Hurricanes and Orlando (Miami, Tampa, Altamonte Springs: power lines, insurance, houses)

[tinytrump]

Ok I'm from Miami I know hurricanes, Andrew and a few more since I was little. But how's it affect orlando I do see many many trees ! I bought in a pretty high area, but the trees mine and neighbors. Hmm ? Anyone been here with last one. ? 2004?

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by tinytrump

Ok I'm from Miami I know hurricanes, Andrew and a few more since I was little. But how's it affect orlando I do see many many trees ! I bought in a pretty high area, but the trees mine and neighbors. Hmm ? Anyone been here with last one. ? 2004?

It won't be as bad as in Miami, but do some of the same things like get all your insurance papers together( I have a tub and I put them in zip lock bags and keep them ready in case we have to evacuate(we live on the coast) Get cash since banks may not be open, fill the gas tank, make sure the generator is ready for after the storm. I usually get family pictures into plastic tubs, make sure the laptops, desktop tower are covered in plastic so I don't lose what is on them when I know it is a sure hit.

What happened in Orlando during 2004 was very minor in comparison to an Andrew storm. Charley, Frances and Jean did do some damage, though. Some broken windows, roof damage, flooding hit the area. UCF had damage to the new Recreation Building. Sea world's Bayside Stadium lost part of its roof. The old oak trees in the area came down on homes and cars. Some areas did not even lose electricity over there.
Mathew is a big storm and no one knows how close it will come. Orlando is where most of the evacuees from the coast will head. You could get anywhere from nothing/tropical storm winds to maybe a cat 1 or 2 wind depending on where it hits, how it hits, or if it stays the farthest it can away from the coast.

[JRR]

We were here in Altamonte Springs for Charley in 2004 and got gusts up around 100 mph. Trees were a real problem in the area; Winter Park lost a lot of large oak trees. We has a 60 ft pine tree go down right between the houses in back of us and a large 40 ft cherry laurel was pretty much ripped apart. Lots of power lines down and roof damage in the area due to trees. It is a good idea to have any nearby trees trimmed and thinned every few years so that any heavy wind can go through them without ripping them apart.

[JRR]

Well, this is getting interesting. The track for Matthew has shifted significantly to the west which may bring it close the coast of Florida as a major hurricane. Hopefully it will stay offshore; this is going to be my last hurricane season in Florida and I was looking forward to a quiet one. I still remember Charley which was not supposed to be a problem for Orlando, until it suddenly was.

[Chrisvaughan]

I live in conway and it was pretty bad here. Trees down every where power was in some areas for months. Many houses destroyed by trees. Not fun

[tinytrump]

I'm close to you in Conway and I trimmed my tree everthing above the house. The neighbors hmmm - it will fall into my pool I am wondering if I should take a hose and drain the pool about an inch or two . It never overfills. Someone said some pools have a safeguard and won't fill but I have no idea about that. My kids want me to come to clermont during storm...I can see the traffic now. They talking poss turn into Stuart Fl . In any case it's close enough and strong enough to spin off tornadoes - prepare

[StillRoaming]

As others have said, Orlando had a lot of damage due to downed trees. Lots of roofs had to be replaced and there was some flooding.

Here in Clermont, we didn't get hit as hard as downton Orlando. We had one Washingtonia palm pulled out from the roots and several of the boards on our fence were blown off. The worse thing was the electric was off for about a week. Thankfully, we had battery-powered fans which saved the day.

For anyone reading who is new to hurricanes, here are a few things you usually don't hear or think about. If you don't have a generator, now is the time to start eating from your freezer. You may deplete it, but at least you won't have to worry about anything spoiling. I highly recommend having battery fans. For those with dogs who require grooming, make sure they have a nice short haircut so they don't get overheated if the air conditioning is off. Double check and secure everything in your yard that is capable of taking flight such as fence boards.

Stay safe and let's hope Matthew heads way east.

[theoldnorthstate]

In my area we were without power for 20+ days

Blue tarps were on roofs 3 years later

Our beautiful oak trees were a problem. Also spin off tornados

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by JRR

Well, this is getting interesting. The track for Matthew has shifted significantly to the west which may bring it close the coast of Florida as a major hurricane. Hopefully it will stay offshore; this is going to be my last hurricane season in Florida and I was looking forward to a quiet one. I still remember Charley which was not supposed to be a problem for Orlando, until it suddenly was.

Check out the map of all of the computer models. Interestingly enough the media is taking the one showing the westerly track and running with it. The others show a more northerly or easterly direction which take it out to sea or up toward NY/New England. Not saying it's not worth watching but perhaps overstated to keep everyone on edge and tuned in.

[JRR]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Check out the map of all of the computer models. Interestingly enough the media is taking the one showing the westerly track and running with it. The others show a more northerly or easterly direction which take it out to sea or up toward NY/New England. Not saying it's not worth watching but perhaps overstated to keep everyone on edge and tuned in.

Yeah, everything has edged a bit to the east for now. Just something to keep an eye on. Charley was a good lesson in 2004. It was supposed to go in around Tampa and miss Orlando completely. Then it made that quick turn into Punta Gorda and came up I-4.