Hurricane Florence

Submitted by CLord on

For those of us in the Carolinas and Virginia this is shaping up to be a hell of a week.  Not sure what I fear more though - the hurricane or that it’s Craig James week for Michigan football.  Seriously though, wish us luck battening down the hatches this week and the rest of you please hide your hookers (never gets old.)

CLord

September 10th, 2018 at 1:22 PM ^

The worst part is this ginormous oak tree on my front lawn that has been begging to be cut down for years as it has aged, now with soft roots and base after a week of torrential downpours.  I'm giving ole TreeBeard out there a 35% chance to level my house if this hurricane does what it is likely to do.

ChrisBrown

September 10th, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^

Yeah, stay safe down there. My family was scheduled to have a reunion right on the ocean in Duck, NC beginning on Friday. Don't think I'll be making the flight now.

maizenbluenc

September 10th, 2018 at 10:47 PM ^

I moved down right after Fran. Pine trees damaged a lot of roofs.

The angle this one is taking puts us on the worst quadrant for wind, and is supposed to hang around and dump rain - a lot of rain. This is not going to fun, and if you have trees to the north east, may want to have a roofer on speed dial.

Stay safe all, and have fun at the grocery store, gas station and Lowes...

RainbowSprings

September 10th, 2018 at 1:07 PM ^

Went through the same thing here in west Florida last year with Hurricane Irma. We lucked out in my neighborhood. In the very last few hours, the storm center veered just slightly to the west. No real wind damage, but we were out of power for 45 hours.

One of the governors in your area said it best, "Prepare for the worst; pray for the best."  Best of luck to all of you in the path of the storm.

theintegral

September 10th, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^

We have rented a home (cottage) on Chincoteague starting Friday.  Fully paid, no returns.  Was so looking forward to it.  Good health and good luck to MGocoasters.

mgoaggie

September 10th, 2018 at 1:11 PM ^

I was in NC for work for a few weeks, and one of the main things I remember was being in Walmart during a storm (not a bad one, by any means), and mobs of people buying up every gallon of milk, every loaf of bread and every carton of eggs. I mean, just piling those items up in their carts. It was the most interesting take I've ever seen on emergency preparedness. In any case, stay safe out there.

Edit: I should add, I was there because it was the night of the re-release of Hostess products. I bought Twinkies while everyone else was getting their french toast essentials.

L'Carpetron Do…

September 10th, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^

Should be kicking up some gnar swell up the east coast for you ocean junkies but be careful.  I usually think this is the best time of year to go to the beach up in the northeast because its empty (everyone watching football on the weekends) and the water is warm and the waves are great.  But, be careful, hopefully it blows out to sea and doesn't cause any trouble or damage.

Blue Ninja

September 10th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^

Live near Columbia, SC. Last night stopped at Publix to grab a few supplies and talking to the cashier they had ran out of water earlier in the day but when I was there the shelves were about half full. Not looking forward to possibly having no power for a few days but some people buy like they're going to without for 2 weeks!

Perkis-Size Me

September 10th, 2018 at 1:23 PM ^

Is there any part of this country where you don't have to go year-to-year wondering what natural disaster could befall you? 

Southeast has hurricanes. Northeast has blizzards and Nor'easters. Midwest has blizzards and tornadoes. Great Plains has tornadoes. West Coast has firestorms and earthquakes. Southwest has (although not officially a natural disaster) scorching heat waves that can actually kill you if you're outside for too long. 

I guess maybe the Pacific Northwest? Up there the most you're really worrying about is some rainfall most days of the year. 

ChopBlock

September 10th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^

Idaho/Montana/Wyoming*. No tsunami/earthquake issues and Rainier probably won't kill you when it blows. Can get pretty chilly up north though...

Utah, on the other hand, will at some point experience an earthquake along the Wasatch Front that the state is completely unprepared for. A lot of people are gonna be trapped in unreinforced masonry buildings...

*If/when Jellystone blows up, most of the contiguous US is screwed regardless of location, so we'll just ignore that little hazard for now.

gruden

September 10th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^

PNW is part of ring of fire, wouldn't be excited to live there. 

Really, Michigan is in a pretty good place as far as natural disasters go.  Blizzards really aren't on same scale as hurricanes.  Tornadoes are infrequent.  Might have to deal with some flooding depending on where you live. 

NittanyFan

September 10th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^

According to this link (a website called "World Property Journal") ---- Michigan is THE safest state in the country as regards natural disasters.

http://www.worldpropertyjournal.com/north-america-residential-news/riskiest-states-for-property-damage-storm-surge-property-damage-in-florida-corelogic-natural-disasters-2014-dr-howard-botts-hurricane-property-damage-8497.php

Michigan's ranking does make sense.  The Great Lakes don't spawn hurricanes.  North of the heart of tornado alley.  Not near earthquake or volcano zones.  Wildfires occur occasionally but they aren't usually large.  Floods are fairly rare (1986 Mid-Michigan floods were the last real major one).

Shop Smart Sho…

September 10th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^

I'm in Wilmington. Was supposed to be moving out of this apartment at the end of the month and onto my sailboat that I've owned for less than six months. Luckily my insurance pays out more than I have in the boat if everything goes wrong. I'll be heading to the marina tomorrow morning to empty it out and secure it as best I can. I leave for a bachelor party in Gatlinburg on Wednesday night, and I'm not sure what I'll be heading back to on Monday.

MGoblu8

September 10th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^

Living in south Florida, I’ve been through several, with some worse than others (Wilma was a bitch when I was in Miami in 05, and Irma destroyed our pool screen, our roof, and our fence last year). Honestly, we’ve never had an issue with water, but we always make sure to have plenty on hand. You can fill a bathtub if you have a hard time finding water, but you’ll probably be ok. The biggest issues have been wind and power. Put away anything that can fly, especially lawn furniture, trampolines, etc. If you have kids or pets, it can be terrifying. Make sure you have board games, flash lights, and BATTERIES. Having a grill with plenty of propane is important. Be prepared for several days without power. Man, I feel for you guys, though I think we may have one coming right behind it. Maybe we can pin a thread for people to ask questions or get help if needed. I’ll answer whatever I can. Good luck and stay safe.

Dorothy_ Mantooth

September 10th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^

My heart and best wishes go out to those in the path of Florence... having lived through 4 hurricanes and a couple major tropical storms in my lifetime, including the 50-60 inches of rain dumped in and around my neighborhood during Harvey last August.

Best advice: 1) leave if you can, 2) water and wind always win, 3) seeing flood water pouring into your home is something you'll never forget or want to live through again, 4) Vaya Con Dios...or whomever or whatever gets you through it.