Yes, this is a Q Win. But we are family and now a lot of Florida pedes are facing a potentially dangerous storm. Some are new Floridians and have no idea of how evacuations work here or may need other help from us experienced Floridians.
So I thought we could do a check-in post here and we can move to another Win to support each other, if needed. I lost my old home at Weather Underground when they got bought by Weather Channel so it would be nice to have a bunch of y’all to chat with.
Right now, TropicalTidbits.com is the best online site outside of the National Hurricane Center. Levi has been hurricane forecasting for many years and is excellent. You can see the Euro and GFS models there also.
So if you are a Floridian and are facing the roller coaster of the next five days, go ahead and say hi!
For anyone who lives in apartments or condos make sure to fill your tubs w/water prior to the storm. Nothing is worse then carrying up jugs of water over and over to be able to flush the toilets. If you have water after the storm, depending on your area, you may have a boil water notice for a while.
https://www.aquapod.us/ Basically giant bladders to hygienically store water in bath tubs. Not affiliated, just prepared.
Speaking from experience, bathrooms get very humid when the bathtub is full for several days (& and with no electricity). Having it in a big plastic bag would be very nice!
Rinse & clean the tub w/ One Step, Star-San, or clorox. Melt candle wax around the drain seam. Then a coat of Vaseline. If your gonna drink it, use a Brita after a 50min boil. But, "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If its brown, flush it down" -Meet the Fockers"
anyone know if swimming pool water can be used to flush the toilets?
I've heard of that before. It should work fine,although I'm not an expert. But in emergency situations, you gotta do whatcha gotta do.
started doing a little research, and it seems like it's ok. Glad you've heard of it before; I hadn't
https://youtu.be/2e_ENxSpF8Y follow this guy for great weather forecast.....🇺🇸 Hurricanes included.!!
That's what everyone should be doing. Most of suburban and rural has wells and septic systems. If power goes out, there's no water. Toilets can be flushed by using tub water to refill the toilet tank after flushing.
My husband and I have lived in Central FL area for decades. We bought our house in a rural area in 1999 and that September faced Cat 4 Hurricane Floyd, which fortunately missed us. I got the bug to understand hurricanes and have been watching them form intently for years, at least until Nov 2020, when my research time went elsewhere.
We live in a heavily wooded area and will definitely lose electricity every storm with overhead lines. We will also be one of the last areas to get it turned back on. Hurricanes suck for us. Too much prep and lots of work to keep generators running afterward.
Fortunately our RV can provide AC and a kitchen afterwards so that has made the aftermath much easier.
Have you got horses? If so how do they cope?
Andrew taught livestock folks to use a grease pencil to write your phone # on the neck. Take pics of you with animal to prove ownership later.
I did. No longer :( Their stalls were in a converted 2 car cement block garage, with the west side open. We blocked the opening a lot with the horse trailer.
They did well. They were used to fierce thunderstorms and the block wall and tile roof made it less scary I’m sure. I would hang lots of hay in hay nets in case I couldn’t get out for hours. I also hung extra buckets of water. We’ve lost water in some storms because our community well system backup generator failed so I learned to fill 2 large buckets with water (and cover them) so I could just dip their buckets in later.
I graduated out of North Marion High - we lived in Salt Springs through my high school years.
We're in Holly Hill, went to the closest Walmart this afternoon on Nova &Flomich, totally out of water there. I've been stocking up before this storm ever got together. I'm not too concerned, been through more tornadoes than I care to remember as well as hurricane force winds while living in Anchorage Ak +earthquakes. At least with hurricanes you can see them coming days in advance, quakes can happen Anytime No warning.
Actually they do happen, just not often. No, I was referring to growing up in North Dakota and Minnesota. When I was 5 (1965)we were living in Minot and we had a tornado bearing down on our house, literally shredded an elm tree in our backyard then miraculously changed course and jumped a block and went further East. I doubt I will ever forget that or the 7.1 quake in Anchorage in 2018, if I can survive those, everything else is easy.
Don’t underestimate the possibility that this is a HAARP derived storm as they are real. Michael which destroyed Tyndall and Mexico Beach 3 years ago was A small, super intense cat 5 in the same path as Opal I’m ‘95. If the models start to show It headed toward the panhandle, GTFO. I was there days after it happened helping out and I’ve never seen destruction like that. 19’ storm surge on the coast.
We drove through there last November. I was shocked and I’ve seen a lot of bad hurricane damage over the years. I watched it intensify that day and watched a storm tracker get stuck in Mexico Beach and almost die from the storm surge. He survived by breaking into a home that didn’t fall apart. He was lucky. I have no doubt that they messed with that storm. (As they talk about it on Weather Channel…)
Rapid intensification. Happened a lot the past 20 years…
Yep. It’s the rapid intensification that is HAARP indicative. I still have beachfront in MB and have debated rebuilding for years. The only name publicly associated w HAARP is an old family friend (the tower builder). He said that one of the big bases of operation was the old Mariana Army Airfield, also a known location of MK experiments (strain all urine photo).
https://i.imgur.com/EJCTJ2s.png
Still a little far out IMO. Once it enters the Gulf it can hit anywhere from Galveston to Tampa.
I look forward to seeing how the track is in a couple days.
Here's a recent spaghetti map for everybody.
https://apps.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_09_ens.gif
I've been using this site for years to do an insta-spot check on storm paths (real and forecast}.
https://tropicwx.com/
Nice page.
HWRF always goes big early, in the Gulf.
Hi! Tampa area temporary transplant here. Can you make any recommendations where one evacuates to that avoids riding the roller coaster?
The best tip I have is: If you are going to leave, leave days in advance. Do not wait until the day of/hours before the storm hits. If you wait, you will be stuck in traffic when the storm hits bc there are only so many roads in/out of FL if you aren't familiar with backroad routes. Also depending on the severity of the approaching storm some areas have been known to shut down roads/bridges beforehand.
Exactly this! I rode out Irma in my home in Sarasota. Every road was gridlocked heading North and every gas station was out of gas. People were stuck on the road and would have been better off staying home when they tried to flee at the last minute. Grocery stores also emptied out in hours.
Mom left last Monday to stay with my aunt in Sarasota for a couple weeks. My aunt is a seasoned vet and her son is high up in the fire department. I talked to her this am and she said they had to go to five gas stations yesterday before they found gas. They have plenty of supplies not only prepping for hurricanes but for the other coming storm. My cousin has put the storm shutters up on the house and they are not in one of the really dangerous zones. Today they are out on cousins boat. Gulf is choppy so staying inland.
We live in Holly Hill which is next to Daytona Beach, the only thing that concerns me is the Halifax river (intercoastal waterway) flooding due to heavy rains and or storm surge. We are only 2 blocks from the river and it's pretty low lying streets here prone to flooding. We rent half of a duplex and our landlord while being a good guy is Not the most attentive when it comes to Urgent issues. We have a shower, no tub to store water in should we lose power, planning on getting more water this weekend for flushing and for drinking water should it become necessary. All in all I'm not overly concerned about this or any other storms as we lived in Alaska for 7+years and have dealt with hurricane force winds for days at a time as well as rain for the entire month of September. No, what scares me is earthquakes and never-ending tremors as those you have no warning for. I should ask what about reptiles getting into your home to escape rising waters from flooding?
I’m fortunate to live in one of the highest spots in Sarasota. My property was also built up about 6 feet over all the neighbors. Flooding isn’t a big concern for me and I feel very blessed for that!
Wouldn't worry about it. Thet don't eat much.
As someone who grew up in Florida, u/2kool4LiBSkool literally has the best advice on this.
Also, if you own a home, make sure to board the windows from the inside of the house to prevent broken glass from coming in.
Get bottled water, candles, matches, radio, batteries, non-perishables, now.
Invite your friends over for prayer, and to stick together if something happens. Playing cards and an acoustic guitar can help pass the time.
Hang with a local church for more tips and help.
If you're a thrill seeker, the early days of the storm are the best for surfing, or just putting your rollerblades on and letting the heavy wind push you down the sidewalk. (I was a crazy kid)
Where is this done? The point of the boards isn't to keep the windows from breaking?
Do you live in a place that gets hurricanes? What if the window breaks and that glass goes into your home while the storm rages on?
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/gone-viral/os-ae-hurricane-florida-plywood-inside-windows-20180914-story.html
That's incorrect.
If you board the inside, and the window breaks, the glass is outside of the house instead of potentially shattering and being blown around the inside of the house.
Source: My father has built houses in Florida and restored hurricane damage. This is how our family handled hurricanes.
Now do you actually have experience surviving hurricanes? Or are you not even from that region?
It would be extra strange if you're trying to poke holes in this argument with no prior experience, and it doesn't apply to you.
Why not board both sides in that case?
Thanks for the tip. I did exactly that. Hopped in the car and drove to Georgia. Other Floridians were arriving to the hotel as I was grabbing my bags from the trunk.
Is leaving Tuesday too late?
Maybe this will be helpful. This page has a link to an evacuation zones and shelters map. See that the shelters are generally outside the evacuation zones.
https://www.tampa.gov/emergency-management/programs/evacuation-zones
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/images/strikes_us.jpg
Look up Hillsborough County emergency evacuations. It will show you the routes and the buildings that are shelters if you are in an evac zone.
A lot of people evacuate to Orlando area hotels. But with Charley, they got hit hard. This storm has a similar track forecast right now. Tampa is somewhere you want to leave early if it looks like a possibility as they haven’t had to evacuate that many people from there ever. Keep a full tank of gas and get some cans to use if you wait as the roads will gridlock and there may not be gas along the way.
If you think you will evacuate, just go early and avoid the chaos. For this storm, Miami and southeast coast look safe. Maybe head there, to Ft Lauderdale and make it a vacation?
Yes I lived in St. Pete/Clearwater area for about 7 years. Such a beautiful place I would hate for it to be destroyed :( they have been very lucky so far not being directly hit. If (when) a storm goes on the north side of the bay it would be devastating to get even an 8 foot storm surge, it would be even higher getting condensed in the bay. I’m watching carefully even though I now live a few thousand miles away.
I have a car with a haute window waiting for replacement. I’m thinking of just driving to Georgia and riding this out?
All I have there is a garbage bag. Covering the window. I cannot withstand any rain or wind at all.
I live in Central Florida. What i have learned from the past: If you have above ground electricity, you have a good chance of having no power possibly for days. If you drink coffee, have some ice coffee pre-made. It is the first thing you will need to function with everything else. If roads are blocked you will not be able to get to dunkin, and if you can, the lines are going to be long. Also, make sure all of your laundry is done and ironed. My husband had a job interview during the week we were without power, and it caused a dilemma. Also, clean your house as once the power is out, it gets dirty easily. In advance of the storm, if it is likely to hit as a category 1 or above, board up windows. Only do this if necessary. It gets hot. Trim trees or anything that is likely to become debris and bring in outdoor furniture and plants, etc... If you don't have a generator, be prepared to grill your frozen foods first before they go bad. Hope that helps.
If you have a pool, throw the outdoor (waterproof) furniture in the pool... easy storage for big, bulky items.
Also pick up extra chlorine/ shock... if the power is out the pool won't be circulating and will get green quickly!
South Florida pede. Can confirm we're chillin and quite cozy.
For the newer Floridians, stock up now before it gets crazy. Was at the store yesterday and no empty shelves, (yet), so might be a good idea to get a few extra 24 packs of water just in case
And go early in the day. Buy gas late at night or really early when it is crazy.
My daughter is experiencing her first hurricane prep SOLO in Tampa. I'm a little nervous since she's a ride by the seat of her pants 30 something. Thank you for this post.
Don't want to scare you, but remember that the looters and criminals "stage" before hurricanes just like the Red Cross and NatGuard do. They wait just outside the storm zone and start creeping in as soon as it's over, looking for anything they can steal.
Make sure your daughter knows about this and has friends she can stay with - either at her place or theirs - so she isn't alone. Do not go out after dark. Once it's over, many people will leave the area any way they can because it's so wrecked. This makes it easier for criminals, too. Lights of any kind inside a house or apartment clearly indicate one that's occupied.
Fill up the bathtub with water, both for drinking and for flushing toilet (make sure she knows how to deal with that.) Driving will be extremely difficult because roads will be blocked by fallen trees and other debris, and even when cleared will be full of nails and stuff that will flatten your tires.
Help her if you can. Tell her to fill car with gas and use car charger for cell phone. Keep phone in "text only" mode to save battery. Keep in touch with her via text as much as you can.
Also: Local news and weather was way, way better than the drama queens on The Weather Channel who don't know the area like the locals do. And make very sure she knows where the nearest shelters are and has a way to get there once the storm is over.
Source: Rode out a Texas hurricane several years back and had to stay in the aftermath. It's not fun.
We lived through a few in texas as well. Trying to either fly her to me or she can drive if everything's booked. I think the thing that opened her eyes to not wanting the adventure of riding it out was how hot it will be after with no electricity and not being able to flush a potty. We have friends in Orlando expecting her if she doesn't come home. Thank you for all this info and I will send it along to her. She's red pilled and afraid of nothing. Proud of that independent free spirit attitude but it also scares the living crap out of me sometimes!
My youngest daughter just turned 35 but I still see that 12 year old wide eyed girl. I know how you feel.
Got her a flight out by the skin of my teeth. I can relax for awhile. It's an adventure and not for the faint of heart!
Homestead, FL patriot here, veteran of Hurricane Andrew. Every year, you should have an updated emergency food pantry. Batteries, flashlights, guns, bullets. Also, have a few new tarps in stock for drying in your roof afterwards if it gets damaged. Try to imagine your life without power and or access to stores and what you would need to ease your life should it happen for real. Property is replaceable, life is not. Don't be a hero and go outside to move your car to a safer location when the winds are bad. Good luck everyone!
That’s a good site
Make sure your phone is charged and connected to your internal combustion motor's electrical system so you can take pics/videos of all the EVs along the evacuation route. Future memes require it.
If you live anywhere near a river get anything you can lift up to the second floor up there (if you have one... if not rent a uHaul and take it to dry land area with storage. Then get out. We got flooded out of our home by Hurricane Flo in 2018. Had 6 feet of water three days after the hurricane in our front yard. Had to leave with 5 animals by boat. It was not a fun situation.
Once your home floods you cannot use the toilet nor shower as the water table is too high and nothing flushes down. Also you cannot trust any water coming out of the tap to be safe.
Is it any coincidence that so many storms are forming now close to Florida? I mean seriously, loads of republicans have flocked to make Florida their home state. Is HAARP in full effect in an attempt to punish them or take them out? Just my thought!
So many storms?
Sarasota/Manatee area pede here. Our house is all block construction with cat 5 rated windows/roof (if there is such a thing) and buried utilities. How do we know whether to bunker down or evacuate?
Signed, First year Floridian with small children and pets
Always evacuate if you could drown from the storm surge. Then if that is not an issue, evaluate how well you can live with your family in that house with no electricity (no AC) until it comes back on. If your area gets the brunt of the storm, storm recovery can take a long time in a major storm. On the flip side, how well can you afford to pay for a hotel for up to a week?
Once you evacuate and the storm hits near where your home is, it can take days to clear the minor roads of trees and power lines, depending on the amount of destruction. Rural areas, people have chainsaws and everyone chips to clear the roads. City areas rely more on the government folks.
It's usually building/fire code for places like hotels and office buildings to have generators for emergency power. Whoever initially has a building made may opt to have a large generator for regular power, along with enough fuel storage to run it for a day or so. That's how my building is.
Commercial buildings don't use generators for their main power...
Either building or fire code here in NYC requires a UPS (uninterruptible power system) in commercial buildings. With that, there's no lapse in power while the generator kicks on. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've never heard of a building using a generator as its main power source, not being on the grid.
https://manatee.hosted.civiclive.com/departments/public_safety/emergency_management/evacuation_levels
I live in Tampa, not in an evacuation zone. I went through Irma and we had a lot of branches down in the area, lots of flooding in South Tampa and other certain areas. I think when it rolled through it was a cat 2. I had 15 contractor bags of yard waste. Look at your trees and see if anything needs trimming. You may still be able to get someone to trim them up. Make sure umbrellas are inside and furniture put away outside. It’s no joke that stuff can fly. I had a heavy concrete base and umbrella that went airborne recently just during a normal storm. The base smashed.
I had a bunch of people over from St Pete and they didn’t even lose power but we did for a couple days. Be prepared for that even inland.
The first thing everyone did was rush out to get gas so do that now if you need it. Also- the shelves were cleared out of bread (LOL) and water really quickly. Lots of people boarded up windows, I did not but Home Depot and Lowe’s had signs up well before the storm hit that they were out of plywood. We were expecting a cat 4 or 5 with that one, though. Propane was really hard to find. I imagine it will be this time, so get that now if needed. So get supplies now or make reservations if you’re planning on evacuating. Do not wait to make sure it’s really going to hit your area. It never hurts to have extra supplies.
I notice a lot of people I know are not prepared ever for a storm or emergency, not even extra water stored. Kind of mind blowing. They all rush out last minute and the stores are crazy. I remember shopping last time for some random stuff and people had cartloads of panic buying.
Sandbags are starting to be available in our area. https://www.tampafp.com/st-petersburg-sandbag-distribution-begins-monday/
https://www.tampafp.com/sandbags-available-in-the-city-of-dunedin-starting-sunday/
Stay informed-
https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/public-safety/emergency-management/hurricane-and-tropical-storm-preparedness
https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/stay-safe/storm
The first thing I thought of here is a "storm coming." Now how about that for a coincidence?
I’m noticing the models do their normal shift to the west for these Gulf storms aimed at FL, with each model run. So watch the trends. If you are in the bulls eye early on, almost always, you are not in it close to landfall. For example, the Naples area is now out of the woods apparently.
Charley's path switched from Tampa to Charlotte Harbor 1 hr before landfall. The announcement was "if you haven't left already DO NOT ATTEMPT to leave now. Your dead on about the paths being useless this far out, it's extremely rare to pinpoint the exact spot of landfall until right before. The important things to take note of right now are how wide the storm is (which can still change) and if your likely to be in the wall side or back end. A lot of damage will actually occur from tornados in high CAT storms. If it's slow moving expect flooding, and if power lines go down be very aware of your surroundings.
One thing they never tell you: Even if your house is still standing and seems fine after the storm and the power grid is being restored, you cannot switch on the electricity to a house that's been either flooded from the ground up or has roof damage to where water was running down the interior walls and ceilings.
Last time I had to go through one, the grid came back on pretty quickly. But the storm was so strong it tore up the roofs (even up-to-code roofs) on many, many homes and the power could not be turned back on - ever. The places had to be stripped down to the studs, rewired and re-drywalled. Then you had electricity.
For my house, that took a year. One year. It's not a matter of days. It's a matter of replacing whatever got wet and damaged in your house's walls.
My fiancé and I just purchased a home in TPA. We are out of the state for our wedding in two weeks. Please pray that our home withstands the storm!
I was living in Punta Gorda when Charley came through and holy shit, what a mess. I worked with a construction company for three years afterwards to help rebuild. I miss “pre-Charley” - my parents still live there and the M point was literally on top of their house yesterday.
1st hurricane season in FL. Im up north though.....about 25 mins north of panama city. Do people up here ever evacuate? I know Michael destroyed a lot of stuff here
It’s possible, if you get hit directly, just drive perpendicular to the storms path if you decide to flee.
This is FL. We get storms. Most of us stay prepped for them down here. And if you don't, then you are wrong, shipmate!!!
Good to see so many Florida pedes on here!! Checking in from Tampa / St Pete area. This post is the first I’m hearing of the storm lol (I don’t watch the news), I guess we’ll be tracking it to see where it lands. We have a lot of emergency supplies and water stocked up. I like a lot of the suggestions given here. Hope it doesn’t make landfall anywhere near here!
On a somewhat related note, I’m new to the Tampa / St Pete area and looking to make like-minded frens. If you would like to meet up sometime, let me know :)
sent you a DM :) (click on the bell and it should take you to the replies / messages page)
The best updates that are a further out trajectory then the news will feed you minute by minute is a Navy veteran.
Real BP EarthWatch on jewtube
https://youtube.com/c/TheRealBPEarthWatch
I live in the Pinellas area… we were here when Erma hit at category 3. There was quite a bit of damage in some areas and we were out of electricity for 8 days….know someone that went 2 weeks and had no running water for 5 days. Cell phones had spotty connections. The day after everything was closed. Things didn’t start to really open until 3 days later and depended on power. We now have a generator because I’m not doing 8 days in the heat again. It always seems hotter after the storm. This info is for new people and what to expect. Fill up your gas tanks, gas stations will be closed for a day or two. Have food and water for at least a week..for your animals too. Freeze your water bottles to keep things colder longer and cold water for a few days. Keep safe my frens
PS The Real BP EarthWatch on YouTube is a PATRIOT AND WILL TELL YOU FURTHER OUT PROJECTIONS THAT NEWS MEDIA WILL NOT. THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIT BY THE TV EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY.
It had already hit them by the time I wrote this. But if any Canadian/Fiona pedes want to weigh in, we’re thinking of you too!
I went to Florida last month to look at some houses. Lived in CA my whole life but finally can’t hand this hell hole. I definitely am in here to read on how you prepare, but also pray you will all be ok. I saw some homes in Central Florida seems nice me, humidity definitely a change from California. Hope to meet one of you fine folks out there someday.
I have a busted window in my truck. It’s talking forever to get it fixed.
Where can I store until the storm is passed? I work Wednesday till 11pm. I’m hoping to get it to a parking garage that night.
Another weather site to keep in mind is windy.com.
Englewood pede here…. First timer for a hurricane.. survived direct hit from tornado in ‘15 when living in WI. Are winds similar? How long are winds sustained ? Tornado was 20 minutes tops! And a complete shitshow. And advice on putting up shutters …. Looks like a 3 day job to me ..
Tornado winds hit fast and move on, hurricane winds can last for days Not hours. We lived in Alaska for 7 years, have seen days of level 2 hurricane force winds in Anchorage. In February 2015 we were living in Wasilla and we had 40-75 mph sustained winds for 4 days straight under blue skies-craziest weather we've seen.
https://www.fox13news.com/weather/county-by-county-tropical-depression-9-emergency-information
Scroll down for closures and emergency information by county
Wide open flights at 3pm out of Tampa were GONE within 5 minutes. Looks like it might be trekking more westerly now but flying out early now might be impossible.
Hi. Former Floridian with hopes to be a Floridian again. My children and grandchildren are in Brevard County. They are well - versed in hurricane prep and evacuation routes. They are generous souls who typically stay behind to help those who need it. To all new Floridians, every grocery store has pamphlets about hurricane prep and planning. They're typically stacked by the bagging area. Please pay attention. Get started early. Pack photo albums and legal papers. Beachside is mandatory evacuation. You will get through this. Thank you for your time.
I already have all my supplies but since I have done this drill so many times I don't need a super early head start as there is a lot of time still.
Northwest Floridian pede here. We aren't in the crosshairs of major hurricanes as more southern Floridians are, but we're still prepared with plenty of water and food. Praying for safety for my fellow Floridians.