2018: Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

[Pecansforeveryone]

I am kind of nervous as I am in Southeastern Virginia myself. (I'm a native of Arizona so all this hurricane prep is fairly new to me. I have seen the devastation of wildfires.) I love the Outer Banks and two years ago we had to cancel a Labor Day trip due to hurricanes. Right now we don't have orders to evacuate but that could change.

[Howl]

3 hours ago, Briefly said:

We are from San Antonio, my Dad and his WWII vet buddies had a a clubhouse on Pt. Aransas.  There were a few times when we all had to go help clean up and repair the clubhouse after storms and hurricanes.

What a fun story!  Was it Hurricane Carla that did in the clubhouse? Some elderly relatives from the Victoria area still talked about Hurricane Carla until they passed away in the last few years.  Carla came ashore near Port O'Connor (north of Port A)  on Sept 11, 1961 as a Cat 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds. 

Dr. Jeff Masters at Weather Underground posted today about potential storm surges along coastal Carolinas if Flo comes ashore as a Cat 4: 

Expect a Storm Surge of 15 - 20 Feet in a Landfalling Category 4 Storm in the Carolinas

[PennySycamore]

@Cartmann99,  thanks for posting the link to the Yankee article!!  It is exactly the one I was thinking about!  (I'd looked for it on Yankee's site and not found it.) and thanks again for posting that video.  I'll have to watch it tomorrow, but Sudden Sea talked about the Moore family's experience of the hurricane.  

[AmazonGrace]

Everyone be safe.

Pat Robertson is on it 

 

[Loveday]

Ha. I just mentioned Brother Pat to my husband, wondering if he was busy praying the hurricane away like he did Gloria some years ago. Well, no need to worry now, is there?

@Pecansforeveryone, if you don't already know this, keep tuned to WVEC-13. Jeff Lawson is the most reliable, and generally the calmest, meteorologist in the area (he does get a little excited when storms like this approach, but he usually keeps his cool). 13 is really quick with closings, so they'll be quick with evac notices, too. If you don't know your evac zone yet, here's the link to find it:    https://vdemgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5797524b9a58440c8dbc06816e060492

Once you put your address in and the zone colors show up, go to the bottom of the screen where you'll see a green circle with a little i in it. Click on that and it will explain the colors. Keep safe! 

[Destiny]

This has just cemented my, "I'm never going to live on the east coast," resolution. I'm scared to death of hurricanes. Stay safe all of you guys. I'll be worrying about all of you til I get the all clear!

[Howl]

7 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Everyone be safe.  Pat Robertson is on it 

What a relief!  Is Pat going to ride out the storm in his beach house?  Just asking.

[PennySycamore]

Does anyone else remember the time that there was a hurricane threatening the east coast of Florida and ol' Pat prayed that it would hit Orlando and that den of iniquity Walt Disney World and wipe all those icky homosexuals out?  It veered north, didn't hit Florida at all, and hit Tidewater Virginia instead!  Was that Gloria?

Pat Robertson obviously doesn't know his Florida geography well at all.  Orlando is in central Florida and is little threatened by hurricanes.  It has been closed exactly three times due to hurricanes and that was due to inland flooding and rain more than wind (and not al all to storm surge): Floyd in '99, Matthew in '16 and Irma last year.

[AliceInFundyland]

@PennySycamore Ooh Ooh Gloria. That there was the one that hit Massachusetts. My parents were complete morons who would run in and out of the house watching the trees bend over in 75 mph wind gusts and then yell oh fuck! and come inside to make sure we were secured. 

[Cartmann99]

A little humor to break the tension:

On a serious note, if you are evacuating because of the hurricane, please check in with us to let us know you are safe. 

[precious blessing]

I'm in WV, safe from the storms but sometimes we get hit with what's left of the weather system. I remember during Katrina my elementary school completely flooded and we had to start school a month later.

Even though I'm safe and don't have any loved ones on the coast, these storms make me so anxious because I see how devastating they can be. I can only imagine how frantic I'd feel in this situation... sending good vibes to all FJers in the path of the storm(s), stay safe!

[Loveday]

1 hour ago, PennySycamore said:

Does anyone else remember the time that there was a hurricane threatening the east coast of Florida and ol' Pat prayed that it would hit Orlando and that den of iniquity Walt Disney World and wipe all those icky homosexuals out?  It veered north, didn't hit Florida at all, and hit Tidewater Virginia instead!  Was that Gloria?

Pat Robertson obviously doesn't know his Florida geography well at all.  Orlando is in central Florida and is little threatened by hurricanes.  It has been closed exactly three times due to hurricanes and that was due to inland flooding and rain more than wind (and not al all to storm surge): Floyd in '99, Matthew in '16 and Irma last year.

That wasn't Gloria; Gloria is the one he 'prayed away' from the Tidewater area and it headed north to hit Long Island instead. And of course he took all the credit for saving us here in Tidewater. I do remember the Orlando/Disney World situation, but I can't for the life of me remember what hurricane that was! 

[littlemommy]

I’m in (muffled due to being incognito from Jill Rodrigues) and our area is anticipating heavy flooding from the hurricane and power outages from heavy winds. The schools are considering closing ahead of time. 

I’ve got all the emergency stuff we need, plus fuel for the generator, but realized I should go buy some extra kitty litter just in case. The grocery store was a MADHOUSE, worse than even before big snowstorms. There were only five gallons of milk left and everyone had turned mercenary. It reminded me of when I worked at Wal-Mart and Tickle Me Elmo came out. People literally fought over them, and a customer ended up tearing off my manager’s red Wal-Mart vest.

[Alisamer]

I'm a teeny bit nervous about this one. We're just supposed to get lots of rain, but I remember hurricane Hugo coming through and knocking out power for a full week! I'm hoping we get nothing but rain - my house is on a high spot and as long as the roof holds (it needs replacing), I should be OK. 

I just got back from Myrtle Beach on Saturday, and I saw some repairs still going on from previous storms. I hope this is not as bad as expected!

[DancingPhalanges]

We are in the Carolinas but will only get rain, depending on landfall. We have family arriving tomorrow from the coast.

Our neighbors have kitten evacuees from a shelter on the coast. They visited this morning, a nice distraction.

I’m worried about this storm and hope all in the path stay safe. 

[Howl]

I'm going to make sure to top off our gas tanks tomorrow to make sure I'm ahead of the curve.   I'm in the middle of Texas, but we're keeping an eye on a tropical depression that may move into the gulf this week. 

I'm thinking back to last year when Harvey hit the coast and there was gas panic here in Austin because coastal refineries closed.   It was a human caused gas shortage, with lines around the block for people getting gas.  Then......no gas at all and people drove around using up their gas trying to find more gas.  Good times. 

[Briefly]

21 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Shouldn't placing five drops of your favorite essential oil in the corners of your home make the hurricane dissipate? 

https://heavy.com/news/2018/09/pat-robertson-orders-florence-back-to-sea/

Nope, but don't worry.  Pat Robertson has already taken care of it! ??

[WiseGirl]

Stay safe those near the landfall. Check in when you can. Charge your portable battery packs for devices and get out if you can. The aftermath of no electricity,  flooding, etc. can be bad.(learned from Sandy)

[TeddyBonkers]

I woke up at 1:30 this morning and was "oh shit if we lose power I can't do my homework." So guess who's been up for 5 hours already? Statistics is bullshit, but it is even more bullshit early in the morning. Looks like I'm headed out to the liquor store.

Also-Mr. Bonkers may be leaving for NC disaster cleanup and could be gone for 2 months. I am used to it, but if y'all could send some good thoughts to the little Bonkers, please? Especially the older one. She's having a hard time with his longer hours at work and this would be difficult for her.

[danvillebelle]

On 9/11/2018 at 6:25 AM, Howl said:

What a relief!  Is Pat going to ride out the storm in his beach house?  Just asking.

Whenever I see Pat, I think the same thing I used to think about Charles Manson...is that fucker EVER GOING TO DIE?

[Howl]

I just remembered something from the closet of old memories.  Many many years ago, I won a week-long trip to kayak at the awesome Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC.  During that week a hurricane came ashore in on the gulf coast and moved north through Georgia, SC, and then the area we were in.  I'm just now recalling the devastating damage: major flooding, trees down everywhere and power out all over the place. 

Y'all people inland from Flo, be safe, be careful, be ready! 

[Cartmann99]

Don't forget your grill if you are evacuating!

 

 

[PennySycamore]

@Cartmann99, that poor car looks a bit like the Joad's truck when they were leaving Dustbowl Oklahoma for California.  Or the Ricardo's car when they were packing to go to Hollywood.  Fred had all these things tied to the car and Ricky pointed out that they could just have the stuff shipped to California.

My daughter and son-in-law in northern Mississippi enter barbecue competitions a lot and even they would not evacuate their grills/smokers.

[Knight of Ni]

It’s looking worse and worse for us after every update. We aren’t in evacuation zones but the latest updates are calling for winds close to a tropical depression and massive amounts of rain. Flooding in some areas is almost guaranteed. I’m mostly worried about the wind damage and losing power. I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about heating formula anymore. This is the first time in a while I’m really worried. 

[Carm_88]

Stay safe all of those in Florence's path. @TeddyBonkers I will send good thoughts to the Little Bonkers for sure.