Thursday, September 7, 2017

Looks Like It's My Turn This Time

Much like Miguel down at Gunfree Zone, it looks like Irma's going to pay us a visit.  The track really hasn't changed in a few days.  The various model runs drift left and right, but that's just the inherent inaccuracy of such things.
The projected path crossing the state near Cape Canaveral (the bump midway down Florida's east coast) has been there for at least a day.  I'm a little south of the Cape.  No, we're still not in the white zone (3 day forecast) but we started putting up shutters this morning.  We started a bit too late after too much time dawdling over coffee so we'll finish either later this afternoon, if we get some clouds, or tomorrow morning.  I'll get up and out earlier. 

There's a saying that goes "prepare for the worst;  hope for the best" and that's where we are.  In aftermath of the first two big storms of the '04 season, Charley and Frances, the state emergency management folks were saying, "if you don't need to evacuate, just hunker down in place" to ride out the storm.  We live in a well-built house.  For example, one of the most critical things is that the roof is held down with fasteners and not just be held on the house by its own weight.  Our house was built that way, embodied in the post-Andrew building codes, despite being built 15 years before it was required.  Our addition, built in '14, is built that way, and includes storm windows rated to cat 5. 

That said, if yesterday's Irma came onshore with 185 mph winds, I don't think anything in the county that would go unscathed.  Maybe the old blast proof blockhouses on the Cape, except they'd probably flood.  There's just no reason to think we'll get a storm that strong.

Aside from fewer options for getting out of the house, life as normal until Saturday evening.


6 comments:

  1. Good luck! We're riding it out at home about 20 miles west of you, in east Orange Co.

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    1. Good luck to you, too! The 5PM update has it going up the entire length of the state on land (again). That will weaken it more before it gets up here. I'm hoping.

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    2. I promise that I won't complain too loudly if y'all wear the crap out of that storm before it gets up to me in PSJ...

      }:-]

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  2. Such as the news is, it seems too late to leave. You seem well-prepared and experienced ... so a little music to get you through:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTBv4kAdk_w

    Good luck. I suspect you'll be dark in and for a few days.
    Q

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    1. Like they say about so many things, if you're not a little scared you don't understand the problem. Yeah, I'm experienced - I've ridden out about a half dozen hurricanes in my life, three in this house and three while growing up. I also know things can get thrown at you that can cause damage no matter how much you think you're prepared. A tornado. A tree falling. A neighbor's tree falling. In one of the hurricanes in '04 somebody's screened in patio came apart and tore up the side of one of our cars.

      I didn't remember that REO song. Not saying I haven't heard some version of it before, but it didn't register tonight. Still, a good one for a few nights from now.

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  3. Hope all turns out well for you, SiG!

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