Florida Storm
- Thread starter John Tat
- Start date
KenJ
Moderator Emeritus
It looks like it will hit well below you S&S, right on where a sister-in-law lives and above where my mother and father-in-law live. I recently read that there was only one hurricane/cyclone that hit California in the twentieth century, 1939 I think, and with only 5+ inches of rain. A classmate lived in Slidell LA and reported a storm that dumped sixteen inches of rain one day and nineteen inches the next day, hard to imagine thirty-five inches of rain in two days.
But you are going to get wet!
But you are going to get wet!
SeaAndSky
Senior Registered
Been sweatin' and preparin' the last few days and things were looking pretty grim, but it looks like it is going to take a northward turn before it hits land and pass by off-shore. Of course, nothing is certain until it is certain, but things are looking a lot brighter at the moment. Thanks for your concern!
Cordially,
S&S
Cordially,
S&S
SeaAndSky
Senior Registered
Update: https://weather.com/storms/hurrican...gory-5-near-bahamas-florida-georgia-carolinas
Pray for the Bahamas. I don't know anybody over there, but they're getting hammered. This has become a Category 5 with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph) and wind gusts of 220 mph (354 kph) plus storm surges 18-23 feet and huge rainfall amounts. It is being compared at this point to the Great Hurricane of 1935, so it is a very very powerful storm.
Also, your prayers for my own zany state are welcome. Signs are that the shift out to sea may have been overly optimistic, and that it is going to move up very close to, or inland of the Florida coastline which equals some pretty severe devastation along a large swath of Florida's East coast. Time will tell, but I'm not quite as confident as I was yesterday.
If it comes through my area, I will probably be without power for several days. However, depending on its strength when it arrives at my area, I may not have a lot more damage. We had several trees come down during the last one 2 years ago, but as long as they don't come down on the house, cars or power lines life goes on. However, the last one was much weaker than this one. So . . .
Cordially,
S&S
Pray for the Bahamas. I don't know anybody over there, but they're getting hammered. This has become a Category 5 with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph) and wind gusts of 220 mph (354 kph) plus storm surges 18-23 feet and huge rainfall amounts. It is being compared at this point to the Great Hurricane of 1935, so it is a very very powerful storm.
Also, your prayers for my own zany state are welcome. Signs are that the shift out to sea may have been overly optimistic, and that it is going to move up very close to, or inland of the Florida coastline which equals some pretty severe devastation along a large swath of Florida's East coast. Time will tell, but I'm not quite as confident as I was yesterday.
If it comes through my area, I will probably be without power for several days. However, depending on its strength when it arrives at my area, I may not have a lot more damage. We had several trees come down during the last one 2 years ago, but as long as they don't come down on the house, cars or power lines life goes on. However, the last one was much weaker than this one. So . . .
Cordially,
S&S
SeaAndSky
Senior Registered
Things are very bad right now in the Bahamas and will stay very bad for the next 24 hours or more. The video linked as part of this article is heart-breaking as a young mother asked people to pray for her and her four month old infant trapped by rising waters: https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...58e27a-cc1c-11e9-9615-8f1a32962e04_story.html
The Bahamas have been through many Category 3 and even 4 storms, but there is a huge difference between 130 mph winds and 185 mph winds. Many people apparently failed to evacuate outlying cays and were later begging for someone to rescue them--too late. The combination of storm and storm surge is devastating, especially when you add the surf blown up by the hurricane on top of the 20+ feet of surge.
My son and family in Miami is leaving for Bonita Springs on the West side of the state shortly. Most people in Florida have been lulled (rightly or wrongly) into believing the storm will turn North and miss the state. So, the highways are not jammed--for the moment. However, like me, he has remained concerned about what this storm might do. Miami is not the Bahamas, and things are built very strong there. Everything there now was either strong enough to stand through Hurricane Andrew* or built according to newer codes. But when you're in a very large urban/suburban environment and the roads are cut off by flooding and downed trees, debris everywhere with power out and power lines down and sparking you're going to want to be somewhere else for awhile, even if a tree didn't come down on your house.
I am praying for that young mother and the many like her. This world can be so sad.
S&S
PS*--In total, Andrew destroyed more than 63,500 houses, damaged more than 124,000 others, caused $27.3 billion in damage, and left 65 people dead. This is what Category 5 storms can do, even in well prepared areas.
The Bahamas have been through many Category 3 and even 4 storms, but there is a huge difference between 130 mph winds and 185 mph winds. Many people apparently failed to evacuate outlying cays and were later begging for someone to rescue them--too late. The combination of storm and storm surge is devastating, especially when you add the surf blown up by the hurricane on top of the 20+ feet of surge.
My son and family in Miami is leaving for Bonita Springs on the West side of the state shortly. Most people in Florida have been lulled (rightly or wrongly) into believing the storm will turn North and miss the state. So, the highways are not jammed--for the moment. However, like me, he has remained concerned about what this storm might do. Miami is not the Bahamas, and things are built very strong there. Everything there now was either strong enough to stand through Hurricane Andrew* or built according to newer codes. But when you're in a very large urban/suburban environment and the roads are cut off by flooding and downed trees, debris everywhere with power out and power lines down and sparking you're going to want to be somewhere else for awhile, even if a tree didn't come down on your house.
I am praying for that young mother and the many like her. This world can be so sad.
S&S
PS*--In total, Andrew destroyed more than 63,500 houses, damaged more than 124,000 others, caused $27.3 billion in damage, and left 65 people dead. This is what Category 5 storms can do, even in well prepared areas.
Last edited:
SeaAndSky
Senior Registered
It looks like Florida's gain was the Bahamas loss--big time. After expending most of its time and destructive energy on the Bahamas, the storm has taken a turn taking it East of N. Florida by a considerable margin. The weather is not great, but inland in North East Florida I think we're going to do fine. Hopefully, without even a power outage. There are, however, some locations farther North that are still in danger. Nonetheless, the real victim of this one is the Bahamas. They are going to need a lot of help. Clean drinking water and medical care are the two first issues to deal with in these situations (as well as the restoration of power). But huge amounts of standing water and the problems this cause in terms of sanitation and submerged power lines are also right up there. I understand the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Navy are already on the scene and helping out, but it is going to take a lot of help. I hope that there will be some kind of international coalition to help them with reconstruction, etc.