Tropical Storm Irene is Born (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: lease, home, to buy)

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

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I just returned here after a long time to check on the storm comments since I trust the city data folks' opinions.

But wanted to comment...

It would be interesting if hurricanes caused the change in human nature that you're expecting. They don't.

My son had to hold his front door shut with a king mattress for 5 hours during Rita, it wasn't glamorous or fun. His GF weighed 98 lbs and had to drag it out of the bedroom in a desperate panic when the new metal door first broke off the hinge and he had to hold it with his 150# frame. They had hurricane shutters on the windows so they got to sit in the DARK humid house with no AC or real lighting or air, holding the stupid mattress standing up with all their weight against it and desperately trying to figure out what furniture SHE could move over there to help. He had a small generator but he didn't know how long it would last or if he could juice it up again so he had to conserve everything.

Nor was it fun cleaning up after his two dogs covered in urine and feces over and over again who eliminated in their carriers that they had to stay in for their protection during the storm in case they lost control of the mattress and the door came flying off completely. WITH NO WATER AVAILABLE EXCEPT BOTTLED. Just two little things on a huge list of annoyances. You might think you have enough water say, for 2 weeks with 4 gallons per day for 2 humans and two dogs...until you find out you can't clean their waste off even with 5 bottles of water very well!

How about not being able to go to the bathroom for say, 5 or more hours while you're trying to hold a mattress on a door and thereafter potentially several days or weeks not having water or electricity. Not glam. His car was more or less crushed by a tree. Not glam. All the mature trees in his yard were destroyed. And his neighbors were left with various degrees of debris that was there for a LONG TIME and for a couple, they just didn't bother or couldn't afford clearing it out. Not glam.

Then when he went to recharge his tiny generator up across the street when they had power restored, a bunch of people picked fights with him for not "sharing his generator" with the line of people who didn't have one.

You realize you have to boil your water after a major event like this, right? So not only do you not get a shower for awhile, live in muggy humidity with no a/c and have to use water you store in your bathtub for your toilet flushing, but you have to use bottled water or boiled when you finally get your water back on to consume ....for DAYS. And hope that you have enough or that the stores restock shortly. I'm sure it's fun going to work all smelly and leaving your place behind to possibly be looted or get moldy or whatever. Or stay home and not get paid for some people cuz their job can't open.

He did everything right, that he knew to do, it was the 3rd cat 5 storm of 2005 and in itself caused 11 billion of damage that WE TAXPAYERS end up paying for.

From what I remember, it was predicted to not be "as bad". LOL yeah, right. His GF works at a hotel and they were allowed to stay there during Wilma and Katrina with their pets but they thought Rita wasn't going to be that bad and they were "hurricaned out".

From what I remember there were 2000 national guardsmen called into SoFl after Rita.

The area was PERMANENTLY changed (for at least a couple of years looking ratty)....after that summer, with mature trees and nature destroyed, housing disasters, blue tarps on roofs EVERYWHERE, no street lights functioning right, crap all over etc etc etc. It's not the romantic experience you might expect. Unless you live in a desolate place like down in Homestead on acreage etc and are totally self sufficient. Last time I heard, New Orleans was still devastated, tons of wasted taxpayer dollars were wasted (stupid unusable FEMA trailer), people moved away to other states, and even the musicians had to flee and work on the road to make a living for awhile. Thank goodness Preservation Hall was in tact and only was closed for under a year. I don't think the musicians are what I'd call "materialistic or blissfully ignorant" even if the citizens and the local government were blissfully ignorant. For me, materialistic and blissfully ignorant are mutually exclusive when discussing hurricane damage. Since the blissfully ignorant generally IME don't have material things to even be concerned about and don't seem to realize how difficult it will be to replace what they do have, unless taxpayer dollars buy it.

Then after 2005 we got to have the housing meltdown on top of it.

youre talking about the ill prepared gulf coast. rita was a non event in south florida. we had it tough down here after wilma. still it is a treasured memory of mine. i thrive on survivalist stuff.

[cixcell]

I'm responsible for wilma. back in 2005 I mocked her

[FlyMIA]

Originally Posted by JackTheRipper

It's heading towards us!

If your in the Bahamas or South Carolina it is heading towards you yes. But right now South Florida is not in a project path really. BUT anything can change it all depends when it decides to make that turn north.
Right now folks in South Carolina need to start preparing for a possible major hurricane.

[Not_liking_FL]

Originally Posted by tallrick

I believe that the building codes are still too weak. No one should be using wood for any part of a building that may go through a hurricane. My problem building two homes is that the building codes required me to put windows and weaker doors than I would have liked. No problem, I just changed them later to my own homemade designs. Yet I always end up staying at my parent's home during storms to keep an eye on them. There is no way that home built in 1959 could survive a cat 4 or 5. If it gets to that point I will drive my van down, load the parents and a few things and head to Hendry county and my new home. Their old neighborhood and its snitches can face the full wrath of a tropical cyclone while we relax in hurricane proof comfort with cool air conditioning.

I agree with you and Chelito. Miami/Dade probably has some of the best building codes in the country, but I'm sure they could be a lot better. I think concrete should be used in every part of the country not just hurricane prone areas. Tornados could happen anywhere and then there are earthquakes in other areas. When I'm finally able to build a house I'm going with icf's or some other concrete building system.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

I agree with you and Chelito. Miami/Dade probably has some of the best building codes in the country, but I'm sure they could be a lot better. I think concrete should be used in every part of the country not just hurricane prone areas. Tornados could happen anywhere and then there are earthquakes in other areas. When I'm finally able to build a house I'm going with icf's or some other concrete building system.

even concrete cant hold up to tornado wind speeds.

[Not_liking_FL]

Originally Posted by cixcell

even concrete cant hold up to tornado wind speeds.

I'd rather take my chances behind 6" of solid reinforced concrete than a 2x4 wood frame or even concrete block.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

I can't recall which one was crazy wet, maybe it was, ironically, Irene in 99? That technically hit Naples but it was lopsided and we got the worst of it here.

They didn't cancel classes at UM for Irene '99, so I ended up on the metrorail during the major rainband and driving the rest of the way home a half hour before the eyewall. US1 was never so clear on a weekday afternoon, though I had to swerve around a few palm tree branches. I was on the roof during the "eyewall" The wind and rain were like a really bad, slow-moving thunderstorm, but there was no lightning. Looks like this year's Irene isn't going to be as fun, which is good since it's looking like a cat-3 this time around.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

I'd rather take my chances behind 6" of solid reinforced concrete than a 2x4 wood frame or even concrete block.

oh i agree. if i lived in an area with tornados thats what i would do as well

[Not_liking_FL]

Originally Posted by cixcell

oh i agree. if i lived in an area with tornados thats what i would do as well

I read somewhere that a house in Biloxi, MS that had walls three bricks deep was flattened during Katrina. So I'm not sure how well the block houses that are so popular in FL would hold up in a strong hurricane. Unless they pour concrete in the voids maybe.

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

I agree with you and Chelito. Miami/Dade probably has some of the best building codes in the country, but I'm sure they could be a lot better. I think concrete should be used in every part of the country not just hurricane prone areas. Tornados could happen anywhere and then there are earthquakes in other areas. When I'm finally able to build a house I'm going with icf's or some other concrete building system.

The improvements with wooden homes are the extra joists that are added to make it more secure(part of the hurricane code) as this was not the case during Hurricane Andrew.