Hurricane effect in Tampa....

[76Patriots]

Originally Posted by tonynorie

Here's the most relevant and pertinent statistic I am aware of regarding hurricanes striking Hillsborough County (Tampa is in Hillsb Cty): The statistical odds of a storm of 75mph or greater winds hitting any place in the county in any given year is LESS THAN ONE PERCENT!!! That information is on the Hillsborough County Emergency Management site and the number is actually .9 percent.

Also, the idea that we are "due" isn't sound science. The Law of Independent Trials dictates that each season we start with a new set of similar circumstances, with strike probability being random not withstanding the variations in global weather dynamics that do influence the number of storms that develop. The point I'm trying to convey is that, just because we had a low incidence of storms last year doesn't mean that we'll have more (or less) in the future.

Having said all of that, I am aware that if we get a cat 4 or 5 storm that strikes the bay area, especially one that brings the storm surge up the bay, we are in some deep do-do! I've been in Tampa since 1946 and have seen some pretty powerful storms but have never had to leave my home during one of them.....even Donna in (I believe) 1960 wasn't so bad, and we lived directly on Tampa Bay at that time.

Another point to consider is that there is always a lead time of days not hours when a strong storm is approaching and that gives us time to prepare or to leave if necessary.

Well said all around. While an emphasis on preparedness is sound, there's quite a bit of 'fear pushing' going on that just isn't healthy or warranted. On the list of things to cause concern/tension/fear/anxiety, being injured/consumed by the force of a hurricane just shouldn't be one of them. Nevermind that the frequency is expressed by a fraction of a percentage point, there's more than ample warning time for preparedness/evacuation if the unlikely event does occur. In this day and age there just isn't a good reason for there to be a significant amount of injury/death from the destructive power of a hurricane (one should note how so many deaths were caused by Katrina. A small percentage yet numerically large group of people didn't want to leave their homes despite more than ample warning). Simple steps to follow: A) Take the time to go online and read/follow the many resources that define proper preparedness. B) In the very unlikely event a strong hurricane is going to hit the bay area, leave if recommended (or even if you feel uncomfortable about what might happen.....than just leave. Take the opportunity to go visit family or friends). C) If you followed A and follow B when conditions prompt it, C is the most important thing; do not spend any more time living in fear of "it's coming! it's coming! Oh lord it's coming!". I mean there's so many other things that you should be more afraid of than hurricanes: bacterial/viral pandemics, murderers and marauders lurking around every single corner, the inside of your house, the outside of your house, the beach, your cell phone, processed sugar etc etc etc etc......

[ChuteTheMall]

Originally Posted by Ross Nicholson

There are lots of easy ways to mitigate the inevitable disaster that will befall Tampa and St. Petersburg. Sure, on average we will get hit the worst possible way only once in 111 years, and hit by lesser storms once every twenty years. We can do things that will reduce the impact.

1. Decrease the opening width of Tampa Bay (could be done with on-going dredge dumping if someone would only tell the Clueless Corps of Engineers.)
2. Install and maintain a submerged, inflatable hurricane barrier just west of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
3. Build a new bridge from downtown St. Pete to the Interbay peninsula's Crosstown Expressway to evacuate South St. Pete.
4. Use Dutch engineering expertise to poulder part of Old Tampa Bay or Hillsborough Bay (flood-able air port runways, farmland), then open the floodgates at just the right time to mitigate flooding.
5. Build a seawall like Galveston did. The old seawall stopped most of Ike.
6. Release biodegradable oil onto the bay. The thin olive oil would spread and reduce air/water friction, lessening the 'hold' of the storm surge, reducing it significantly. This was done for Houston and saved many lives.
7. Spend 1.7 billion dollars and stop global warming by launching balloon satellites into orbit (like Echo 1, Echo 2 satellites, but don't use lead acid batteries) above hurricane spawning grounds.
8. Spend 4 million dollars a year to fly many aircraft through hurricane spawning grounds to break up air mass vertical organization. After Katrina, several hurricanes were 'studied to death' this way.

9. Dredge and fill the bay, add a few hills on all the new islands. Get Tampa off the coast.
10. Build a giant dome over the region to keep out the bad weather, bugs, UV rays, illegal aliens.
11. Drill down thru the earth's core into the hot magma, release lava and grow a huge volcano. Sacrifice virgins. in it.
12. Stock up on water and non-perishable foods, and be mentally prepared to just camp out at home for a few days while others panic. I think I'll just go with this one.

[BucFan]

Hurricane supplies tax free in week-long sales tax holiday

[ChuteTheMall]

Hurricane season started yesterday, and so far so good.
I survived the first day with just a few light rain showers.