Good luck to all you facing Hurricane Matthew — though I realize some have already evacuated and might not be reading this until later.
If you’re within the storm zone but in a place you can stay put, be glad you’ve got your stored food and water. Rumors that you may also require holy water for Matthew are probably exaggerated.
But it’s Haiti. They made a pact with the devil. Pat Robertson said so. Holy water is most definitely needed.
But holy water is CATHOLIC — and everybody (at least those of us raised fundie Protestant) knows that Papists are also demon spawn!
I’ve only lived down here for 3 years and a bit so Hermine was my first hurricane. Looks like it was a baby one compared to this. Could get interesting. I think we’re pretty well prepped, though. Plenty of food, drinking water, etc. Electronics charged up, battery and solar lanterns on hand, first aid kit audited, etc. I’m down to things like freezing extra ice for the coolers to use while the power is out.
My daughter and SIL work at Sea Island, Georgia. The resort closed, and Georgia instituted mandatory evacuation. So daughter, SIL, twin grandkids and MIL are heading west to some friends who live higher up.
I told them we’d find room here, but they thought Texas might be a bit further than they have to go.
So we’re keeping fingers crossed that their apartment and workplace will survive.
Good luck to you, Thomas Knapp. (And good luck does tend to go to those who prep.) Please keep us posted as you can.
LarryA, guess you’ll just have to keep the homefires burning next time a hurricane blasts the Gulf Coast. Bet you’ll have some takers for your hospitality if there’s another Rita or Katrina.
I made the call to evac days ago when the track showed Matthew brushing us as a Cat 2-3. Got to the BOL this afternoon, and the projection a solid hit at Cat 4.
What’s bizarre (from my viewpoint) is that as late as this morning, idiots in Florida were still asking what to do, and if the city is going to provide sandbags, and what to do if the aren’t sandbags. Poor sheriff kept telling them, “Get out. We don’t provide sandbags. We’ve never provided sandbags. There wouldn’t be enough sandbags to handle the surge anyway. GET OUT! We’ve been telling you for days to GET OUT!”
“So what should people do if they stay. Will you have crews to rescue them?”
“NO. WE SAID GET OUT. We don’t have enough crews, and I won’t send them out in a Cat 4 to rescue idiots. GET OUT.”
“But what if…”
GET OUT.”
Best part was the ASL interpreter; if anything his body language and gestures were even more emphatic. I’m sure he was thinking, “Stop asking stupid questions so I can GET OUT.”
Yeah, if I lived in coastal Florida, I’d already be hell and gone out of there right now.
We’re about 80 miles inland from the Atlantic coast, 50 from the Gulf coast, only 100 miles or so south of the Georgia line, and on ground that’s relatively flat and high for the area. Not as nice as being out of the storm’s path, but definitely better than being in a surge or likely flood area.
I did ask Tamara if she was interested in spending a weekend in Atlanta or Chattanooga, but she didn’t want to leave the animals — and I’m guessing stuff’s pretty booked up and backed up in that direction anyway.
Jeez, HWFIW. I know people don’t learn, even from recent history. But that’s so bad it’s almost laughable.
I recall, in the wake of that monster of 1992, Hurricane Andrew, dimwitted reporters interviewing a dimwitted couple who wept and moaned the OMG WE DON’T HAVE MILK FOR OUR BAAAAAABYYYYYYY. And the newsie expected the whole world to pity this poor, poor, poor couple and their poor, poor, poor helpless baaaaabyyyyyy. And I could think was, “HOW long in advance did you know this monster was coming at you? HOW many warnings did you get? HOW many times were you told to either get out or prepare?” The only thing pitiable about that baby was that he had such dumbass irresponsible parents.
But it never changes, does it? You see the same idiot reporters interviewing versions of that same idiot couple, expecting the same idiot pity, even now.
Glad you’re out and safely at your bug-out-location. Nice to know that SOME people majorly get it.
http://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-matthew-loop-hit-florida-twice-2016-10
This is a weird — if still unlikely — possibility: a smaller storm pushing Matthew back toward land after it’s already veered out to sea. Or two storms joining.
I’ve never been in anything that was officially labeled a hurricane, but the worst storm I ever endured had category-3 level winds that stalled for an astounding 30 hours right over my area. And this happened because two storms, each expected to be unusually nasty but not catastrophic, merged. So a pair of 80 mph storms turned into one 130 mph storm. I realize it’s not likely, but if anything like that happened with a storm that’s already cat-3 or cat-4 … OMG.
Oh yeah, and if you’re out there, Shel (and anybody other Commentariat members in the danger zone), report in when you can and let us know you’re okay.
“This is a weird — if still unlikely — possibility: a smaller storm pushing Matthew back toward land after it’s already veered out to sea. Or two storms joining.”
Ivan made a complete loop in 2004. Several others have made loops while still out to sea.
Of the models the NWS uses for consensus track projections, all but GFDLproject a southerly turn, GPS and BAMM both show the turn completing a loop. BAMM usually seems to an outlier, but — if I recall correctly — GPS doesn’t do too badly.
So… Could happen.
Reporting from Miami-Dade:
We dodged not a bullet, but an 155 mm shell from a howitzer. Some wind and light rain… in fact, (at this time of 10:09 pm) it rained hard last week than today.
Do please pray for the people from Mid Florida and up as Matthew will be skipping along the beach up there.
LarryA, guess you’ll just have to keep the homefires burning next time a hurricane blasts the Gulf Coast.
Somewhat possible.
My older daughter, however, is a lot further inland, and is more likely to be running a shelter in the arena where she works, than needing one.
I’m likely to be helping at our church, also designated as a shelter.
Just got a call from my other daughter, and theyre well inland staying with friends. My grandkids think it’s a grand adventure.
Watching the news reports, it sounds like Florida and Georgia emergency response is much more realistic, as in, “We are going to lose power, and getting it back on will take awhile” and a hell of a lot more organized and proactive, as compared to New Orleans.
Despite HWFIW’s dumbass factor.
Out here, im waiting for the Cascadia Subduction Zone to go tilt.
At least with hurricanes now you have time to see it coming.
I’m 20 miles inland from the west coast. Mathew won’t be due east of me until this afternoon.
So far 20-30 mph winds and some rain.
Having lived in Fl for 58 of my 62 years I’ve experienced more hurricanes than I wanted, so I’m prepped year round(except for beer, which for some reason I keep having to restock).
I saw people buying supplies as late as yesterday.
My most vivid memory is Elena in ’85 playing pinball off of Cedar key. Dropped my first, and hopefully only, tornado in my back yard.
Contrary to common belief, it only sounds like a train if you were laying on the tracks.
Good luck to all you east coasters!
Chad,
Sounds like you’re not too far from me (I live between Gainesville and Archer). I expected some storm overnight but all we got is some rain. Wind’s about 20mph on and off at the moment. Forecast says 35mph in the afternoon. All in all, things look good for it not being nearly as bad even as Hermine over on this side of the state.
Be thankful it’s not Biloxi’s Camille (225 mph winds, 25-foot surge). And the winds are from the weaker NW quadrant.
This is probably the best early-warning deal in many a year. Anybody who didn’t get the word is a voluntary mushroom.
Ah, yes. Camille. And the Richelieu Apartments. Site of that famous hurricane party (that actually wasn’t).
http://camille.passchristian.net/hurricane_party.htm
Thomas
Yeah…citrus county.
Getting stronger gusts now…30+. Very little rain.
Nothing like the stronger ones I’ve seen and certainly nothing close to Camille.
Hoping the east coasters are OK!
Looks like it’s not over just yet.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/will-two-hurricanes-collide-matthew-forecast-to-loop-back-and-hit-florida-as-nicole-races-across-atlantic
Got a text from my son a couple of hours ago. His wife’s parents live in W. Palm Beach, FL and all they’ve gotten so far is light rain. Calm before the storm? ‘Course if Matthew loops back, it will be a whole new ballgame.
And here are some of those idiots who refused to leave begging for help.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/hurricane-matthew-roars-toward-florida-bringing-dire-warnings-from-u-s-officials-this-storm-will-kill-you
CAPE CANAVERAL — Officials say people who refused to evacuate from central Florida’s Atlantic coast are calling for help now as Hurricane Matthew’s western eyewall brushes past Cape Canaveral.
The National Hurricane Center said at 6 a.m. EDT Friday that during the last hour, a wind gust of 100 mph occurred in Cape Canaveral.
Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued for 90,000 people living on barrier islands and in mobile homes and low-lying areas.
Brevard County Emergency Operations spokesman David Waters said early Friday that some residents who refused to leave now find themselves cut off as they face the worst of the hurricane.
He says a family called in that the roof “just flew off their home on Merritt Island.”
Waters says people will just have to stay put for now and do the best they can until conditions improve and paramedics and firefighters can be dispatched to help them.
Waters says he has talked to other families who have said things like, “We’re scared. We wish we hadn’t stayed.”
Gainesville had 2-3 hours of fairly high wind (35-45 mph) and a power outage that lasted about an hour. Still getting some gusts, but from the radar it looks like we’re pretty much done with it. But even 20-30 miles east of here looks like they caught some hell, though.
To quote one of those “Advice For Yankee Transplants” emails-
“Speaking of the weather, if you live near the coast down here in the south you will no doubt be introduced to what we call a hurricane. Southerners are known to wrestle live alligators and hunt wild hogs with just a bowie knife and a bandana. In other words, they don’t scare easily. I say this to drive home the point that if you see southerners evacuating then something bad is definately about to happen. A hurricane is like a bad redneck marriage. It is almost certain that someone’s going to lose a trailer.”