# Hurricane season...



## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

Though it starts in June, most activity seems to be later on in the summer season into fall.

This is a great time to make sure you are ready for the devastation even outer band high winds can bring, let alone a bulls-eye hit.

This is just a public service announcement....carry on.....:laugh:


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

The wind from hurricane Frederic in 1979 impressed me. The rain from hurricane Danny impressed me......

The storm surge from hurricane Katrina impressed me ! 

Over all, hurricanes are more about property damage unless your in a flood area/storm surge.


----------



## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

You guys down south be safe! Up here all we really have to worry about is the new madrid fault, the occasional tornado, and ice storms


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Hurricanes occur at anytime with no warning. They usually strike when I walk through the door and are about something I did or did not do.


----------



## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

I lost my home to Andrew some years ago , that was one reason why I moved back home to NC . That's why we started prepping when we moved to NC . My wife and I are as ready as we can be now .


----------



## SittingElf (Feb 9, 2016)

This morning.....

*Tropical Weather Discussion*

Statement as of 8:00 am EDT on August 6, 2016

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of mexico: 
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Earl, located well inland over Mexico west of Veracruz. 
An area of cloudiness and thunderstorms associated with a trough of low pressure is located over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Some gradual development is possible before the system moves inland over the southeastern United States in a couple of days. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall over northern Florida is anticipated. 
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent 
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent

A tropical wave is producing disorganized cloudiness and showers just north of Puerto Rico and the adjacent Atlantic. An area of low pressure could form in the middle of next week between Florida and Bermuda while the activity moves west-northwestward and then northward over the Atlantic. 
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent 
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent

$$ forecaster Avila

Updated forecast for the year released yesterday states projects 15 Named Storms including the four we have already had; 6 to Hurricane strength including Earl; and TWO major hurricanes.

_CSU is giving 51 percent odds that a major hurricane will strike somewhere along the U.S. Gulf or Atlantic coast--which is a quite unsettling prospect, given that a major landfall (Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson scale) has not occurred in the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

_*BE PREPARED!*


----------



## mooosie (Mar 26, 2016)

I am prepared! I have my hurricane covers on the windows and doors , my insurance is paid up and I am in Ohio until middle of October!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

This is the NOAA website. I keep it bookmarked.
National Hurricane Center


----------



## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

Targetshooter said:


> I lost my home to Andrew some years ago , that was one reason why I moved back home to NC . That's why we started prepping when we moved to NC . My wife and I are as ready as we can be now .


I think hurricanes were one of the biggest reasons I started to get more serious about prepping. I've always owned a pickup with a cap and tell everyone...if there is ever a natural disaster, don't lose sight of my pickup...it may save your life. I keep a lot of stuff on board.


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Living here on the gulf coast I made preparing for a Hurricane a priority. I am confident I am ready for that eventuality. I won't be the dumbass rolling around on the floor of Wally World for the last can of peas or sitting in the dark wondering how long my water will hold out. So far this year has been uneventful but we are now running in to the heart of the Hurricane season. My eyes on the horizon


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

A 60+ year resident of the Florida East Coast here. Almost 40 years of that in Palm Beach County - hurricane central. And we always lived within a few miles of the beach, at that. I have been thru a number of hurricanes, and countless tropical storms. At 20 years of age, it's fun. At 30, married with kids and a house, it becomes worrysome. I said I would never evacuate for a hurricane, but Andrew was a wake up, for sure. Now, at almost 70, my priorities have changed.
20 years ago we moved to a part of the state that historically rarely gets hit directly by major hurricanes. And 40 miles inland, at an altitude of 33 meters by the topo map, so storm surge is not an issue.
However, we have animals, plus out buildings. They have survived 80+ mph wind gusts, but we are at the stage of life that we are not going to do that any more.
We have a 21 foot travel trailer, kept provisioned, that can be hooked to my truck. The wife has a 36 foot goose neck horse trailer with living quarters that her diesel pulls. We can hook up, load the horses, load the dogs, leave food and water behind for the chickens, and be gone in short order. 
Where? Inland, perhaps Valdosta, Georgia, and spend a day in a Walmart parking lot until the storm passes.
How? By the local back roads. If anyone wants to see utter chaos, observe Interstates and major highways turn into massive parking lots during an evacuation.


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Why would you want to ride out a downgraded hurricane in a travel trailer in a Walmart parking lot ? 

Sounds very dangerous.


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Hurricane Eloise was the messiest of hurricanes or tropical storms to go through my neck of the woods. Trees down, days without power a lot of clean-up, and many missed school days that had to be made up at the beginning or the summer of 1976. Since then, we've had other storms and expect many more before I die. I and my family are more than prepared. 

I hope there are no storms to come through. Way too much clean-up involved, and there are some diseased pines in a neighboring yard that could strike my house.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Operator6 said:


> Why would you want to ride out a downgraded hurricane in a travel trailer in a Walmart parking lot ?
> 
> Sounds very dangerous.


1. Get a road map.
2. Find Valdosta.
3. Figure how far it is from any hurricane land fall.
4. You must not be from around here.


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

rice paddy daddy said:


> 1. Get a road map.
> 2. Find Valdosta.
> 3. Figure how far it is from any hurricane land fall.
> 4. You must not be from around here.


I know that hurricanes and tropical storms that come through Mobile,Al usually travel northeast and kill people north of me in Birmingham,Atlanta and beyond........

I also know that travel trailers and trailer homes are prime death traps in such weather.

Here is a link to a warning sent out by Valdosta,Ga just 2 months ago, tropical storm warning. 
http://valdostatoday.com/2016/06/lowndes-issues-code-red-alert-as-tropical-storm-colin-approaches/

Goodluck, friend.


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Operator6 said:


> I know that hurricanes and tropical storms that come through Mobile,Al usually travel northeast and kill people north of me in Birmingham,Atlanta and beyond........
> 
> I also know that travel trailers and trailer homes are prime death traps in such weather.
> 
> Goodluck, friend.


What was that hurricane that made landfall around Mobile back in 95 04 96? I drove trucks back then. I picked up a load in Picayune, Mississippi, about three hours before landfall. Interstate traffic was bad, and the storm caught up to me in Kentucky, I think. I was at a truck stop in the sleeper when the brunt of the storm hit. The truck was rocking like a boat in the storm. On the upside' it helped me sleep like a baby!


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Denton said:


> What was that hurricane that made landfall around Mobile back in 95 04 96? I drove trucks back then. I picked up a load in Picayune, Mississippi, about three hours before landfall. Interstate traffic was bad, and the storm caught up to me in Kentucky, I think. I was at a truck stop in the sleeper when the brunt of the storm hit. The truck was rocking like a boat in the storm. On the upside' it helped me sleep like a baby!


In 97 we had Hurricane Danny. He dropped over 36" of rain in a couple days.

From 1995-2005 there were 7 hurricanes that significantly affected Mobile. Think I know about storms ? Lol !


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

As far as travel trailers and storms, I've rode out some pretty fierce storms rolling in from the gulf while parked only yards from the beach. The key is to have the four corners firmly jacked. You'd be surprise at how well they can ride a storm.


----------



## SittingElf (Feb 9, 2016)

rice paddy daddy said:


> How? By the local back roads. If anyone wants to see utter chaos, _*observe Interstates and major highways turn into massive parking lots during an evacuation*_.


Especially I-95 for Atlantic Storms; I-75, I-10, and US90 for Gulf side storms. Been there, done that!


----------



## SittingElf (Feb 9, 2016)

rice paddy daddy said:


> 1. Get a road map.
> 2. Find Valdosta.
> 3. Figure how far it is from any hurricane land fall.
> 4. You must not be from around here.


As long as you're going to Valdosta....you can stay at the house we own there and are trying to sell. Wife stationed there for five years...and it sucked! 
All I ask is that you do some of the repairs they are saying I need before selling, and some landscaping....maybe service the AC, and clean the windows??:vs_closedeyes:


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

A typical NE Florida summer afternoon thunderstorm has wind gusts 60, 70, or higher, blinding rain, and a tornado or two. Several days a week. Every week from late June to late August.
Not a big deal. Our trailers sit right beside the house, no problem. 
The only storm that would make me leave would be a Cat 2 or higher predicted to hit Jacksonville or Amelia Island. The last time that even came close was Donna in 1960. That is why we chose to move here from South Florida, rather than the 3 other options my employer offered me.
While we have had many named tropical storms here over the years, including one that hit our farm with 100 mph gusts as recorded by Doppler radar, we just ride them out.
Floyd in '99 was a Cat 1 that hit Jacksonville, but by the time it got to our place it was not too bad. Not worth leaving over.

Nah, the wife and I are Floridians.


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> By the local back roads. If anyone wants to see utter chaos, observe Interstates and major highways turn into massive parking lots during an evacuation.


Last Hurricane that came through Houston was Ike I believe. The owner of my company decided to bug out. Loads a truck and trailer and hits I45 North. After 4 hours spent in snarled traffic as far as the eye can see he made it back home and rode it out. You would think that a guy with all that money and a college education would have known better then to try a major freeway heading north, away from the storm, instead of using the back roads. I laughed my ass off.


----------



## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Prepared One said:


> Last Hurricane that came through Houston was Ike I believe. The owner of my company decided to bug out. Loads a truck and trailer and hits I45 North. After 4 hours spent in snarled traffic as far as the eye can see he made it back home and rode it out. You would think that a guy with all that money and a college education would have known better then to try a major freeway heading north, away from the storm, instead of using the back roads. I laughed my ass off.


I remember watching this unfold. Few made it out of Houston. Remember to bug out ......you have to have a place to go or you are just roaming and exposed. You also need a dependable route to get there. most will have the same idea along the way, inclusive of the small towns along the way. ALL ROADS will be overtaxed that head to anywhere.


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> I remember watching this unfold. Few made it out of Houston. Remember to bug out ......you have to have a place to go or you are just roaming and exposed. You also need a dependable route to get there. most will have the same idea along the way, inclusive of the small towns along the way. ALL ROADS will be overtaxed that head to anywhere.


I think he had a hotel room rented in Dallas so he had a place to go. I am just amazed he didn't look at the back roads and went right to 45 north. Like every other idiot in the city. I battened down the hatches and rode it out. I found some shortcomings in my Preps so I leaned a couple of things and added a few things. Came through mostly unscathed. One tree down and two fences but no flooding or broken windows.


----------



## weatherman (Aug 5, 2016)

Hurricane shutters or windows are hard to beat, but plywood has served its purpose and still does work very well. Depending on how far above sea level you are and or surrounding trees and deadfall are usually your worst fears.


----------



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Last one for us here was Sandy. That was surreal. One of the big old pines on the side yard fell on the roof, and blew the circle top window out. The glass shattered all over the upstairs bedroom. The trunk of that big old pine was slapping against the front porch, shaking the house the rest of the night. Power out for 2 weeks. 

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk


----------



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Prepared One said:


> I think he had a hotel room rented in Dallas so he had a place to go. I am just amazed he didn't look at the back roads and went right to 45 north. Like every other idiot in the city. I battened down the hatches and rode it out. I found some shortcomings in my Preps so I leaned a couple of things and added a few things. Came through mostly unscathed. One tree down and two fences but no flooding or broken windows.


Would you care to share what your shortcomings were?


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Don't forget about the airport. Couple days before a storm hits just hop on a plane and take a vacation. Next Cat 3 or above that comes through, I'm going to Vegas.


----------



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

When the next one hits, I'm ready. 

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Auntie said:


> Would you care to share what your shortcomings were?


Yes. I had flashlights but they were cheap ones and most of them did not work. I had candles but not enough and only 1 kerosene lamp and not enough oil. I had no hand crank radio so I could keep up with what was happening. Food and water I had covered but did not have a generator at the time. I was lucky the power was only out at my house for 2 days but some here in Houston were out 4 weeks or more. I was lucky in that the storm moved quickly and was only a cat 2 so it could have been much worse. This wasn't my first storm so you would have thought I would have been more prepared. I have since made the necessary corrections and then some, so I am confident I will be in good shape for the next.


----------



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

The gnomes steal my flash lights. It has to be them because everyone else in the house says they didn't take them. Those little buggers even untied one that I keep on the porch. Oil for the lamps, added it to my shopping list. 

Thanks for the info.


----------



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Auntie said:


> The gnomes steal my flash lights. It has to be them because everyone else in the house says they didn't take them. Those little buggers even untied one that I keep on the porch. Oil for the lamps, added it to my shopping list.
> 
> Thanks for the info.


Oil lamps are a great idea. They're harder to swipe.

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have 8 or 9 lamps hanging in the garage with the plastic still on and kerosene as part of my stores. I upgraded all my flashlights for all BOB's, GHB's and around the house. some use the rechargeable batteries and some AA and anywhere from 200 to 1000 lumans. Good flashlights are not cheap but I recommend a couple at least if not more. They are compact, rugged, and work every time, all the time. I also have two propane camp stoves besides charcoal and propane for the grills.


----------



## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Those streamlight lanterns are very good. They have two sizes. I have the large one that takes D batteries. It was 45.00


----------



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Annie said:


> Oil lamps are a great idea. They're harder to swipe.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk


We have one of those in each room. I am thinking about getting an oil lamp that you can carry around.


----------

