Hurricanes and Tropical Storms in Tampa (Orlando, Sarasota: power lines, renters, insurance)

[FloridaKash]

From what I understand Tampa rarely gets anything but rain and a little wind from most Hurricanes (I hope this is right, one of the reasons I have picked Tampa). With that said, how does the following make you feel?

U.S. forecaster sees increased 2010 hurricane threat - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100407/us_nm/us_storm_hurricanes_forecast - broken link)

Now if I recall, I believe they said last year was going to be a very active storm season as well. As we all know, last year was awfully quiet.

Also, how many of you actually have Hurricane survival kits and evacuation kits ready to go in the event a big one does come like the one that hit Tarpon Spring back in.... 1921?

1921 Tampa Bay hurricane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please understand, I am not terrified of hurricanes, but they are something that will be new to me and I am going to ensure I am prepared. Ha, you should see my earthquake survival kit.

As in Texas I will be sure to invest in one of those weather alert radios. It was nice having one. It would beep like crazy and let you know about any type of weather advisories or warnings. One time it notified us of a tornado touching down 1 mile from our house. Closes, first and last experience of any kind I ever have had with a tornado.

For those of you that rent homes. Do you provide boards so your renters can cover their windows to protect your property?

Ok, I typed a lot in regards to hurricanes. Maybe I am a weeee bit scared of them.

[annaegel]

I have been down here for 5 years. I missed the year that they had 3 "hurricanes" in a row. People down here take hurricane threats lightly. They don't seem to worry too much about them. I bought one of those weather advisories. It drove me nuts, so I shut it off. It is sitting on top of my tv, turned off. Just be prepared just in case. We have an emergency/hurricane kit that we check at the beginnig of hurricane season.

Even if they predict a very active season, you never know where one will hit or even if it will be active for us in Tampa. I have not been through anything that has scared me. My neighbors said they would only leave the area if a hurricane category 2 or even 3 were predicted. I think I would want to leave for a category 1! I am a big chicken.

[gypsychic]

I am a Florida native, several decades old (I refuse to admit how many lol!)

Up until 2004, I had only experienced fringe effects of Hurricane Donna in Tampa back in 1960 or the early 60s (I forget). In 2004, we had 4 hurricances CROSS THE STATE back-to-back - talk about scary! A lot of places saw a LOT of damage. The worst damage is from wind, blowing trees over, roofs off the house etc. If one lives near the water there is also storm surge and flooding to be concerned with.

That said, we got off easy, we were living just north of Tampa, and we had a big tree go over and clip the edge of a cottage we owned next to our main house. We did have to replace the entire roof (which needed it anyway) and the majority was covered by our insurance.

In any given year, predictions are made, but it is completely and totally a crap-shoot! lol Also, it's important to remember that even in an active year, the chances of a "big one" forming are fairly small, and the chances that a bad one will hit a specific area are even smaller. And they can hit ANYWHERE on the Gulf or Atlantic states, not just Florida. People seem to think Florida is the only place that gets hurricanes, but not so, not so at all.

Just be prepared, have some kind of plan. For lesser hurricanes, my personal feeling is that it is better to stay put and have supplies, because evacuation is an absolute nightmare, and many times there isn't any safer place you can get to in time anyway. Even though we live near Sarasota Bay, we have decided we will not evacuate unless there is great certainty we are getting a direct hit from a bad one, and a big storm surge is indicated.

Bottom line, you need to be aware, but no one should worry anymore about hurricanes than they do in other states re: tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards or any other forces of mother nature.

[LKJ1988]

Last storm to hit around Tampa coming off the gulf was in 1921. I have lived here since i was born in 1963 and only 3 storms gave us what i would call some wind and rain. The hurricane that sat in the middle grounds 90 well offshore in Sept of 85 and the back to back storms that came across the state from the east coast in 04. Tampa seems to be in a dead zone when it comes to hurricanes, there is always a high that blocks the storm and or a upper level low that steers a storm away from us.

We never really see any action, but that don't mean we won't get our turn. Could be this year or another 50 years. One day a nice CAT 5 will hit just north of Tampa bay and it will be lights outs for many people.

[Maggi07]

I'm not overly concerned, but I am concerned enough to be prepared. We have boards for the windows, water in the freezer, flashlights, emergency food, etc.

I think the last time there was a direct hit to Tampa Bay was in 1921? Is that right? But we just don't know if and when it will ever happen again. My cousin, who is in her 60's has lived here her whole life and says she would rather deal with hurricanes than the tornadoes we would get out of the blue up north. At least here you know they're coming!

We're prepared to shelter-in-place, as they say, for a cat 1 or 2. My dh thinks 3 would be OK too, but my concern about that is a 3 could easily and quickly become a 4.

A friend of ours has lived in FL and Alabama his entire life and tells the story of getting caught on the causeway on his way to evacuate in a cat 4. 12 hours of pure hell. Can't get out of your car, obviously. You also wouldn't know if your car was going to be flipped into the water or something was going to fly through the window and hit you. That's apparently one of the bigger concerns.... people wait too long to leave and then everyone gets stuck on the road. We're in Pinellas county and there are only a few ways out. I have zero desire to be stuck on the causeway.

As far as that prediction goes, I'm not paying much attention. Geesh, no one seems to be able to predict any kind of weather at all with any accuracy until we are about 3 days out.

[It's Cin!]

Being on the SE coastal area of Virginia we get alot of brushs with Hurricanes. Bonnie, Floyd and Isabell were the recent ones that did a lot of damage in the area. LOTS of huge trees blown down taking out roofs, cars and power lines. Tremendous storm surge causing massive flooding. Power out for 10 days in my area with Isabell. Hundreds of houses in my neighborhood alone had trees through the roofs.

I have a hurricane prep kit but if it looks like we'll get a driect hit I am outta here. I dont mind hurricanes as much as tornadoes though. I grew up in SW Oklahoma right in the path of Tornado Alley. Tornadoes were a given every year. They do so much more destruction than 'most' hurricanes.

We keep all of our important documents handy and ready to grab if we need to evacuate. At the word of a hurricane coming we each pack a tote bag with our "MUST HAVE" items. Change of clothes, toiletries, medications, eyeglass/contact prescriptions, cash, the kids favorite stuffed animal, jewelry, sneakers, a few blankets/pillows, etc. If we decide to stay put we try to be as prepared as possible. We always have cases of bottled water. Food. First aid kit. Propane for the camp stove and bbq grill in case electricity goes out. Lots of heavy duty flashlights and battery operated camp lamps. We have tarps ready in case of roof damage. We have a huge rubbermaid trash barrel with a tight fitting lid to fill with water in case the water lines are compromised. We scrub and fill the bathtubs up with water to be able to flush toilets or heat up to sponge bathe or wash dishs with. We have car chargers for our cell phones. A regular non-cordless phone in case electricity goes out, the phone lines usually still work but cordless phones wont. All of our important stuff on the computer such as photos are on external hard drives that we can unplug and grab if we have to evac.

I'd love to get a generator to be able to keep the freezer working, but we survived 10 days without one after Hurricane Isabell so its really not at the top of the purchase list.

Everything else that is material can be replaced. Our lives cant.

[algia]

We don't have boards for the windows on our rental.....we live north of Tampa tho...

We went through all 4 of those hurricanes in 2004, we lived in Orlando then, and watched on TV how everyone in Tampa evacuated to Orlando and they all got caught in Charlie there! We only lost power for 2 1/2 days thanks to Charlie and none of the other ones.....

I think ppl in Trailer Parks are the ones that suffer the most.....(Duh! those are not made to withstand a hurricane to begin with!) I think as a conspiracy they are all placed very close to the beach to make the point about FL being the retirement state! LOLOLOLOL which is why I will retire in NY City, so I don't have to drive everywhere and not be bored to death by Golf! LOLOLOL
Seriously, otherwise "who" in their right mind, knowing of the possibility of hurricanes would put those so close to the beaches! it's like a living cemetery waiting for the storm......

No, we never had a "hurricane kit" either.....giving the fact that we get plenty of warning and possible path's, we can evacuate if necessary maybe a day before everyone else.....but we never did yet.like Gypsychick said, Florida is NOT the only one getting hurricanes and I think Katrina in 2004 is good proof of that.......I am a lot more afraid of Earthquakes since they cannot be predicted therefore you have NO warning!

[ferret111]

Just make sure you have enough water and batteries and nonperishable food in case something happens, but remember, they know of hurricanes days in advance, so you have plenty of time to get out of town. Of coure, hurricanes can and do change directions at the last minute. You just don't want to be caught off guard.

Make sure you never have any dead or dying trees hanging over or near your house, as heavy winds could make them topple onto your house.

Know if you're in a flood zone, and, if you are in one, your chance of being told to evacuate. Know the shelter(s) in your area and figure out how you will get there should it be necessary.

Other than those fairly basic and common sense items, hurricanes usually aren't as scary as the news depicts them. After you live here for awhile, you'll begin to feel more and more comfortable around them. Just don't be caught off guard.

[Keeper]

I was in the 85 storm and evacuated to Leto HS since we lived on the water, they told us to leave the apts. We slept in our car because it was so noisy.
I stayed in 04 but it wasn't a lot of fun doing without electric for a week. I had frozen water and ice but I lost most of my food in the freezer. Many ppl did leave and went to Orlando or Ocala and they got the full brunt of the storm for Charlie.

We also had a hurricane box with batteries, canned food and sandwich stuff. I would recommend a generator though

You don't need a weather radio IMO.. you will know the hurricane is coming way in advance.

[stpeteguy]

Don't think just because Tampa hasn't been hit with a big hurricane, that it's not likely.

All that really means is the the Tampa bay area is long overdue for a major hurricane.

It's going to happen, the only question is when.

Having said that, it's not something that you need to be over anxious about. I personally feared Tornado's more when I lived in Tornado country. With them, you have almost zero warning time and if you get a direct hit, the damage can be catastrophic.

It's the same thing if you live in an Earthquake prone part of the country. Very little warning.


With hurricanes, you will know days in advance and can take appropriate precautions.