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



## ChrisGarrett (Sep 4, 2017)

Topping off stuff, but I haven't broken out my li-ions in the fridge, just yet.

Topped off two SLA/AGM mother batteries last week. Topped off a Coleman 6v SLA lantern, last week. 

Right now I'm topping off my AAs, so the Opus BT-3400 is on, my LaCrosse BC-700 is working, my Maha C9000 is plugged in, my Xtar VP2 is charging up my LG D1s and E1s right now, my Tenergy 9v jobbie is plugged in, my Xtar XP1 is charging up 16340s/18350s, my Ruinovo Power Bank is plugged in and my 3 LG flip phone batteries are being charged.

So far, so good!

Chris


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## Woods Walker (Sep 5, 2017)

I thought that was supposed to hook out to see. However I haven't watching the news in a few days. Good luck brother! On a side note we lost power for an entire week with Irene and Sandy. Only used a few AAs. It's amazing how long modern LED lights can run for.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 5, 2017)

Woods Walker said:


> I thought that was supposed to hook out to see. However I haven't watching the news in a few days. Good luck brother! On a side note we lost power for an entire week with Irene and Sandy. Only used a few AAs. It's amazing how long modern LED lights can run for.



Thank you.

The latest models take her right over the length of Cuba, with mountains and then right into the tip--Miami, but we're still 6ish days out, so who knows?

I understand power being out and Andrew only cost me 18 hours and Wilma cost me 15 hours, but I was lucky. Girlfriend lost power for 2 weeks during Wilma, my boss lost power for 3 weeks and my aunt/uncle lost it for a week and came down to stay with me.

It's been 12 years since Wilma, so we're due.

I live on a lake and have plenty of Sawyer/LifeStraw water filters, I have lanterns, propane/alcohol stoves/BBQs, 12vdc/5vdc solar panels, a tent, sleeping bags, 12vdc fans, plenty of batteries/cells and other assorted sundries like FOOD, weapons, ammo, so I'm OK as long as the condo roof (3rd of 3 floors) stays on.

It'll be interesting, but we've dodged plenty of bullets, so I fear our time is up.

This is a flashlight forum, but preps are important.

Chris


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## Woods Walker (Sep 5, 2017)

One thing which has changed for me. I used to buy batteries before a storm now I just charge up the power banks and some extra lithium ion 18650 and some Eneloops just because.... well why not.. With my solar stuff can assure I won't ever be going to the charging centers (the local library with generators) or convention center to charge the phone. Not that my pile of powerbanks will run out. Got enough food and ammo as well cuz that's how I roll. Here is a funny story. About 10 or 11 years ago there was this freak winter storm which took out power for 6 days. The house got really cold so setup my Tipi with wood stove and we cooked/stayed in that during the day and everyone else slept in the cold house with their bags at night though I just stayed outside.


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## irongate (Sep 5, 2017)

This will be one very interesting storm to watch either up the coast to the north or into the gulf more. All I can say is prepare for the worse


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## markr6 (Sep 5, 2017)

Good luck on the prepping and riding this out Chris! Looks like they're starting to get a little more accuracy on where it will hit the US, but could end up being a big problem for the east coast later on too. Strongest Atlantic storm in 10 years.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 5, 2017)

markr6 said:


> Good luck on the prepping and riding this out Chris! Looks like they're starting to get a little more accuracy on where it will hit the US, but could end up being a big problem for the east coast later on too. Strongest Atlantic storm in 10 years.



I briefly had a roommate back in the early 90s who was a 'printer' and he made up a nice hurricane tracking map to be used with dry erase markers and he left it, so I tend to track each season.

At 11am AST, it's heading dead on and the sustained winds are 180mph!

The good news is is that it's a smaller diameter storm, but bad news is it's 180mph.

They reassessed Andrew's inner eye-wall wind speeds, upwards to 200+ mph, but for Atlantic hurricanes, I've never seen 180mph listed out over the water.

If you've every wanted to visit the Florida Keys, you have four days left.

Chris


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## markr6 (Sep 5, 2017)

Are you planning on staying put Chris? Looks like some areas is the Keys are being evacuated...not sure if that is mandatory yet.

I wonder if people still have "hurricane parties"? Or did that end with Katrina? I still remember watching the news before Katrina where some guy told reporter Shepherd Smith "it's none of your f------ business" on live tv when he asked why he was still there partying.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 5, 2017)

markr6 said:


> Are you planning on staying put Chris? Looks like some areas is the Keys are being evacuated...not sure if that is mandatory yet.
> 
> I wonder if people still have "hurricane parties"? Or did that end with Katrina? I still remember watching the news before Katrina where some guy told reporter Shepherd Smith "it's none of your f------ business" on live tv when he asked why he was still there partying.



I plan to stay, just in case the roof goes, but it's pretty solid since the complex redid it 9 years back.

My GF is in a high rise condo in Midtown, Miami (a mile north of downtown) facing Miami Beach, so we have to figure things out. She's on the 19th floor, so if the power goes out, the building has a diesel generator to run the elevators at 5 hour stints, so that might be problematic for her, even though she's safe from flooding and wind damage that high up.

I had people over during Andrew and we partied like drunken sailors, so I imagine stuff will be going on, but it all depends on how 'bad' bad is going to be.

I now have all my NiMH and li-ions charged, as are my phone batteries. I just brewed a cup of coffee using one of my Swedish Trangia alcohol stoves, so I can heat up canned goods and boil water for pasta. I may go and get a refrigerator extension cord to run off my Harbor Freight Storm Cat 900w generator, but I don't have much frozen stuff to lose, if/when the power goes out.

I'll fill up some buckets I have, with water for the toilets and for drinking, in the event that we lose power at the municipal water pumping stations.

This is my complex after Wilma in '05:












Not mine, or his car, but a neighbor's:











It'll be an experience either way.

Chris


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## Woods Walker (Sep 5, 2017)

Cat Five 175 mpr winds....WOW....


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## markr6 (Sep 5, 2017)

Woods Walker said:


> Cat Five 175 mpr winds....WOW....



Pretty crazy! Looks like moving over the islands will knock it down a peg before Florida, but really, comparing 175mph vs 155mph is probably a textbook example of splitting hairs.


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## MAD777 (Sep 5, 2017)

I'm just north of Miami, about a mile from the ocean. All my batteries got charged today (about a hundred). 

I'm having my hurricane party catered by Chef-boy-r-dee. Magic tricks by Dinty Moore and music provided by vocalist, Little Debbie!


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 5, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> Topping off stuff, but I haven't broken out my li-ions in the fridge, just yet.
> 
> Topped off two SLA/AGM mother batteries last week. Topped off a Coleman 6v SLA lantern, last week.
> 
> ...



Hmmmm. No mention of chest waders, PFD or a boat! Got bags to put all that stuff in to bug out? By the way, the American Red Cross is not allowing weapons into their shelters, so if you have to go to one, be sure you have an e-tool so you can bury them somewhere so they don't get confiscated. Some MREs might be a good thing to stock, too, with the chemical heaters, no flame required, which could be a game changer. Hope you don't flood too bad, I have a brother in Tampa that I'm worried about. He has a hole in his roof _now_, and I don't think he is very prepared for a hurricane at this time!


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 5, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> Thank you.
> 
> The latest models take her right over the length of Cuba, with mountains and then right into the tip--Miami, but we're still 6ish days out, so who knows?
> 
> ...



If the sewer backs up, you're not going to be able to use your flush toilets, anyway. I'm glad you have all that equipment and supplies, I hope you don't need them, and if you do, that you can use them. I'm just thinking about the folks in Texas that got flooded out. Even if they had equipment and supplies, they couldn't take them with them, the flooding came on too fast. Keep some plastic buckets with lids for your raw sewage, in case of back-up. You being on a lake...hmmm, not good, I think. Be prepared to bug-out, in case of evac. order.


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## Timothybil (Sep 6, 2017)

What is going to be fun is those areas that are 10-20ft above sea level. My ex used to live south of Tampa/St. Pet, and the whole neighbor hood showed an elevation of around 7 ft above sea level. Given a good storm surge from those winds, I think there are a lot of areas like that that are going to be having problems.


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## ven (Sep 6, 2017)

Certainly sound prepared Chris (would expect nothing less!) Stay safe guys, thoughts with you all for the weekend and ahead.


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## HarryN (Sep 6, 2017)

I have a daughter near Univ of Miami - keeping a watch on the situation.


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## markr6 (Sep 6, 2017)

Almost looks like SC may be the main target now. The technology and effort going into forecasting these is amazing, but still seems like you're flipping a coin.


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## scout24 (Sep 6, 2017)

I know this started about batteries and chargers, and Woods Walker already swung by to post. Since the tone seems to have shifted to other preps and checking in, I'm going to move this to the Cafe.


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## moldyoldy (Sep 6, 2017)

The eyewall of Hurricane Irma passed over St. Marten this morning, 6 Sept 2017.

The French Interior Minister reports that 4 of their "most solid" Gov. Buildings on St.Marten (The French side of the island) were destroyed. they expect that their other buildings were also destroyed. 

The only confirmed word from Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the island, is that the AUC Campus Building 2 survived relatively intact. All communications with buildings on their campus was lost for a few hours, but by mid-morning a satellite phone was used to confirm that the building was intact. 

That AUC building 2 was designed and constructed to withstand a Cat 5 Hurricane. AUC (the medical school) buildings were destroyed by an hurricane some years ago, so the campus was moved to the leeward side of the island and their buildings were constructed with an understanding of the destructive force of Caribbean hurricanes. 

Historical note: My older daughter attended medical school at AUC on Sint Maarten. Shortly after arriving on the island for the first time, the island was locked down for a hurricane. Welcome to Sint Maarten! for that hurricane, the wind drove the rain thru all of the weatherstripping in the doors/windows of the windward-side apt.


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## Ozythemandias (Sep 6, 2017)

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.


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## MAD777 (Sep 6, 2017)

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!


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## ven (Sep 6, 2017)

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).


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 6, 2017)

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 SCALEDERIVED EF SCALE*OPERATIONAL EF SCALE*F NumberFastest 1/4-mile (mph)3 Second Gust (mph)EF Number3 Second Gust (mph)*EF Number**3 Second Gust (mph)*040-7245-78065-85*0**65-85*173-11279-117186-109*1**86-110*2113-157118-1612110-137*2**111-135*3158-207162-2093138-167*3**136-165*4208-260210-2614168-199*4**166-200*5261-318262-3175200-234*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


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## markr6 (Sep 6, 2017)

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.


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## moldyoldy (Sep 6, 2017)

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.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 6, 2017)

markr6 said:


> 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.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 6, 2017)

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


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Sep 6, 2017)

Going_Supernova said:


> ....... *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


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 6, 2017)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> 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


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## MAD777 (Sep 6, 2017)

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.


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## orbital (Sep 7, 2017)

+

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


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## markr6 (Sep 7, 2017)

orbital said:


> +
> 
> 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.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Sep 7, 2017)

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


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## markr6 (Sep 7, 2017)

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


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## bykfixer (Sep 7, 2017)

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.


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## markr6 (Sep 7, 2017)

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.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 7, 2017)

markr6 said:


> 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?


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## terjee (Sep 7, 2017)

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.


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## bykfixer (Sep 7, 2017)

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.


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## moldyoldy (Sep 7, 2017)

From my daughter who lived/studied on Sint Maarten, went thru a Cat 4 Hurricane there, and still has contacts on that island: 

...the medical school is gathering students to building 2 in probable prep for a move to St. Kitts.
some of their older <<medical school>> buildings were damaged.
Seeing Picts of places that I used to frequent either destroyed or in rubble.
Island of Barbuda is basically no more.
....

end paraphrase.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 7, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> 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.*





There's help already in place in some places, others just waiting.

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2...rma-response-efforts-while-encouraging-public


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## markr6 (Sep 8, 2017)

Not to be a fear monger, but this was just too interesting not to share. It's basically the same path as Irma. It could be the computer wigging out, could be 400 miles off, who knows at this point. But the similarity is just eerie.

The second frame is a model nearly 2 full weeks into the future, but obviously something to watch.


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## MAD777 (Sep 8, 2017)

Well Mark, you could have skipped that posting, LOL

Signed, Mike in Miami


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## bykfixer (Sep 8, 2017)




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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 8, 2017)

Somebody posted this photo on IMGUR

http://imgur.com/gallery/56AM3


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## ven (Sep 8, 2017)

Has to be photo shopped, either way no way am i buying that pic..............................


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## markr6 (Sep 8, 2017)

Check out the full size...looks pretty real: http://i.imgur.com/va5r29K.jpg

But I can't imagine this fairly flimsy metal (or plastic?) staying so straight after going thru that deep. Just doesn't seem possible. It's not even flat.


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## ven (Sep 8, 2017)

Well a bullet would not get through...............no where near, travelling far faster than what wind can throw some plastic(or what ever it is).


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 8, 2017)

ven said:


> Well a bullet would not get through...............no where near, travelling far faster than what wind can throw some plastic(or what ever it is).








One of those sure would.

Chinese Norinco steel (mild) core 7.62x39, for the AK-47 and/or an SKS.

Banned for sale in the US--thanks President Clinton...glad you're gone.

But I've got mine!

IRMA has jogged a few degrees west, which is good and bad for Miami. We'll see if she has her runnin' shoes on.

Chris


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 8, 2017)

I remember this photo from years ago, and though yeah fake, or there already was a hole.






John.


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## markr6 (Sep 8, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> IRMA has jogged a few degrees west, which is good and bad for Miami. We'll see if she has her runnin' shoes on.



Sure has! This is why people should never never never never rely on the models at any one point in time. No matter how many times CNN said "Miami" and showed an animation of it flooding twice an hour. I have a feeling many people on the west side started feeling a little more "protected" even though the thing is wider than the entire state.


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## ven (Sep 8, 2017)

I need a video Chris use one of your norinco steel cores:naughty:


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## bykfixer (Sep 8, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> Somebody posted this photo on IMGUR
> 
> http://imgur.com/gallery/56AM3



I can believe it. 
If you look at the tip, it's pretty thin and with the right conditions could pass through a lot of stuff.

In '96 a tornadoe passed through my town and cut through a Wal Mart like a giant router blade through balsa wood. It was the best way to describe the looks from a photo taken from overhead. 

National folks said it appeared to be an F2. (About 157 mph.) Point I'm making here is there were 2x4's driven through car doors, nails driven through (and stuck into) concrete walls from old houses nearby that had been destroyed and a fire hydrant in front of the Wal Mart was thrown about 100 yards away. 
Yes, a 250 pound item that is bolted with at least 8 high grade steel 3/4" bolts to a pipe 4' or more in the ground had been ripped off of it's flange and thrown the length of a football field like it was a helium baloon on a breezy afternoon. 

So photo shop'd or not that photo is a strong reminder of why anybody thinking of staying should leave now.

I was a person working for my local gov't back then and was one who helped with cleaning up the mess shortly after it happened. Myself and others were allowed on the scene with police, fire and rescue folks. We saw some of the darndest things. 

In front of the Wal Mart they used to have the words "discount city". The D and I were gone as there was a hole where they used to be.. about 25' wide as a matter of fact but... in the bottom curve of the letter S a tweety bird nest was perfect and on the other side of the wall hamsters were running in their wheels in their untouched cages while fish swam around in their untouched aquariums... yet what was once cash registers 3' away was twisted metal and unimaginable destruction. Lot's of people were injured, but only 1 fatality as the store reportedly had over 500 folks inside... 
The next morning was a life altering sunrise, but the part I best remember was a perfect stranger carrying a grocery bag full of cigarettes and passing them out to folks who'd spent all night clearing roads with shovels, loading bloody items into dumps trucks and the Red Cross serving what was probably the best barbeque sandwich I'd ever eaten. 

That is why I gave a shout out to folks staying behind to help others in Texas, and again to folks whose job it is to stay behind in Florida. God Bless you folks.


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## StarHalo (Sep 10, 2017)

That crane that came apart in downtown Miami just happened to drop directly onto the building it was looming over, talk about luck..


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## RedLED (Sep 10, 2017)

Godspeed to all the people of the great State of Florida, and the people I have got to know by way of this forum. Stay safe, and check in when you can so we know you made it through this disaster. 

Our thoughts are with all of you.

God bless Florida, and the United States of America.

Red LED


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## StarHalo (Sep 10, 2017)

CNN is showing their reporter standing around in the street next to some flooding, but there's no wind or rain, it's completely calm, he's not even wearing a jacket; I'm thinking "why are they reporting from some remote part of Florida that's hardly affected?" but no, it's the eye of the storm passing over Naples..


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## bykfixer (Sep 10, 2017)

RedLED said:


> Godspeed to all the people of the great State of Florida, and the people I have got to know by way of this forum. Stay safe, and check in when you can so we know you made it through this disaster.
> 
> Our thoughts are with all of you.
> 
> ...



Cheers!

I have a friend down their who is texting me updates. He is keeping his fingers crossed that his cat who ran off last night makes it through the storm.

Another friend is texting using a phone charged by a hand crank device.

Still another was out all night helping local police maintain order at a shelter while passing out food, water and blankets provided by the Red Cross.


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## MAD777 (Sep 10, 2017)

I'm on the east (Atlantic) coast of Florida. Right now, the eye of Irma is directly across the state from me, on the Gulf coast. It's windy with sideways rain, but everyone is OK with a few limbs down. Oh, and the power went out this morning. Will probably be days before that's fixed.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 10, 2017)

MAD777 said:


> I'm on the east (Atlantic) coast of Florida. Right now, the eye of Irma is directly across the state from me, on the Gulf coast. It's windy with sideways rain, but everyone is OK with a few limbs down. Oh, and the power went out this morning. *Will probably be days before that's fixed.*



Maybe fixed sooner than you think. There is an army of power utility bucket trucks staged, ready to roll into the disaster area as soon as they can.


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## bykfixer (Sep 10, 2017)

MAD777 said:


> I'm on the east (Atlantic) coast of Florida. Right now, the eye of Irma is directly across the state from me, on the Gulf coast. It's windy with sideways rain, but everyone is OK with a few limbs down. Oh, and the power went out this morning. Will probably be days before that's fixed.



Glad to hear you and others around you doing well.


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## blah9 (Sep 10, 2017)

Yes, nice to hear some good news from you. Wishing everyone the best.


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## PhotonWrangler (Sep 10, 2017)

It's a relief to see that the eye of the storm has closed up as the storm starts to discombobulate from being over land. I hope the flooding from the storm surge isn't as bad as they've been predicting.


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## markr6 (Sep 11, 2017)

I can't make out what light is Richard Branson is holding here. One of the cheapo "4000lm" ebay flavors?

He rode out the storm on the islands and is going to help rebuild. I''m sure you can dig up dirt from anyone's past, but this guy is legit.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 11, 2017)

Sever Weather warning for my Town in England 






John.


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## bykfixer (Sep 11, 2017)

I wouldn't trade a square foot of Michigan for the entire Florida territory.

- President Zachary Taylor. 

I say this to remind us that once upon a time Florida was deemed uninhabitable by most people in the 19th century. 
It goes to show how far we've come in turning the place into a very hospitable location, and after see-ing yet another parade of electrical workers heading south on I-95... Floridians will no doubt rebuild. 

So far it sounds like Irma has spared Florida from her worst.


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## RedLED (Sep 12, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> Cheers!
> 
> I have a friend down their who is texting me updates. He is keeping his fingers crossed that his cat who ran off last night makes it through the storm.
> 
> ...


Cat's always seem to know where to go and hide. Remember, a mom and kittens came down in the World Trade Center Collaspe. Cat's know what to do. He'll be back!


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## RedLED (Sep 12, 2017)

markr6 said:


> I can't make out what light is Richard Branson is holding here. One of the cheapo "4000lm" ebay flavors?
> 
> He rode out the storm on the islands and is going to help rebuild. I''m sure you can dig up dirt from anyone's past, but this guy is legit.


A guy with a fleet of 747s risked his life, he could have evaced a ton of people. This guy is a fool. I met him when his airline came to PSP on media day, and he was odd then, like tuned up on something. I said to my self, just go home, this is nothing. 

He's another space guy, like Elon Musk, another nut, we didn't go back to the Moon, because there is nothing on the Moon or Mars. That is why congress defunded the Apollo missions, and travel to Mars will never take place with humans. My thing is all the billionaires lost their minds along time ago, and large suns of money do that, (That is true), hence this guy staying on the island for no reason.

Another ugly rich guy house, blown away! with wine cellar, but of course! And the proof is the $5.00 light he was gifted from Bezos. And I wager, not a spare battery in hundreds of miles!


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## bykfixer (Sep 12, 2017)

RedLED said:


> Cat's always seem to know where to go and hide. Remember, a mom and kittens came down in the World Trade Center Collaspe. Cat's know what to do. He'll be back!



Dude lives in a trailer so I suppose his cat was thinking "you think I'm hanging out in that thing during a category 4, you're outta your flippin' mind" lol.


Big batch of Domion Energy trucks heading south this morning. 
I speculate between the giant corparation rules and union rules it took a few days to cut through the red tape.
Well that and they were probably staying in their home state in case Irma gave us a pretty good whack on the way north... but now we're watching Jose'...

Perhaps at some point a "hurrican's 2017" thread may be in order if this keeps up. Merging all of the threads if Jose and Katia etc end up making destructive landfalls.


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## raggie33 (Sep 12, 2017)

*irma made it so dark*

bet power was out for 30 miles .it was fun to me but i could t stay outside it was crazy windy. i learned 25 lumens is plenty in a latern


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## terjee (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

According to various news reports, about 16 million people in total lost power, 15 million of them in Florida.


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## vadimax (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Those that got solar batteries and power generators alive may feel like daddies now.


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## filibuster (Sep 13, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> ...IRMA has jogged a few degrees west, which is good and bad for Miami. We'll see if she has her runnin' shoes on.
> 
> Chris



Chris, you've not reported back since Irma left, how are you doing?


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## raggie33 (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*



terjee said:


> According to various news reports, about 16 million people in total lost power, 15 million of them in Florida.



its back on here now i was lucky


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## raggie33 (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*



vadimax said:


> Those that got solar batteries and power generators alive may feel like daddies now.



i just had rons of batts id guess over 150 d cells


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## ven (Sep 13, 2017)

He is ok mr buster, he is going to do a little write up when he gets chance


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## MAD777 (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Power was out all around me in southeast Florida. My boys and I were lighting up the whole neighborhood. The 4 of us had a Vinh modded flashlight in each hand, one flooder & one thrower. The neighborhood was lit up far more than it normally is with street lights & front porch lights! LOL


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Sep 13, 2017)

ven said:


> He is ok mr buster, he is going to do a little write up when he gets chance


 
Why is Chris coming for me?!  

~ Chance


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## ven (Sep 13, 2017)

:laughing: CG is on a roll................:nana:


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 13, 2017)

The UK was just hit by Aileen, Pray for us. :shakehead

https://imgur.com/gallery/khm6R

John.


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## moldyoldy (Sep 13, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*



MAD777 said:


> Power was out all around me in southeast Florida. My boys and I were lighting up the whole neighborhood. The 4 of us had a Vinh modded flashlight in each hand, *one flooder & one thrower*. The neighborhood was lit up far more than it normally is with street lights & front porch lights! LOL



Bolding is mine. This comment correctly reflects my conclusion about the thrower vs flooder argument. neither can replace the other. 
compromises can be made, but they are compromises. 
from my USFS days and a couple SAR missions in mixed foliage mountainous terrain ranging from hundreds of yards/meters of open country to forest floor under tree canopies and light brush to heavy brush, there is no single light that can cover the distance or width of a search area. More lumens certainly help, but it is amazing how fast 1000 lumens with any type of beam are 'lost' in open terrain!

I would expect that flood waters will only make any lighting solution worse.


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## HarryN (Sep 14, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Just a quick update from my side. My daughter and her friend rented a car in Miami and drove all night (15 hours actually) to a beach hotel on the panhandle. The trip could have happened in 1/2 the time and 1/2 the fuel if they had only opened up both sides of the highway to N bound traffic. A lot more people could have evacuated than actually did if it weren't for the traffic challenges.

In the end, they ended up taking a flight out and ended up in W DC both because the friend's parent's live there, but also the $99 one way flight and it looked at that time like Irma could still be hazardous in that area.

Anyway, both of my adult children in FL either left or are ok so I am happy.

The whole thing reminds me of a tour I took of the Seattle "underground city". Basically the city decided to raise the street level in an area, so some of the buildings have an "original street level entrance" and a "revised street level entrance" about 15 ft higher. Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to do in other areas.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 15, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Hello...I'm back!

I'll try and keep things concise and to the point.

First off, Miami was nowhere near the disaster that Houston and parts of Texas were after Harvey. We had some flooding in the Brickell (downtown Miami) banking district due to the Miami River surging and perhaps on South Beach (always floods there), but apart from those areas, we were spared and left high and dry.

Winds were an issue and even Cat 1 (74+ mph, gusts of 100+ mph) winds can be scary and take trees/limbs down in the 10s of thousands. I'm in a 433 unit condo complex with many oak/palm type trees and we lost our share, although one could drive out of most parts of the complex, to my main street, which had some lanes blocked, here and there. I'm also on a 500 yard by 500 yard lake fed by two main canals at opposite corners, so water for toilets and even filtering was never going to be an issue, since I have quality water filters here to get potable water in the event I ran out, or the water mains ceased functioning.

That being said, I had clean drinking water the entire time, so showering and toilet flushing wasn't an issue and the sewer was never stressed.

My power did go out on Saturday, at 1:30 pm EST, well before the tropical storm winds (40 mph) started buffeting my condo. My power came back on Tuesday night at 11:30 pm EST, so 82 hours without power. For hurricane Andrew in '92, I was down for 18 hours with water and for hurricane Wilma in '05, I was out of power for only 15 hours with water, for reference.

In 2012, I put together a modest 'car camping/SHTF' kit with things like a Coleman Sundome 4 tent, a couple of warm weather sleeping bags, a minor first aid kit, Coleman propane twin mantle lantern/single burner cooking stove and a Coleman dual fuel (white gas/petrol) single burner stove and twin mantle lantern.

Other things were Swedish Trangia alcohol spirit stoves with cooking platforms, a small cookware set, ferro rod fire starters, an Estwing 16" Camper's ax, Tramontina 18" machete, paracord, 10" O2 Cool D battery/12vdc fans, 60w 12vdc solar setup with 10A digital charge controller, 14w Sunkingdom 5v USB folding solar panel and plenty of 12vdc SLA/AGM mother batteries, NiMH Eneloop type AA/AAA batteries, a boatload of li-ion cells and 12vdc/5vdc chargers, so I was good on rechargeable batteries/power.

In 2013, for Christmas, my buddy sent me a small Harbor Freight 900w two stroke Storm Cat generator, which is a sleeper genny, so I could have run my fridge on/off, if I needed to, although they're prohibited in my condo complex for obvious reasons. I did run a floor fan for 10 minutes on Friday, before the storm, just to see if it ran 4 years later and if fired right up on the third pull with 16 month old ethanol free gas, so that was nice. 

I only ran it once more on Tuesday, for 3 minutes, to grind some coffee beans with my Rancilio Rocky grinder!

Just some impressions:

People either have houses on some land, in a rural setting, a house in a tight sub-division, a townhouse, condo, or apartment, so situations will be different depending on where you live and having 100 gallons of gas, 500 gallons of drinkable water, 50,000 Kw of generator power aren't always doable for some, so we play the hand that's dealt to us.

I'm on the third of three floors, without storm shutters, so my biggest concern was window and roof integrity and I was spared on both accounts. I have an ADT alarm system with 7Ah backup battery, but my phone/internet is ATT U-verse, so once the power went out, there was no phone connection and fearing power being out, I wanted to stay put and protect the bunker.

I'm in a nice neighborhood and a gun guy, so security was never an issue.

Here's the nuts and bolts of my 82 hours without power:

One mistake was that I didn't have much ice and what I did have, was gone by day two. My '94 Montero was filled on Friday, so gas wasn't an issue, should I have needed it. I had 2.5 gallons for the generator and new Stihl MS-170 chainsaw I bought the preceding Wednesday, but neither was needed, apart from the coffee beans, lol.

This place is called CandlePowerForums, not FlashlightForums, for an ironic reason--candles can be a helpful solution. I had a bunch of cheap $1 candles in clear glass cups and you'd be very surprised how well they work in a totally darkened environment. 2, 3, or 4 of them strategically spaced can really provide sufficient illumination (unless you want to read a book/magazine) for moving about and doing less detailed things. They last a very long time and are cheap, so getting 15-20 of them from the Dollar Store is a no brainer and they don't self-discharge, or go bad. I've had mine since Wilma in '05 and they did the heavy lifting.

We can have all the killer flashlights we want, but I mostly used my little AA/16340/18650 based lights, predominately on the lower settings. Moonlight modes weren't really helpful and neither were the 1000LM modes, unless I was outside looking around.

Pencil beams weren't needed and floody lights were more helpful, even when outside, in the dark, cruising around.

Food/water are always an issue and I keep canned goods around, but since it was 95*, humid and stressing, eating three squares a day wasn't that much of a priority and losing a little weight was probably a good thing. I didn't really get to my canned goods, as the two supermarkets opened on Monday and there were a couple of restaurants up and running after Sunday, when the storm passed. Most of us can stand to fast a day, or two, anyway and 82 hours wasn't a hardship.

This brings me to another issue, which should be pretty self-evident and that is CASH. Just because a place is open and you've got an American Express Platinum card, does't mean Publix, the Ale House or the gas station can accept credit cards, which many didn't, so have some cash on hand and don't make it a $100 bill--1s, 5s and 10s--maybe a couple of hundred dollars worth will get you by, even through a fortnight.

Lastly, if I had a dollar for every one of my neighbors who were starting up their cars and driving around the parking lot, charging up their cell phones on even Monday, I could buy a new monster light. It was interesting to see that even with the latest iPhone 32, or Samsung Galaxy Billion, nobody had a dinky powerbank. I charged up a couple of neighbor's phones on Tuesday, just to be helpful and one lady was watching a movie on her's and she was down to 35% even!

Also, get a good AM/FM/SW radio like my Tecsun PL-390. It's a stereo jobbie, but without power, it was welcomed entertainment, since many stations were still up and running. If you have a little battery powered set of speakers with 3.5mm input jack and something like a older iPhone/iPod/CD player, you can have some tunes, since any station still up and running will be simulcasting the TV weather crap and that gets old, fast.

I'm sure I'll add some more, but those are just some lessons that I learned. I could have held out a lot longer, since I could charge up my 12vdc mother batteries with my solar panels and keep the fans running, which made living in the heat/humidity, bearable.

Solar charging beach chain and umbrella to keep the sun off, as it's hot out there!







14w Sunkingdom folder topping off a Ruinovo 4x18650 powerbank on Tuesday morning.






Two 30w 12vdc Sopray mono panels charging a 22Ah Chrome SLA/AGM battery under the bench.






12vdc and 5v USB panels charging stuff up.






Chris


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## ven (Sep 15, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Awesome write up Chris, thanks for sharing and glad it was no where near as bad as forecast. 82hrs is a long time! wow, great ideas with candles and radio etc. In fact I pretty much have candles lit every single night. Find them very therapeutic , watching the flames flicker.


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## StarHalo (Sep 15, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*



ChrisGarrett said:


> Hello...I'm back!



Great reporting! Very helpful, hope there are more posts like these. Some points:

- A hand-cranked conical burr coffee grinder is ~$15; these can give you pro-grinder espresso machine quality results, bearing in mind it takes ~10 mins to grind a serving.

- Place a few shoebox-sized Tupperware containers ~2/3rds full of water in your freezer during normal powered conditions - now when the power goes out, you have large blocks of ice ready to go. Place a couple on one shelf in both the fridge and freezer sections and pack everything around that one shelf, now you have a functional icebox. More containers = more ice, so any ice not needed to cool the food is good to go for chilled beverages.

- The outsized three-wick candles are quite good for static, immediate-area lighting like a table, as they're very stable and very long-lasting.

- There are no cool flashlights once the power goes out; a ceiling-bounced ~100 lumens for a family space, ~25 lumens for doing a task by yourself, ~2 lumens for relaxing alone are all that's needed, more output just puts more light on what you can already see and increases battery drain while reducing your night vision. Cozy and welcoming warm tints are better for morale.

- Your emergency cash kitty should include a bottle or two of booze. Your neighbor might be offended if you offer cash for something needed, but for a bottle of liquor, how neighborly..

- Don't sit through awful corporate radio news repeats, look for a more community-based station that takes calls and gives updates live. If you're good to use your phone for news, the local TV stations usually have the best resources to provide info, but there's only so much info to get once the storm is underway; for morale's sake tune around during the lulls and see what else is on, some good music with dinner, maybe Coast to Coast is on..

- Frog Toggs towels, battery-powered desk fans, Dri-fit clothes should be something anyone in a hot area already has, highly recommended if you haven't tried them.


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## ChrisGarrett (Sep 15, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*



ven said:


> Awesome write up Chris, thanks for sharing and glad it was no where near as bad as forecast. 82hrs is a long time! wow, great ideas with candles and radio etc. In fact I pretty much have candles lit every single night. Find them very therapeutic , watching the flames flicker.



And another thing Ven, have lots of clean underwear, whether cotton briefs, or boxer shorts, since one will be sweating morning, noon and night. Also, another God send: cheesy nylon swim trunks/bathing suits, with the stitched in underwear lining (of whatever style you prefer), for being outside and getting wet.

Nylon bathing suits for men and/or women dry quickly and can be washed in the sink, with dish soap and wrung out quickly enough and be used again shortly thereafter.

Same for the popular synthetic moisture wicking exercise shirts like those from Nike, or Under Armor. I don't like the feel, but they'll dry equally as fast, when cleaned, or just being wet from outside.

I'm a 'cotton' kind of guy and even in 95* temps and hung up, the stuff just takes too long to dry.

I'm not saying I got hammered every night, like everybody in Florida does during a hurricane, but alcohol is a depressant and having a few drinks might make the difference between falling asleep quickly, or staying up without sleep, fretting about the heat and misery.

The first two nights I was getting 4-5 hours of sleep and I was really 'zoning out' by Monday.

Chris


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## blah9 (Sep 15, 2017)

*Re: irma made it so dark*

Glad to hear that you fared pretty well, Chris. Thank you for all the tips as well (and from you, StarHalo)!

My latest favorite prep for storms and things like this is the small single 18650 chargers that can also be used as powerbanks. I'm glad that in conjunction with a small solar panel I basically have unlimited days of phone and flashlight power if used sparingly and the sun comes out enough. Pretty cool to hear about your more extensive power replenishment equipment and such.


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## Swordforthelord (Sep 15, 2017)

I finally upgraded from my Ultrafire WF-139 to a Nitecore Digicharger D2. I got it a couple days before Irma arrived so it was a perfect opportunity to break it in; I topped off NiMH, 18650's, 17670's, 14500's, 16650's, the works. After all that I (thankfully) only lost power for 30 hours and probably took a grand total of a volt off the AW17670 running my M61WLL.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 15, 2017)

Welcome back Chris, Glad you are OK.

John.


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## firsttothescene (Sep 15, 2017)

RedLED said:


> A guy with a fleet of 747s risked his life, he could have evaced a ton of people. This guy is a fool. I met him when his airline came to PSP on media day, and he was odd then, like tuned up on something. I said to my self, just go home, this is nothing.
> 
> He's another space guy, like Elon Musk, another nut, we didn't go back to the Moon, because there is nothing on the Moon or Mars. That is why congress defunded the Apollo missions, and travel to Mars will never take place with humans. My thing is all the billionaires lost their minds along time ago, and large suns of money do that, (That is true), hence this guy staying on the island for no reason.
> 
> Another ugly rich guy house, blown away! with wine cellar, but of course! And the proof is the $5.00 light he was gifted from Bezos. And I wager, not a spare battery in hundreds of miles!


Not very nice judging people.


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## bykfixer (Sep 15, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> Welcome back Chris, Glad you are OK.
> 
> John.



Yup! Agreed

And glad you made it through Aileen safely TB....

We're readying for Jose' where I live... gas grill tank full, lots of gatorade and will acquire bananas, plenty of dry cereals and and canned beans for (cowboy style) protein, among other items. And being the owner of a few hundred working flashlights the battery supply is plentiful.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 15, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> Yup! Agreed
> 
> And glad you made it through Aileen safely TB....
> 
> We're readying for Jose' where I live... gas grill tank full, lots of gatorade and will acquire bananas, plenty of dry cereals and and* canned beans* for (cowboy style) protein, among other items. And being the owner of a few hundred working flashlights the battery supply is plentiful.



Since you might be cooped-up together for awhile with those beans, you might want to lay in a supply of Beano...just sayin'. :eeew::laughing:

https://youtu.be/VPIP9KXdmO0


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 17, 2017)

I remember reading years ago that your home could explode by the pressure difference if your house is really buttoned up tight, you should leave windows slightly open on the side not facing the hurricane/tornado is there any truth in this?

John.


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## terjee (Sep 17, 2017)

Great writeup, highly appreciated!

Speaking of underwear, somewhat depending on your climate, there's something to be said for merino wool. Thinking mostly about boxers, socks and tshirts, in that order.

They're naturally antibacterial, easy to wash, dries relatively easily, and so on.

People always think warm when it comes to wool, but thin wool clothing items are not THAT warm.


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## Empath (Sep 17, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> I remember reading years ago that your home could explode by the pressure difference if your house is really buttoned up tight, you should leave windows slightly open on the side not facing the hurricane/tornado is there any truth in this?
> 
> John.



According to Snopes that was once thought to be the case, but, present information indicates the opposite.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Sep 17, 2017)

Empath said:


> According to Snopes that was once thought to be the case, but, present information indicates the opposite.



Thanks for clearing that up.

John.


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## bykfixer (Sep 17, 2017)

My dads next door neighbor has had his upstairs windows slightly open since the 1970's. So far his house has not exploded.
My dads house is sealed up pretty tight and so far it hasn't exploded. 
Then again a tornadoe has not hit either. Hurricane Camile and Isabell eyes both passed over though as Cat 1's. 

Now about 350 paces away a huge old barn exploded from hurricane spawned tornadoes and a well insulated house did too. Both looked like the jolly green giant had stomped on them. 
I suppose it kinda comes down to fate as much as science. Probably too many variables to completely and acurately decide if cracking windows is required. But man always likes to explain things...

In my short lifespan all the scientific buzz was that eggs would shorten your lifespan. Now science does not say so. Science said coffee would shorten your life. Now it doesn't. They say loading up with caffine won't shorten your life but used to say the caffine in coffee would... 

Me? If a hurricane is coming my way I'll know my house has enough air leaks that cracking windows won't really change much. But I also know we don't breath the same stale air over and over like my buddy whose home comfort system goes into fresh air mode at 12 noon and 12 midnight. In the event of a hurricane spawned tornadoe we'll both see what fate has to say about it. 

Meanwhile thank goodness Irma was not as bad as feared for many.


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 17, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> I remember reading years ago that your home could explode by the pressure difference if your house is really buttoned up tight, you should leave windows slightly open on the side not facing the hurricane/tornado is there any truth in this?
> 
> John.




As one who lives in tornado alley, and who has studied tornadoes, I can assure you that the old "open the windows to equalize the pressure" is nonsense. Tornadoes destroy homes by wind load exceeding the strength of the construction. Air moving over the roof creates lift, and wind pushing against walls push them in, then the roof lifts off and the rest of the house gets blown to splinters. Besides, there is enough wind-borne debris along with wind load to break out windows. Once the high speed wind gets inside, it helps to blow the house apart. Opening windows is a bad idea because: 1) It delays you taking shelter, 2) it exposes you to wind-borne debris and broken glass fragments if the window breaks, 3) it does absolutely nothing to save the house, and in fact, by allowing wind inside, can create more damage than if left shut.


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## PhotonWrangler (Sep 17, 2017)

I agree. Keep the windows closed during a hurricane or tornado. The Mythbusters even tested this myth, and while it seemed to hold up on a small scale model in the NASA Langley wind tunnel, it fell apart during a full scale test in Florida. The difference between open and closed windows was negligible.


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## bykfixer (Sep 17, 2017)

If I lived in tornadoe alley I'd try to invent a roof flaps system like they have in Nascar. 

The trunk of my Honda Prelude has something like a backflow preventer so that when the trunk is closed it releases the sudden build up of pressure inside the trunk. Yet they don't allow the rain in. 

A roof flap system in a house could use the crawl space vents as the inlet, the wall cavities on the inner portions of the house as the conduit and attic vents as the outlet. 

To keep heat and cold at bay a simple gravity louver system similar to outside dryer vent covers could be strategically placed (like the trunk of my Prelude has) and it would at least potentially reduce the damage caused by an F1 tornadoe. 

But those mile wide monsters? Well that's all about fate.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Sep 17, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> ... But man always likes to explain things...



Another thing we're constantly being told is bad, Mansplaining. However, sans condescension, we all know it's a good thing. It's the way we're wired, ladies. Get used to it. 

~ Chance


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## RedLED (Sep 17, 2017)

firsttothescene said:


> Not very nice judging people.


I only go after the Billionaires! 

Besides, we sent tens of thousands of dollars of things to the areas hit. The more I think about it, this guy had no reason to stay to protect a house he knew was going to be lost. 

Also, he knew under martial law, he could not return immediately, had he left, so whatever it is, he had to stay and that is a huge risk. 

I think he was protecting something at that house, he did not want BVI authorities or Royal Marines to get a hold of, Anyone's guess, but it is a strange set of circumstances when one million people evacuate Florida with next to nothing, and a billionaire stays on for a direct hit, and for no real reason - that can't be explained. 

Maybe be something he can't get into the United Kingdom, EU, or USA? However, the Caribbean has been a hiding place for 500 years, and this guy has a transportation network larger than most countries. Which would be ideal. 

Even today, there is little supervision in that part of the world, mostly on land. Who knows, maybe it is some tech thing he is hiding...I don't know? Just remember Bill Clinton's friend who had an island there somewhere, and what was alleged to have gone on, or a million other things these people do and want to keep secret.


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## bykfixer (Sep 17, 2017)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Another thing we're constantly being told is bad, Mansplaining. However, sans condescension, we all know it's a good thing. It's the way we're wired, ladies. Get used to it.
> 
> ~ Chance



Exactly. 

Mrs. Fixer is on board with explanations until I whip out pen and paper... she says it's calming to get an explanation, but is afraid she'll fall asleep and start snoring when the pen and paper comes out....

She has a very creative spirit but sometimes seeks advice on thinking inside the box when some of her trial and errors tend to be more errors than success. So I get to peak inside that fertile mind of hers in order to discover her goals in said trials. 

Neither of us understand conventional wisdom so we bounce all kinds of potential scernarios in this "image is everything" world we live in. It cuts down the frustrations, keeps us focused as a team of 2 vs the kids, and generally solidifies our friendship.

Take Irma for example: while Floridians were clamoring for bottled water, so were Virginians. When Irma was still over Cuba our stores were sold out too. So we put our thoughts together on preparing a bunch of water for the aquarium, the lizard and house plants in case Irma hit us too.


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## moldyoldy (Sep 17, 2017)

Going_Supernova said:


> As one who lives in tornado alley, and who has studied tornadoes, I can assure you that the old "open the windows to equalize the pressure" is nonsense. Tornadoes destroy homes by wind load exceeding the strength of the construction. Air moving over the roof creates lift, and wind pushing against walls push them in, then the roof lifts off and the rest of the house gets blown to splinters. Besides, there is enough wind-borne debris along with wind load to break out windows. Once the high speed wind gets inside, it helps to blow the house apart. Opening windows is a bad idea because: 1) It delays you taking shelter, 2) it exposes you to wind-borne debris and broken glass fragments if the window breaks, 3) it does absolutely nothing to save the house, and in fact, by allowing wind inside, can create more damage than if left shut.




^ so noted, and concur.

My daughter msg'd & passed on photos from her friends apt on Sint Maarten. Hurricane Irma totally wrecked the inside of their apt, but the poured-concrete building itself survived. 
Both sides of the eyewall of Irma with 185mph winds passed over Sint Maarten. all of the 'windward-side' windows were blown in, first in one direction and then in the other direction.
once an air stream at that velocity reaches the inside of an apt or building......end discussion.

my daughter went thru a Cat 4 hurricane on Sint Maarten. Although the apt was windward side, it was shielded by a hill. no windows were broken.
Caribbean hurricanes are nasty! 

Now Hurricane Maria is predicted to hit the same northern Leeward Islands, predicted to be a Cat 3 by then.
fortunately most of the tourists and even much of the population has been evacuated from those islands. 

btw: a quirk of St. Marten (French) vs Sint Maarten (Dutch): 
Since the island is divided between French and Dutch control, anyone remaining on the island & obtaining government-provided rations is 'controlled' as to which side of the island they live on. even in the middle of destruction, the Gov. will control who receives what!


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## Going_Supernova (Sep 19, 2017)

moldyoldy said:


> ^ so noted, and concur.
> 
> My daughter msg'd & passed on photos from her friends apt on Sint Maarten. Hurricane Irma totally wrecked the inside of their apt, but the poured-concrete building itself survived.
> Both sides of the eyewall of Irma with 185mph winds passed over Sint Maarten. all of the 'windward-side' windows were blown in, first in one direction and then in the other direction.
> ...



I heard earlier today that Maria had already hit Cat 5.


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## bykfixer (Sep 19, 2017)

Living in paradise comes at a price Mr. Maine. 

- Mr. Dobbs (White Collar seaon 4)


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