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Hurricane Hugo made landfall as a cat 4 around Charleston, SC in 1989. At +-3:00 a.m. Hugo came through Charlotte, NC (200 miles from the coast!) as a tropical storm (winds were only +-55-65 mph). I was shocked at the devastation. HUGE trees down, limbs everywhere, roads blocked. power was out in many places for weeks. It took months for clean-up. If Irma comes through Florida as a cat 4 or 5? I cannot imagine the damage that will be done.
I grew up in Charlotte and spent my summers at the coast. I always laughed when hurricanes came through and people evacuated. I don't laugh anymore - I LEAVE. PLEASE leave if you are being asked to evacuate. It is not worth risking your life or the lives of your children - Not to mention the lives of rescuers.
That sounds very scary. I have never been through a hurricane before. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to listen to the wind and not know what is going on outside. We are not in an evac zone so we would be leaving voluntarily. We left for Matthew and that turned out to be a non event for my neighborhood. So my husband is comparing the two and thinks they will be comparable. But to me, Irma seems much stronger.
Also adding since its burried way back in the thread now:
For the curious you can see your general reference map on suseptibility to storm surge in the link below (JUST a general reference and is NOT Irma maps yet! So that's why shows all areas from Texas up to the Northeast so you'll have somewhat an idea should a storm ever come your way). Just change the category from 1 to 5 or whatever you want to see....default is just showing Cat1 surge on map.http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Map...4dd7b277935fad
Does this bear any relation to'the FEMA flood zone maps?
Someone in my neighborhood in Fl posted our current FRMA flood map on our NextDoor site...like FaceBook for subdivisions...
That sounds very scary. I have never been through a hurricane before. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to listen to the wind and not know what is going on outside. We are not in an evac zone so we would be leaving voluntarily. We left for Matthew and that turned out to be a non event for my neighborhood. So my husband is comparing the two and thinks they will be comparable. But to me, Irma seems much stronger.
There never is a cut and dried answer to the stay or go when a hurricane is approaching.
It sort of comes down to which would make you feel worse.
1) You evacuate and nothing happens to your home area.
2) You don't evacuate and the storm comes to you and you are sitting listening to trees come down and things bouncing off of your house.
BHS News Releases > Shut the Doors on Hurricane Irma
Media Contact
Susan G. Millerick
(813) 675-1066
@NewsIBHS smillerick@ibhs.org
TAMPA, September 6, 2017 – Following rigorous scientific wind testing on a full-scale, 1,400 square foot single-story home in its unique laboratory this summer, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has important new guidance for all homeowners preparing for major wind storms such as Hurricane Irma: close all interior doors, in addition to all windows and exterior doors.
High winds, such as those currently expected from Hurricane Irma, place homes under intense pressure. Wind entering the home through an open or broken window, can create strong upward pressure on the roof. Closing interior doors helps compartmentalize the pressure inside the home into smaller areas reducing the overall force on the roof structure, which gives the roof a better chance of staying intact.
“The roof is your first line of defense against anything Mother Nature inflicts on a home, and during a bad storm your roof endures fierce pressure from wind, rain, and flying debris that may be outside,†said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. “But the roof also must withstand internal pressure if winds get inside. The pressure in your home can build like air in a balloon, eventually causing the roof to fail and blow apart, which – particularly in a hurricane – allows water to come pouring in.â€
As the eastern United States and Caribbean islands prepare for Hurricane Irma, IBHS urges homeowners to follow all evacuation orders and be sure to shut the doors on Irma to increase its ability to withstand the storm.
That sounds very scary. I have never been through a hurricane before. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to listen to the wind and not know what is going on outside. We are not in an evac zone so we would be leaving voluntarily. We left for Matthew and that turned out to be a non event for my neighborhood. So my husband is comparing the two and thinks they will be comparable. But to me, Irma seems much stronger.
Just because your area is not an evac zone NOW doesn't mean it won't be...
Once Irma clears Cuba and make the move to the north, many areas might come into play...
The only thing you can't/shouldn't do is wait too late...
Have a plan for longer evac and shorter timeline--and know your options for shelters, especially ones that take pets if u have them...and pets need crates
Storm surge if it comes up the west coast is our threat because house is not that far inland
Have friends farther inland they could stay with if too late to drive out
Every hurricane like every baby is different
And should be addressed on its own qualities
No shame in being cautious...
Saw interview w/man in Rockport TX who resisted mandatory evac...Rockport was ground zero for Harvey.
He, his wife, amd their dog were in storm, lost roof, tried to get out to car--it was flooding...he almost drown trying to get them into his pickup which sat higher...
they spent the night in a Cat 4 hurricane in a pickup cab up to their shoulders in water...cold water...had hypothermia when they could get out after Harvey blew through in the AM...
Needless to say, he said not leaving was most stupid decision he ever made...
There never is a cut and dried answer to the stay or go when a hurricane is approaching.
It sort of comes down to which would make you feel worse.
1) You evacuate and nothing happens to your home area.
2) You don't evacuate and the storm comes to you and you are sitting listening to trees come down and things bouncing off of your house.
It is a tough choice
So many of the people,we saw on tv that stayed vs evac Hurricane Harvey or even for flood Harvey said they didn't evac because they didn't have money for,gas or motel room...and guess they didn't consider a shelter--
don't know why they wouldn't do that except lack of privacy/comfort and other aspects...
Many of those people wound up in shelters anyway because of damage to their building...
That sounds very scary. I have never been through a hurricane before. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to listen to the wind and not know what is going on outside. We are not in an evac zone so we would be leaving voluntarily. We left for Matthew and that turned out to be a non event for my neighborhood. So my husband is comparing the two and thinks they will be comparable. But to me, Irma seems much stronger.
Like Charlotteborn, I was in NC for Hurricane Fran which came 125 miles inland to the Raleigh area and still had hurricane force winds or wind gusts. It did a huge amount of damage to the Raleigh area. We weren't listening to wind outside — we were listening to trees crashing down all night long. My street was impassable and we were w/o power for more than a week. Huge pine trees 3 feet in diameter were just laying like pick-up sticks across the road.
I'm not planning on evacuating for Irma (still in the greater Raleigh area), but I am planning on keeping a close eye on it.
Matthew was a big deal in NC. Roads are still washed out from it a year later!
I would see if you can make a hotel reservation that you can cancel. That way you're not out anything if you decide not to go, but it will buy you a little time if you need to think about it some more.
Location: Big Island of Hawaii & HOT BuOYS Sailing Vessel
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Waves according to model used by many sailors show 35 feet due North of eye and 20 foot waves extending outward to NE about 100 miles in each direction from eye.
Therefore, even if eye stays 75 miles off shore, coast line of Florida will see wave heights around 20 feet.
If the eye wall approaches shore, then 35 foot waves coupled with storm surge could mean wave heights nearer to 40-45 feet.
I have seen Hawaii pounded by waves higher than this and it is amazing sight.
Location: Big Island of Hawaii & HOT BuOYS Sailing Vessel
5,277 posts, read 2,802,638 times
Reputation: 1932
New track still shows Miami square on. Then second landfall South Carolina and Georgia border.
Looking more and more certain Miami and Fort Lauderdale will be impacted.
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