Hurricanes-round 2/3

Geraldo

Geraldo

Joined
Dec 16, 2000
Messages
2,044
I moved to Florida in January, and while many people in the area (St. Lucie County) have experienced two to three hurricanes in 25 years, I am getting ready for number three in one month.

First Frances kicked our butts, then Ivan came back around and flooded the area, now Jeanne is set to hit us head on this weekend.

While life for me was one inconvenience after another, some friends and co-workers are truly screwed. We know people who have only what they left home with before Frances, and others who were waiting to have damage repaired, but may not have homes at all after Jeanne. Even if a home is repairable, roofs will not be repaired for months, and homes with structural damage could be more than a year from being fixed.

So I ask you to pray once again for Florida and Floridians, especially those without homes. If you feel really generous, give something to the Red Cross, as they've been very active here.
 
Hello Geraldo,

I'm so sorry that you have to experience this nightmare again. I've been praying for everyone, and I will continue to do so.

What really annoys me about this one is that the forecasters seem to have no concrete idea as to where it's going to hit. The news is still giving Jeanne a backseat to Ivan. TELL US WHAT THE **** IS GOING ON. :mad: Of course, the Miami hurricane service and accuweather disagree on the path. I have yet to see a cone designating the expected landfall times. WTF IS GOING ON?

Anyhow, from my best estimates (which is greatly lacking at this point) the hurricane is coming to my town on my birthday. HAPPY F***ING BIRTHDAY! :mad:

Does anyone remember who was most accurate in predicting Ivan? Was it the Miami Hurricane Center or Accuweather? :confused: I know, the predictions for Ivan sucked. :( I'm just trying to figure out who is most reliable.

Let's all keep the prayers up and hope that Florida is spared entirely (as well as our friends in the Carolinas...Cave Lady). :(
 
Thanks so much Geraldo for the links.

What a nightmare! Would it be really wrong if the Jews broke this rule? Can they make an exception?

"We are reminded that from Sundown tonight until Sundown Saturday is
yom kippur...a solemn jewish Holiday. Your jewish neighbors in the
watch and warning areas observing yom kippur will not be listening
to radios or watching TV...and may not be aware of the hurricane
situation."


Something else that's important to know: Where do you stand? Be prepared.

"Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles... 75 km...
from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up
to 140 miles...220 km."

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/at200411.public.html
 
11LALLMDL.jpg


Well at least the models are in general agreement that it will not launch itself into outerspace. :rolleyes:

Good luck everybody.

n2s
 
Anyone who is thinking about the possibility of evacuating right now needs to go and get gas right now. If you want to spend another few hours or so making a determination that's fine. But GET GAS NOW.
 
Palm Beach county gas stations are running out already , and Broward has lines all around. Luckily I left my shutters up! Another weekend , another hurricane :(
 
I just got off the phone with my brother (who lives in an older mobile home in W.P.B.). He called his boss to tell him that he was evacuating his family because, after much discussion this morning, we decided that his best bet is to bring his family up here. Anyhow, his boss told him that they weren't evacuating W.P.B. yet. He told my brother that he'd rather have him come to work and leave if and when they announce the evacuations. And people wonder why there's so much gridlock on the streets before a hurricane. Just because you can leave doesn't necessarily mean that you can leave. :rolleyes:

My brothers being proactive this time. He called my grandfather's nurse and told her to call the hospital and tell them to send someone out to pick my grandpa up. If he can arrange it, he'll pick up my aunt and take her with them up here. Hopefully it works out.
 
The usual practice is to wait until there is a Huricane warning in place before releasing employees. Hurricanes are unpredictable, and the alternative would be to shut down most of the east coast. Besides, until we know where this thing is headed, your brother may be evacuating into the center of the storm. The warnings will be issued 36 hours in advance of the storm. Getting out shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is so inclined.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
Hurricanes are unpredictable, and the alternative would be to shut down most of the east coast.
Click to expand...
We shut down the northeast for a good blizzard. Until the building codes or practices improve, a series of storms like you're getting is going to make people justifiably nervous. I get shut in by snow. People get killed by hurricanes. Schools and businesses have to factor in a certain number of days lost to rough weather.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
We shut down the northeast for a good blizzard. Until the building codes or practices improve, a series of storms like you're getting is going to make people justifiably nervous. I get shut in by snow. People get killed by hurricanes. Schools and businesses have to factor in a certain number of days lost to rough weather.
Click to expand...

I agree. Not to mention the fact that, as I stated previously, my brother and his family live in a mobile home. Yes, we did beg him not to move there. It's besides the point. Also, my grandfather is very ill and requires advanced preparations beyond those required for a normal person. We still don't know if the hospital will take him. They may be all filled up already. We don't think he'll make it through another one (not to mention my aunt who may lose her sanity sitting home alone with him crying all night like he did last time until the electricity was restored.) :eek: They're coming up to us and if it looks like it might hit us, then they'll go to my mother in TN.

BTW, there has been a LOT of problems with late evacuations in the past because the local officials sometimes wait too long before they call them. Then people are stuck on the highways with nowhere to go. If people think they're going to go and they have a good route, then they should be permitted to leave without challenge.

Esav, Would you please answer my questions regarding Yom Kippur?
 
Hello Hurricane Club!!! Thank you Jsmatos on your concern and Happy Birthday too :) Forecasters here say that it is a weak system and we should just get rain on Sunday and Monday but of course we will see by tommorow what the outlook is. You guys in Florida have been hammered so bad, we have had flooding in the lower parts of SC and tornado watches and warnings with the previous storms. I don't know about Florida but we get the ear piercing alerts on television that scare the daylights out of me and I'm always watching the wind turret on the shed to see how fast it's spinning, plus living in a heavily wooded area and tree tops going in circles make me cringe. Be safe there again honey, Cavelady
 
Actually, Esav, the building codes did change after Andrew, but of course older homes cannot be retrofitted, and mobile homes are still legal (why they ever were in this area is beyond me).

Any storm has a random quality, and why one house fails while another survives is often a mystery. My wife knows people with a post-Andrew code house that collapsed during Frances, while there are some wood frame houses nearby that have survived a hundred years or more.
 
Geraldo, I know what you mean as I live just a short distance from you up in Satellite Beach.We live on a barrier island about a block from the beach.This month has sucked with these storms,and I am still waiting for an adjuster to come out from Frances to inspect our damage.You might want to wait on your next knife purchase and buy a raft.
And for the people not in the state, our deductibles for these storms are 2% or 5% of the value of the house and each storm counts seperately even though a few insurance companies are combining them.Boy, that cuts into the budget. Take care and be safe everyone.Dave
 
Geraldo,my prayers are with you and everybody in the path of this next storm.Just do the best you can and prepare for the worst but still have hope for the best.Peace and safety to all,Doug...........
 
Geraldo, I know building codes and construction technology does improve. A friend of mine in Jacksonville bought a modular house, but he strengthened the roof and bricked all around the house. There's still a certain amount of luck to survival. What do you do when you just can't afford better and can't afford to evacuate? What do you do without the resources of an online community like this for advice? Lots of people with little in the way of personal resources.

I just spoke with friends who moved to South Carolina a few months ago. They said they never imagined a big brick building could rattle in the wind like that ... but at least they took no damage.
 
jsmatos said:
Esav, Would you please answer my questions regarding Yom Kippur?
Click to expand...
Oops. Missed that.
What a nightmare! Would it be really wrong if the Jews broke this rule? Can they make an exception?

"We are reminded that from Sundown tonight until Sundown Saturday is
yom kippur...a solemn jewish Holiday. Your jewish neighbors in the
watch and warning areas observing yom kippur will not be listening
to radios or watching TV...and may not be aware of the hurricane
situation."
Click to expand...
Life comes first. If a storm or a war or starvation is involved, do what it takes to stay alive.

Many years ago, my father was fasting on Yom Kippur. He got so sick, he turned green. We got food into him, and he was never allowed a strict fast after that.

To ignore the alerts of an impending storm is unlawful, but only the most orthodox would even consider not listening.
 
DC, A Zodiac does seem like a good investment right now, maybe I can trade some knives for one ;)

Esav, I know what you mean about those without resources. Some people will never recover economically from these storms.

For those interested in statistics:
My wife heard that the last time Florida got hit by so many major storms in one year was 1821.

Also, I heard that no area has been hit twice in this short a span of time.

Makes you feel good to be part of history ;)
 
In 1821, it was a very different Florida. During the 1980s, I was in a postal management class with some Floridians from the Tampa area. I got a post-office-eyes' view of the population growth down there. Since then I've seen some of it for myself. The density of population and construction is overwhelming, and leaves so much infrastructure vulnerable in ways that other landscapes do not. You haven't got many hillsides to dig into, or areas to bury power lines, or forests to slow the force of the storm.
 
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