Florida Hurricane

[junior340]

Sound's like it is getting really bad. Anyone in that area on here. I hope your ok.

 

[YY1]

39 MPH gusts here as of 1:55

Eye will pass about 150 miles west of us.

Judging by what's already happened, I expect fairly high winds here.

Even though we're on the "rain" side, it's currently not raining.

We had a strong band about 10:30 but only a mild sprinkle type band since.

Since that band, the storm has moved quickly from even with Key West to even with Sarasota.

NWS says 16 MPH but seems faster to me.

 

[wahya]

I’ve been following this one closely. That storm is huge and it was just upgraded to cat 4. We have several friends in that area in the bend and it’s going to keep going into Georgia as a hurricane.

 

[YY1]

Now moving at 25 MPH.

Winds near the eye of 115 MPH.

Another band just started passing through.

Looks like a heavy one.

Eye above Clearwater latitude.

 

[davek]

Be safe to all, and hope for the best.

 

[YY1]

This band has more wind.

Eye approaching Brookesville latitude.

Now a cat 4.

Local Meteorologist guessed landfall at 9 PM.

I think he's early, but not if it picks up speed again.

Just checked our local NOAA station for local gust speeds and there hasn't been an update since 1:00

 

[DeltaV]

The storm surge is not survivable. Hope everyone evacuated away from it.

I heard the storm surge would be 20 feet

 

[YY1]

Tampa had the surge at low tide and streets near the bay are 3 feet under water.

 

[QuickBpBp]

Stay safe everyone down there it looks like a HUGE storm that will have deadly results.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Got a text from Mom in St Augustine (NE corner, just under Jax). Disclaimer - she grew up in Miami in the '30s, so her view of hurricanes is...jaded.

"Thank God - we have been spared Helena!"

If it had been a REAL hurricane...she and her friends (all high-octogenarians) would have simply gone to her house, with boxes of wine and bottles of gin, cranked down the hurricane shutters, and barricaded themselves in with booze and a Steinway baby grand, and caterwauled the night away.

 

[Tony Tee]

Lost power power earlier here in Ocala florida. Heard many branches hitting my roof and the crack and thud of a large tree falling. Went outside to investigate with my flashlight. Nothing nearby caused the outage but i did see several pairs of eyes glowing up in the trees. So the raccoons don't like this storm either!
No doubt I will have to fire up the generator tomorrow. This sucks!

 

[davek]

Lots of power outages here,high winds and rain. Carport is still up,thank God for that. Going to work late and hope the house has power. Be safe all.

 

[Hey-O]

Sound's like it is getting really bad. Anyone in that area on here. I hope your ok.

X2!

 

[ksurfer2]

I'm just east of Tampa. Most of the damage has been in low lying areas subjected to storm surge. The surge was REALLY bad. Damage in may area was limited to some downed trees and power outages. My job requires me to work in the Emergency Operations Center for the municipality I work for. At work yesterday from 6am -10pm. Luckily, it was not a busy day for us. Those in coastal communities or in the big bend area really got slammed!

 

[davek]

No go on work Route 20 was a mess here in SC trees down everywhere

 

[YY1]

They just showed the liquor store we go to in Asheville and the nearby Wendy's and Shell station down the hill have a couple feet of water in their parking lots.

 

[trishhritz]

My middle child lives in Florida right now. Funny thing, we were in Austin moving in or out of a dorm room when Harvey hit.

 

[JackR]

I have a house in Clearwater. It got 8” of rain no damage but power is still out. The old guy who lives there claims he is going to buy a generator right after each hurricane takes the power away.
In the past he had a big outboard type boat on side of the house he would fill with water so it didn’t go away.

 

[Hey-O]

This is kind of scary. I know more than a few who are screaming uncle and getting out before it gets harder to find a buyer.

Helene Could Expose Deeper Flaws in Florida’s Insurance Market

Catastrophic storms have crippled the state’s home insurance market in the past, and some researchers say it is dangerously vulnerable.

www.nytimes.com

 

[YY1]

Maybe they will eventually figure it out-

Charge those who live in disaster prone areas a realistic rate based on exposure...
...and charge those of us who choose not to live in those areas a realistic rate.
Stop rewarding those with extravagant beachfront housing and penalizing those without.
Maybe then only those who can truly afford an estate on the waterfront will actually have one.

Fortunately, two of our four properties are paid off, one is within months of being paid off, and the 4th has 50K owed on a 250K value.
If we have to, we can pay off what we owe and drop all the insurance.