Hurricane Irma - What would you do?

B.A._Baracus

Just watching CNN and it looks really bad. Meant to get even worse later in certain parts. They say power will go down and not a matter of if.

What would you do in such an event... Flee to another state or bunker down?

I ask because let's say 100,00 people leave Florida until it settles down (just a random number) now that's all well and good if you have friends living else where that you could stay with. But let's say you didn't? Hotels in neighbouring states would be fully booked. Not to mention you just mightnt have the money to get up and leave for a few days (work in a low paying job, no car, living week to week etc)

Emergency services have announced they have stopped until it's all over. So if you did have an accident you are outta luck.

Would be scary.

Mena

No idea. Have friends in Florida, all three and their families are staying put. Heavily bunkered down and live streaming. Hope they're ok, not sure which direction I'd go.

buried

Well I'm in Ireland so I'd stay. If one hit us here I'd have to stay anyways. What am I going to do? Flee to the next parish in Tubberf**k and hope it doesn't hit there?

Brock Turnpike

Build a fort in the sitting room, using the various pieces of furniture available to me.

keith_sixteen

With no money or no relatives to go to, I would be on the first bus out with my tent.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Same as on the other threads on the topic.....

6.3 million have evacuated.

B.A._Baracus

buried wrote: »

Well I'm in Ireland so I'd stay. If one hit us here I'd have to stay anyways. What am I going to do? Flee to the next parish in Tubberf**k and hope it doesn't hit there?

Well that's the thing.
Imagine if Dublin, wicklow and louth were to get hit. Sure if you know someone in Cork you could stay with you'd be grand. Otherwise getting a hotel to stay somewhere would be mental. Wouldn't be shocked to hear that prices of rooms would sky rocket too. You know yourself.

I reckon the supermarkets would be reefed out of it too.

Tzardine

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

....I ask because let's say 100,00 people leave Florida until it settles down

According to sky news 6.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.

6.5 million.

If they are evacuating that many then they are seriously worried

Panthro

Sure we've all big ass concrete block houses.
Be grand

skylight1987

I would bunker down .i'm stilled annoyed that I slept through hurricane Charlie 1986 and was working in a building with a generator for the Christmas eve storm of 1997 missed the whole thing .

branie2

Head for cover

Academic

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Just watching CNN and it looks really bad. Meant to get even worse later in certain parts. They say power will go down and not a matter of if.

What would you do in such an event... Flee to another state or bunker down?

I ask because let's say 100,00 people leave Florida until it settles down (just a random number) now that's all well and good if you have friends living else where that you could stay with. But let's say you didn't? Hotels in neighbouring states would be fully booked. Not to mention you just mightnt have the money to get up and leave for a few days (work in a low paying job, no car, living week to week etc)

Emergency services have announced they have stopped until it's all over. So if you did have an accident you are outta luck.

Would be scary.

Yes, the poor are truly in trouble.

Some here may recall hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. The storm resulted in something like an ethnic cleansing of poor persons of colour from many parts of the city.

Academic

Mena wrote: »

No idea. Have friends in Florida, all three and their families are staying put. Heavily bunkered down and live streaming. Hope they're ok, not sure which direction I'd go.

Where in Florida are they?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Well that's the thing.
Imagine if Dublin, wicklow and louth were to get hit. Sure if you know someone in Cork you could stay with you'd be grand. Otherwise getting a hotel to stay somewhere would be mental. Wouldn't be shocked to hear that prices of rooms would sky rocket too. You know yourself.

I reckon the supermarkets would be reefed out of it too.

The expectation in such emergencies is not that everybody would go to hotels. Temporary accommodation is set up in halls and centres in safe areas. The price of rooms has nothing to do with anything.

Go Tobban

Get up on my feet, stop making tired excuses

Mena

Academic wrote: »

Where in Florida are they?

Key West and Tampa Bay.

Cheerful Spring

Damn it's bad right now on CNN, you can barely see anything with the gusts, wind, rain. This only category 3, imagine they got hit with a category 5.

Academic

Mena wrote: »

Key West and Tampa Bay.

Wow. Not many people stayed in Key West (interesting town, by the way) owing to the mandatory evacuation.

Thanks.

Pinch Flat

Panthro wrote: »

Sure we've all big ass concrete block houses.
Be grand

Yeah our Celtic tiger built houses would stop any hurricane. Top quality.

Laois_Man

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

Damn it's bad right now on CNN, you can barely see anything with the gusts, wind, rain. This only category 3, imagine they got hit with a category 5.

Many did get hit with a category 5. It seems to matter alot more when the US gets hit with a Category 3 though

Guy:Incognito

Tzardine wrote: »

According to sky news 6.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.

6.5 million.

If they are evacuating that many then they are seriously worried

To be fair, Florida is twice the size of Ireland. With 4 times the population.

6.5m is one city is proper countries

YFlyer

Bangbros are not recording.

metaoblivia

Native Floridian and experienced hurricane, uh, survivor? here (that seems like an overly dramatic word to use. I've been through 4 Cat 1s and a Cat 2).

I'm not in Fl right now, but my nuclear family and closest friends are. None of them evacuated. A lot of it depends on where you are and the quality of your home. My people are about 40 miles inland and live in well built homes that have come through other, similar hurricanes with minimal to no damage. They got supplies last week and are hunkered down waiting out the storm. The yards will be a mess, they'll probably have a power outage that may last a few days at most, but outside of that and a few downed trees in the neighborhood, they're not expecting major damage.

Homes on the coast, homes in flood prone areas and cheaply made homes like mobile homes are always the places that bear the brunt of these storms. If you're in one of those, get out (unless you've got some serious hurricane prep on your home - which many of the nicer homes in places like the Keys do). And evacuating doesn't necessarily mean going out of state - it can mean going to your local shelter, which will be staffed.

Academic

Laois_Man wrote: »

Many did get hit with a category 5. It seems to matter alot more when the US gets hit with a Category 3 though

Plus, they are forecasting that in many respects the greatest damage will be done in some cases by the storm surge, which follows behind the hurricane and will be arriving tonight after dark. It's particularly bad for the keys, which in many cases are only a few feet above sea level.

Edit: The surge is predicted to be between 10 and 15 feet.

Academic

I should add, however, that many homes in the keys are built on stilts, so they're essentially one-storey off the ground.

B.A._Baracus

Israel Happy Marine wrote: »

The expectation in such emergencies is not that everybody would go to hotels. Temporary accommodation is set up in halls and centres in safe areas. The price of rooms has nothing to do with anything.

So no one, at all, who has left the state has booked in to some hotel some where?

Also don't be green. Supply and demand. If thousands of people need hotels you hike up the price. Simple business. Happens even here during the summer.

Academic

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

So no one, at all, who has left the state has booked in to some hotel some where?

Also don't be green. Supply and demand. If thousands of people need hotels you hike up the price. Simple business. Happens even here during the summer.

It's been reported that many hotels in surrounding states have been fully booked for several days now.

The_Valeyard

You know what I wouldnt do?


Shoot guns at a hurricane, cause, you know, common sense and all.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sheriff-warns-people-shooting-hurricane-irma/story?id=49741491


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-reg-shooting-bullets-into-irma-20170910-story.html

MadYaker

There are structures in Florida which are rated for cat 5 hurricanes. Stadiums, schools, university buildings, community centres etc. This is where all the people who haven't the means to leave the state end up. If necessary the authorities will help them get there. They aren't allowed much belongings because there's no space. Enough clothes to last them a few days is all they are allowed to bring, there's space for pets too but it's almost refugee camp like conditions. My aunt has a house on the gulf coast of Florida but she's in Ireland at the moment so she's one of the lucky ones. She's still not happy though. At this stage if the walls of her house are still standing that'll be a positive outcome. They've had hurricanes before but this is the worst in the 20 years since they bought the house.

MissShihTzu

My cousin was caught by Irma in Antigua. She got through it OK - just some windows smashed and of course, no power. She managed to send a video of the aftermath. It wasn't pretty - The whole place has been smashed to smithereens. The island of Barbuda has been flattened. Literally nothing left.

Now they're bracing themselves for Jose and Katia...

Pugzilla

The Hurricane is the size of France, if it hit Ireland directly then there would be nowhere to hide from it.

Harry Palmr

Joking aside at least here houses are built of things like brick and blocks. In the States wood shacks and mobile homes are where a large chunk of the population live.

Cheerful Spring

MissShihTzu wrote: »

My cousin was caught by Irma in Antigua. She got through it OK - just some windows smashed and of course, no power. She managed to send a video of the aftermath. It wasn't pretty - The whole place has been smashed to smithereens. The island of Barbuda has been flattened. Literally nothing left.

Now they're bracing themselves for Jose and Katia...

Hurricane Jose looks like will miss the United States. I believe it has bypassed the Caribbean. Hurricane Katia hit the Mexico area will not hit America or the Caribbean There is a new storm Lee but not sure yet it will develop to a hurricane.

Noveight

If I was living in one of the areas expected to be hit I'd be dialing up relatives/friends elsewhere, don't think I'd take my chances and batten down the hatches.

rossie1977

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Joking aside at least here houses are built of things like brick and blocks. In the States wood shacks and mobile homes are where a large chunk of the population live.

A cat 4 or 5 hurricane and it wouldn't really matter. I remember the Christmas storm of 1997 battered the west coast. The roof of the big shed across the road from me tore off like tin foil and we lost power for nearly a week. . I can't imagine what kind of damage sustained winds of 150-185mph like the Caribbean islands experienced would do

Places like Galway, Dublin and cork city are so low lying that any kind of storm surge a major hurricane would bring would cause total devastation......

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

tiger55

Richard Branson left his black staff members, and didnt invite them in. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=711NEyRQ_8M

B.A._Baracus

So am watching CNN. They cut to a reporter that is outside. Starts going on about how he could be in the eye of the storm. Behind him walks a man and his dog. The man waves at the camera. The dog is happily walking along. The reporter then switches tactic and says how people are coming out now. Yet seconds before it was doom and gloom.

Feckin' CNN :pac:

Kermit.de.frog

Since, in reality this has been so underwhelming, CNN coverage reminds me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krFN7jHKNNo

silverharp

rescuing trainers seems to be a thing

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/907006944489213953

AllGunsBlazing

rossie1977 wrote: »

A cat 4 or 5 hurricane and it wouldn't really matter. I remember the Christmas storm of 1997 battered the west coast. The roof of the big shed across the road from me tore off like tin foil and we lost power for nearly a week. . I can't imagine what kind of damage sustained winds of 150-185mph like the Caribbean islands experienced would do

Places like Galway, Dublin and cork city are so low lying that any kind of storm surge a major hurricane would bring would cause total devastation......

The big shed is always the first to go.

Canis Lupus

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Feckin' CNN :pac:

Feckin News in general you mean. Sure when what'sherface did the infamous 'don't make unnecessary journeys' there on RTE News some fella wandered past out for a walk.

Witchie

I would try to get out of dodge but it isn't always just as easy as packing your car and going.

One of my best mates lives in Fort Lauderdale. She is a teacher and was working until Thursday. She recently changed teaching jobs so hasn't received her full pay yet so is stone broke.

She was telling me that she would have really had to leave Wednesday or Thursday to get anywhere safe before the chaos began and even if they did leave then, they would still be sitting in traffic burning fuel that was hard to come by.

For her, the safest thing to do was to hunker down. She took her daughter and dog and went to her mums coz her house is 2 storey and the landlord didn't leave shutters for the the top floor and is in Egypt. Her mum has a bungalow and proper shutters so it is safer.

I had a crap sleep worrying about her and other friends in Port St Lucie last night. She hadn't been online in 12 hours before I finally submitted to sleep but about an hour ago she posted on fb that they were ok. They had no internet or mobile coverage. Am just so relieved that they are ok.

PSL friends seem to be fine as they have checked in recently.

Scary stuff.

Academic

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Joking aside at least here houses are built of things like brick and blocks. In the States wood shacks and mobile homes are where a large chunk of the population live.

Depends on how you define "a large chunk of the population." It's about 10 percent of the population, the vast majority of them in he south.

The U.S. is a pretty urbanized country.

Academic

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

So am watching CNN. They cut to a reporter that is outside. Starts going on about how he could be in the eye of the storm. Behind him walks a man and his dog. The man waves at the camera. The dog is happily walking along. The reporter then switches tactic and says how people are coming out now. Yet seconds before it was doom and gloom.

Feckin' CNN :pac:

Nothing surprising there. The eye is always calm. Doesn't mean the storm is over.

branie2

What's the outcome after the hurricane?

MadYaker

It's not over yet... http://google.org/crisismap/2017-irma?hl=en&llbox=35.46%2C11.66%2C-40.38%2C-100.41&t=TERRAIN&layers=3%2C1340721332252%2C30%2C1%2C31%2C32%2C5%2C49%2C15%2C11%2C20%2C12%2Clayer9%2Clayer8

Find Florida on this you can see it's sitting right over western Florida now.

jmayo

Riddle101 wrote: »

Wouldn't be a bad thing to live in a caravan/mobile home in the US I think. You could live like a turtle and bring your home wherever you go. With Irma hitting Florida you could drive to a safer location a wait out the storm without having to worry about your property being damage or destroyed. Something I would definitely invest in if I ever moved to the United States.

People do not live in caravans, motorhomes or rvs.
Well some do, but more people live in trailer parks.

They are mobile homes in what are called trailer parks.
Actually most are not very mobile at all.
And you need big truck to move them and I don't mean a pickup.

Maybe you should do bit more research before that move to the US.

B.A._Baracus

Academic wrote: »

Nothing surprising there. The eye is always calm. Doesn't mean the storm is over.

The storm was over from where the reporter was. Wasn't too hard hit too (just the part of florida he was in)

But hey its live TV baby. Always some idiot who'll buy into the whole "I'm now directly in the eye Tom" while they watch. Or someone who'll reply back on a message board going on about the eye being calm but yet not seeing said clip of said reporter and coming off as a know it all

DEFTLEFTHAND

I see Richard Branson's private island have been absolutely ravaged by the Hurricane.

He was there at the time and had to take shelter in his wine cellar.

Academic

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

The storm was over from where the reporter was. Wasn't too hard hit too (just the part of florida he was in)

[...]

No he wasn't. He was in the eye. The lower half of the storm (admittedly always the lesser of the two so far as wind, rain, etc.) had yet to hit him.

Think of a hurricane as a circle moving north. He was in the middle, not yet having been hit by the bottom half.