I've been through several storms, most notably, Ike, which took off shingles and roof jacks, causing my house to take in water. Thankfully, I've never flooded, although Harvey kept my street underwater for 4 days.

Ike kept us in the dark for 15 days, but we never lost natural gas, water, or phone service. Our sewer plant went under, yet somehow, the sewer worked. Same with Harvey. I have no idea how our toilets flushed.....but they did.

After a stock of food and medicine, and maybe filling a bathtub with water if you are concerned about potable water, the most basic emergency item I can recommend is a working generator and plenty of Jerry cans full of fresh gas. That not only gives you lights, fans and power tools to effect repairs, if necessary, but gives you a chance to save the food in your fridge (and make ice), use a radio or TV, and the simple comforts like making a pot of coffee in the morning.

Good luck and be safe, East coast folks.


For anyone riding a storm out, I'd recommend having blue tarps and some 1x's, in case you need to secure your roof after the storm comes through.

~~c~~

1 year ago today we were waking up the day after Irma. I was in a mandatory evacuation zone due to proximity to the ocean. Flooding did leave people stranded in my area. The storm caused damage, but our biggest issue was the amount of water. A week prior we were flooded from a tropical wave/ disturbance (spin off from harbey) and that filled all our water drainage ways. Along came Irma and the water had no where to go but up.

The biggest issue was maintaining gas/ supplies. People were in a frenzy to horde as much as they could for the storm. I have insurance and documentation of what I own. The damage will be there when you get back, if you get damage. Both the houses I was moving out of and into during the storm sustained damage (my lease was ending as Irma hit). Minor damage, some shingles, soffits. My old rental house had a tree branch in the screen lanai. Nothing that couldnt be fixed in a good days work.

Moving forward I will evacuate if I'm going to be within 50-60 miles of the eye. Especially if it starts to hit the high end of cat 2 or starting cat 3. It was just easier to button up the house and drive north. I went to a friends house north and inland. Never lost power and many of the stores/ restaurants didnt either. I essentially had to wait for all the water to drain to get back to my house anyways, took 3 days. I'd rather not be stranded at my house with supplies running down and no way to escape. Having the flexibility to get around and stay in areas with power made life much easier.

Sorry for the long post.

Cliffs, it ain't worth getting stuck in your house/ or flood. Board/ lock up your house. Pack a bin of the important stuff and head inland. Relax in a friends place or hotel away from the eye.

Super Storm Sandy destroyed our town.....6 years to get this far and a long way to go....don't tempt fate anyone with these storms.

We're still getting a forecast of scattered thunderstorms and 10-15mph winds for this weekend. Pretty far inland.

https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/...ate/2018-09-16

Everybody stay safe and keep us posted please.

As far as disaster evacuations go, here on the west coast we envy people who evacuate for hurricanes. Earthquakes, no warning at all. Fires, maybe an hour or two warning. Hurricanes, days of warning. Consider yourselves lucky and take advantage of this.:yesnod:

Hold the high ground!

Looks like my old neck of the woods in Va may take a good hit. Heavy rainfall mostly. I only have some property there, so no worries in that regard. Here is an article from the local paper about preparations, and some words of wisdom from when Camille came through in 1969. I barely remember that though.


https://www.southwesttimes.com/2018/...-deadly-event/
By MELINDA WILLIAMS

[email protected]

Hurricane Florence is still days from landfall, but local emergency officials are so concerned about it’s deadly potential inland they’re already preparing for a worst-case scenario.

“This is a potentially deadly event,” Pulaski County Emergency Management Director Josh Tolbert told The Southwest Times Monday afternoon. He and some 40 others attending a called meeting at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) could not stress enough the importance of citizens preparing now for what could be a very dangerous situation later this week.

Tolbert said the remnants of Florence have the potential to inundate an already saturated ground with so much rain a 100-year flood is possible. While winds might be a problem, the rain potential predicted by some storm tracking models Monday could put Florence in a league with Hurricane Camille in 1969, he said.

Camille is the second-most intense hurricane to ever strike the United States. It made landfall in Mississippi Aug. 18, 1969, as a Category 5 hurricane. Its track took it into Virginia a day later, squeezing out enough moisture along the Appalachian Mountains to cause flooding and landslides that killed 153 people unprepared for such an onslaught. One percent of Nelson County’s population at the time died from blunt-force trauma sustained in landslides.

Camille produced 12 to 27 inches of rain, mostly over a 3-5 hour period in Virginia. Tolbert said at least one model for Florence Monday was forecasting 20 or more inches in Pulaski County. “I can’t fathom that,” he said.

Both Tolbert and a VDOT representative said during Monday’s meeting they have never seen a forecast with such deadly potential in this area. Unfortunately, additional rainfall is expected before the storm even arrives.

“There is nothing more urgent or important in the county right now. This forecast has incredible potential” for danger, he told those attending the meeting.

In attendance were representatives of Pulaski County, the towns of Pulaski and Dublin, the local school system, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Pulaski Police Department, county fire and emergency medical services, county social services, Virginia Department of Transportation and American Electric Power.

Tolbert said the EOC is officially opening this morning to keep track of state emergency operations forecasts and begin to put plans into action in the event the forecast doesn’t improve. Tolbert expects it will be Wednesday before forecasters have a more precise gauge of the storm’s track and intensity inland.

But, that’s too late to begin preparations.

“We’re advising folks to consider now what kind of supplies they would need should they be out of power for one, two, even three days. What do they need to sustain them?” Pulaski County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andy McCready said Monday morning. The Draper Fire Department member said making sure medications, especially critical ones, are readily available should be part of the plan.

If high winds combine with flooding and already saturated soil, downed trees could make it difficult, if not impossible, for emergency services to reach people to lend assistance.

The impact of Florence is expected to be so widespread in Virginia and North Carolina, McCready said it is going to fall upon local government and its citizens to take care of themselves until state and federal assistance is available.

“We are the Calvary. That’s how we need to look at this,” McCready told those in attendance at the afternoon meeting. He said it will be incumbent upon the agencies present to address issues that arise during and immediately following the storm.

McCready advises residents to also make sure their property is secured in the event of high winds and flooding. “One thing we have problems with during floods is propane tanks floating away,” he said. “Please secure propane tanks and home heating oil tanks away from any potential floodwaters. Even though you rarely see rainwater in a ditch, plan now that you will see it.”

If a 100-year flood develops, much of downtown Pulaski would be underwater. As such, town and county officials were reviewing the buildings Monday, determining what equipment and records are in danger and need to be moved to higher ground. Tolbert said discussions also were being had about where to relocate operations should buildings have to be abandoned due to flooding.

Even though the EOC is slightly outside the predicted 100-year flood plain, Tolbert said it could be moved to Dublin Fire Department if necessary.

According to discussion at the called meeting, some people in flood-prone areas already were calling the 911 Communications Center Monday to ask about the school schedule for later in the week. Although a decision hasn’t been made regarding schools, officials were encouraged some people are already preparing to evacuate, if necessary.

McCready’s advice to citizens living in low-lying areas is to “make plans now to be ready to move. Try not to put yourself in a situation where you have to be rescued by boat.”

VDOT and county officials were already inspecting around bridges and culverts Monday to make sure debris is removed in hopes of preventing blockages. Even with those efforts, the VDOT official said the amount of rain predicted could easily result in blockages.

Generators were being inspected and tested in the event of power outages and fuel tanks were being topped off, giving the county 76,000 gallons of available diesel and gasoline for use.

Texas Task Force 1 and the Cajun Navy are staged, ready for action, wherever the storm actually hits.


https://www.click2houston.com/news/t...-storms-impact

Rest easy Carolinians.....we got your back.

My Mom and Stepdad are in the Lake Norman NC area and as of yesterday are staying put.

My Stepmom is in Pine Level NC and staying put. Nephew and family are closer to the coast in an old trailer ( he's stubborn just like his Dad )

:angel:

Looks like this bitch is going to stay in Virginia. So just light rain for us in MD.

Now we're getting a forecast of 35-50mph winds on Sunday. Amazing considering we're a little over a 2 hour drive from either Charleston or Hilton Head.

:rofl::rofl:

:rofl: I’m gonna have to borrow that one.

My brother lives near Charleston (Folly Beach).
Shot him a text to see what he was planning and he sent me a pic of him on a beach in Costa Rica.

He flies back Sunday but he said, "no worries if I gotta stay longer, the waves are pumpin'":lol:
Scott

Just got an email from Xfinity / Comcast


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



xfinity


Track service updates in MyAccount >


Xfinity WiFi hotspots open to the public during Hurricane Florence

We hope that you and your loved ones remain safe during this period of severe weather. To help our first responders and the community stay connected, we're opening up Xfinity WiFi hotspots to the public until noon on Monday September 17.



We are committed to helping you stay connected during and after the storm.
Take care, and stay safe.

Jim Samaha
Regional Senior Vice President

During the fires and evacuations here Verizon gave people a free upgrade to turn their smart phones into a wifi hot spot if they didn't already have that feature. Good PR move and they will probably get a lot of people to keep the feature and pay for it. In fact they gave it out free with the stipulation that you had to opt out of it after 30 days or you will start being charged for it.

Folly is nice. My family used to stay there every summer, but we migrated back up the coast to Pawleys Island, which is where the family went when I was growing up. Heck, they of course are talking about it washing us out now. I better head to the liquor store before it's too late!:shots:

Good news: The wind speed estimate at landfall is coming down.

But the storm is going to cause a lot of damage due to the precipitous amount of moisture (pun intended :D).

And IIRC most of the property damage and injuries comes from flooding and storm surge, not winds.

Hunker down if you have not already evacuated.