# Hurricane Florence Is Coming!



## Kaneohegirlinaz (Sep 10, 2018)

https://abc11.com/weather/florence-...ricane-as-it-heads-for-the-carolinas/4181843/

Are all of our DC members in the path of Hurricane Florence safe?

Please check in, thank you


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## caseydog (Sep 10, 2018)

We are heading into the worst part of hurricane season. Katrina, Rita, and Ike all happened in the fall. My family lives in Houston, and I spent my teenage years on the Gulf coast. 

My parents and sister live North of 1-10. so they are told NOT to evacuate if a hurricane hits Houston, so that people South of I-10 can get out. With close to 7 million people living in the Houston metropolitan area, they have to get the most vulnerable people out first. 

My parents have a backup generator, and my sister is an RN, so she has to go to the hospital to work, where they also have backup power.

Ike dropped a big (beautiful) oak tree on my parent's roof. The damage to the house wasn't that bad, but the loss of the tree was sad. The yard looks empty without it. 

Ike was a real disaster. I was supposed to meet my best friend and his family for a fun weekend at their Crystal Beach house, but Ike happened. I spent the weekend helping them basically clean out the mostly destroyed house. Picture below -- the house in the background is what was left of their house, with a slab and piers in the foreground. I don't know how the chair got there, but there WAS a house on top of those piers.

*Ike killed 214 people!!! So, if you are in the path of Florence, and they tell you to evacuate, DO IT!!! *

CD

.


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 10, 2018)

Wow, *cd*, they're really out there in the low lands, aren't they? Do they live in Galveston? (Sound of Glen Campbell in my ear...)

We co-owned Himself's parents' home along with his sister when their Dad died. It was in Cape Coral, FL, up for sale the summer of 2004. The house had sold and the bank work was in progress when Charley decided to make house calls. I called my SIL the day the title was supposed to transfer as the news media was covering the storm getting ready to hit the Fort Myers area. She said "the ink is dry - the house is theirs". A real relief. Charley ended up making landfall further up the coast, in Port Charlotte, but it still did a lot of damage and left a lot of water behind in its wake.


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## caseydog (Sep 10, 2018)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Wow, *cd*, they're really out there in the low lands, aren't they? Do they live in Galveston? (Sound of Glen Campbell in my ear...)
> 
> We co-owned Himself's parents' home along with his sister when their Dad died. It was in Cape Coral, FL, up for sale the summer of 2004. The house had sold and the bank work was in progress when Charley decided to make house calls. I called my SIL the day the title was supposed to transfer as the news media was covering the storm getting ready to hit the Fort Myers area. She said "the ink is dry - the house is theirs". A real relief. Charley ended up making landfall further up the coast, in Port Charlotte, but it still did a lot of damage and left a lot of water behind in its wake.



Crystal Beach is in Galveston county, but is not part of Galveston. Most people who watched the news thought Galveston took the worst hit from Ike, because that was a place people had heard of. Galveston did take a hit, but it was not the on the East side of the storm, which is where the worst stuff happens. Bolivar Peninsula, where crystal Beach is, was basically wiped off the map. 

I have a lot of friends down on the coast, and another friend who had a house on Bolivar Peninsula lost everything. I asked him if he found anything, and he said they found a lamp that they think was theirs. A lamp. 

Good news, the peninsula has rebuilt, and it is beautiful. Building codes there are _super strict_, and the new homes are painted in all kinds of amazing colors. It is like Key West on the Texas Gulf Coast. 

About a year after Ike, we had a teardrop camper gathering at a friend's house at Crystal Beach, and it was amazing how the people of that town refused to surrender, and built the town back. 

CD

.


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## JustJoel (Sep 10, 2018)

I’m so glad I never settled anywhere that is a target for hurricanes and/or tornadoes (to be truthful, tornadoes frighten me more than hurricanes, maybe because I’ve actually experienced the latter, except that where I was, it was called a typhoon).
Please be prepared if you live in an area that’s hurricane prone! There are three storms behind Florence, and they look like they might turn into devastating hurricanes. Be prepared and safe, please!


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 10, 2018)

We are not in the path for direct landfall, but we will be feeling some of the effects of this storm.  Going to get more water and batteries this AM, and arrange or an appointment for Mom to be moved up to Wednesday.  My sister and her husband may come in and stay with us, depends on the category when it gets closer.  She lives in Kill Devil Hills.  More worried about DD and her family, they live near Morehead City, which looks like it will be either Ground Zero or pretty close to it.


GG, are you and DH prepared?


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## GotGarlic (Sep 10, 2018)

I'd say we're 90 percent prepared. Over the weekend, we got groceries, water, wine, pet food, gas for the generator and propane for the grill. DH strapped down the beehives - I'm going to suggest he strap them to the fence, too. This week, we'll refill prescriptions, bring in loose outdoor stuff and test the generator.

Cindy, if I was your sister, I'd get out of the Outer Banks no matter what the category is. You know they'll lose power and probably water and the roads are likely to be impassable for many days. That's a minimum. My cousin lives in Wilmington. I have no doubt she's bugging out.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 10, 2018)

Almost forgot - I'm also going to fill up the bathtub. If we lose water, we'll be able to flush the toilet with a bucket from the tub. DH laughed at me when I did that before Hurricane Isabel in 2003, but we were without water for five days.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 10, 2018)

Btw, I follow the National Hurricane Center on Facebook and Twitter and DH was a weatherman on the USS John F. Kennedy when he was in the Navy (and he created and taught a high school meteorology class). He is better able than most to evaluate weather data. So we're monitoring it closely. Thanks for your concern.


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## CakePoet (Sep 10, 2018)

A dear American friend has manage  to not be home with Katrina, Ike, Rita and few before and  same this time, she is in Europe and will be home in 1 month time,  her apartment is in the path of Florence so it most likely  screwed.  She  has lost 4 houses to  Hurricanes but she always manage to have the things  that matter most  to her some where else then hurricane area.  Her  family china from 1880, has been on loan every time before and at Katrina it was with her daughter in Las Vegas and that is where it stays from now on.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 10, 2018)

Here we go. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are being evacuated starting today.


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## Andy M. (Sep 10, 2018)

Here in the NE, we aren't expected to be impacted by Florence. To all who may be, we wish the best for you. Keeps safe.


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 11, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> Cindy, if I was your sister, I'd get out of the Outer Banks no matter what the category is. You know they'll lose power and probably water and the roads are likely to be impassable for many days. That's a minimum. My cousin lives in Wilmington. I have no doubt she's bugging out.




Update:  Sister & husband are going to his sister's house near Charlotte.  Will get lots of rain and maybe lose power there, but not anywhere near what would happen on OBX.  DD & family coming up here to stay with us.  Anything is better than her being near Wilmington.  Her boss is even giving everyone traveling money.


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## dragnlaw (Sep 11, 2018)

Thinking of all of you...  be safe.


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## Mad Cook (Sep 11, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> I'd say we're 90 percent prepared. Over the weekend, we got groceries, water, wine, pet food, gas for the generator and propane for the grill. DH strapped down the beehives - I'm going to suggest he strap them to the fence, too. This week, we'll refill prescriptions, bring in loose outdoor stuff and test the generator.
> 
> Cindy, if I was your sister, I'd get out of the Outer Banks no matter what the category is. You know they'll lose power and probably water and the roads are likely to be impassable for many days. That's a minimum. My cousin lives in Wilmington. I have no doubt she's bugging out.


I noticed the wine on the list of essentials. Glad you've still got your priorities straight


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## Mad Cook (Sep 11, 2018)

Three things occur to me:-


1) If the navy are taking 30 ships out to sea to protect them from the hurricane, they could take an awful lot of elderly and other frail people and a fair number of children with them


2) [Moderator edit - political commentary]


3) Looking at the photos and TV coverage it begs the question of why the local authorities allow the building of such flimsy houses in an area they will know be in the path of hurricanes? Don't you have building regulations in the US? No point in being the land of the free if you stand to lose your home every time the hurricane comes your way.


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## tenspeed (Sep 11, 2018)

We have some friends who just moved to an island outside of Charleston.  They were scheduled to arrive late last week.  They are 5 feet above sea level, and have one of those houses where the garage is on the first floor and everything else is one level up.  I'm assuming they evacuated.  A fine Southern welcome for Yankees from Noo Yawk.


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## medtran49 (Sep 11, 2018)

Good luck everybody in the path!


For whoever said they'd rather a tornado, hurricanes spawn tornadoes.  The tornadoes are what causes some of the worst damage the powers that be have supposedly decided. 



Mad Cook, for a long period of time, during which a lot of growth took place, the U.S. had not suffered a significant major hurricane event, with damages from the last 1960s through 1980s in the 1 to under 3 billion dollars, around 7 billion in 1989.  I know billions of dollars sound like a lot, but you have to realize that hurricanes cover HUGE areas.   When Andrew (which was so big it basically covered all of Florida and then some) hit South Florida in 1992, damages were over 26 billion dollars.  You can bet your bippy that the housing codes got changed.  For a long time, Dade County (hardest hit area) building codes were the toughest in the nation.  Unfortunately, you have to factor in all the homes that were built prior to the new building codes, and there are a lot of them, especially in areas that are major resort destinations.


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## tenspeed (Sep 11, 2018)

It's not just the winds, but flooding causes an enormous amount of damage, even well above sea level.  One of the concerns about Florence is the amount of rain it will bring as it moves inland.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 11, 2018)

Mad Cook said:


> Three things occur to me:-
> 
> 
> 1) If the navy are taking 30 ships out to sea to protect them from the hurricane, they could take an awful lot of elderly and other frail people and a fair number of children with them.



That would not be a good idea. The ships are leaving port so they won't be banged against the concrete piers and damaged, but they will be going out to sea where the hurricane is. (Not toward it, of course, but the swells travel a long way.) My husband was stationed on an aircraft carrier that left port during a hurricane. The ship was rolling in the water with waves coming up over the bow - and a carrier is the largest ship in the Navy. The small boys fare even worse.

Also, there are no facilities aboard Navy ships for berthing and caring for children and the elderly.

I'm sure they're preparing to do what they can to help afterward - bringing supplies, etc.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Sep 11, 2018)

Has anyone been evacuated yet?
GG, are you folks still at home or bugged out?
Cindy?
Who else?


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## GotGarlic (Sep 11, 2018)

We're here - we're not leaving. We are actually under mandatory evacuation, but the hurricane turned more south during the day and is not expected to have as much of an impact as it was previously. Quite a few of our neighbors are staying, too. We're well prepared to manage on our own for several days and we would prefer to be here with our pets.

As far as I know, Cindy and we are the only active DC members who live in the area expected to be affected by Florence - at least for the first day. It's supposed to stall once it makes landfall, so areas inland from Wilmington, NC, will get *lots* of rain.


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## caseydog (Sep 11, 2018)

Lots of talk here about wind and rain, but the big killer is *storm surge*. This storm is going to have a big storm surge if it maintains it's current strength. Fifteen to Twenty feet would not surprise me. 

The photo I took below after Ike shows a house in the background that was on top of the piers in the foreground, but was lifted by the storm surge and ended up 100 feet away. 

Anybody who doesn't leave the outer banks is playing Russian Roulette. 

Madcook, coastal homebuilding is way better today than it was 50 years ago. After Ike, building codes went through MAJOR changes. But, you still have to know when you live on the coast that hurricanes happen, and weight the benefits of a home by the sea, with the risks of losing your home to a hurricane.

CD


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## caseydog (Sep 11, 2018)

I found another shot on my computer of a _*concrete*_ pier-and-beam bridge at Rollover Pass after Ike. The storm surge tossed the concrete beams around like twigs. 

CD


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## GotGarlic (Sep 11, 2018)

caseydog said:


> Lots of talk here about wind and rain, but the big killer is *storm surge*. This storm is going to have a big storm surge if it maintains it's current strength. Fifteen to Twenty feet would not surprise me.



Wouldn't surprise me, either. Landfall is forecast to be about 200 miles south of us, though, so we don't expect that here. Our block has never flooded with any of the tropical storms and stalled thunderstorms we've experienced over the years.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 11, 2018)

The 11 pm update shows that Florence has shifted even further south. So sorry for North Carolina  Kinston, where Chef and the Farmer is located, is going to be run over.

If anyone wants to follow its progress, you can do that here: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 12, 2018)

K-girl, Mom and I are staying put.  We have plenty of supplies to last about a week.  GG is right about the storm shifting to the south.  The bridge into our neighborhood may flood, but the are of the neighborhood where we live does not flood.


GG, change of plans with my family.  DD and her family are going to Ohio to stay with his family, taking his uncle & nephew with them.  Sister & her husband are thinking about coming in this afternoon.  Will let me know later.


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## caseydog (Sep 12, 2018)

cjmmytunes said:


> K-girl, Mom and I are staying put.  We have plenty of supplies to last about a week.  GG is right about the storm shifting to the south.  The bridge into our neighborhood may flood, but the are of the neighborhood where we live does not flood.
> 
> 
> GG, change of plans with my family.  DD and her family are going to Ohio to stay with his family, taking his uncle & nephew with them.  Sister & her husband are thinking about coming in this afternoon.  Will let me know later.



Just be prepared to run if the storm changes course, since Elizabeth City is low-ground. You should be okay, but have your car gassed up and ready to roll if you need to go. 

CD


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## Addie (Sep 12, 2018)

Andy M. said:


> Here in the NE, we aren't expected to be impacted by Florence. To all who may be, we wish the best for you. Keeps safe.



Andy, MDC has evacuated Shays Beach here at Orient Height. The folks were told, "We may not get the actual storm, but we do know that the high tide is going to be higher with surges and very dangerous and strong."  

This building has the Chelsea Creek on one side. It is fed from Boston Harbor. The big ships have been tying down their moorings more than they normally do. They are all oil ships and when I heard the warning for the bridge going up, I got curious. Three ships were waiting to go through to Chelsea and Revere. At the end of my street, is sea water from Boston Harbor also. But the good part is that there is a very steep hill just this side of the Creek. So if any water should come in this far, it will just go down the hill and into the several drains along my street. And we have several sewer drains right in the driveway and at the back of the building.


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 13, 2018)

caseydog said:


> Just be prepared to run if the storm changes course, since Elizabeth City is low-ground. You should be okay, but have your car gassed up and ready to roll if you need to go.
> 
> CD




We will take that into consideration, CD.  We have gas in car, and to-go bags ready just in case.  Where we live, our main worry is the bridge that comes into the neighborhood.  It floods at the drop of a hat.  Our street doesn't flood, though.  National Guard will have some soldiers and equipment stationed here or getting people out of the neighborhood if we need to.


GG, sister & husband are being stubborn and staying put in Dare county but in a house that it at the very top of a hill that is owned by the realty company she works for.  All the employees who couldn't leave are staying there.  It is right in the middle between ocean & sound.  Also has a whole-house generator.


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## dragnlaw (Sep 13, 2018)

cjmmytunes said:


> We will take that into consideration, CD.  We have gas in car, and to-go bags ready just in case.  Where we live, our main worry is the bridge that comes into the neighborhood.  It floods at the drop of a hat.  Our street doesn't flood, though. _ National Guard will have some soldiers and equipment stationed here or getting people out of the neighborhood if we need to._
> 
> 
> GG, sister & husband are being stubborn and staying put in Dare county but in a house that it at the very top of a hill that is owned by the realty company she works for.  All the employees who couldn't leave are staying there.  It is right in the middle between ocean & sound.  Also has a whole-house generator.



I find it amazing that people would stay in a dangerous life threatening situation when asked to evacuate for their own safety. Have they thought about the fact that they are putting others in danger when they should suddenly need help?


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## GotGarlic (Sep 13, 2018)

Sorry to hear that, Cindy. On the bright side, it's looking like Florence will stay well south of us, so it shouldn't be as bad as we thought a few days ago.


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## Kayelle (Sep 13, 2018)

dragnlaw said:


> I find it amazing that people would stay in a dangerous life threatening situation when asked to evacuate for their own safety. *Have they thought about the fact that they are putting others in danger when they should suddenly need help?*




^^+1 It is amazing to me too. We haven't had a major earthquake in years (1994) but if I had been warned a major one would happen here in a matter of days, your can be sure I'd be headed for Arizona. When you think about it, it's a real luxury to be warned of impending doom.
Needless to say, I'm praying for all those in the way of Florence.


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## Mad Cook (Sep 13, 2018)

The news here (BBC) this morning said that "Florence" has dropped to category 2. The reporter was a little non-committal about whether this is a good thing and I'm not sure whether  it is or not..

My thoughts are with you


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## Mad Cook (Sep 13, 2018)

dragnlaw said:


> I find it amazing that people would stay in a dangerous life threatening situation when asked to evacuate for their own safety. Have they thought about the fact that they are putting others in danger when they should suddenly need help?


If the authorities tell people to leave and they don't wouldn't that invalidate the insurance on themselves and any portable belongings that were damaged or destroyed? 

I suppose the people who refuse to leave are concerned about looters although one would think that the local thugs would have legged it as well.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 13, 2018)

Mad Cook said:


> If the authorities tell people to leave and they don't wouldn't that invalidate the insurance on themselves and any portable belongings that were damaged or destroyed?



I've never heard of that. 



Mad Cook said:


> I suppose the people who refuse to leave are concerned about looters although one would think that the local thugs would have legged it as well.



Just yesterday, there were reports of people wearing fluorescent vests going to houses and pretending to be from the city telling them that they had to evacuate. Apparently the plan was to get them to leave and then rob them.

People have many reasons for not wanting to leave their homes and they don't always make the best decisions. Since the storm has turned way south of us, we're feeling pretty safe here. I wouldn't want to be on a barrier island right now, though.


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## phinz (Sep 13, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> Almost forgot - I'm also going to fill up the bathtub. If we lose water, we'll be able to flush the toilet with a bucket from the tub. DH laughed at me when I did that before Hurricane Isabel in 2003, but we were without water for five days.



Having grown up in Houston (barely north of I-10) and experiencing Alicia as well as other storms, this is one of the first things I do as the storm starts to come ashore. We were in Hurricane Jeanne a few years ago while in Bonita Springs, FL, for a wedding and my wife asked why I was filling up the tub as full as it would get. When I told her we could use the ice bucket to fill up the toilet tank so it would be flushable she saw the purpose. 

I'd prefer to live in a hurricane zone over a tornado, blizzard or earthquake zone. At least you can see a hurricane coming from a long way away. Sudden changes in weather can cause blizzards, tornadoes are way too sudden and earthquakes? Yeah, not much warning there at all.


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## phinz (Sep 13, 2018)

Mad Cook said:


> The news here (BBC) this morning said that "Florence" has dropped to category 2. The reporter was a little non-committal about whether this is a good thing and I'm not sure whether  it is or not..
> 
> My thoughts are with you



It depends on if she slows down as she hits the coast, and then lingers over land. It's oftentimes not the wind that does the worst of the damage. It's the rain. That's what devastated Houston and the surrounding area when Harvey decided to just park itself over the Greater Metro.


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 13, 2018)

Just saw this news article in my NPR RSS feed. It lists 17 apps that might be of use to ride out the hurricane and stay safe. It would be useful for those in any area that might be preparing for an emergency. In fact, some of these are useful on an everyday basis. I'm looking at you, Weather Underground and GasBuddy. 

*17 Apps To Help You Get Through The Hurricane*

Speaking of those in the danger zone, doesn't *bakechef*'s Mom live in Charleston? *Bakechef* hasn't been around here in quite a while. I know he and Rob live in a Carolina, and they aren't that long of a drive from *bc*'s Mom, so I hope all of them are sheltering safely. Same with *Hoot*, but I think he's north enough that the brunt of the storm should be a distance away.


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## Just Cooking (Sep 13, 2018)

Watched a news report last night about evacuating.. 



Believe it or not, there are many people who just cannot just up and leave their homes, for a variety of reasons..


The wife of one couple reported that she cannot be in a shelter as, she has an autoimmune disease which makes it easy for her to "catch" things.. Many people can't afford to leave and have no where to go, according to the report..


Of course this was on network news so, who knows if there is any validity to the report?


Ross


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## caseydog (Sep 14, 2018)

Mad Cook said:


> The news here (BBC) this morning said that "Florence" has dropped to category 2. The reporter was a little non-committal about whether this is a good thing and I'm not sure whether  it is or not..
> 
> My thoughts are with you



The lower category means there is lower wind speeds, but that's all. The storm surge has a lot of momentum, and there will still be the same amount of rain. 

On insurance. In hurricane country, you have two kinds of insurance. There is regular Homeowner's Insurance, and Federal Flood Insurance. Homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage, just wind damage from a hurricane. Federal Flood Insurance covers flood damage. You do not get penalized if you don't leave. 

Injuries would be a health insurance issue. 

CD


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## caseydog (Sep 14, 2018)

phinz said:


> Having grown up in Houston (barely north of I-10) and experiencing Alicia as well as other storms, this is one of the first things I do as the storm starts to come ashore. We were in Hurricane Jeanne a few years ago while in Bonita Springs, FL, for a wedding and my wife asked why I was filling up the tub as full as it would get. When I told her we could use the ice bucket to fill up the toilet tank so it would be flushable she saw the purpose.
> 
> I'd prefer to live in a hurricane zone over a tornado, blizzard or earthquake zone. At least you can see a hurricane coming from a long way away. Sudden changes in weather can cause blizzards, tornadoes are way too sudden and earthquakes? Yeah, not much warning there at all.



If you live North of I-10 in Houston now, you are told NOT to evacuate, so that the millions of people South of I-10 can get out. My family members down there pretty much have to ride out the storm. 

I-45 becomes a giant one-way street for evacuations -- Northbound traffic only, on both sides of the highway. The Southbound entrance ramps are shut down. Other Northbound freeways do the same thing. 

CD


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## phinz (Sep 14, 2018)

caseydog said:


> If you live North of I-10 in Houston now, you are told NOT to evacuate, so that the millions of people South of I-10 can get out. My family members down there pretty much have to ride out the storm.
> 
> I-45 becomes a giant one-way street for evacuations -- Northbound traffic only, on both sides of the highway. The Southbound entrance ramps are shut down. Other Northbound freeways do the same thing.
> 
> CD



Considering the flooding that happened in the area where I lived when Harvey parked his butt over Houston (not to mention the Tax Day floods), I'd leave anyway. I grew up at the Clay Rd./Hwy. 6 intersection. Almost the entire Bear Creek subdivision, as well as much of the rest of that area, was underwater for a long, long time. Friends in Deerfield Village had to launch their boat from their driveway to help neighbors whose houses were inundated. 

Unfortunately, being inside the Addicks-Satsuma dam area means you have no guarantees when they start releasing water.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 14, 2018)

It's over here. We had some rain and a little bit of extra breeze this morning, but it's just cloudy now. And our monthly neighborhood cocktail party is on for tonight [emoji38]


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## Kayelle (Sep 14, 2018)

So glad you're safe and sound *GG*!  It makes a real difference when you know someone who has safely dodged a bullet. Enjoy the post hurricane cocktail party!


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## Just Cooking (Sep 14, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> So glad you're safe and sound *GG*!  It makes a real difference when you know someone who has safely dodged a bullet. Enjoy the post hurricane cocktail party!


 +1... I think you have earned a party...  
Ross


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 15, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> It's over here...And our monthly neighborhood cocktail party is on for tonight.


Glad to hear you weathered the storm just fine, *GG*. And from what you have told us of your neighborhood in the past, I bet you would have had that cocktail party anyway, even if it required guy wires strung between the houses and everyone venturing outside wearing weighted belts.  After all, the show must go on! Or, in this case, the party.


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 15, 2018)

Sister & her husband are safe, she's busy checking houses with her staff for the realty company she works for.


Talked to DD yesterday they have no clue as to when they will be able to go home.  Massive flooding in all of SE NC.  At least they are safe in Ohio. 



Us here in EC, it was windy more than rainy.  Will be again today.  Went and checked on our bridge yesterday and it hadn't flooded.  In fact, it looked practically normal.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 15, 2018)

You all won't believe this - the host and hostess bought a school bus the other day - he's going to convert it for camping. So yesterday they drove it around the neighborhood picking people up for the party  We didn't take advantage because walking four blocks home would kill my feet. Plus it was pretty last-minute and I wasn't quite ready to go when they were driving around. They're talking about taking a bus load of people on a wine-country tour [emoji38]

CG, my neighbors two doors over and across the street and I were talking Thursday about getting together even if the party had been canceled  We find a way.


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## Kayelle (Sep 15, 2018)

Glad you hear your report *CJ.*


I wanna move to your neighborhood *GG.* Those are my kind of people!


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## Caslon (Sep 15, 2018)

30 years ago.  "Batton down the hatches!"  No evacuation demands.  200 dead. 
Today: So far, tragically,  6 people died. Over a million made to evacuate and did.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 15, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> Glad you hear your report *CJ.*
> 
> 
> I wanna move to your neighborhood *GG.* Those are my kind of people!


It's a lot of fun, for sure! [emoji16] [emoji322]


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## caseydog (Sep 15, 2018)

Caslon said:


> 30 years ago.  "Batton down the hatches!"  No evacuation demands.  200 dead.
> Today: So far, tragically,  6 people died. Over a million made to evacuate and did.



It is up to 11 people now, and it is going to climb. 

CD


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## taxlady (Sep 15, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> It's over here. We had some rain and a little bit of extra breeze this morning, but it's just cloudy now. And our monthly neighborhood cocktail party is on for tonight [emoji38]
> View attachment 31507


Glad to read that. Enjoy the party.



cjmmytunes said:


> Sister & her husband are safe, she's busy checking houses with her staff for the realty company she works for.
> 
> 
> Talked to DD yesterday they have no clue as to when they will be able to go home.  Massive flooding in all of SE NC.  At least they are safe in Ohio.
> ...


Glad to read that you and your family are safe.


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## taxlady (Sep 15, 2018)

For anyone wondering why some people refuse to evacuate:


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## caseydog (Sep 16, 2018)

taxlady said:


> For anyone wondering why some people refuse to evacuate:



I'm not going to say that there is no truth in that cartoon, because poverty plays a a significant role in being able to evacuate, but it is not the biggest reason. 

The biggest reasons always have been, and always will be, reasons people make up to justify making a bad decision. 

Of course, it is not black and white... there are grey areas. If you live 30 miles inland, you don't really know what will happen. But, people who can see the ocean/gulf from their front porch choose to stay, and that is just plain stupid. 

So, it is a combination of inability to leave, and poor decision making that leads to these unnecessary deaths. 

Now, the thousands killed by Maria in Puerto Rico didn't have much of a choice as far as evacuating. They were on an island, it is impossible to evacuate millions of people from an island. My parents lived there for three years, so I know what Puerto Ricans face with a hurricane. (Not to mention that over 50-percent of Americans don't even know that Puerto Ricans are American citizens). 

But, I can guarantee that some of the people who were rescued in the last two days, and some who died, were just stubborn or didn't grasp the reality of the dangers of staying (even though they were told). 

CD


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## Caslon (Sep 16, 2018)

How much is catastrophic flood insurance per year?  In  hurricane alley, it may top $1500 per year?


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## caseydog (Sep 16, 2018)

Caslon said:


> How much is catastrophic flood insurance per year?  In  hurricane alley, it may top $1500 per year?



Federal Flood insurance is actually pretty cheap. Commercial Homeowner's Insurance for my sister's house is easily $2,000 a year, but her Federal Flood Insurance is around 400 bucks a year. My basic Homeowner's is $1,800 a year (thanks to hail), but I don't need flood insurance where I live. If my neighborhood floods, it's time to build an ark. 

With big storms and flooding getting more common, thanks to a "hoax," those rates are going to have to go up. The Flood Insurance program is losing money by the hundreds of millions. Being a government program, they don't need to make a profit, but they can't continue to lose this much money in the long term. In the past, the good years balanced out the bad years, but the bad years are starting to be every year. 

Or, we can have another tax cut, which fixes every problem. 

CD


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## cjmmytunes (Sep 16, 2018)

This little bit is about a hurricane, but not Florence.


15 years ago today, my mom, our roommate, and I were getting ready or another hurricane - Isabel.  We got walloped really bad here.  No flooding in our neighborhood but LOTS of trees down and no power for at least a week.  The hotel Mom worked at let us stay there as soon as they got power, which was about 24 hours after Isabel was done, mainly because the hotel was 3/4 full of linemen and electrical workers.  They let us stay there no charge - so Mom could work.  My sister & her husband came in and stayed with his sister (she & her family live in Kinston now), and our roommate stayed in one of the ICU waiting rooms so she could use her nebulizer.  I let DD and DS go with their other grandmother and grandfather to Fayetteville (she was 14 at the time and he was 17).


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## RPCookin (Sep 16, 2018)

In April of 2012 my wife and I moved to the beach house we built on Long Island in the Bahamas.  We were on the Atlantic side of the island, 100 feet from the high tide line, and the house was built a on sand dune about 40 feet above the line.  

In October of 2012, Sandy came down on us as a strong category 3 hurricane with winds at 125 mph as it gave us a direct hit.  We had the house built with hurricane glass, extra strong roof and siding.  We hunkered down and rode it out.  We were fortunate in that despite taking a direct hit from the center of the storm, it was moving at nearly 25 mph and came and went in just 6 hours.  All power was out in the entire island, but we only lost a half dozen shingles off the roof, and no leaks because they put down snow/ice shield under the shingles specifically for that reason.  Toughest part of the cleanup for us was just the several pounds of beach sand that found it's way in around the 2 pairs of sliding glass doors on the ocean side of the house, ending up packed into the door tracks and rollers.

With no phones or power, we had no way initially of knowing how the rest of the island fared outside of our little 5 home enclave.  The next day we decided to take a chance and drive north to look around.  The highway on our end of the island was open, aside from some downed power lines, and with the generating station shut down to facilitate repairs, that was not a problem.  About 10 miles north we found one local gas station was open, and they were pumping gas straight out of the tanker truck.  We were 3rd in line, got gassed up (started with just 1/4 tank).  

Looking pretty good at that point since we now knew that we had enough gas to get back home again.  Then we got to the Conch Bar where we usually hung out a lot, and they were open.  Liz had made a bunch of sandwiches, they actually had Kalik (local Bahamian beer) on ice.  We spent the afternoon there visiting and getting the news from other parts of the island as folks dropped in.  They were typically closed Sundays, but they got power back on Saturday, 2 days after the storm, so we headed there to hang out.  Ours didn't come back until Sunday afternoon while we were sitting at the bar.  The last of the power was restored in about 2 weeks in the areas where they had to replace a number of poles.  They only had one truck for setting power poles, and it broke down, delaying the recovery effort.

In all it was not as bad as it could have been had the storm been moving slowly like Florence is, or like Joaquin did the year after we moved back to the states.  Joaquin sat there stalled for 2 full days right on top of the island with 140-150 mph winds.  It devastated our island and several others in the Southern and Central Bahamas much the same as Maria did to Puerto Rico, and it took more than a year to recover from that one.

We now live on the eastern plains of Colorado, tornado country, and I'd rather be here any day than in the path of any hurricane.


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## Addie (Sep 16, 2018)

Every so often a hurricane will come up the coast and hit Boston. Fortunately not too often.

My youngest daughter was only a couple of months old. We lived on the third floor of a walkup. At the front of the house, the second and third floors had a front porch. Sure enough, that was the year a nameless hurricane paid us a visit. We were living in Chelsea at the time. At the turn of the century Chelsea had a major fire that almost leveled the whole city. When they rebuilt, it was done so with bricks instead of wood. We lived in a wood building. And sure enough, of all the buildings ours was the only one that received any damage. A gust of wind that took off the front porch also took down a tree that took off the back porch. Oddly enough we still had electricity and the phones were still working. I called the police department and told them my dilemma. A newborn along with two older ones, and with no means of safely leaving the building. I was nursing. So feeding the baby was not a problem. The police department to the rescue. They piled us all in and drove us to my parents house. Went back home two days later and both porches had been rebuilt.


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## Caslon (Sep 16, 2018)

So...$1500 a year?  $2400? (flood  insurance).


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## caseydog (Sep 16, 2018)

Caslon said:


> So...$1500 a year?  *$2400? (flood  insurance).*



That would be the combined price of _Homeowner's Insurance_ ($2,000) AND _Federal Flood Insurance_ ($400) for a home like my sister's. 

CD


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## Mad Cook (Sep 16, 2018)

Given that the deer's ancestors where there long before the humans built a house, s/he  probably thinks that the humans are very kind to grow such tasty plants just for his/her delectation.


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