Ruh Ro: Hurricane Time

John Welsh said:

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.  

I appreciate the ideas, but it’s a 42,000 SF building. Not gonna fit much of it into conexes. 

The building is designed for 140 mph wind load AND seismic D. Best approach is to trust the building (even though it’s not finished). We are taking a protect-in-place approach. 

The cars are an anomaly, and it’s funny you mentioned insurance. This is actually a new dealership- the old dealership is a couple miles away. So, we don’t usually have any cars here- they are at the old dealership. 

But the insurance company is the REASON they will be coming. Existing dealership is in a flood plain. When Lloyd’s of London calls and says, “Move the cars”, you move them. If not, you have NO insurance. 

The new location is higher elevation. Good possibility 350 cars will be moved to my site whether I like it or not. 

In reply to SVreX :

What type of cars are they? If some of them were to magically float away to not be titled, would they be track friendly? 

In reply to Toyman01 :

I get that and in no way am trying to make light of the really bad storms. I have lived in the southeast nearly all my life, though, and in my experience 90% of normal (in the areas I have lived) returns in a few days weather it's thunderstorms flinging tornados, a gnarly ice storm, thunderstorms dropping double digits of rain in a night, or hurricanes. That's what I know and what I prepare for.

I also wasn't judging people who are actually prepared for the long haul, more commenting on the behavior that makes meme material of "gotta get muh bread and milk!" from the last minute people. If you're prepared for a month, more power to you. I'm not really in a place to have that much prep right now and I sincerely hope that we don't come close to needing it.

In reply to Error404 :

I was under prepared for Hugo. Weeks of cold showers and scrambling for canned foods sticks with you for a long time. 

I sincerely hope you have everything you need and any prep you guys do is not needed. 

In reply to SVreX :

Protect in place seems to be good statement that somewhat describes  both the approach that I recommended and the approach that you are taking.  True, I had not know the size or scope.   Again, good luck and be safe.  

I am somewhat humored by wondering what it takes to move 350 vehicles a few miles in a few days.

Semi truck car haulers seem like a right move but for the short move you are going to use up so much time loading and unloading?  

Porters:  If you had 12 people and 2 minivans for shuttle that would give you 10 drivers constantly moving cars.  How long would it take to make 35 trips?    If the lots are 5 minutes away from another that is a 5 min drive and a 5 min return and 5 min in between (getting keys, loading in and out of minivan, etc waste) then that is 15 minutes per car so 4 cars per hour/per driver.  10 drivers is 40 cars per hour.  350 cars divided by 40 cars per hour = 8.75 hours to move the cars.  Might want to add another minivan netting you 6 people (1 driving minivan, 5 driving cars.)  That is a staff of 18 people. 

4 cars per hour/per driver for 15 drivers would move 60 cars per hour still making this a nearly 6 hour ordeal.    

In reply to John Welsh :

They have 54 staff members and 17 contract drivers. Car haulers are not necessary. 

There have been times when Lloyd’s forced them to move them to a location 28 miles away. 

In reply to John Welsh :

“Protect-in-place” is a phrase that is typically used to refer to fire responding in medical facilities. It’s a construction method that refers to buildings that are never evacuated. 

Hospitals and medical facilities are designed to protect the occupants in the event of a fire without evacuations. 

I misused the term slightly, but you got the meaning. 

In reply to SVreX :

Are you doing one of the New River dealers in Bluffton? 

In reply to Toyman01 :

No. 

The new Butler Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Beaufort. (Across from Lowes)

In reply to SVreX :

I end up down that way fairly regularly anymore. I'll have to give you a shout the next time I'm in town. 

In reply to Toyman01 :

Perfect!  I’ll buy. 

In reply to John Welsh :

You pretty much described how a car carrier from Asia is unloaded. It's just into an enormous parking lot and they use Sprinters.

So this is going to be my first hurricane I've experienced. I lived in Tampa from 2010-2014 and went through a few tropical storms (Debbie, etc) but never a hurricane. There is a real possibility that I will be moving to our alternate location which is a large military installation in North Carolina. I actually volunteered to go because I'll get paid overtime and it will be a change of scenery.

My house is still empty (no furniture, just a bed and desk) and I rent. The house is not in a flood plain (Zone X) so I'm not worried about that too much. What I am worried about is the wind ripping the roof off or damaging the roof in a way that allows water to get in. Since its not my house, it would merely be an inconvenience and not a life changing event.

There are so many unknowns yet; intensity as it comes ashore, wind speed, amount of rainfall and its path. The decision to bug out will come sometime on Saturday. I'll be prepared to go as I plan on packing tomorrow morning when I get off of work. I'm more prepared to leave than to stay. Hopefully its not too late to pick up some of the essentials like water and canned food tomorrow. I kinda procrastinated on this one

Looks like its tracking a bit south again, for now. And maybe slowing in forecasts? Saw in Volusia we may get tropical storm winds like monday early but the storm wont hit until wednesday-ish? 

This will be a funky one. 

Hopefully it does not make it across the state and into the gulf, where it can rebuild and make another significant landfall. The track makes me think that may be the likely outcome, but I would need to look at some wider pressure reports to be more convinced.

In reply to stafford1500 :

I agree. Lets not do that. The Gulf is waaaaarm and the first storm that hits it is going to have a good time. 

Man, this storm is going to play havoc on the future models, and how it's not followed many of them.  Changes have come really fast.

I don't like the new track at all. I've got a lot of friends in the FTL through Vero Beach on the Atlantic coast.  

In reply to captdownshift :

Moving the cars would be a good time to check acceleration/braking and maybe cornering ability. 

It's crazy but for this forum I would have no idea this was happening.  It's pretty amazing what putting a complete news blackout on your life can achieve.  

A point that always recurs to me during hurricanes is how the LDS guys prep.  I think it's three months of daily meals and of course a bunch of other stuff. 

Now that I live off the 'White House Power Grid' but still in the city my power lines are above ground and I suppose susceptible to storms.

I wonder if putting a 'quiet' generator in the basement would be feasible.  Can gasoline be stored for any length of time and safely? 

nutherjrfan said:

It's crazy but for this forum I would have no idea this was happening.  It's pretty amazing what putting a complete news blackout on your life can achieve.  

A point that always recurs to me during hurricanes is how the LDS guys prep.  I think it's three months of daily meals and of course a bunch of other stuff. 

Now that I live off the 'White House Power Grid' but still in the city my power lines are above ground and I suppose susceptible to storms.

I wonder if putting a 'quiet' generator in the basement would be feasible.  Can gasoline be stored for any length of time and safely? 

Put Sta-Bil in the gas and you can store it long enough. If it was for something mission critical, I'd cycle through said tank every 3-6 months (meaning throw it in your car and refill the tanks for the generator). 

However, running an ICE in your basement is a bad idea. Maybe you could get an exhaust system set up to vent it outside, but I'd still call it a bad idea. 

nutherjrfan said:

It's crazy but for this forum I would have no idea this was happening.  It's pretty amazing what putting a complete news blackout on your life can achieve.  

A point that always recurs to me during hurricanes is how the LDS guys prep.  I think it's three months of daily meals and of course a bunch of other stuff. 

Now that I live off the 'White House Power Grid' but still in the city my power lines are above ground and I suppose susceptible to storms.

I wonder if putting a 'quiet' generator in the basement would be feasible.  Can gasoline be stored for any length of time and safely? 

Add some "Sta-bil" if you're worried about it but, gas fine for a long time. It's not like it goes bad sitting in a sealed container after a month.

In reply to mtn :

I do have a very small outside rear porch at the apt. so that would work.  The venting problem is definitely something I've thought about if I ever put one in the single car garage I rent.

Stuff to ponder.  

My in-laws moved to Dunnellon, FL (near Ocala) in Jan. They are up here in MA visiting, and grabbing my FIL's old Ford Falcon. I keep telling them that they should be concerned, but they keep saying the are on the west coast, and it's no big deal. I think it is a big deal even though it's hitting the East coast. It will still affect the other side as FL isn't that wide,correct? They're driving home around Wednesday. Hopefully not to a wrecked double-wide.