2018: Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

[Destiny]

1 hour ago, BachelorToTheRapture said:

I read something last night about nursing homes choosing not to evacuate due to high risks to residents due to the stress of the evacuation. I'm curious if this happens what do they do for staff? Are they expected to commute in a hurricane?!?! Did ones like the one I read about (intentionally built on high ground with strong outer walls/roof to be safe in a hurricane) have a place for staff to stay and shelter/work in the building? There was no mention of staff other than them wanting to keep residents safe and no comment section, so I was hoping some FJer might know.

I can't speak for hurricanes or nursing homes specifically, but I do have some familiarity with disaster stuff, and typically what they do for critical staff in medical facilities, EMS, EM, stuff like that, is have special shelter plans for their families or they will tell critical staff to make sure their families are safe at shelter / evacuated before they come in. A lot depends on how bad the disaster is and how much prepreparation can be done. Some might also depend on the jurisdiction as well. Then whatever building they will be working in, they will have whatever is necessary for sheltering available there for those critical staff (food, water, cots, showering, etc). Those staff just won't leave for the duration.

I'd imagine that nursing homes would do something similar as a part of their critical incident plans. 

[formergothardite]

The Frying Pan Ocean cam. The flag ripped recently. 

Spoiler

 

Myrtle Beach Live cam. 

Spoiler

https://www.earthcam.com/usa/southcarolina/myrtlebeach/?cam=myrtlebeach_hd

 

[Howl]

Just came to post the Fying Pan ocean cam, @formergothardite.  I'm going to have to turn off the audio; it's too much.  Even at Cat 2 strength, winds can be 100 mph. 

Myrtle Beach still looks serene. 

[formergothardite]

Some pictures from the outer banks. This is in Hyde County. 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

This Facebook page has a lot of videos. 

https://www.facebook.com/EpicShutterPhotography/

 

[formergothardite]

A very worrisome issue with the hurricane and NC's hog farms. The hog farms are from Satan to begin with, but the hurricane has the potential to make things very bad. 

https://returntonow.net/2018/09/13/nc-hurricane-manure-lagoons/

Quote

Smithfield’s hog farmers are scrambling to drain thousands of toxic manure lagoons, some the size of lakes, before they overflow into drinking water and the growing “dead zone” off the North Carolina coast

Quote

 

During Hurricane Floyd, two years ago, there were more than dead fish floating down the coastal River; there were dead pigs floating all the way out into the ocean.

“Thousands of pigs drowned,” Langly said. “There are pictures where you can barely see the roof of the barns. The entire lagoon had to be scooped out, and all of the waste held in it was dumped onto the surrounding area or washed into the river.”

“We have 62 hog farms that still remain in our 100-year flood plain, along the Neuse River, which are always at risk of flooding anytime a major storm comes through.”

and with Florence projected to be the biggest storm in at least 30 years, it won’t be pretty.

Langly says there are technologies that can somewhat decrease the amount of pollution coming from factory farms, but they don’t go far enough.

“The true solution is to … move back toward sustainable agriculture.”

 

 

[Cartmann99]

Hey everyone, I have a favor to ask for those who are not in the path of this storm. If through the magic of time zones, cranky babies, can't sleep, or you are just a night owl, and you will be on Free Jinger anytime between the hours of 12am- 8am ET, can you please stop by this thread and post a brief message?

If our FJ friends who are going through this storm can still reach FJ, they will be able to "hear" our friendly "voices" in the middle of the night. Being the only one awake while a storm howls outside is scary and lonely, so if you can, please be a candle in the darkness for our FJ friends.

I only sleep a few hours at a time these days, and I'm naturally a night owl, so I'll be checking in throughout the night.

[Briefly]

4 hours ago, HarryPotterFan said:

If anyone needs a laugh, check out this erm - graphic graphic from the official National Hurricane Updates Facebook page. Then read the comments. I have no idea how no one caught this very obvious issue before publishing it. 

https://www.facebook.com/240031789457347/posts/1685305701596608/ (no idea why it won’t embed. I think the link works now.

I showed it to Mr. Briefly without any comment.  He took one look at it, laughed and said that it looks like Carolina is screwed.  (He was not making light of the situation, just the graphic).

Some of the comments on the facebook page are really funny. It's good if people can laugh, it might help with the stressful situation.

26 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

Hey everyone, I have a favor to ask for those who are not in the path of this storm. If through the magic of time zones, cranky babies, can't sleep, or you are just a night owl, and you will be on Free Jinger anytime between the hours of 12am- 8am ET, can you please stop by this thread and post a brief message?

If our FJ friends who are going through this storm can still reach FJ, they will be able to "hear" our friendly "voices" in the middle of the night. Being the only one awake while a storm howls outside is scary and lonely, so if you can, please be a candle in the darkness for our FJ friends.

I only sleep a few hours at a time these days, and I'm naturally a night owl, so I'll be checking in throughout the night.

That is such a lovely idea.  I will probably not be awake, but I will hold everyone in my heart and yes, I will be praying. My sister is very worried about her friend in S. Carolina.

[VelociRapture]

40 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

Hey everyone, I have a favor to ask for those who are not in the path of this storm. If through the magic of time zones, cranky babies, can't sleep, or you are just a night owl, and you will be on Free Jinger anytime between the hours of 12am- 8am ET, can you please stop by this thread and post a brief message?

If our FJ friends who are going through this storm can still reach FJ, they will be able to "hear" our friendly "voices" in the middle of the night. Being the only one awake while a storm howls outside is scary and lonely, so if you can, please be a candle in the darkness for our FJ friends.

I only sleep a few hours at a time these days, and I'm naturally a night owl, so I'll be checking in throughout the night.

I remember we narrowly missed getting hit by a tornado in May and that half hour of sheltering in our tiny half bathroom with my dog and toddler was kind of scary - reading online and texting family definitely helped a lot. I think this is a great idea, so hopefully some of us can get online tonight!

If I’m not able to though, the Raptor family sends all our love and best wishes to everyone in the path of Florence. And if anyone needs a laugh, here is 21 month old Velocitoddler’s expert analysis of the storm:

”Hmm!” Said when seeing footage of water covered roads,

”Hi!” Said excitedly at random points of CNN’s coverage, and

”Uh-oh!” Said when seeing coverage of big waves on the beaches. She doesn’t like rough waves at the beach.

(You’ll have to forgive her as she doesn’t know how to say many words yet. She hopes everyone feeling scared remembers to “look for the helpers” though - she learned that from Daniel Tiger and it makes her feel like a big brave Tiger when she needs to.)

[catlady]

5 hours ago, BachelorToTheRapture said:

I read something last night about nursing homes choosing not to evacuate due to high risks to residents due to the stress of the evacuation. I'm curious if this happens what do they do for staff? Are they expected to commute in a hurricane?!?! Did ones like the one I read about (intentionally built on high ground with strong outer walls/roof to be safe in a hurricane) have a place for staff to stay and shelter/work in the building? There was no mention of staff other than them wanting to keep residents safe and no comment section, so I was hoping some FJer might know.

To go along with what @Destiny said above, most facilities should have a disaster plan in place.  I work for a nursing home group, but we’re in New York State where our version of disaster is a severe snowstorm, which is obviously not even close to a hurricane.  For us, the administrator and/or Dir of Nursing go to the facility if it’s safe to do so.  Staff already onsite are encouraged to stay unless they are needed elsewhere (i.e. childcare at home).  A prearranged pool of staff is contacted to report as long as travel is safe; this would be employees who live nearby or are able to be away from home for an extended period.  Each employee does any job for which she is qualified.  Meals are provided.  Sleeping areas are set up.  Laundry is available.  Staff are on the clock as long as they are awake; if Mary Smith sleeps for five hours, she is paid for the other nineteen. Bonuses are paid.  All of our facilities have backup generator systems, so power is seldom an issue.  We have a snow event every few years, and we’ve had some staff at a facility for up to three days.  The plans are reviewed after each event to determine what worked and what didn’t.  

[Cartmann99]

36 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

I remember we narrowly missed getting hit by a tornado in May and that half hour of sheltering in our tiny half bathroom with my dog and toddler was kind of scary - reading online and texting family definitely helped a lot. I think this is a great idea, so hopefully some of us can get online tonight!

If I’m not able to though, the Raptor family sends all our love and best wishes to everyone in the path of Florence. And if anyone needs a laugh, here is 21 month old Velocitoddler’s expert analysis of the storm:

”Hmm!” Said when seeing footage of water covered roads,

”Hi!” Said excitedly at random points of CNN’s coverage, and

”Uh-oh!” Said when seeing coverage of big waves on the beaches. She doesn’t like rough waves at the beach.

(You’ll have to forgive her as she doesn’t know how to say many words yet. She hopes everyone feeling scared remembers to “look for the helpers” though - she learned that from Daniel Tiger and it makes her feel like a big brave Tiger when she needs to.)

Oh wow,  I remember when you were still pregnant and you were hoping that Velocibaby would be born before Trump was sworn in!

[Howl]

 

[HarryPotterFan]

2 hours ago, Howl said:

 

I was watching the weather channel with a friend and they were all wearing polos, muscle shirts, etc with their logo and LL Bean in huge font. Very obvious marketing 

[MarblesMom]

On 9/12/2018 at 12:32 PM, Gobbles said:

Our German astronaut posted lots of pictures

OMG I read this as our German Shepard posted a lot of pictures.... and I was impressed for a second.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, HarryPotterFan said:

I was watching the weather channel with a friend and they were all wearing polos, muscle shirts, etc with their logo and LL Bean in huge font. Very obvious marketing 

It's times like these that I miss having cable, because watching the newscritters get soaked and blown around while they scream at the camera is fascinating to me. Then again, it's an election year, and having that jackass Ted Cruz pop up on my television every five minutes to try and scare me into voting for him would drive me insane, so maybe watching clips on Twitter is a better idea.

I see it's after midnight now on the East Coast. I'll be checking in from time to time if anybody wants to chat. 

15 minutes ago, MarblesMom said:

OMG I read this as our German Shepard posted a lot of pictures.... and I was impressed for a second.

I first read it as a German Shepherd was painting pictures. Netflix, are you listening? I would watch the hell out of a show about dogs who paint pictures. Cats would fun too, but cats would probably just say "Nope!" knock the easel over, and then plop down and lick their butts.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Kailash]

@Cartmann99 I have a book called Why Cats Paint. It’s facinating! I really think our all black cat would paint but I’m afraid to introduce her to it. I have visions of colored paw prints on every surface.

 

I hope everyone stays safe. I’m thinking positive thoughts and well wishes for anyone dealing with the storm or the aftermath.

[Cartmann99]

12 minutes ago, Kailash said:

@Cartmann99 I have a book called Why Cats Paint. It’s facinating! I really think our all black cat would paint but I’m afraid to introduce her to it. I have visions of colored paw prints on every surface.

 

I hope everyone stays safe. I’m thinking positive thoughts and well wishes for anyone dealing with the storm or the aftermath.

I'm now imagining a black kitty wearing a jaunty beret and peering intently at her canvas.

[Shadoewolf]

Good morning FJ'ers! I'm a bit of a night owl and have friends in Virginia Beach and Lumberton, NC so I'm keeping tabs on them already. Hope those of you in the path of the storm are staying safe, dry and holding tight. Here's a little blurb to read!

Most interesting things going on in our pack is my MIL threw a tantrum and left to go back to AR. My adopted son ships out to basic in less than 10 days. Oldest has already graduated HS but is dating a senior so my relief at not needing a dress for Homecoming was very short-lived. The one she picked (at the first store we visited and with no fuss at all! Yaaay!) is knee length with 3/4 length black lace sleeves. Very simple and elegant. Hockey season has started. We are 2 weeks away from round one of cheer competition. And Hubby has tons of job interviews.

Love and prayers to my soggy neighbors in the Southeast!

[Cartmann99]

5 minutes ago, Shadoewolf said:

Most interesting things going on in our pack is my MIL threw a tantrum and left to go back to AR. 

Is she gonna come back once she calms down, or is this a forever flounce?

[Shadoewolf]

She moved up here to work with Hubby and all was well until the owner threatened to fire him multiple times. After putting in nearly 2 months of 80 hour work weeks and being ripped apart on every little thing all the time, Hubby quit. She chose to quit too. 

Now mind you Hubby is a chef and has general manager experience too. His experience and skill set is in high demand. My MIL is a medical assistant/medical office manager type but her skills are WAY outdated and she won't accept less than $14-15 per hour because she lives way above her means and can't make her bills otherwise. She hates AR so Hubby hired her as a server to get her up here (MI) so she could be closer to the city life and the grandkids. 

Well she and Hubby both started looking for new jobs right away. Hubby, within a few hours of sending out his resume, had 3 calls for interviews. Then more and more as the week went on. MIL got no calls and about 20 emails saying she wasn't moving forward in the hiring process. She got mad, threw a crying fit about how it wasn't fair which made Hubby feel absolutely horrible, then proceeded to pack all her stuff and leave yesterday morning without so much as a word to me or the kids. 

So I'm guessing it's a permanent flounce. Which kinda makes me relieved because having her live with us was causing me a lot of drama. But her exit sure didn't help Hubby's depression and anxiety and I had to reassure him about 50x today that it wasn't his fault. 

[Cartmann99]

18 minutes ago, Shadoewolf said:

So I'm guessing it's a permanent flounce. Which kinda makes me relieved because having her live with us was causing me a lot of drama. But her exit sure didn't help Hubby's depression and anxiety and I had to reassure him about 50x today that it wasn't his fault. 

That's a tough situation. Way less drama for you with her gone, but I can completely understand how her exit is hard on your husband. There's no easy answers sometimes when it comes to families.

[Cartmann99]

?

[VelociRapture]

It’s now 6:00 in the morning on the East coast. Here’s hoping everyone did ok last night. You guys are rock stars!

And fun story - our highchair has a mesh basket under the seat and a pea fell into it least night when daughter sent her food flying. My dog, who is the greatest dog ever, tried to get it through the mesh, rather than going over the top of the basket. I took pity on her after a minute or two and tossed it to her, but it was pretty funny.

[WiseGirl]

6:20 on the east coast. Florence is there. I hope all NCers are safe. Check in when you can. 

My non humerous update I survived my first parent information night for our musical last night. I'm a newbie producer, so this will be interesting,,,,

[formergothardite]

New Bern is in trouble. 

https://fox8.com/2018/09/14/150-people-stranded-in-new-bern-nc-as-hurricane-florence-moves-ashore/

Quote

The City of New Bern tweeted early Friday that 150 people were in need of being rescued as Hurricane Florence made landfall in the coastal town.

Quote

 

According to Fox News, a city official said some residents had reported being in chest-high levels of water.

Residents were urged to move to their second story or attics as the storm surge moved in and they awaited rescue teams.