Hurricane Earl (Raleigh, Apex: buying, camp, propane)

[Picaflora]

I have a love/hate relationship with hurricanes... I LOVE big storms - but if I ever have to deal with the aftermath and clean up like after Floyd in Eastern NC... it'll be way too soon. I was in 9th grade, and while my parents' house was fine, my oldest sister's house was flooded up to the attic. Her two youngest kids were still in diapers at the time. We joked that they "saved" some of the houses in the area, as the diapers had to have soaked up a ton of water. Each diaper weighed close to 60lbs as we were hauling them out of there. That type of cleanup and loss is just too devastating to have to go through again.

In Rocky Mount, we couldn't figure out why the news channels were all up in arms over Fran. For us the power was out for a day and one tree was down in the whole neighborhood. It STILL baffles me at how Raleigh got slammed and we got next to nothing even though we were only 40 miles east.

[lovebrentwood]

The most important hurricane prep item is instant coffee.

I remember caffeine withdrawal headaches the next day after Fran hit even more than the large downed tree in the front yard (and those throughout the whole neighborhood) or the lack of power.

Observations:
It did sound like a freight train. I immediately fell asleep after hearing the freight train sound. We had friends and relatives over for a big hurricane PJ party in our walkout basement, and everyone slept through at least part of the night. We heard the news at 6 pm that Fran was going to hit that night, so there wasn't much time to prepare for anything. We just wanted to get our loved ones who didn't have basements into our basement overnight.

The next morning, it was surreal picking up NO radio stations on a little portable radio except one with a very faint signal. Two somewhat amateurish young men were talking and were very excited when they said they had a phone call from someone "all the way from Raleigh." I have no idea where they were broadcasting from.

[lamishra]

Or a camping coffee percolator! I do not do instant coffee, hurricane or not!

[lovebrentwood]

Or a French press (no electricity needed) and pre-ground coffee.

Originally Posted by lamishra

Or a camping coffee percolator! I do not do instant coffee, hurricane or not!

[NCN]

Originally Posted by Poggly Woggly

My brother and I sat in front of the picture window and watched pine tree after pine tree come down all around our house in October of 1954....Hurricane Hazel. She came ashore near South Port and was still at hurricane force when it got to Raleigh. It turned Raleigh upside down for what seemed like weeks. North Carolina natives still talk about Hazel to this day....the ones of us that remember it

Hurricane Hazel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Many of you remember Fran, and I'm sure you know the damage that sustained 70 mph winds can do to this area. I was living in the area of Shotwell in Wake County at the time, and it took out our electricity for 15 days. Fran totally demolished out backyard. When my wife saw the damage at daybreak she screamed "that's it...we're moving back to Raleigh" I thought Fran was bad, but many tell me that she was no Hazel.

"A word to the Wise" It is a good idea to check your emergency supply kit this time of year. If you don't have one I suggest getting one soon. If you wait until we have a hurricane forecast you've waited too late, because the stores are already sold out of things you'll need.

Hurricane Hazel almost blew me off the front porch in Wilkes County about five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had to hang on to the porch post until my mother rescued me. She had warned me not to go outside, but you know how children are. We have to see for ourselves.

Fran dropped a tree on my son's vehicle in Raleigh.

[NCN]

Originally Posted by HappyTees

Good Afternoon everyone. As most know Hurricane Earl is on it's way to the US coast line. As they are predicting at the moment, we may not be impacted I could not help but to wonder about hurricanes. Has anyone ever been through a hurricane while living in the Triangle? Just curious, what is it like? I happen to be fascinated by weather but I have never experienced a hurricane first hand. Just thought I would ask for some experiences. Thanks ya'll!

You'll probably be fine unless you decide to park your car in the open in the middle of the shopping mall parking lot. Now which mall is it that usually floods when you get a lot of rain?

[Poggly Woggly]

Originally Posted by lamishra

I do not do instant coffee, hurricane or not!

That's what I thought until I found a dusky old jar of Maxwell House instant on the back shelf at the IGA Foodliner in downtown Clayton. I had gone 4 days without caffeine

[Poggly Woggly]

Originally Posted by NCN

Hurricane Hazel almost blew me off the front porch in Wilkes County about five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had to hang on to the porch post until my mother rescued me. She had warned me not to go outside, but you know how children are. We have to see for ourselves.

Fran dropped a tree on my son's vehicle in Raleigh.

Ah...another Hazel first hand witness I was only five at the time. I don't remember very much about my life before Hazel, but I sure remember a lot of events of that day in 1954.

[NCN]

Originally Posted by Poggly Woggly

Ah...another Hazel first hand witness I was only five at the time. I don't remember very much about my life before Hazel, but I sure remember a lot of events of that day in 1954.

I guess the most frightened I have been about hurricanes was when my daughter was living on the tenth floor in a dorm on East Carolina campus and called me in the middle of the night and told me how scared she was. I learned later that she called her boyfriend and they stayed on the telephone for the rest of the night and he was keeping her calm. No we are not very experienced in dealing with hurricanes in inland North Carolina. Hope we don't get experienced at it either.

[Raleigh27612]

AH, hurricanes. We have not been graced by one in a while, but I recall the 3-4 years we had several each year. Fran, Floyd, Bertha, Bonnie....let's see...TS Josephine...I was at Wrightsville Beach at the time, and what a pain it was to have to mop up/clean up/ reconstruct. Having been through that busy hurricane phase I can say that your prep depends on where you are in relation to landfall. Inland, its more of a stock up on batteries, beer and bread kinda thing (just my list folks, everyone has a different one...but PB sandwiches are a must when the power is out!). At the beach, a little different if you aren't evacuated or are close to the evacuation area. I never realized why filling the tubs/sink with water was important til the plumbing was washed out or contaminated and I had to cart water in from wilmington over the drawbridge a zillion times to clean up or flush the toilet. Candles are a must, lighters, cases of bottled water, bug spray. Its also a good time to get your really important papers in order - you know ,the ones you'd take in a pinch, and have those in one place. I had my photo albums and my important papers in the same place, so all I had to do was stick the velcro close poly folders (nothing can fall out in a rush)/binders in a laundry basket and hit the road. If they tell you to evacuate, just do it...I had friends who were stuck without being able to get help when the roads and bridges washed out. And, you just don't know how high that wall coming on shore will be. The water lines from Floyd and Fran were over my head. Weather radio is necessary if you stay at the beach. The cable goes out, power is out, so in order to know where the eye is and all that you need the weather radio. Ah, memories!!! Maybe Earl will hurl on by and leave NC alone. Here's hoping we just get awesome surf!