Hurricane Irma is barreling down towards Miami and chargers are working overtime...

[Ozythemandias]

I'm south Florida, about an hour from Miami so its going to hit us bad. Plan on boarding up all the windows but I'm not sure if we should go to somewhere like Orlando or all the way to Georgia. or maybe just hunker down in place and ride it out.

I got renters insurance and the only real things of value are small like knives, lights, jewelry, we'll be taking all that with us, so the main concern is the safety of me and my small family, hard to make a decision with all these responsibilities and uncertainties.

 

[MAD777]

Ozy, I'm an hour north of you. We've battened down the hatches and staying.

My greatest fear is getting stuck in traffic, since there's only one direction out of South Florida, then running out of gas. Sitting duck on the open highway! Yikes!

 

[ven]

Ozy i feel for you, must be an impossible situation and knowing what is best is unknown. I can only speak from what i would do, not living Florida and knowing how easy to get out is just words. But family can not be replaced, if you get the opportunity to get out and move somewhere safe then do it IMHO. Buildings are just that, can be re-built/replaced, protect what you can, pack what you can and move out of the area . That is what comes to mind and what i would do, but as Mike states, its not that easy with traffic jams and other potential issues.

Mike,Chris, Ozy and everyone else, be safe please and thoughts with you all(here and residents away from CPF).

 

[Going_Supernova]

If you can evacuate out of Florida, I'd advise you to do it, NOW! Sustained wind speeds of 185 mph have been measured with Irma, that's like a continuous tornado. If you have thoughts that your house or building is going to survive, take a look at the EF tornado scale, and imagine a tornado of those magnitudes sitting on your residence for a prolonged length of time.

---

FUJITA SCALE	DERIVED EF SCALE	OPERATIONAL EF SCALE
F Number	Fastest 1/4-mile (mph)	3 Second Gust (mph)	EF Number	3 Second Gust (mph)	EF Number	3 Second Gust (mph)
0	40-72	45-78	0	65-85	0	65-85
1	73-112	79-117	1	86-109	1	86-110
2	113-157	118-161	2	110-137	2	111-135
3	158-207	162-209	3	138-167	3	136-165
4	208-260	210-261	4	168-199	4	166-200
5	261-318	262-317	5	200-234	5	Over 200

So, 186 mph winds is equal to an EF 4 tornado.

Here is an example of EF 4 tornado damage.

...and that is without flooding from a storm surge or heavy rain like Harvey gave. Remember Andrew? The officials are saying that Irma is worse than Andrew, and Andrew leveled Homestead, FL. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew

 

[markr6]

Not to downplay it, but it would likely be in the 140-150mph range entering Florida. Of course I'm sure that's probably splitting hairs at that point. A measly 50-60mph gust took down two huge trees next to my house this summer. I can't imagine a hurricane. I think tornadoes tend to be more violent and concentrated. Again, I'm not sugar coating a hurricane's potential...both are extreme.

 

[moldyoldy]

FWIW, my daughter still has contacts on Sint Maarten. She went thru a Cat 4 hurricane on Sint Maarten. Irma as a Cat 5 hurricane with high wind speeds caused far more damage. the reports & photos show that most of the island's buildings, etc. were either severely damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma's eyewall winds. the Princess Juliana International Airport was seriously damaged. and Sint Maarten is not the only Caribbean Island to be hit by Hurricane Irma. Still no word on casualties.

 

[Going_Supernova]

Not to downplay it, but it would likely be in the 140-150mph range entering Florida. Of course I'm sure that's probably splitting hairs at that point. A measly 50-60mph gust took down two huge trees next to my house this summer. I can't imagine a hurricane. I think tornadoes tend to be more violent and concentrated. Again, I'm not sugar coating a hurricane's potential...both are extreme.

140-150 mph would still be like an EF 3 tornado, except the EF scale above mentions a 3 second gust of that force, while the officials and meteorologists are talking sustained winds of 185 mph, not just a 3 second gust!

Yes, I think it would be splitting hairs as to how far down the street your car ends up, five houses away or 10 houses away! Devastating is devastating. And as I pointed out, that is just wind damage--as we know, hurricanes last a long time and are accompanied by storm surge and torrential rain. I'm thinking one needs to be in a structure located at least 20 feet above sea level, maybe higher, that can withstand 190 mph sustained winds. I doubt there are many of those in existence in Florida, so the best thing to do is just get out of the area while you can. The governor of Florida has said that law enforcement and the DOT will be working to keep evacuation lanes open.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

We'll still 3+ days out (Sunday 2pm EST), it's going to be a poop show anyway you slice it.

12 years of nothing comes at a price.

Chris

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

....... the best thing to do is just get out of the area while you can.

This. ^ From everything I've read. Don't gamble. Get out of the area while you can.

~ Chance

 

[ChrisGarrett]

This. ^ From everything I've read. Don't gamble. Get out of the area while you can.

~ Chance

I bought a new Stihl MS-170 chainsaw, so I'm gambling.

Nowhere to go, that's economical for me.

It's going to be like Time's Square in NYC on New Year's Eve, when I get done with this sucker. It's going to be lit up like the Fourth Of July!


Chris

 

[MAD777]

Used my flashlights productively tonight as darkness fell before I finished putting up the hurricane shutters.

I've lived all my life in Florida and have lost count of the number of hurricanes I've been through.

MIAMI: It's a way of life.

 

[orbital]

+

The computer models for Irma are not factoring in inertia very well

If I lived on the Gulf coast of Florida including the Panhandle,,,I'd be doing every preparation possible

 

[markr6]

+

The computer models for Irma are not factoring in inertia very well

If I lived on the Gulf coast of Florida including the Panhandle,,,I'd be doing every preparation possible

Yea, it's amazing it can take such a sharp turn north. The computers obviously know more than we do.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Live video of Irma, Maho Beach in Sint. Maarten.

 

[markr6]

WOW!! The audio alone is enough to get an idea.

 

[bykfixer]

Just saw a parade of electrical contractors heading south on I-95 in Richmond Va.

About 25 bucket trucks and a dozen or so utility pickup trucks were heading towards Fla. I gave 'em a thumbs up as they passed.

Yup, help is already on the way.

 

[markr6]

Good to hear of all the preplanning. Sounds like FL is doing a great job way ahead of time. NO ONE can say they weren't warned on this one being in the new for over a week now. Basically in Florida's cross hairs the entire time. A slight shift back to the west and with more agreement in tracks. Not good!

And Hurricane Jose heading for Barbuda which just took a pounding...that's just mean.

 

[Going_Supernova]

Good to hear of all the preplanning. Sounds like FL is doing a great job way ahead of time. NO ONE can say they weren't warned on this one being in the new for over a week now. Basically in Florida's cross hairs the entire time. A slight shift back to the west and with more agreement in tracks. Not good!

And Hurricane Jose heading for Barbuda which just took a pounding...that's just mean.

Some places just weren't meant to be populated. Ya know what I mean Vern?

 

[terjee]

Never to sure if it's just click bait headlines, but now supposedly strongest ever recorded Atlantic hurricane, with sustained winds over 180mph (290-ish km/t).

Stay safe everyone, this isn't one to take lightly. Thoughts are with everyone in the area.

 

[bykfixer]

I salute those driving south right now... those whose intentions are to assist in the aftermath.

Apparently the red cross and salvation army have dozens of loaded trucks sitting in Georgia with over 1000 folks ready to jump in once the storm has passed.

Make America great again? When was it not great? lol.