Hurricane Florence strikes!

[Monique]

it's not necessarily about the winds, its about the storm surge and rain. My parents home was swept off its foundation by a rogue wave and a 16' surge. The winds, over 125mph were inconsequential. Yes, the aftermath is the worst part if you survive the storm. when its 90 degrees with high humidity, closed roads, no electricity, no gas, food or water its not fun. Plus once the heat starts to create mold and stench of rotting things kicks in, its not a great experience. if you can get out, get out.....

Yup. Mom says don't worry about it, it's "only" water and they are high up. I'm guessing 20 feet? I'll ask. Maybe it will reassure me. I know they had to follow code about distance from the water, but probably not height.

My dad specifically said they didn't want to leave because in the past, their area has been fine, but it can take weeks to get back if you've left. sigh.

This is the tactic I've had to take with my parents on several things like getting a will in place, getting snow removal service contracted, etc. It's maddening. I'm crossing my fingers for your parents and hope you have enough wine available for you to calm your nerves.

Thanks. The tactic didn't work, and it really IS too late by now.

 

[coskigirl]

Thanks. The tactic didn't work, and it really IS too late by now.

I wasn't suggesting that you try again, I was just commiserating about the need to use this tactic to get older parents to do something.

 

[Ron]

typically, code is a combination of factors, distance from water and height. Also, structure, foundation, piers, windows etc all must be to "code" for ability to withstand certain winds etc. My parents now have a inline generator which automatically kicks in and is 20' off the ground. Fingers crossed for them.

 

[cantunamunch]

Thanks. The tactic didn't work, and it really IS too late by now.

Seriously, be prepared offer them a place to run to and stay and de-stress after the storm.

 

[Monique]

typically, code is a combination of factors, distance from water and height. Also, structure, foundation, piers, windows etc all must be to "code" for ability to withstand certain winds etc. My parents now have a inline generator which automatically kicks in and is 20' off the ground. Fingers crossed for them.

Yeah, their house is rated to 140mph, well over the anticipated wind speeds in their area.

 

[Jilly]

To all Pug'sters in the affected area....Ottawa Hydro, Hydro 1 in Ontario and many more are already mobilizing forces to come down. Help will be there as soon

 

[SpikeDog]

Sigh. My parents are staying in their house during the hurricane. They plan to camp out in the basement and do have a generator, water, food, etc. Bathroom is on the first floor, though. They fully expect to lose power for several days, and I assume it will be impossible to call them, too. They have a landline, but no corded phones. Their house is five minutes from Emerald Isle, which is a mandatory evacuation zone. I've had several relatives contact me to freak out about this. All I can say to them is that my parents are adults who can make their own decisions, even if we don't like it. PS my parents are 78 yo. I really really hope they'll be okay.

Sounds almost exactly like my dad's email to me Tuesday. They live near Southport, NC, and have been through several hurricanes. He's 87, and said he's not going to end up in the world's longest parking lot (i.e. the interstate) again. He lives about 20 miles inland. Adult decision and all that.....I wish him luck, and expect his main danger will come from falling trees. I just hope Flo weakens and doesn't hover over the Wilmington area.

 

[Lauren]

I didn’t realize Airbnb did this...but sharing with hopes that this information may help someone else. Free lodging for evacuees:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/airbn...=FACEBOOK-100000283455255&utm_source=FACEBOOK

 

[Monique]

typically, code is a combination of factors, distance from water and height. Also, structure, foundation, piers, windows etc all must be to "code" for ability to withstand certain winds etc. My parents now have a inline generator which automatically kicks in and is 20' off the ground. Fingers crossed for them.

I talked to my mom. "I think the basement is maybe eight feet, ten feet above sea level. Don't worry!"



But .... classified as a 2 now ... that makes me think they're not wrong.

 

[Ron]

I talked to my mom. "I think the basement is maybe eight feet, ten feet above sea level. Don't worry!"



But .... classified as a 2 now ... that makes me think they're not wrong.

wrong! It also has widened to over 400 miles across which actually makes the storm surge worse. Also, 110 MPH is 1 mph from a cat 3

 

[François Pugh]

Seems to me they could have predicted it would end up as a Cat 2. They probably didn't publicize that because if they had people would not have evacuated.
The real problem though is the storm surge. "Forecasters predicted storm surges up to 13 ft (4 meters) in parts of coastal North Carolina, and the storm could dump 20 to 30in (50-76cm) of rain in the hardest hit areas – and even up to 40in in isolated spots."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/13/hurricane-florence-latest-storm-surge
Sea level 13 feet higher than normal and big waves = damage. And then there is the flooding from the rain with the storm sticking around for days.

 

[cantunamunch]

^Exactly. And the water quantity for downriver flooding (think what happened in Houston after hurricane Harvey) is exactly the same as before the downgrade.

 

[Monique]

Seems to me they could have predicted it would end up as a Cat 2. They probably didn't publicize that because if they had people would not have evacuated.
The real problem though is the storm surge. "Forecasters predicted storm surges up to 13 ft (4 meters) in parts of coastal North Carolina, and the storm could dump 20 to 30in (50-76cm) of rain in the hardest hit areas – and even up to 40in in isolated spots."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/13/hurricane-florence-latest-storm-surge
Sea level 13 feet higher than normal and big waves = damage. And then there is the flooding from the rain with the storm sticking around for days.

On the plus side, storm surge is after the winds, right? So my parents can move up to the main floor and let the basement do whatever it's going to do.

 

[cantunamunch]

So my parents can move up to the main floor and let the basement do whatever it's going to do.

It depends on the quadrant, but generally, no. In the worst quadrant (NW) peak storm surge happens before peak wind.

I agree about moving upstairs tho. Especially for downriver water.

 

[Ron]

can they move upstairs now???? Lets prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Not trying to scare you but.....

 

[BS Slarver]

Having ridden out a Cat 4 Wilma in a cyclones center in the Yucatán peninsula and then in the epicenter of Irene in the Catskills I can say I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the outer banks today. GTFO if you can.

All the models predicted Wilma would pass over us in less than an hour and instead decided to spin like a washing machine over us for a solid day ! It was hard to comprehend buildings that were there yesterday, now gone.

Last of my family got out of there early this morning and just hope they have something to return to.

 

[Monique]

It depends on the quadrant, but generally, no. In the worst quadrant (NW) peak storm surge happens before peak wind.

I agree about moving upstairs tho. Especially for downriver water.

can they move upstairs now???? Lets prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Not trying to scare you but.....

Yeah, dad corrected me on that, too. He does not expect to actually need to escape to the basement. The foundation is 8' above sea level. Everything in the basement is up on shelves; he has sandbags, but he says they won't really work. They have a generator.

Apparently wind speeds right there are now not supposed to go above 105, and a bit lower right where they are. Currently 30mph gusting to 60mph.

He did say the tide is already a foot higher than usual, which is "not helping."

That's probably the last time I'll talk to them before the storm hits. It's hard not to feel reassured when your dad tells you in that calm, deep voice that everything will be fine. That's his role, you know?

 

[Monique]

All the models predicted Wilma would pass over us in less than an hour and instead decided to spin like a washing machine over us for a solid day ! It was hard to comprehend buildings that were there yesterday, now gone.

They got heavy rains and downed branches during that one ...

Anyway, too late to GTFO, and they won't do so, anyway. As my German parents would say, "Abwarten, Tee trinken." (translation: "wait and drink tea." means "all we can do now is wait.")

 

[BS Slarver]

Tell them to have tea on the main or second floor

 

[Monique]

Tell them to have tea on the main or second floor

They're not total idiots!