While you guys are going into HawkWatch season... (Mexico: house, neighborhood)

[Elcarim]

we're in hurricane watch season! As we wait to see if Dean hits Galveston, it occurred to me that I have no idea if Maine ever sees hurricanes make it that far north. It's not something I've ever really studied out - I only pay attention when they tell us it's headed for OUR shore.

We were hit hard by Rita, and I have no desire to go through that again. We're hoping and praying this one heads west (sorry Mexico!) but we've had our fair share too recently!

Maybe if we all pucker up and blow......

[FLtoMaine]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

we're in hurricane watch season!.... I have no idea if Maine ever sees hurricanes make it that far north.

Maybe if we all pucker up and blow......

Being from FL I am a little too familiar with this subject. I still have a laminated map of FL with the tracks of the 4 major hurricanes that blew by our area in 2004. Maine does have hurricanes (I think H. Bob hit in the early 1990's.) But I doubt the folks in Maine get that little queasy feeling some of us do when we go into Hurricane Season. I'm so over it. We were without power for 10 days with Hurricane Charley and I considered us lucky. Thank goodness for gas grills . I never thought NOAA would be on my favorites list, but it is now.

As far as disasters go, I'm favoring the occasional blizzard. I'm thinking it is the most likely to occur in Maine over earthquakes, fires (we have those now in FL too), tornados, floods.

[Elcarim]

I understand. We have most of those annoyances - tornados, flooding, fires, hurricanes.....I'll take a blizzard any day!

[mainebrokerman]

one hurricane that sticks out to me is hurricane gloria in 1986 i believe,,,i was working at a hannaford in portland,,,and of course the store was blitzed with customers.. we taped the big front windows,,and when i got home that evening,,(to kennebunkport) my sister and i walked out on the break-waters at the mouth of the kennebunk river..it was the tale end of the hurricane,,think it was around this time of year,,maybe a bit later,
it was an awesome and majestic sight,, the wind was howling over 50mph... the sea,,was rough as one can imagine,,,,waves rolling in crashing on the rocks,,,

the worst catastrophie i can remember are two,,,one is the ice storm,,of 1998? half the state lost electric power for over two weeks,,
and the other was a huge flood,,i believe it was 1987?
flood water wreaked havoc on businesses,,, the water was up to the ceiling of the hannaford in gardiner,,,all the groceries floating down the kennebec river.
in some areas, that flood surpassed the great flood of 1936.

the ice storm,,,came upon us,,no one knew we would lose power for two-three weeks,,but that storm,,very much reflects,,the true maine,,when in times of need,,or helping others,,,mainers rose to the ocassion!! neighbor was helping neighbor,,seeing if they were "ok"
i didnt hear one incident,,where a business was looted,,or a personal residence was stolen from,,,!!!

it is very very rare,,,that maine gets a hurricane,,they usually peter out by the time they reach up here,,
its even very rare to hear about a tornado,,

,

[Elcarim]

So what do you guys do for heat when the power goes out for days?

When Rita hit, we were without power for 10-15 days in our area. It was HOT! We had to head west to stay with my sister, because I couldn't have the kids here in the severe heat, no way to cook, no good drinking water, etc. Our house didn't take a direct hit, though plenty of others in our neighborhood weren't so fortunate, but it did knock out my fridge, and we ended up going 2 additional weeks storing food in an ice chest until State Farm could get around to us and help replace it.

[BobTex]

Nova Scotia got hit pretty hard in 2004 (I think). I have a SIL that lives in Halifax and if I remember right they had gusts to 115mph. I think the storm more or less followed the Gulf Stream north!

I rode Rita out here at home (actually at my neighbor's). The eye passed about 20 miles east of us. We had sustained 100mph+ winds for about 3 hours and gusts over 125mph (measured at the county airport). We had electricity restored in 16 days!

Rita: http://www.weather.gov/rita/rita_trak_lg.jpg

Only real catastrophic storm I remmber although I was alive for Audrey which killed 300-400 in La. in 1957 and also Carla which hit just east of Galveston in1964(?). Never been in a blizzard though my wife has seen a few!

[mollysmiles]

Hey Bob! good to see you Are you back home yet or still relaxing in the Maritimes?

umm , and to make this on topic.....chicken wire over the top of pens....when our lab was a pup that's what they did

oh! and El, most people have some type of backup--fireplace, woodstove, generator--but if YOU don't, someone you know probably does, and your phone will be ringing! They will also open shelters if the power is going to be out for any great length of time

[AlisonL]

I wish I didn't remember the Ice Storm of 98. It was awful. We woke up to darkness and what sounded like a firing range. Actually was trees snapping under the weight of the ice.
We stayed at a shelter here in town. Luckily our electric was only off for four days and the temps stayed above freezing, so no pipes froze. I worked at the shelter even after we got power back. Felt it was the least I could do to help out.

[Elcarim]

They actually did have shelters all over Houston, but you were taking your life in your hands if you ended up in one. They never said on the news that I remember, but several friends of ours in law enforcement shared info - said to stay away from them.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

They actually did have shelters all over Houston, but you were taking your life in your hands if you ended up in one. They never said on the news that I remember, but several friends of ours in law enforcement shared info - said to stay away from them.

ohhhh.....that kind of defeats the purpose huh? I don't know if there's been any problems like that here, but I do know that shelters here aren't as full as you might expect. There's more of a tendency to go to a well-prepared friend or neighbor's house