Hurricane Ian headed toward the West Coast of Florida

And so goes my day. We are just north of Tampa and already, everyone on the gulf side of highway 19 has had a mandatory evacuation order. Plus, on the web, the person in charge said there will be no emergency vehicles dispersed to the Gulf side of 19... AKA, you're on your own if you chose to stay in place.
A small portion of how my day is going.

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Alligatorob said:
If the forecast wind and track stay as they are now I suspect it will be higher in Tampa. Worst case for a storm surge is being on the east side of the eye at the head of a shallow water bay. Hurricane Dennis put 4 feet of water in my house in 2005, with less wind but otherwise similar tracking and shallow water; a 12 ft storm surge...

Storm surge water does more damage and kills more people than wind in a hurricane.
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Don't remember what year, but, after one hurricane, I was tooling along Tampa Bay drive in about 2 foot of water, shark.jpgand when I looked out my window, I saw a small shark following along. Picture of a lifetime.
 
My house after Hurricane Dennis in 2005, and me younger and fatter.

Dennis 1.jpg
Top picture is my bathroom, note that sinks flow, bathtub did too, but it settled into more or less the same spot.

Middle picture is the kitchen. Note that although Elvis survived our refrigerator ended up on top of some plastic shelving. Closed refrigerators float. The beer was still cold, and I needed one at that point.

Bottom picture is our bedroom. Note the table leg piercing the box springs.

Gave us the chance to remodel and get rid of all that pink paint from previous owners, LOL. Hope few folks have pictures like this tomorrow!
 

Yikes Rob! I'm ready for lots of rain and a little wind but I don't think it will be any worse than that by the time it gets to NC. I have a fortified metal roof installed by my certified builder especially meant for hurricanes as well as hurricane proof windows....but guess I'll find out soon enough if it's enough. I'm also on one of the most elevated lots on the island.

Surprisingly, I'm finding that nobody on the barrier island here worries at all no matter what the category is. They just leave when told and fix whatever when they return. I'm the exception since I'm new but trying my best to adopt that carefree islander way of come-what-may and developing the Patience of Job for the repairmen on island time lol. We've gone a few years now without any hurricane activity 🤞🙏
 
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squatting dog said:
And so goes my day. We are just north of Tampa and already, everyone on the gulf side of highway 19 has had a mandatory evacuation order. Plus, on the web, the person in charge said there will be no emergency vehicles dispersed to the Gulf side of 19... AKA, you're on your own if you chose to stay in place.
A small portion of how my day is going.

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Oh, that's right, you're Florida based now.
No, you just cannot be wiped out again! 🤯
Be safe. 🙏🙏🙏
 
Alligatorob said:
My house after Hurricane Dennis in 2005, and me younger and fatter.

View attachment 241654
Top picture is my bathroom, note that sinks flow, bathtub did too, but it settled into more or less the same spot.

Middle picture is the kitchen. Note that although Elvis survived our refrigerator ended up on top of some plastic shelving. Closed refrigerators float. The beer was still cold, and I needed one at that point.

Bottom picture is our bedroom. Note the table leg piercing the box springs.

Gave us the chance to remodel and get rid of all that pink paint from previous owners, LOL. Hope few folks have pictures like this tomorrow!
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What a mess, Rob. I am praying you and yours will not be affected. If you still have Elvis, keep him safe. Seriously tho' be safe.🙏🙏🙏
 
Lara said:
Yikes Rob! I'm ready for lots of rain and a little wind but I don't think it will be any worse than that by the time it gets to NC. I have a fortified metal roof installed by my certified builder especially meant for hurricanes as well as hurricane proof windows....but guess I'll find out soon enough if it's enough.

Surprisingly, I'm finding that nobody on the barrier island here worries at all no matter what the category is. They just leave when told and fix whatever when they return. I'm the exception since I'm new but trying my best to adopt that carefree islander way of come-what-will and developing the Patience of Job for the repairmen on island time lol. We've gone a few years no without any hurricane activity 🤞🙏
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Your place sounds very safe Lara. I don't think you're in harms way, but 🙏🙏🙏, in case.
 
RadishRose said:
What a mess, Rob. I am praying you and yours will not be affected.
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Thanks, and yes Elvis is safe and well, couldn't get rid of him now!

We have moved to Utah, however I still have a number of friends right in the path of this thing. That is why I am watching it closely. Fortunately my brothers and their families are in North Florida, not in the storm's direct path.
 
Alligatorob said:
What is her situation? These are some important questions to ask:
  • How close to the water is her home, and what is the elevation? If she is more than 15 ft above sea level she is probably safe from any storm surge, that is the biggest risk. Being along a stream can be a risk also.
  • When was her home built? If it is relatively new it should have been built to the new wind codes and be wind safe. If it's older there are risks. Does she have hurricane shutters or impact resistant windows? Blow out window can cause roof failure and loss.
  • Are there large trees that could blow over and damage the house? Wind borne debris can be a real hazard.
  • Assuming she stays is she prepared to go a week or more without electricity or running water?
  • If she chose to evacuate does she have a plan? Transportation and a safe place to go are important. Florida is hard to evacuate, traffic snarls and hotels fill up. Getting stuck in your car in the storm is no fun. The truth is unless there is a shelter in Tarpon Springs with room, it's probably too late.
Hoping for the best, most people get through these things just fine. I hope she is one of them.
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Thank you for the questions! Just a few minutes ago, my mom told me the other person that was supposed to stay with her is not coming. So my sister will take her to her house She lives in Tarpon Springs. I am not too thrilled about that because she's closer to the water than my mom is (who is in Holiday). My mom's home is older - no storm windows or shutters. I talked last night with my sister about evacuations and she went online and added my mom to the list for those who need special assistance, etc. Don't know the details. My sister also told me they emptied part of the pool and added panels to their windows. All I know is I'm on pins and needles. If it were me, I would have driven out of the state several days ago and not wait until last minute to find out what's going on. I know there are shelters close by.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Palides, I pray they will be safe. Said a special Dua (supplemental prayer) for mine, yours and those I don't know who may be adversely affected this morning. From what my HS said, there are mandatory evacuations in place in certain zones. He is not in one of them (as of last night...that could change), but in a voluntary evacuation zone. Do you know which one your family is in? I sure hope your mother and family reconsider and listen to you. If they are watching Florida news, they might. Options for hotels for evacuees are being offered via Expedia and detailed information about shelters is being imparted.
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I think my sister is in zone A, but not quite sure. She's close to the water. Praying for them and also for your family there, @OneEyedDiva . That's one of the reasons I didn't move to Florida. Couldn't handle the stress of hurricanes.
 
squatting dog said:
And so goes my day. We are just north of Tampa and already, everyone on the gulf side of highway 19 has had a mandatory evacuation order. Plus, on the web, the person in charge said there will be no emergency vehicles dispersed to the Gulf side of 19... AKA, you're on your own if you chose to stay in place.
A small portion of how my day is going.

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Good luck! My sister lives on the gulf side of US 19. They're staying put, and I don't understand that. I had hoped they'd evacuate. Anyway, hope you're safe there.
 
palides2021 said:
My sister lives on the gulf side of US 19. They're staying put, and I don't understand that.
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Lots of people choose to stay when evacuation orders are issued, some for good reason some for bad. Evacuation orders are not always well thought out, and typically include more area than really needs evacuating. Powers that be get in a lot more trouble not issuing orders when they should than by overdoing it. That is why I ask the questions above, helps you figure out if you really do need to leave.

One unfortunate result is a lot of unnecessary orders get issued making people a bit immune to them. Kind of the crying wolf syndrome... Then when a bad one comes too many people ignore the orders.

The most common problems people who ignore orders face is having to live in there home without power or water, and perhaps road access for a while. After Dennis we were without power for 2 months, 1 month for water and a useable road. You need a good food and water supply, and a willingness to live without AC. If you have a generator that helps, most small generators will power a refrigerator, but not AC.
 
Alligatorob said:
Thanks, and yes Elvis is safe and well, couldn't get rid of him now!

We have moved to Utah, however I still have a number of friends right in the path of this thing. That is why I am watching it closely. Fortunately my brothers and their families are in North Florida, not in the storm's direct path.
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I thought you still had a place down there, must have been thinking of your people.
 
The latest model shows Ian will go right over the top of our house tomorrow.😢 We are inland so we are hoping only to see a tropical storm with 12+ " of horizontal rain. I am most worried about loss of electricity. I pray for all people in harm's way, stay safe.
 

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