Let the evacuations begin

[Greebe]

Hurricane Ivan (the terrible) now a catagory 5 with 160mph (256kmh) sustained winds has already claimed the lives of 20 people in the Carribean island Grenada.

Evacuations in the Florida Keys have already begun. Tho early to track, is expected to be either in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico or Florida's west coast (ie where I be) by this monday night.

It's next stop is Jamaca. Hope Denty has the hatches battoned down.

[KvHagedorn]

beatcha to it.. hope it doesn't hit Fla again..

[ZokesPro]

Are hurricanes scary? I mean, I know they can huck a 2x4 so hard that it could pass through a brick wall, but what is it like? The only kind of storms I've ever been through are snow storms, and those are hardly life threatening. I'm just curious.

[Greebe]

so

[Greebe]

Zokes don't think 2x4's going through brick walls.. think telephone poles that look like porkypines when straw (like cattle and horse beddding) are forced endwise into the wood.

Think tornado, but 10000 times larger... spuring off tornados, think big as most european countries where you can go out and litterally be swept away by the force... parachuting traveling straight down is typically 130mph. Think forcing water outward so much so that high tides can be 20 feet greater than normal. Think there is no place can protect you. Think a bug hitting your face so hard it can knock your head off. think wind noise so loud that while watching 80' tall pine trees snapping off 20' above the ground right in front of you and not hear a thing!

[ZokesPro]

Sounds like windy hell! (way beyond any storm I've ever faced)

Thanks Greebe, I have a better understanding of hurricanes now, not fully but your description makes me conjure up some pretty intense images. Being in one would be the experience of a life time, not that I really want to be in one.

[schmosef]

Originally posted by Greebe
Zokes don't think 2x4's going through brick walls.. think telephone poles that look like porkypines when straw (like cattle and horse beddding) are forced endwise into the wood.

Think tornado, but 10000 times larger... spuring off tornados, think big as most european countries where you can go out and litterally be swept away by the force... parachuting traveling straight down is typically 130mph. Think forcing water outward so much so that high tides can be 20 feet greater than normal. Think there is no place can protect you. Think a bug hitting your face so hard it can knock your head off. think wind noise so loud that while watching 80' tall pine trees snapping off 20' above the ground right in front of you and not hear a thing!

Ok, so the scariest environment imaginable. Thanks, that's all you gotta say. Scariest environment imaginable.

[Greebe]

If this track holds true it'll come inland at the same place Hurricane Charlie did. were right on the red frindge just south of the next Bay (Tampa Bay) NW

[Greebe]

I was in Hurricane Hugo just inland of where it made landfall. Was in my car (240SX SE) where it was safer than in the house we were staying at. Was listening to Shaw AFB radio station when they lost the radar/broadcast tower when the winds peaked over 147mph. about 10 minutes later the eye passed over us.

Sadly my then GF decided it would be better to get drunk (Yeah hurricane party... fools) and couldn't get back out to fill my tank, was on fumes.

Because there was no power for days afterward no gas could be pumped out of the ground. GF thought, Hey lets catch the Bus (Greyhound)... nope that wasn't going to happen... their roof was upside down in the McDonald's parking lot across the street.

People at a gas station around the corner were so vile that when that mom and pop brought in a tanker truck and dole out 5gallons per person (take a ticket, we'll call out the #'s) butted in line could care less about anyone other than their selves... so much so that they started to mob the owner and take what they could... the owners had to have police show up and control the crowds... they went inside and locked the doors , shaking their heads in utter amazement.

Heard a report on the radio about one guy from Charlotte, NC who owned an ice company. To help out (knowing people had no way to keep anything cool ie stores were giving away all perishable foodstuff) was mobbed when he wasn't doling out the ice fast enough and beaten up badly. The people then started stealing what they could. He managed to get intot he cab and tookoff... with the mob is fast persuit. The city, county and Highway patrol were pulling cars over left and right fearing for his safety... said they had never seen anything like it.

To be honest I really stood out, was one of the very few people who kept their head while everyone else lost it.... You would have thought it was the end of the world, something right out of the Bible.

[ZokesPro]

Originally posted by Greebe
I was in Hurricane Hugo just inland of where it made landfall. Was in my car (240SX SE) where it was safer than in the house we were staying at. Was listening to Shaw AFB radio station when they lost the radar/broadcast tower when the winds peaked over 147mph. about 10 minutes later the eye passed over us.

Sadly my then GF decided it would be better to get drunk (Yeah hurricane party... fools) and couldn't get back out to fill my tank, was on fumes.

Because there was no power for days afterward no gas could be pumped out of the ground. GF thought, Hey lets catch the Bus (Greyhound)... nope that wasn't going to happen... their roof was upside down in the McDonald's parking lot across the street.

People at a gas station around the corner were so vile that when that mom and pop brought in a tanker truck and dole out 5gallons per person (take a ticket, we'll call out the #'s) butted in line could care less about anyone other than their selves... so much so that they started to mob the owner and take what they could... the owners had to have police show up and control the crowds... they went inside and locked the doors , shaking their heads in utter amazement.

Heard a report on the radio about one guy from Charlotte, NC who owned an ice company. To help out (knowing people had no way to keep anything cool ie stores were giving away all perishable foodstuff) was mobbed when he wasn't doling out the ice fast enough and beaten up badly. The people then started stealing what they could. He managed to get intot he cab and tookoff... with the mob is fast persuit. The city, county and Highway patrol were pulling cars over left and right fearing for his safety... said they had never seen anything like it.

To be honest I really stood out, was one of the very few people who kept their head while everyone else lost it.... You would have thought it was the end of the world, something right out of the Bible.

I've heard similar stories back when Quebec was hit with the icestorm in 98, but not quite as bad as that. Goes to show how stupid people can get in large numbers, and in disaster situations.

[KvHagedorn]

Goes to show what lowlives people can be. The only lesson is to not help anyone.

[Dr Mordrid]

Hurricanes are terrible, but as a midwesterner I can't stop thinking about tornados, particularly the two F5's I've seen close up. These made the supposed F5 in the movie Twister look like a toilet drain.

Think in terms mile wide funnel with 300+ mph winds.

The last F5 I saw was when a friend and I were driving between San Antonio and Houston Texas. Damned thing sucked the freeway concrete (prob. 8"-10" thick) right off the roadbed for almost 1/4 mile leaving nothing behind but the trench.

THAT is a powerful storm.

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Three things I'd like too see.

1) Hurricane

2) Tornado

3) Ball Lightening.


Strongest storm I've been in was the 2nd Storm in the SE. Quiet impressive seeing the concrete supports of the factory roof lifting in a powerful gust. One the factory walls started coming lose yet the management still let the poeple walk past it on the way to the canteen. If the wall had collasped the staff would have been trapped.

Strongest winds in Sheffield I experianced where gusts up to 80 MPH which did quite a bit of damage in a very short time. Luckily the storm moved on quickly.

[ZokesPro]

I'd love to see a tornado up close, those things are amazing.

[Jon P. Inghram]

Back in 1990 Wichita got hit by a derecho (a type of straight line wind storm.) Winds were over 100 MPH not counting gusts, was rather scary standing at the back door to our house watching the wind go from really damn strong to "holy $*(%" fast.