Hurricane Florence

[Optimistic Paranoid]

7 hours ago, Ronbo said:

I remember the walls falling down on a Home Depot store in Galveston 

There are no absolute guarantees in life.  I think you are still better off parked close to something that can block the wind.  If the wind is strong enough to knock the building down, it would be flipping your RV over and rolling it like a ball, anyway.

[Pat & Pete]

2 hours ago, Optimistic Paranoid said:

There are no absolute guarantees in life.  I think you are still better off parked close to something that can block the wind.  If the wind is strong enough to knock the building down, it would be flipping your RV over and rolling it like a ball, anyway.

There is one : You will not live forever . 

That's the best reason to stay mobile . It's a lot harder to hit a moving target .

[Optimistic Paranoid]

12 minutes ago, Pat & Pete said:

There is one : You will not live forever .

I won't live forever?  Damn!  I want my money back!

[Pat & Pete]

59 minutes ago, Optimistic Paranoid said:

I won't live forever?  Damn!  I want my money back!

Ha . Good luck trying to collect . LOL

 

[RV_]

I think y'all are right. Staying involves luck, and lady luck is fickle. Thank goodness it is down to a Category 2 storm now. So now, the only thing needed is for it to pass through quickly, as 24 hours of that kind of sustained wind can do a lot more damage than short duration exposure to sustained 105 mph+ winds. Katrina did a lot of damage as it was a cat 5 storm, but not as much wind damage as feared. Those rescues we did for three days post Katrina were sunny and hot, no storm winds, the floodwaters like glass. Just an eerie calm with floaters like the one I posted. The stench was everywhere from the water and the human and animal bodies in it. It was the flooding that did not disperse for weeks. The houses there are all built up on four foot dirt pads and lifted more by old pier and beam foundations. Post storm, there was no fresh water, no power, and no A/C. In the residential neighborhoods there was little visible wind damage. The water was a toxic stew of fuels and sewage mixed with garbage and full of snakes and other wildlife. Yes we had to wade in to bring out bedridden elderly in two places. We carried them out on a sheet and held them above our heads to lift them in the boats dry. We went down with two trucks and two boats. The storm did little damage compared to the flooding. Most of the ninth ward were displaced for weeks, many permanently due to water and mold damage. 

If this storm stalls over land for even 24 hours, it will likely exceed the aftermath of Katrina by far. Both in damage and lives lost.

I'm on CNN and they are showing that many are defying the mandatory evac orders. I hope they get lucky too.

We'll know tomorrow. And although I'm not as physically capable of the same exertions needed this time, "The Cajun Navy" took off yesterday with their large Bass boats to do flood water rescues the same way we did back in 2005. For the three days immediately after the storm we were there, we and one other volunteer with his air boat were the only rescuers for an area from the I-10 causeway to the inner city which was not flooded, and from Canal Street to Tulane avenue. We put in at the Causeway and traveled a couple of miles by boat down Airline Highway in four to eight feet of water to get to the place the folks were stranded. 

If this storm hangs on it will be catastrophic. They are already expecting 7 million folks without power for weeks. I am hoping they get away with minimal damage and flooding, but it's not looking good. Just the sheer size of the storm is a nightmare. 

 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

The number 1 reason we went fulltime and left eastern NC is this.  After living in and near Washington NC for 35+ years, I've had all the storm surge water, falling trees, damaged roofs I can stand.  Not worrying about 9 HUGE (5-6ft diameter) Pecan trees is another HUGE plus... I don't have to cut limbs or worry about what's going to fall over this time.

[RV_]

Amen Jim!

I am downsizing from 5 acres to 1 acre or less. Just enough to squeeze and RV pad on the side and have a workshop. I decided that we like the lack of regional severe weather here, but not the heat and humidity. I want Montrose with their new river kayak and municipal facilities. Best of both worlds. My Significant harassment wants closer to the grandkids in Denver. But I just spent the last 15 years here for her, she is losing this one. We both are retired and I detest the traffic from Colorado Springs to Longmont - Greely. I was really wanting to try real boonies in Rangely and Meeker.

But I digress. I like to scuba and ski and at least can do one in Colorado. I too have had enough of coastal issues/storms and big property.

I am really hoping  for the best for the folks getting hit here, and on Guam, a major military base for that region. They got hit too a few days ago.

[Randyretired]

RV, The prices of homes/property here in Western Colorado is considerably less than the front range.  We like it here but we prefer more solitude than an acre.  We currently have 35 acres but we purchased 140 to build our new place on.  There are lots of choices here in Western Colorado from cities and towns to more open areas to choose from.  Our kids and grandkids are mostly in the Denver area but it is so different from what we are used to and prefer we hate to travel there.