It's the end of the world

[SeaCat]

So I've been sitting here watching the local news this evening. According to the weathermen it's the end of the world. It is officialy time for everyone in southern Florida to panic. Buy up all the shit from the stores. Stockpile Gasoline, buy a generator and pack your car for the evacuation. Oh make sure to hide the women and children.

Governor Crist has declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

Naturaly I had to go and visit some of the local stores. Nothing major, just some soda and a couple of bottles of Tequila. The gas stations had lines out to the roads. In the stores the shelves of bottled water were empty. The canned food aisles were bedlam and don't even think of getting Plywood. The local Home Depot was sold out. (I watched my neighbor unload his truck. He had enough Plywood to cover the entire trailer. I counted 20 sheets before I gave up.)

On the other hand the updated path now has Ike dropping a bit further south into the Florida Starights then coasting up near the southwest coast of Florida. We shall see.

Cat

Oh I did visit the beach again today. The waves were higher and the surfers were out in force. If I remember to download them from my camera I'll post another one or two.

 

[trysail]

Hanna:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT08/refresh/AL0808W5_sm2+gif/205514W_sm.gif

Ike:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0908W5_sm2+gif/204113W_sm.gif

Josephine:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT10/refresh/AL1008W5_sm2+gif/204124W_sm.gif

 

[epiphany65]

20 sheets of plywood...?! Maybe he's planning on building bookshelves for his vast library.

Seriously, I hope you guys stay out of harm's way and don't suffer much property damage.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

It's always the end of the world. Always has been and always will be.

Of course, for people who live in the path of hurricanes sometimes it really is the end the of the world.

 

[SeaCat]

It's always the end of the world. Always has been and always will be.

Of course, for people who live in the path of hurricanes sometimes it really is the end the of the world.

Well I suppose that's depends on how you look at things.

While I don't want to lose my place or any of my things I can do so and survive. As long as my wife and myself have our health.

It wouldn't be the first time we've had nothing.

Cat

 

[amicus]

Been there, done that, one in Miami, one in Biloxi, not that anyone takes my word for anything, but don't weather one unless you have no way out. It is a thrill, ahm, short changing kinda thrill, but if ya gotta say, "I did it!" Good luck.

ami

 

[rgraham666]

And I feel fine.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

My brother in law went thru ANDREW in 1992. It blew his house apart.

My best friend went thru CAMILLE in 1969. He was 3 miles from the beach on the 2nd floor. The water inside his apartment was 6 inches deep. And outside was nuthin but snakes.

I went thru DONNA in 1960. CAT 4. Very nasty. Pushed trees over like a bulldozer.

 

[SeaCat]

Been there, done that, one in Miami, one in Biloxi, not that anyone takes my word for anything, but don't weather one unless you have no way out. It is a thrill, ahm, short changing kinda thrill, but if ya gotta say, "I did it!" Good luck.

ami

Certainly not a thrill for me. Been through 4 so far and never did enjoy a single one of them.

Luckily none of them were monsters. (Bob on Cape Cod. Francis, Jean and Wilma in 2004,2005.)

Named storms? More than I care to think about.

Un named storms? Things like Nor'Easters count?

Big Weather isn't a thrill for me. The damage and the suffering aren't fun to go through or witness.

Thunderstorms on the other hand are fun.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Evacuation of all visitors to the Keys are now ordered to begin on Saturday. Residents may be ordered to evacuate starting Sunday.

Other areas have not received their evacuation orders yet, although they are talking about them.

Personaly I'm watching and waiting. Everything I need is already set up. If it comes right down to it and we do have to evacuate then we'll be in the hospital. (Now that is a freaking joke.)

Cat

 

[Guest]

Stay safe.

 

[SeaCat]

Stay safe.

But of course, that is the plan.

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

But of course, that is the plan.

Cat

Not if Hurricane Sweetsubsarahh smashes into your trailer, it will be rocking all around like it's about to tip over. Along with the massive flooding you could be totally fucked.

Tell your wife to break out some bacon snacks, I'm driving down to florida to join you.

 

[Guest]

Not if Hurricane Sweetsubsarahh smashes into your trailer, it will be rocking all around like it's about to tip over. Along with the massive flooding you could be totally fucked.

Tell your wife to break out some bacon snacks, I'm driving down to florida to join you.

I'll bring the rum.

 

[Lisa Denton]

I'll bring the rum.

Rum and bacon?

Hmmmmmmmm.

It sounds good after you think about it for awhile.

I'll bring the toys, hope Cat's trailer has lots of 240 electrical plugins.

 

[SweetWitch]

Certainly not a thrill for me. Been through 4 so far and never did enjoy a single one of them.

Luckily none of them were monsters. (Bob on Cape Cod. Francis, Jean and Wilma in 2004,2005.)

Named storms? More than I care to think about.

Un named storms? Things like Nor'Easters count?

Big Weather isn't a thrill for me. The damage and the suffering aren't fun to go through or witness.

Thunderstorms on the other hand are fun.

Cat

Oh, yeah. Thunderstorms are a blast. Shoot, here in the midwest, they're like a carnival ride. I remember, not so long ago, when a line of storms moved through at the end of winter. What a riot.

It was the evening of March 12, 2006. I was working at a TV station at the time. The line of storms moved through spawning tornadoes. Two of them, just little twisters measuring a mere F2, cut a path straight through the state capitol, effectively leveling half the city.

Both tornadoes took the same path, destroying homes, nearly leveling the retail district and putting over 300 families on the streets. 90% of the population of the city and 70% of the outlying areas were without power, in some cases, for as long as a month.

Our station, of course, was on the scene immediately following the first one. Melissa, one reporter, had just lost touch with her husband and children when the second twister set down in her neighborhood, on the other side of town from where she was reporting. She heard the noise of it while on the cell with her husband, just before they were cut off.

She went on the air, ever the professional, not knowing if her family had survived. When it was over, rescue crews and neighbors had to dig them out of what was left of the house, but they were alive.

The really fun part came a week later, with all those people living in tents, hotels and a high school gymnasium, when a blizzard hit. The week after that, another tornado cut through town on the same path, tearing newly built roofs off and putting people out of their homes again.

Thunderstorms sure are fun.

 

[MrsDeathlynx]

Un named storms? Things like Nor'Easters count?

Big Weather isn't a thrill for me. The damage and the suffering aren't fun to go through or witness.

Thunderstorms on the other hand are fun.

Cat

If anyone has suffered through a Nor'easter that would know without a doubt that they count. Not only can you end up with 3+ feet of snow in the winter but the temperatures are also damn cold. You can't go anywhere, you can't see beyond the glass in your window...The snow collapses roofs and buries cars...Nor'Easters aren't fun and having experienced both Nor'Easters and hurricanes (granted no cat 5 but I remember Gloria in 84 which hit new england pretty hard) I would rather deal with the hurricane than a Nor'Easter that can last for multiple days...

My favorite thunderstorm was in the spring of '96 down in PA. There was no sign of storm in sight, not even a cloud in the sky. We got the 4-H tent set up with the fish and livestock (goats and sheep) set up, the draft horses were hitched to their wagon, my best friend and I went into the horse trailor to get dressed to ride our horses for people and we felt the trailor blow around suddenly (4 horse trailor attached to a duel rear wheel diesel truck)...Needless to say we didn't get changed into our show outfits...End of a long story is underground power was knocked out, tornado force winds were found, there was so much static in the air trees exploded from the inside out, the fish on the table died because the electricity travelled up the table legs, not to mention the hail...Damn that was a fun storm to watch once I stopped panicking about the horses being safe because the horse I rode refused to get on the trailor...The drafthorses were indifferent about it, not even the hail bothered them a bit, they stood outside through it all, lol.

 

[SeaCat]

Well the current track now has Ike passing far south of me. Going through Cuba then into the Gulf.

My area can once again start breathing.

Cat

 

[JagFarlane]

If anyone has suffered through a Nor'easter that would know without a doubt that they count. Not only can you end up with 3+ feet of snow in the winter but the temperatures are also damn cold. You can't go anywhere, you can't see beyond the glass in your window...The snow collapses roofs and buries cars...Nor'Easters aren't fun and having experienced both Nor'Easters and hurricanes (granted no cat 5 but I remember Gloria in 84 which hit new england pretty hard) I would rather deal with the hurricane than a Nor'Easter that can last for multiple days...

I definatly have to agree with that statement. At least the hurricanes/tropical storms I've dealt with here in VA and in SC were here and gone. Sure there was flooding and downed trees and out power. Nor'Easters though...ton of snow to dig through, little to no melting to get rid of it, traffic backed up due to snowed in roads. Hell I remember my parents on the third day of '96 hiking to the local Wawa [a few miles away] because the roads weren't clear.

 

[SlickTony]

Josephine's the one that seems to be headed for the upper Atlantic Coast. They say it's due.

Today there was supposed to have been a pre-testing TKD workout from 10 to 1:00. I was late to it, because I had some trouble getting my ass in gear due to what went down Thursday night, but it was just as well: the instructor was late, too. He's a surfer as well as a TKD instructor, and this morning he was out at Jax Beach, catching the last of the Hanna-induced waves, and he forgot the time. But he said they were just about played out; the previous day they'd been 8-10 feet high.

 

[TE999]

It looks now as if Ike's going to do the chicken dance on Cuba, buffet the Keys, sail into the Gulf and make a bee line for N'Awlins. Jeannie has fizzled. Oh well, at least I've got all my storm panels up.

ETA: Jeanne is off the prediction websites.

 

[Weird Harold]

It looks now as if Ike's going to do the chicken dance on Cuba, buffet the Keys, sail into the Gulf and make a bee line for N'Awlins. Jeannie has fizzled. Oh well, at least I've got all my storm panels up.

ETA: Jeanne is off the prediction websites.

I think you mean Josephine, not Jeanne.

I hate to wish bad things for Cuba, but the latest wundergorund graphic for Ike shows a land fall in Cuba as a Cat 4 on Monday now with a continuation into the Gulf as aCAt 2 rebuilding to Cat 3 by Thursday evening.

That's much better than the previous couple of days predictions of a Cat Four rounding the end of Florida and follwing the west coast of Florida up into Alabama.

http://icons-pe.wunderground.com/data/images/at200809_5day.gif

 

[U4ea]

I was really glad Hanna stayed offshore for us! The earlier predictions were ugly. Savannah's long overdue for a hit, so I'm hoping we can hold out another year for getting a visitor. *shakes her head* and Lord knows Florida still needs the break after that mess a few years ago!

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I was really glad Hanna stayed offshore for us! The earlier predictions were ugly. Savannah's long overdue for a hit, so I'm hoping we can hold out another year for getting a visitor. *shakes her head* and Lord knows Florida still needs the break after that mess a few years ago!

I don't like the look of Josephine . . .

 

[U4ea]

She's fizzled out quite a bit, though. She's nowhere near as scary as Ike...