Irma, Here We Go Again

[dochudson]

Heard the weather channel say the storm surge around Miami will come Monday morning during high tide.

 

[wilson34]

I lived in St Petersburg, Florida for 10 years before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio last year. There is an old folk lord that us locals would tell. There is a small Island called Edgemont Key, just off St Pete beach. It is believed that the Indian tribe that was killed there-still wonder the sea and protect the St Pete Beach area. I never believed in those tails, but today I have hope and pray that all my family and friends will be safe.

 

[buckaroo]

I got out of the US Virgin Islands by the skin of my teeth late Monday. :D

 

[mso489]

It's the tide surge and heavy rain, the flooding that causes the most fatalities by far. A lot of people are hit after the wind stops and the sun comes out. It seems like kind of a dirty trick, but it's true. So be extra cautious when you feel the urge to go out and inspect the damage. Watch the down power lines anywhere, and overhead when riding in boats. Beware the unseen objects below the surface whether in a boat or vehicle. Avoid driving through water even though it looks shallow; it can float you or move you sideways into deeper water. Be safe brothers, and your families and communities as well.

 

[drydock]

Too true about storm surge & flooded streets. When I was little, my parents & I got stuck in a flash flood, the car started floating with us in it toward the river. Mom climbed out window, dad handed me to her & then crawled out his window. They both made it to higher ground--and mom swears if she hadn't had my extra weight she'd have been swept away. Scary night. A really kind family took us in for the night and gave us dry clothes.
My folks evacuated a couple days ago with my Gran. So far, all is well. Hope & pray all those in harm's way stay safe, stay smart and take care of each other.

 

[mso489]

Right now, N.C. is out of the "cone of uncertainty" in tracking Irma altogether. So Kevin and Lori should have a most pleasant several days in Asheville. Maybe a little rain along with the rest of us. I hope they are correct. These storms are shifty devils. drydock, that's a hair raising story. Your folks were so smart and quick and capable.

 

[lotharen]

They have it tracking right over my small town in Georgia even with it shifting more westward. We are keeping a watchful eye on the news. Isn't suppose to reach us until tomorrow and a LOT can happen between now and then.

 

[admin]

St. Pete has a curfew starting at 5 pm today, and lasting until the storm passes.
Having a Bloody Mary and watching The Weather Channel’s “Super Bowl” – Hurricane Irma beating the shit out of Florida for the next 24 hours.
We are still going to get enough of the storm here in Asheville, and locally, they are predicting some power outages up here too.

 

[bluesmoke]

I'm sitting on the back porch with my wife and some St. James Flake, in East Orlando, watching the early rains of Irma rolling in. Pretty pleasant outside right now, but it's supposed to get rough later this evening and worse tomorrow. We're halfway up the state and midway between the coasts, so we won't get it as bad as some other places. Forecasts suggest the worst we might get is 7-12 inches of rain (chance of some flooding?) and 75+mph winds (= power outages). But we're stored up and well prepared. Love watching the wonder of nature playing through the woods. And sending up a few prayers for all of us down here. I'll head back into the house when the winds get too strong for me to keep my pipe lit...

 

[mso489]

I'm really watching the west coast of Florida, the Ft. Myers area, for my cousin and his wife and neighbor. It's more difficult to see what Irma will do a day or two out as it moves inland. The tracking shows it mostly in Tennessee and the far west of N.C., but not much attention is being paid to that while Florida experiences this landfall. For Kevin and Lori, I hope Asheville is just getting backwash. Florida is not the place to be this week.

 

[balkisobrains]

They're saying Naples is (probably) going to get hit twice with the eye-wall and have bad storm-surge flooding. It's already getting torn up with winds and some flooding. Fortunately, the eye-wall pressure was rising (last I heard), and the winds are slowing down a bit, and the whole thing is moving forwards more quickly, but they are saying 130mph gusts right now on Marco Island. Two cranes have collapsed in Miami. I have already heard of a couple of tragic fatalities involving a head-on crash between two officers on shift-change. Hopefully everyone stays safe if they get caught in it as it moves along.

 

[mso489]

Last night (Sunday 9/10) things seemed to be getting a little better with a lower category and less storm surge than anticipated. However, I am still keeping my fingers crossed. Often there is a bloom of optimism before people have had a full 24 hours to assess damages. Today, Monday, I don't think we have a full picture of things. Stay tuned. We will probably have a somewhat clearer view by tomorrow, Tuesday. I did enjoy the report that the Hemingway house on Key West and its staff had rode out the storm in good shape, herding in the six-toed cats some of which (sensing the problem) scooted running in the door. So I think it was about ten people and around fifty cats. The cats knew they'd chosen a good spot to hunker down and stayed calm. Hoping for the best for all the people affected. My cousin in the Ft. Myers area will probably not have phone or computer charge for a while and will be busy cleaning up their riverfront property, but I hope to hear good news by and by. From TV, I believe the storm got in and out of the Ft. Myers area before sunset, so at least they didn't have to listen to the storm roar in the dark. My main concern for them now is the Caloosahatchie River, which fronts their property, since it will reflect some of the tidal and surge effects.

 

[balkisobrains]

I think most areas so far have gotten pretty lucky, the wind speeds and storm surges weren't as bad as they could have been. I'll have to check, but there might be some time ahead where areas will have the water returning that was blown out, plus a high tide, although that might have passed already.

 

[zack24]

In Sarasota and Tampa, we got lucky. The most damage i had was a screen panel in my lanai...my rental house that is covered with huge 100 year old live oaks had no damage. The amazing thing is that we had no hurricane prep- when we were leaving for Italy, this was looking like it would run up the Atlantic coast....and after we left, the track changed to the Gulf...

 

[cortezattic]

Glad to hear that you dodged a bullet there, Zack. When I first learned that Floridians were advised to evacuate, and the storm track was predicted to go straight up the length of the state, I asked myself, "Evacuate to where?!"

Now I know: Italy! :wink:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Good to know SRQ was spared the worst. My folks used to live on Manasota Key, about 30 miles South.

 

[mso489]

My cousin, his wife and an elderly neighbor made it through Irma, and my cuz' called me yesterday to fill me in. Both his home and his folks old house where he was a teenager, both built on berms, stayed above the water on their riverfront property, but they were surrounded by water otherwise. They could make it down their drive to the road in a high-riding SUV. My cousin complained about some nasty behavior by people who hoarded gasoline and bragged about it. Big yacht owners out running the storm west to east on the Caloosahatchie River, threw wake high enough to bowl over his little pontoon boat he had hoisted and tethered out of harms way, but a neighbor with equipment helped him rescue his boat. They ran a generator part time to conserve fuel, so had freezer and refrigeration, as well as fans to keep the air moving. So all in all, they were well prepared and safe near Ft. Myers. Prayers answered. Lots of damage all around. His son is in the landscaping business, so he may actually benefit as time goes on, putting gardens and golf courses back together. The son and family did okay, but their subdivision had many split and fall full-growth trees, including a near miss beside his house.

 

[deathmetal]

Glad to hear they made it out. We're still doing storm clean-up here. Wrenching.