When a Hurricane is coming... (Wilmington, Asheville: hotels, houses, college)

[NCBOUND123]

What do you do when a hurricane is coming in your path. Do you secure the house and stay or head out of town. What has been your experience? Where are the safest places (parts of Wilmington area) or structures (brick or other) to live in.

[Oyster07]

In my experiences, it depends on the strength. They ususally do mandatory evacuations on the beaches. If you are inland, it's really up to you. You do secure your home as best you can and usually ride out the storm inside.

[ampetry]

Do businesses close down? If so, for how long?

[Oyster07]

Again, this will depend on strength of hurricane. Also, depend A LOT on if they have power. Usually power is lost for a short time during the hurricane. One hurricane, I was working at a local sandwich shop (in college) and we were the only restaurant open in the whole town. I joke that we fed the whole town that day...just me and the owners as no one else showed up to work (I was the only crazy one). Usually, things are open the next day after the storm.

[NCBOUND123]

Hurricanes sound horiffic, but I guess the 999/1000 great days outweigh the 1/1000 horrific day.

[Oyster07]

That's a good way to look at! We have been very fortunate here for the last few years!

[Sleestak]

If you don't live in a trailer... or in a flood prone area... or right on the coast, then it's probably better to shelter in place for anything up to a strong category 2. If the storm is still a couple of days away and is already a 3 or stronger... run for the hills. It's a judgement call, but whatever you decide, don't wait too late.

[gigimac]

Eastern Coastal hurricanes are a little different from, for example, Midwest tornadoes. Normally a whole house doesn't go up into the sky in a dusty funnel. Damage comes from signs and roofs ripping loose in the storm and crashing into your windows, which is why folks board them up. Also, damage comes from rising water and flooding, which also prevents travel. Also, lights always go out, which close businesses, and trees fall on houses from the high winds. That's in the lower categories. When you get to Category 4, very rare, it will flatten homes and wipe out whole communities on the coast (Hurricane Andrew in Florida).

The Outer Banks is often evacuated, and they travel at least 50 miles to inland towns, hotels get booked up. Homes wash away and collapse in the surf. Wilmington and all their beaches are sometimes evacuated, depending on the Category of Storm. Again, people ride inland, at least 50 miles. Living on the beach anywhere along the NC Coast means you'll always have to be prepared to up and go when a hurricane approaches, it's part of living on those beaches. Towns near the beach are less dangerous in general.

Fear is not part of the consciousness of those who live in coastal areas. Kind of like snow blizzards. It is commonplace to experience flooding and trees falling in regular storms. The weather service is so good now at predicting the path of hurricanes, that rarely is anyone killled, because folks get out of the way. You just figure you're gonna stay in a hotel an hour's drive away from time to time, to ride it out. Makes no sense to stick around, especially on the beach. An inland hotel is much preferrable to the noise, the crashing, flooded and impassable roads, no lights, no TV, that sort of thing.

The trick is, when you see the Category levels go up, and you see the big circle of clouds on TV coming your way, leave before they evacuate, to avoid traffic on outgoing highways.

[Ebediel]

No matter what anyone says the news and the county will always tell you to evacuate so that no one can sue them.
Many people stay and for the most part are okay, but there are the unfortunate few who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have lived in Northern Currituck which is not beach front through 4 hurricanes. Bonnie, Dennis, Floyd, and Isabel. Isabel was by far the worst hurricane and yet only in Bonnie did anyone die (2 people both in Currituck). My family evacuated during Bonnie and Isabel but we stayed through Dennis and Floyd both of which missed us and did damage more to the west of us. We usually go to VA and stay with family although with Isabel parts of VA got it worse than in NC. During Floyd friends of ours evacuated to Asheville, NC area (western end of the state) and got stuck out there because of the extensive flooding in the middle of the state.
Having said all that, we stayed close to the TV and watched the weather reports before deciding whether to evacuate or not. With Isabel we evacuated because it was a fairly strong storm when it got ready to hit the coast but at the last minute died down to a Cat. 1.
The aftermath was difficult but we also have some very fond memories of the time as our family bonded through the lack of electricity and the "candlelit-char-grilled" dinners. In my opinion they are no better or worse than the tornadoes of the mid-west, the blizzards of the north, the fires, mudslides, and earthquakes of the west coast or the flooding and droughts of the deep south. You do what you have to and trust God for His protection and you help each other to get through whatever creation throws at you.
The good thing about hurricanes is you get a lot of notice before the storm hits you.

[jumper]

yeah, just watch "the sky is falling" reporting from CNN and try not to be goaded into a panic.