Ruh Ro: Hurricane Time

Ian F said:

"Next on GRM Live - More Hurricane prep tips from JG!" 

But how do you batten down a parrot?

I'm gonna be slammed for the next few days it seems. Good for business. 

My mom is keeping an eye on things.  Looks like they’re going to decide on Friday whether or not to evacuate.  Hopefully, it doesn’t take them 22 hours to get to Atlanta like last time they did.

Based on some comments on another board, I've looked a little closer into the predictions changes over the last 24 hours-  basically, I would not really trust any of them too much- so if you are on the coast ANYWHERE, keep close tabs on this storm.  This one is crazy, and apparently unpredictable.  The only prediction I see that has been right is that it would turn into a full hurricane as it crossed from the Caribbean to the Atlantic.   So I'd believe that it will increase strength before hitting the mainland- wherever that may end up being.

In reply to alfadriver :

Looking at the pressure system flow over the next few days, I think they are probably right. There is a high pressure system that is headed to park over Tennessee and North Carolina over the next 3-4 days. There is a low pressure area that is moving into Texas and the Gulf. The path of least resistance is going to pull the storm into the Gulf. The things that will change are the speeds these systems move. All that's going to change is where on coastal Florida the storm hits. The slower the high pressure system move east and south, the farther up the coast the storm hits. 

Where's the link that was posted last year that got one to the website with all the forecast models?

This is the page you need to keep up with the tropics. If you live on the coast in the south, follow him on the book of faces. 

https://spaghettimodels.com/

That's the one. Thanks.

Toyman01 said:

This is the page you need to keep up with the tropics. If you live on the coast in the south, follow him on the book of faces. 

https://spaghettimodels.com/

Quite a few of the models that are posted there were very wrong 24 hours ago. NOAA had it wrong, and two of the other models he has also were wrong at 0z, too. 

So just be careful. 

In reply to alfadriver :

We pretty much stay prepared for just about anything. Generators get run monthly. Between the RV and Sanford I have 80 gallons of gas on hand to keep them running. The pantry and freezer stay stocked. I don't live in a flood prone area and the insurance on everything is paid up. Life will go on. 

In reply to Toyman01 :

Good to hear- lots of people you've never met worry.  I was really relieved to see that Gameboy thought the storm was rather uneventful for Barbados...

And having seen Maria recovery first hand, it kind of amplifies my worry about storms....

Its getting crazy down here. 

I went to Publix and bread/water gone, lots of people too. I got what I needed and got out. 

Gas stations have lines. I have plenty of gas but wanted to top off the tank, screw it. 

I'm not worried. I generally do a once over when storm season starts, buy a few extra cases of water, etc. I MIGHT need to fuel up the corolla between now and then, but I'm sure at 6am 711 won't be all that busy. I'll go tomorrow. I have blizzard preparedness training by the decade, this is nothing new to me. 

I’m trying to figure out how to batten down the hatches for a 12 acre construction project with loose E36 M3 everywhere that has 350 new cars sitting on it (car dealership). 

I have enough trouble taking care of a couple broken down Challenge cars. 350 new ones??  Good grief!!

Slippery said:

Its getting crazy down here. 

I went to Publix and bread/water gone, lots of people too. I got what I needed and got out. 

Gas stations have lines. I have plenty of gas but wanted to top off the tank, screw it. 

It's events like this that is a good example of why a cashless society will never work.  Cash does not require power.

alfadriver said:

Slippery said:

Its getting crazy down here. 

I went to Publix and bread/water gone, lots of people too. I got what I needed and got out. 

Gas stations have lines. I have plenty of gas but wanted to top off the tank, screw it. 

It's events like this that is a good example of why a cashless society will never work.  Cash does not require power.

We can go back to trading shiny sea shells. 

In reply to Mndsm :

I filled up the Mercedes with diesel on Monday, thankfully. I'm headed to Tallahassee early Friday morning.  

SVreX said:

I’m trying to figure out how to batten down the hatches for a 12 acre construction project with loose E36 M3 everywhere that has 350 new cars sitting on it (car dealership). 

I have enough trouble taking care of a couple broken down Challenge cars. 350 new ones??  Good grief!!

I would recommend a lot a pictures generally detailing that you made reasonable attempts to secure items.  More importantly, pictures that make it plausibly deniable that you were negligent.  From there, it's in mother nature's hands.  As for the 350 cars...they're insured. 

Perhaps rent shipping containers and throw all the loose items in the container(s).    

Best of luck and be safe!  

If time is a problem here is some other advice.  A 26ft Uhaul truck is only $40 per day.  The real expense of these trucks is the price per mile, but, if you just park it and add no miles that $40 per day is reasonably cheap, quick, dry, onsite storage.  

You can also rent full semi trailers relatively cheap, dropped right to your location.  

Its been raining every night for the last few weeks here. Its beautiful outside tonight, not a cloud anywhere. 

I guess its the calm before the storm. 

Got two tanks of propane just in case:

Some gas stations are starting to get drained. They should get some refills before the storm hits.  I work in Sanford, it was kinda spotty with fuel there today. Back home in Deland I was able to roll up to the BP and fill up some more cans for the generator. It was busy, no long lines but lots of people filling up their cans. Walmart was pretty much out of bottled water but was OK on other stuff. 

Thanks to mathew and irma, im pretty well prepared. Had a ton of gas cans, generator, heavy cables, boards to fit all windows/doors.  Also about a 6 month old roof(thanks mathew and irma) and new home insurance with 500$ deductibles.

now just hope it changes a bit and we dont get wacked but otherwise, live normal and wait for a exciting weekend. 

No reports on how the inventory at the liquor stores are.

It's either not that serious or you're all figuring why pay for something on Wednesday when it'll be free come Sunday. 

In reply to SVreX:

Do what John suggested. Make the effort and clean up the mess afterward. 

When Hugo came through Charleston I was working for a power utility company in the industrial electrical division. I was on the crew that secured two job sites. We brought in conex boxes to store all the loose item. We ran 4, 12" dia, 8' long screw anchors in with cable across the boxes. We also screw anchored the job site trailer. And we lost all of it. The job site trailer didn't move, but it was literally turned upside down inside the cables and smashed. Both conex boxes broke the cables and ended up in the marsh. All the material and tools on the job were a total loss. Most of the construction was destroyed as well.

The other job at the port had two backhoes parked across 2000' of bundled and banded 4" PVC. All the pipe was gone, probably overboard. The conex box at that job ended up mixed in with the wreckage that was the rest of the port. That job was mostly underground duct bank which all survived but the rest of the port looked like a kid dumped a box of Legos. 

Both of those jobs were on hold for months while we were trying to get the power turned back on. Even the industrial department was out standing up poles and pumping out manholes. 100 hour paychecks are the greatest thing in the world until you do it for months on end. 

Do what you can and deal with the mess when it's over.

Hurricane-a-comming?

Beer Thirty:

I'm lucky!  I'm in the Dominican Republic for vacation right now.  They were planning a lock down for the resort overnight, but as of this evening everything is open and on schedule, looks like we might get some wind and a bit of rain tomorrow.  Possibly ..

Stay safe in Florida, y'all!