They’ve detected 85 foot waves (EIGHTY FIVE) in Florence. Waves are measured trough to peak, so that really means 42 feet above sea level, but how high is the highest part of the Outer Banks, again?
Wow! Those are monster waves! It would drench much of our sea level state! Glad Olivia isn’t as powerful as Florence!
Just google “Biloxi after Katrina” for an idea of what that kind storm surge could do. Katrina’s was between 25 and 30 feet, IIRC.
Here’s an article about changing flights due to weather:
Went through Irma last year living inland in Tampa. Whole Florida peninsula affected a lot even if only a cat one storm. Gas stations ran out of gas, stores of many foods et al. Son in Seattle called us idiots (been her six years now- in the evacuate TO zone) for not leaving. Two days before the storm was too late. If another hurricane is likely we would have gassed up the car and left days before it was too late with stations out of gas and huge traffic delays. Even though our neighborhood had minimal tree/bush damage and never lost power there were effects. Stores closed, the whole area shut down (even the online library book loans).
Those in the areas likely to be hit- do everything they tell you to (if it’s not too late). Be prepared with all that information et al.
Better to move all of that stuff back outdoors et al than have things become missiles. Get your milk before the grocery store closes or moves things to the back refrigerator. We filled many containers with drinking water and froze as much as would fit the freezer- would have kept things colder and supplemented jugs of water. Also filled tubs- bathing, hand washing, flushing(?) water. We thawed and used drinking water for many days after the hurricane.
It was fascinating to follow the weather but it was wearing to be under threat for days before landfall in our area. It is psychologically wearing to anticipate a disaster. Having schools, businesses, libraries et al shut down for days while waiting was not fun.
PS- crews from our area are already heading north to help like so many OOS ones did for us. Many weeks of seeing trucks from far away- Oklahoma included. Last year one Tampa crew returned from 10 days helping in Houston to prep their own homes before going on duty locally.
In addition to the coast, I’m also concerned about the inland areas where residents may not realize the potential impact on them. I’ve seen a lot of flooding, trees down, power out, etc. in places that are 200+ miles from the coast when a big storm stalls as it weakens. We had relatives living in small towns outside Charlotte who were without power for two weeks after Hugo.
There are lots of hog farms in NC which created serious health hazards after Hugo, too. Contaminated water led to a jump in GI infections. @wis75 gave good advice about filling bathtubs for hand washing and bathing as well as flushing. People think about drinking water but not about that so much.
I have very good friends who live in NC, but just across the line north of Myrtle Beach. Looks like theyr’e going to be direct hit. When I emailed, my friend said their house is hurricane proof, but they’re in a really low-lying area, and it’s the flooding I worry about. They’re somewhat older and fatalistic, and I can’t stop fretting.
Some of the worst flooding is predicted way inland on the Pamlico River and the Neuse River. The idea is the storm surge flows up the river, and the runoff flows down the river, and they pile just where the river starts to widen, 50 miles inland from the outer barrier islands.
Oh and don’t start me on the hog crap lagoons. Just a disaster waiting to happen, even under normal circumstances.
Anyone who saw the awful flooding in VT during Hurricane Sandy, or maybe it was Irene, understands how far inland the devastation can reach.
My cousin is visiting her D & grandkids, who live on the NC shore. They left a couple days ago & have set up in a Residence Inn in WV. They plan to stay as long as they need to. Another cousin lives in Charleston & does not seem to be feeling the need to leave. Wishing the best to all who live in the path of the hurricane and the flooding that’s sure to follow.
Good news. The storm system has weakened a bit.
The storm in the pacific has passed Oahu. It caused some power outages but so far haven’t heard that our state suffered too much.
Florence is down to a Cat 2, but the National Hurricane Center says it is still predicting the same rainfall and storm surge as before. Stay safe, everyone.
We are still having a lot of rain in parts of the state due to the tropical storm, especially Maui and Big Island of Hawaii.
Agree—stay safe!
The press should stop interviewing the very foolish individuals who decide to ‘ride it out’ at the beach.
So last year at this time we barely beat out the hurricane to get across country for the birth of our first grandchild (the pilot told us they closed the airport just after we left). And now we are headed to her first birthday party… and… here we go again. At least this time I don’t have a newly broken ankle.
Yes, press interviewing people who make dangerous choices and refuse to heed official evacuation orders should NOT be glorified or interviewed. They may be expecting rescue and endanger lives of rescuers when they end up in severe danger. Argh!
I don’t agree that people who decide to ride it out shouldn’t be interviewed. Being interviewed doesn’t make your bad decision good. And it could throw light on why people don’t go-- because they don’t have a car or a ride or the money. Because they don’t want to leave their animals or they have an ill family member who can’t make the trip. I remember that a lesson learned after Katrina was that people will refuse rescue if it means leaving their pets behind and that policy was changed for the Houston rescues. The more that is known about why people don’t go the better prepared we can be to encourage and facilitate future evacuations.
Certainly some of the hold-outs just seem stubborn but that will be revealed in the interview. I don’t think recognizing questionable behavior promotes it.
Every person that I have seen interviewed, with the exception of one, gave as their reason, we have weathered previous storms and we’re not leaving. The one who had a valid reason, and a sad one at that, was a couple, with their two children, who couldn’t leave because they didn’t have the financial ability to fill their car with gas. They were hesitant to stay in a shelter because the wife had an auto-immune disease that might put her at risk in such a situation. This is the type of individual who should be interviewed, and it’s a sad commentary that there isn’t some sort of help for people like this. The others who are stubborn, and foolish, should be ignored, in my opinion. It serves no purpose to put them in front of a camera.
It’s unfortunate that NC evacuation centers apparently will not accept pets. The ones I’ve received info on in SC will. I absolutely can understand people not wanting to leave pets behind.