[Fiddledidee]

In addition to the very good points I read in this thread, I'd add the following:

Your county will have an emergency management center; each year they release a free Disaster Planning Guide. You should get one.

Know your home's evacuation zone; the zones are A - E. Not all homes or neighborhoods are in an evacuation zone. You should be able to find a map (and enter your address) on your county's emergency management website. Emergency Management will announce evacuations if a storm is threatening your neighborhood. If you are called to evacuate, go.

Evacuation zones were updated in 2017. I discovered that our house is now Zone A; last year it was Zone B.

Review your area's evacuation levels map, so that you can plan your departure. Plan to hunker down in an area that is outside any of the evacuation zones. Know where you intend to go and start preparing once your area is within a 3 day window on a hurricane track.

If you have pets and live within an evacuation zone, find a destination that allows pets. I know exactly where we will head with our 2 pets; the hotel is bookmarked on my browser. The hotel is outside any evacuation zones. It is about a 45 minute drive, almost all interstate. I will reserve a room if our area is within a 3 day window on the hurricane track. It's no expense to cancel at the last minute

Even if you intend to evacuate, fill your tubs with water. Prepare your home for possible flooding. If you have a prized item(s), keep it on an elevated surface.

Your washer or dryer is a good, airtight place to keep small, sentimental items you absolutely don't want to lose. Laptops, small electronics do nicely in a dryer.

Do yourself and your neighbors a favor; bring in anything/everything that is not bolted down. A plant pot will become a dangerous missile in high winds. You don't want it landing in your neighbor's dining room, or your car windshield.

When watching storm coverage on TV, pay the most attention to the Emergency Management people. They are the authorities to heed. I can't vouch for all 67 counties, but many county EMs have a Facebook page. My county does a good job of keeping us informed with the latest updates and notices.

NOAA does a good job of calculating the various paths a hurricane can take. However, their predictions are just their best predictions. Hurricanes can change their course and intensity within a short period of time. Case in point: Hurricane Charley. Charley skirted the west coast of Florida and was predicted to roar right into Tampa Bay and hit Tampa at around 1pm as a category 2 hurricane. Even as a cat 2, pushing all that bay water onto low lying Tampa would have flooded most of South Tampa. At about 10am, Charley intensified rapidly and within 2 hours it was a cat 4. It took a sudden turn east and slammed into Port Charlotte, cutting diagonally across the state and emerging on the east coast as a category 1 hurricane.

[JBtwinz]

Looks like Irma might be heading towards the US east coast. A bit too early to tell but definitely going to start watching the projected path.

We were extremely lucky here in Fernandina Beach last year with Hurricane Matthew. Hopefully Irma pushes out to the east way out in the Atlantic.

[sanspeur]

The predicted track of Irma...Updated at 8 am....

HURRICANE IRMA

[James Bond 007]

Latest GFS.







About the worst possible scenario for Florida you could imagine. Covers pretty much the whole state!

[neil1115]

Originally Posted by Fiddledidee

In addition to the very good points I read in this thread, I'd add the following:

Your county will have an emergency management center; each year they release a free Disaster Planning Guide. You should get one.

Know your home's evacuation zone; the zones are A - E. Not all homes or neighborhoods are in an evacuation zone. You should be able to find a map (and enter your address) on your county's emergency management website. Emergency Management will announce evacuations if a storm is threatening your neighborhood. If you are called to evacuate, go.

Evacuation zones were updated in 2017. I discovered that our house is now Zone A; last year it was Zone B.

Review your area's evacuation levels map, so that you can plan your departure. Plan to hunker down in an area that is outside any of the evacuation zones. Know where you intend to go and start preparing once your area is within a 3 day window on a hurricane track.

If you have pets and live within an evacuation zone, find a destination that allows pets. I know exactly where we will head with our 2 pets; the hotel is bookmarked on my browser. The hotel is outside any evacuation zones. It is about a 45 minute drive, almost all interstate. I will reserve a room if our area is within a 3 day window on the hurricane track. It's no expense to cancel at the last minute

Even if you intend to evacuate, fill your tubs with water. Prepare your home for possible flooding. If you have a prized item(s), keep it on an elevated surface.

Your washer or dryer is a good, airtight place to keep small, sentimental items you absolutely don't want to lose. Laptops, small electronics do nicely in a dryer.

Do yourself and your neighbors a favor; bring in anything/everything that is not bolted down. A plant pot will become a dangerous missile in high winds. You don't want it landing in your neighbor's dining room, or your car windshield.

When watching storm coverage on TV, pay the most attention to the Emergency Management people. They are the authorities to heed. I can't vouch for all 67 counties, but many county EMs have a Facebook page. My county does a good job of keeping us informed with the latest updates and notices.

NOAA does a good job of calculating the various paths a hurricane can take. However, their predictions are just their best predictions. Hurricanes can change their course and intensity within a short period of time. Case in point: Hurricane Charley. Charley skirted the west coast of Florida and was predicted to roar right into Tampa Bay and hit Tampa at around 1pm as a category 2 hurricane. Even as a cat 2, pushing all that bay water onto low lying Tampa would have flooded most of South Tampa. At about 10am, Charley intensified rapidly and within 2 hours it was a cat 4. It took a sudden turn east and slammed into Port Charlotte, cutting diagonally across the state and emerging on the east coast as a category 1 hurricane.

I live in coconut creek in broward I am 10 miles inland and well out of evacuation zone. As such do i need to evacuate? I am going to a hotel nearby with a generator and impact windows.

[D&beach&J]

If the hurricane heads toward Tampa Bay and you (mobile home dweller here) needed to evacuate, which area would be safest to go to?

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by D&beach&J

If the hurricane heads toward Tampa Bay and you (mobile home dweller here) needed to evacuate, which area would be safest to go to?

Out of the state nate.No where would be safe in the state if it is a super cat 5 with 220mph gust. I am right on the gulf north of Tampa and will go down with the ship. I would never leave.

[LKJ1988]

Here are the facts for now. No one knows this stuff better than i do.

You guys are worked up over nothing. At least wait 4 more days. It's all between a high 2000+ miles to our northeast and a upper level low well to our northwest. It's all in the timing. The high should start to weaken and build back to the east by later friday, so this could give the storm a chance to take a sharp north turn 150 miles east of FL and miss the whole state nate. Or the high could stay strong to the point the storm stays south of FL and then make a sharp turn north toward LA or the Panhandle, or it could make a hard hook and come up the pipe just north of the Tampa area. As of now upper level sheer is pretty strong in the gulf west of FL that would help weaken the storm, but the bad news is the sheer will lay off and could allow for a rapid build up to a super CAT 5 with gust to 220mph+. Steering winds look to be pretty good at this time so i don't see a stalling of the storm down stream at this time. The upper level low to our north west and a high to our northeast are gonna be someones worst nitemare and someones best friend depending on where the storm makes landfall...

[mochamajesty]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

Here are the facts for now. No one knows this stuff better than i do.

You guys are worked up over nothing. At least wait 4 more days. It's all between a high 2000+ miles to our northeast and a upper level low well to our northwest. It's all in the timing. The high should start to weaken and build back to the east by later friday, so this could give the storm a chance to take a sharp north turn 150 miles east of FL and miss the whole state nate. Or the high could stay strong to the point the storm stays south of FL and then make a sharp turn north toward LA or the Panhandle, or it could make a hard hook and come up the pipe just north of the Tampa area. As of now upper level sheer is pretty strong in the gulf west of FL that would help weaken the storm, but the bad news is the sheer will lay off and could allow for a rapid build up to a super CAT 5 with gust to 220mph+. Steering winds look to be pretty good at this time so i don't see a stalling of the storm down stream at this time. The upper level low to our north west and a high to our northeast are gonna be someones worst nitemare and someones best friend depending on where the storm makes landfall...

In four more days, all the supplies will be gone and the hotel rooms will be booked.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

Here are the facts for now. No one knows this stuff better than i do.

You guys are worked up over nothing. At least wait 4 more days. It's all between a high 2000+ miles to our northeast and a upper level low well to our northwest. It's all in the timing. The high should start to weaken and build back to the east by later friday, so this could give the storm a chance to take a sharp north turn 150 miles east of FL and miss the whole state nate. Or the high could stay strong to the point the storm stays south of FL and then make a sharp turn north toward LA or the Panhandle, or it could make a hard hook and come up the pipe just north of the Tampa area. As of now upper level sheer is pretty strong in the gulf west of FL that would help weaken the storm, but the bad news is the sheer will lay off and could allow for a rapid build up to a super CAT 5 with gust to 220mph+. Steering winds look to be pretty good at this time so i don't see a stalling of the storm down stream at this time. The upper level low to our north west and a high to our northeast are gonna be someones worst nitemare and someones best friend depending on where the storm makes landfall...

Bryan Norcross? Is that you?

Hurricanes always have a possibility of getting off track. There is something called a risk/reward ratio. The percentage possibility of a major hit is well over 50% Preps now might take time and be annoying, especially if it does wander off the predicted path, but the reward from properly prepping is huge if there is a hit. Raw panic doesn't help though, I agree.