a day, you'll realize it can't be done.

We tried evacuating Houston in 2005 when Rita was a Cat 5 and barreling towards us (Katrina had just hit New Orleans so everyone was on alert as to how bad it could be). We started a couple days before predicted landfall and were too late, several million of our closest friends were already on the road. We sat in traffic for a couple of hours and still hadn't gotten 4 miles from our house; we realized it wasn't going to work and we would be more exposed to the storm on the road and went back home. We got lucky, the storm went elsewhere. The folks that got on the road were stuck there for 24-48 hours as there was nowhere to go, then cars ran out of gas, folks had nowhere but the bushes to go the bathroom, and the only food and water was what they brought.
Click to expand...
It's good to plan early for sure.

Rita landed as a Cat 3 after reaching Cat 5 in the Gulf.

Katrina landed as a
Cat 3 after reaching Cat 5.

Hurricane Delta in 2020 exhibited this same pattern. Others have to

Let's hope Milton weakens significantly before landfall.

Meanwhile let's all be prepared and safe.
 
Exchme said:
We tried evacuating Houston in 2005 when Rita was a Cat 5 and barreling towards us (Katrina had just hit New Orleans so everyone was on alert as to how bad it could be). We started a couple days before predicted landfall and were too late, several million of our closest friends were already on the road. We sat in traffic for a couple of hours and still hadn't gotten 4 miles from our house; we realized it wasn't going to work and we would be more exposed to the storm on the road and went back home. We got lucky, the storm went elsewhere. The folks that got on the road were stuck there for 24-48 hours as there was nowhere to go, then cars ran out of gas, folks had nowhere but the bushes to go the bathroom, and the only food and water was what they brought.
Click to expand...
Went through that one too. We sat on the West belt for about 6 hours and moved maybe a mile. Finally got to an exit, turned around and made in home in about 20 minutes. Never again.
 
Exchme said:
I'm guessing you are about a day late in trying to evacuate
Click to expand...
Not necessarily.

We did a last minute evacuation from Irma and hit no traffic at all until we were in South Carolina. By then, most evacuees had already left.

And we do have a hotel reservation, made a few days ago.

During our Irma evacuation, as we were driving north on I-95 we saw hundreds of power company trucks from far away states and even Canada driving south into FL, into harms way, to be ready for the recovery. Still brings a lump to my throat when I think about it.

We bought snacks and gave them to the linemen we saw as we drove home.
 
aja8888 said:
My SIL's brother and his wife sold their Tampa home earlier this year to avoid the hurricanes.They bought another place in Ocala last month since it was farther north and maybe in a better position to avoid the hurricanes. Did they do the right thing?
Click to expand...
Yes, if hurricanes was their anxiety. Will be less damage there (not saying "no damage"), but far less than there would at or near the coast. If I was in Ocala, I would spend the night in the bathroom under the stairs or in an interior closet and deal with it in the morning.

But I'm one who believes people only die in hurricanes from storm surge or stupidity after it has passed :flowers:
 
I just booked myself a little vacation in Miami Beach. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it but at least I now have the option. The plan is I'll leave at 5 am Wednesday and take SR-70 over to the east coast. This avoids any problems on I-75 and gets me away from the west coast quickly. Mapquest says 4 hours to Miami Beach using this route (3:15 if using I-75).

I decided that health is all that matters, and just don't know if I'll be able to survive Milton uninjured if I hunker down in my house. My previous hurricane experiences (Irma & Ian) have been low CAT 1 and they have been plenty intense. A CAT 3 direct strike on Sarasota is more than I want to deal with. :nonono:
 
socca said:
I just booked myself a little vacation in Miami Beach. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it but at least I now have the option. The plan is I'll leave at 5 am Wednesday and take SR-70 over to the east coast. This avoids any problems on I-75 and gets me away from the west coast quickly. Mapquest says 4 hours to Miami Beach using this route (3:15 if using I-75).

I decided that health is all that matters, and just don't know if I'll be able to survive Milton uninjured if I hunker down in my house. My previous hurricane experiences (Irma & Ian) have been low CAT 1 and they have been plenty intense. A CAT 3 direct strike on Sarasota is more than I want to deal with. :nonono:
Click to expand...
Better safe than sorry. Hope Wednesday morning isn't too late as far as stand still traffic goes. Good Luck
 
aaronc879 said:
Better safe than sorry. Hope Wednesday morning isn't too late as far as stand still traffic goes. Good Luck
Click to expand...
Yeah, the timing is the one flaw in my plan. I don't like driving in Florida so I'm not enthusiastic about the drive over to Miami. If I were smarter I would be leaving tomorrow (Tuesday). :)
 
socca said:
I just booked myself a little vacation in Miami Beach. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it but at least I now have the option. The plan is I'll leave at 5 am Wednesday and take SR-70 over to the east coast. This avoids any problems on I-75 and gets me away from the west coast quickly. Mapquest says 4 hours to Miami Beach using this route (3:15 if using I-75).

I decided that health is all that matters, and just don't know if I'll be able to survive Milton uninjured if I hunker down in my house. My previous hurricane experiences (Irma & Ian) have been low CAT 1 and they have been plenty intense. A CAT 3 direct strike on Sarasota is more than I want to deal with. :nonono:
Click to expand...
Not sure how prone SR-70 is to flooding but FL had been pretty wet recently and could get a bit of rain Tuesday. Will be a breezy and rainy drive most likely too. Stay safe!
 
latexman said:
Not because of Milton, we left Bradenton, FL this morning, headed to Apex, NC (Raleigh), but upon seeing NOAA’s predictions, we are extremely pleased to be leaving.
Click to expand...
We arrived Apex at 3:30 pm today after an overnight stay in Savannah. Now we’ll watch Milton from a safe distance! Good luck, everyone! 🍀
 
Car-Guy said:
Of course, no matter where you live there is going to be some level of risks from natures fury. If it's not from hurricanes, it's tornadoes or earthquakes or fires, or extreme heat or extreme blizzards, etc.
Click to expand...
Not true. We had none of that really in Tucson Arizona except maybe heat but you can beat that in the mountains. We also have none of that where we live in Hawaii. Pele kicks the @$$ of hurricanes that threaten us. No tornados. Only mild earthquakes, no blizzards, and in the rainforest even fires are all but unheard of.
 
Last edited:
For those in the evacuation areas who are electing to stay, best of luck honestly. Hopefully you’re not planning to call for help from emergency responders until well after the strike if at all. People in WNC weren’t expecting what they got, 227 dead and hundreds still missing so far, no water, power and other infrastructure for days/weeks, and Milton looks to be far stronger.
Evacuation orders have been issued in Florida counties in the Tampa Bay region and elsewhere in the hurricane's path. During a CNN appearance on Monday night, Castor told residents who may have decided to "ride out" past storms that she believes they will be making a fatal mistake if they do the same for Milton.

"There's never been one like this," Castor said. "Helene was a wake-up call, this is literally catastrophic. And I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're gonna die."
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Y'all stock up, prepare and be safe. Yesterday was day 10 and went to get some supplies... was a wasted trip, of 4 stores I visited, none had ANYTHING fresh, frozen or refrigerated. was a bizarre site at all the empty shelfs.
 
Latest forecast for us is 27 straight hours of rain Wed into Thurs totalling around 8 inches. Will partially drain the pool, but should be okay from the rain.
Unfortunately I never see inland wind forecasts with any regularity, as the more dramatic storm surge news is in the forefront. Expecting around 80ish mph winds. All cars are in the garage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Let's talk Self Driving Cars again!
20 21 22
joesxm3
J
P
South West Asian dryer sheet
Major Tom
Major Tom
W2R
Real Estate Bust hitting hard!
2
Zoocat
Z
S
Billy's short story
peteyperson
P
mickeyd
Military Prison Blues...
John Galt
J

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom