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NaturaL disasters and evacuating?!|patter 09.12.2018

AnneofAlamo

AnneofAlamo

Slippers IN sunshine? Even better!
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
19,714
Florence is freaking me out. I know that area, and it is heavily populated. The power of wind and rain is scary!
We went thru one hurricane warning whilst living in pensacola, Florida. I was a mess.
Fires, Flooding and mud slides were a way of life growing up in a valley of northern California
I have never had to evacuate. Have you?
Added note, please if authorities ask you too, please go.
 
Hurricanes and weather related evacuations are not something to ignore! I can't take chances like that, and sometimes nowadays don't totally understand how others can.

Sandy was the worst to hit our area, and we still see the remnants and re-building going on 8 years later. That affected me so much, and cemented the fact that I would go if advised to evacuate. No power for 10 days, gas rations, and sending my kids away to safety really changed how I handle storms. Hurricanes hit our area, but usually in a milder form.

My heart goes out to all those that I know will be affected. :(

Here's a layout for reference, including the rides that were in the water.
 
I am feeling very nervous about Flo. My son is on an island in SC - they were sup'd to evacuate yesterday. The buses were all lined up and they were packed and ready to go. At the last minute they rescinded the order. The storm looked like it was going more north than originally expected. Now this AM it is looking like it is going to turn south again. This is going to be a long few days.

We were in OBX one year and had to evacuate 1/2 way through our vacation bc of a hurricane. We also have been delayed at home for a few days for an OBX vacation bc of a hurricane.

Stay safe everyone!
 
jenn mccabe said:
I am feeling very nervous about Flo. My son is on an island in SC - they were sup'd to evacuate yesterday. The buses were all lined up and they were packed and ready to go. At the last minute they rescinded the order. The storm looked like it was going more north than originally expected. Now this AM it is looking like it is going to turn south again. This is going to be a long few days.

We were in OBX one year and had to evacuate 1/2 way through our vacation bc of a hurricane. We also have been delayed at home for a few days for an OBX vacation bc of a hurricane.

Stay safe everyone!
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Oh goodness, Jenn! What a yoyo for your feelings! Are they leaving now, going south or something, Georgia or Florida? Hoping he is safe!
 
We are in Va Beach so I am wondering if it is going to change direction again. My nephew is in the Navy in Charleston and had to evacuate. He went to FL.

I have not had to evacuate, but I remember when Hurricane Frances hit Florida and my Dad evacuated to us.. He had his chimney ripped off, leaks and other damage when he got home. The worst part is the people after the fact that do the repairs. Be very careful with being vigilaint and researching who is repairing.. they don't always do what they are paid to do. A lot of people get taken advantage of when they are emotionally messed up from these disasters.

Be safe all.
 
It's a way of life here in Northwest Florida - right on the Gulf of Mexico (Pensacola/Pensacola Beach). Even after being a life-long resident of Florida, I **STILL** get nervous and uptight when a storm is approaching - even with a tropical storm like Gordon last week. The tornadoes that were spawning in our area were making me so nervous.

The worse storm for our home and property was Hurricane Opal in 1996 followed by Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis in 2004/2005. In Hurricane Opal, a tornado came down our street and a huge pine tree landed on our brand new home! We had only been in here for 3 weeks at that time and hadn't made our first house payment yet. I was at the front window when the tree fell. I literally couldn't breathe. Jay was shaking me and then we were hugging and crying. Seeing the damage to our home was just unbelievable and then spending the rest of the hurricane trying to stop the water damage was crazy. With Hurricane Ivan, we were without power for 7 days and it was just miserable trying to commute to work or really go anywhere - groceries, gas, water - everything was crazy.

And I agree with Christa. Be wary of those individuals who come into the area to fix things. Some people are good and kind and honest, but others, yuck.

I have family in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. I'm worried sick for them.

Praying for everyone in the path of this storm! ((HUGS)) to all who are worrying about family members.
 
Living in Ohio, I don't usually have to evacuate but I have relatives in Melbourne FL, Gulf Shores AL and before Dad passed away he lived 2 hours from the OBX. My uncle in Melbourne never evacuates even though he is only 2 miles from the ocean. He has lived there so long and has all the preventative items (like hurricane shutters) you can get for his house that they just ride it out. The aunt in AL is the same way.

Dad and Martha were inland so were never in an evacuation area. They just stocked up on items that would be needed and prepared for the power outages. They were also not in an area that would flood although there are areas in Rocky Mount that do flood. I talked to Martha last night and she is ready for Florence. Since Dad passed away, she has installed a whole house generator and it was doing its weekly 15 minute run while we were talking so she knew it was in working order.

I have another friend in NC that is heading to Ft Lauderdale a day early to get out before the storm comes in. She and her sister are going on a cruise... she left her DH and son at home to handle Florence.
 
jk703 said:
Oh goodness, Jenn! What a yoyo for your feelings! Are they leaving now, going south or something, Georgia or Florida? Hoping he is safe!
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I just saw on the main FB page that they posted a few photos of my son's company doing swim qualifications early this AM. I think they are hunkering down! At least they will be prepped with some water training under their belts. :giggle (Not making light of the situation, only trying to stay positive right now.)
 
gonewiththewind said:
It's a way of life here in Northwest Florida - right on the Gulf of Mexico (Pensacola/Pensacola Beach). Even after being a life-long resident of Florida, I **STILL** get nervous and uptight when a storm is approaching - even with a tropical storm like Gordon last week. The tornadoes that were spawning in our area were making me so nervous.

The worse storm for our home and property was Hurricane Opal in 1996 followed by Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis in 2004/2005. In Hurricane Opal, a tornado came down our street and a huge pine tree landed on our brand new home! We had only been in here for 3 weeks at that time and hadn't made our first house payment yet. I was at the front window when the tree fell. I literally couldn't breathe. Jay was shaking me and then we were hugging and crying. Seeing the damage to our home was just unbelievable and then spending the rest of the hurricane trying to stop the water damage was crazy. With Hurricane Ivan, we were without power for 7 days and it was just miserable trying to commute to work or really go anywhere - groceries, gas, water - everything was crazy.

And I agree with Christa. Be wary of those individuals who come into the area to fix things. Some people are good and kind and honest, but others, yuck.

I have family in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. I'm worried sick for them.

Praying for everyone in the path of this storm! ((HUGS)) to all who are worrying about family members.
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That sounds downright frightening.
 
We don't have weather or hurricanes like you do in the USA, I'm very glad we don't after seeing so much tragedy in the news in the past few years.
I've been in Miami couple weeks after a hurricane, a lot of places were not accessible then, and the everglades were almost destroyed.

Hugs for everyone who has to deal with this, hope you all stay safe
 
jenn mccabe said:
That sounds downright frightening.
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It was . . . but others have lived through much worse during hurricanes, so we were definitely blessed to only have the damage we did.

If you are in a solidly constructed building and you're not in an evacuation zone, you'll experience winds and rain like a bad thunderstorm.
 
@jenn mccabe Heavens, I sound like one of my cousins - doom and gloom. I'm sincerely sorry for blathering on and making you worry more. Just know that if he's out of the evacuation area and is in a solidly constructed building (not a mobile home or trailer) then he will be fine.
 
Oh my - sending prayers to all of you who are affected or have loved ones affected. This time last year, we were starting the long recovery process from Irma. We weren't under mandatory evacuation, but we did go to somebody's house where they were more equipped to handle what could have been a major disaster for us. There was just massive flooding, lots of trees down and power outages for a long time! I'm truly thinking of all the people who are in the path of this really bad storm. :beat:beat:beat:beat:beat
 
Trees are my biggest fear at the moment, as we have a wooded backyard that is very close to the house. Our city promises us they have backup power for the water facilities, but I have about 8 gallons (so far) stored up for drinking.

Since the eye is most likely going south of us according to the latest track, our likeliness for rain and wind has decreased, but our chances of a tornado has increased. Again, those trees... Praying it is a non-event for us.

p.s. They are sheltering coast evacuees in Raleigh (next door to us), so we are taking that as a good sign that things won't be too bad.

ps.ps. And we have flamin' hot Cheetos, Little Debbie oatmeal cookies, and chocolate. I already had a full pantry, so we just got junk food yesterday.
 
BevG said:
p.s. They are sheltering coast evacuees in Raleigh (next door to us), so we are taking that as a good sign that things won't be too bad.
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That is what concerns Martha since they usually shelter evacuees closer to Rocky Mount. But like she said, the track can change in the next 48 hours.

Dad went through a few hurricanes in his 16 years in NC. Having lived in Ohio his first 70 years, he compared those that he experienced to very strong thunderstorms although none of them were this category. He was also more leery about the tornadoes that pop up as well because those you have very little warning about.
 
I've never had to evacuate. We live far enough inland, 5 miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is about 40 miles to the east as the crow flies and the Atlantic Ocean about 80 miles away, on the other side of that huge peninsula containing Delaware and eastern Maryland). The Rappahannock River is only about 3 miles north of us and 7 miles east of us, and it floods parts of downtown Fredericksburg sometimes. Like earlier this summer, when we had lots and lots of rain for a couple of weeks. But we are at a higher elevation where we live, southwest of the river, and the river isn't very wide in this area.

When I was kid in San Diego, the only natural disasters I knew of were earthquakes and fires. And earthquakes don't give us advanced warning. (I almost put the word disaster in quotes because actually I haven't experienced a disastrous earthquake either; just a few rumbles that made stuff shake around a bit. Nor have I personally been near a wildfire.).

So I'm knocking on wood here, and planning to spend a few days indoors under possibly torrential rainfall accompanied by somewhat high winds. And grateful I had no outdoor plans this weekend. There was supposed to be the annual Welsh Festival downtown this weekend and I just saw today that they've canceled it. I also have a friend who has tried several times to get together with one of her faraway friends all this year and things keep interfering. Now a hurricane!
 
michelepixels said:
So I'm knocking on wood here, and planning to spend a few days indoors under possibly torrential rainfall accompanied by somewhat high winds. And grateful I had no outdoor plans this weekend. There was supposed to be the annual Welsh Festival downtown this weekend and I just saw today that they've canceled it. I also have a friend who has tried several times to get together with one of her faraway friends all this year and things keep interfering. Now a hurricane!
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They've postponed the 18th Century Fair at Mount Vernon, too. Much better to be safe than sorry!

I'm like Michele, but further north, just a few miles south of DC. We've never had to evacuate since living here - thankfully. I grew up in earthquake country, and there's no evacuating for something you don't know is coming!! When I lived in the midwest we'd have to deal with tornadoes, where we'd just go to the basement. We almost had to leave because of fires when in SoCal (had the cars packed and all), but thankfully never had to.

My prayers are with everyone in the storm's path!
 
@jenevang -- Is Florence coming your way now? I see the path has really shifted south once it comes ashore....
 
gonewiththewind said:
@jenn mccabe Heavens, I sound like one of my cousins - doom and gloom. I'm sincerely sorry for blathering on and making you worry more. Just know that if he's out of the evacuation area and is in a solidly constructed building (not a mobile home or trailer) then he will be fine.
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No worries - I can't imagine what that must of felt like. I am truly sorry you went through that, but am so glad you all were ok. Honestly it is the families & their homes surrounding the area that I feel for the most. That kind of loss is scary for any home, not just trailers, right? :beat I would hate to have to pack up what I could in a car and leave everything behind. It's awful. My son is in solid constructed barracks (it's not his home, with his memories and things) and they still may high tail it out of there. I'm sure they will do what's best. Thinking of all of you in Flo's path.
 
We were vacationing in Myrtle Beach in 2002 and had to evacuate because of a hurricane, so we just went home.

Right now we’re having a lot of flooding in Pittsburgh, but we’re not affected.

We have a lot of friends and family in the path of Florence and are hoping that they stay safe.
 
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