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Thread: Hurricane Irma

  1. #31
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
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    Nags Head...been there...interesting place.

    NAP

    My daughter has been accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design and I am now wondering if it is safe. I guess on the positive side, Her school will have plenty of landscape to work with.

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  3. #32
    Senior Member Fred Steeves's Avatar
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    Having lived in the Tampa Bay area on Florida's west coast my whole life (namely the Clearwater area in Pinellas County due west of Tampa), I did some last minute calling around to friends and family there to wish them luck, and see how their preparation plans were going. Looks like it may be a direct hit this time, one they haven't had since the early 1920's. My group is probably a pretty accurate cross section of people in the area, so I thought some of you may be interested in their stories at this point. Some are right on the beaches, the rest within a few miles inland.

    - Dee Dee, the Baptist Christian grade school teacher a few miles inland: Out of storm sure range. Windows buttoned up with plywood, all set with food and water, and they're going to ride it out in place. Their faith in God will see them through.

    - Denise, university professor from Seattle. Their summer home is well within storm surge range: She and her husband flew in last week to keep an eye on things, and to be there for the cleanup, whatever that may entail. No means to plywood windows, but well stocked up on supplies. They will be hunkering down at a friend's house a few miles inland. The husband is not good in a crisis, and already freaking out well ahead of the storm. She does her best to keep his mind occupied with other things, very frustrating...

    - Jack, the captain of a large dolphin sightseeing boat (great tour btw), ground zero of course: Spent the last two days battening things down at the docks the best they can be. Told me of the captain of their deep sea fishing boat (on which I have fished from a time or two) whose duty it is to anchor her down loosely in the middle of the bay, keep the bow pointed directly into the ever shifting wind direction, and bring her back to the docks safe and sound. Old school. Jack says back in the day he would have gladly accepted that challenge, but is too old for that shit now.

    Their house is a few miles inland, and out of storm surge range. They're all battened down, stocked up, and have also adopted several storm refugees in to ride it out.

    - Mike the lawyer: Lives on the barrier islands on Clearwater Beach in a well built 1949's home, but is also ground zero for storm surge. In his 73 years of life he has never evacuated, but he is this time. Everything of value they could get to a relative's house a few miles inland is already there. They stacked everything else high as they could get it, and can only hope for the best of what they come back to.

    - Larry, he and the wife are now happily retired thanks to a late in life venture of fixing up houses to rent out. He now collects rent checks for a living, and that's exactly what me and Mrs. Steeves are endeavoring to do, eventually collect monthly rent checks for a living. Me being a carpenter, we're taking after their successful example. The first remodel is almost done, and ready for market. Almost.

    Larry is the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet, a loyal friend and a cool old hippie. I worry that he might not be taking this seriously enough, but they are out of storm surge range, and all stocked up.

    - John and Sandy: John and Sandy bought the last place we lived in before moving to Tennessee 4 years ago. It's not a house per say, it's an old souped up (I souped it up LOL) 1960's double wide trailer. I made it from regular old double wide trailer, to half house half trailer. Sits beside a beautiful clear spring river called the Weeki Wachee River, in a one horse town called Weeki Wachee an hour north of everyone else in the Clearwater area. Very rural, especially in comparison to the surrounding suburban sprawl.

    It's also in the worst place possible for even a typical tropical storm, much less a major hurricane. This area of Hernando County is right on the coast, sits AT sea level, and is a sitting duck. The area is also very laid back, more like living on a Caribbean island, rather than in the States, which was a big reason we liked it so much there. Living there, was like living in Florida back in the 60's or 70's.

    But also like the islands, most of the homes in the area were built more like shacks. If you live there you inherently know the danger, you just hope it never happens.

    Sandy was crying when my wife called last evening. Most things of any value had already been moved (including the boat) inland, they had just finished stacking everything else up high as they could get it, and were on their way back out until further notice. She has doubts they will ever see their little dream home on the river again...

    Not much we can do sitting here 700 miles north near Knoxville, except watch and wait like everyone else. Right now we don't have the time or the money, but if things turn out bad enough I suppose I wouldn't have much choice but to load the ole truck up with tools, food, and water, and head on down to help pick up the pieces.

    Oh, and what would our story be if we were still there? The previous place near Clearwater was right on the coast, but JUST out of storm surge range. We would have boarded up as usual, stocked up, and ridden it out there. The last place we lived in Weeki Wachee? We'd be long gone with what we could grab and take with us. Maybe there would be something to come back to, maybe there wouldn't.

    Note: As of posting time, the latest shows a *slight* jog in track to the east. Should that continue, my home town area may well be blessed with another 100 years of good fortune. Whatever the case, it's interesting to see how people act in gut check time.

    Now, to end things on a lighter note

    "FORGOT MY WEED"
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    The unexamined life is not worth living.

    Socrates

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  5. #33
    Senior Member PurpleLama's Avatar
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    I just hope that it doesn't stay off the coast to hit the panhandle in full force. People are unprepared for such an eventuality.

    As an aside, I have been thinking a while now, that Trump needed a big emergency to get his ratings up. This is way more plausibly deniable than blowing up buildings, I gotta say. It did not escape my attention that several big droughts ended in January on to present. Trump is all wrapped up in military brass, and geoengineering happens to be a long term military project. Some food for thought, aside from the usual storm-doom-porn.
    Sometimes God shines his magic light beam from outer space, and it works in mysterious ways.

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  7. #34
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    Loved your post Fred...thanks for taking the time to check and share how loved ones are holding up >>>I just did the same with friends who are looking at evacuation due to fires in Alberta.............Mother Nature is screaming

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  9. #35
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    I've folks directly in the path of the eye (Sun City Center). Looks like the storm is losing it's punch and getting disorganized. It's in Ft Meyers now, blowing Jim Cantore around.

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  11. #36
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    The screaming, hyperbolic fear-mongering of the media over this was truly obscene...they must be heartbroken today!

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    We ended being on the direct path after Naples and Fort Myers. Our little city (North Port) was on the ball in regards to power. We had winds up to 95 mph and they were almost at 45 all night. This morning as we walked out of our metal-shuttered box we saw that only one large tree had broken onto our house. It is on our power lines so we can't move it but we are in pretty good shape today. We had only lost power for about 4 hours. Now, we can relax and breathe. Until the next one. lol.

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    Quote Originally posted by TimeSensitive View Post
    We ended being on the direct path after Naples and Fort Myers. Our little city (North Port) was on the ball in regards to power. We had winds up to 95 mph and they were almost at 45 all night. This morning as we walked out of our metal-shuttered box we saw that only one large tree had broken onto our house. It is on our power lines so we can't move it but we are in pretty good shape today. We had only lost power for about 4 hours. Now, we can relax and breathe. Until the next one. lol.
    You have no idea how nice it is to hear from you...and that you're OK as well...that is a bonus!

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    Un****er Chat, Sept 10 2017

    There's a discussion about Hurricane Irma on this chat. And they are seriously looking at the data coming out...


    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDLf9kNz3fA


    Forgive the language...but they are really calling a spade a spade.

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  19. #40
    Senior Member Fred Steeves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by DMt. View Post
    The screaming, hyperbolic fear-mongering of the media over this was truly obscene...they must be heartbroken today!
    That's quite amazing, you seem to know what actually happened in Florida even before Floridians themselves know. Just because the worst case scenario thankfully never happened, doesn't mean it was all about nothing.

    I get you probably aren't referring to Cuba's northern coast, or the northern Caribbean Islands, so will leave that alone.
    The unexamined life is not worth living.

    Socrates

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  21. #41
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    Quote Originally posted by Fred Steeves View Post
    That's quite amazing, you seem to know what actually happened in Florida even before Floridians themselves know.
    No, sir, I have no special knowledge. I was using public news services, and this excellent meteorology tool;

    https://earth.nullschool.net/#curren...1.36,36.74,689

    - which was a good deal less disgusting, but equally disturbing.

    Quote Originally posted by Fred Steeves
    Just because the worst case scenario thankfully never happened, doesn't mean it was all about nothing.
    Very far from it, and there may yet be more.

    Quote Originally posted by Fred Steeves
    I get you probably aren't referring to Cuba's northern coast, or the northern Caribbean Islands, so will leave that alone.
    Thanks for that. The devastation there was also intended for the mainland, I suspect.
    Last edited by DMt., 11th September 2017 at 14:41. Reason: description

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  23. #42
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    I thought Key West was going to get the Category 5 force, but here is a report of what it was really like.
    http://amp.tmz.com/2017/09/10/heming...-irma-key-west

    "The cats who call the Hemingway House in Key West home are all safe and accounted for after the bulk of Hurricane Irma spared the island city ... TMZ has learned.

    Staff members that work at the Hemingway House tell us all 55 cats -- and the people who stayed behind to care for them -- are a-okay at the property ... which itself is still standing and suffered no major structural damage.

    We're told all 10 Hemingway occupants, including manager Jacque Sands, lucked out big time since Irma left significantly less destruction than in the other Keys. Sources tell us while there are a few trees down on the estate, everything else at the house appears to be fine.

    The Hemingway House also avoided major flooding. A source at the National Weather Service tells us Key West only saw a water surge of about 3 feet as opposed to the 15-20 feet anticipated throughout the Keys as Irma approached. We're told Key West was in the eye wall -- the strongest part of the hurricane -- for 2 hours. Water has begun to recede as Irma moves north.

    As a result, those at the house are not currently inundated by water unlike Miami -- but are staying inside until winds die down."

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    Really good news Ulli...!!

    Love the fact that these people took a risk to look after the cats and the fact that they can testify that very little damage had happened.
    Last edited by Elen, 12th September 2017 at 09:09. Reason: Addendum

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  27. #44
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    Quote Originally posted by TimeSensitive View Post
    We ended being on the direct path after Naples and Fort Myers. Our little city (North Port) was on the ball in regards to power. We had winds up to 95 mph and they were almost at 45 all night. This morning as we walked out of our metal-shuttered box we saw that only one large tree had broken onto our house. It is on our power lines so we can't move it but we are in pretty good shape today. We had only lost power for about 4 hours. Now, we can relax and breathe. Until the next one. lol.
    Right ON TimeSensitive....so happy that you are all safe and sound and that your damage is manageable.

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  29. #45
    Senior Member Fred Steeves's Avatar
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    We're told all 10 Hemingway occupants, including manager Jacque Sands, lucked out big time since Irma left significantly less destruction than in the other Keys.
    Looks like Key West caught the west side of the eye wall, seems to have made a significant difference in this case.

    The unexamined life is not worth living.

    Socrates

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