Are you worried about hurricanes?

[civileng68]

Here is Orlando's hurricane history, which I think shows you're pretty safe in Orlando.

In the last 150 years (since tracking of hurricanes started) only 59 storms have hit orlando and NONE of them were even CLOSE to category 4, nevermind category 5.

Even more telling is that Orlando has not been hit by even a CATEGORY 2 hurricane since Donna in 1960.

A prime example of how winds get sheered as a storm is pressed inland is:

In Orlando in 1979, Hurricane David passed nearby, posting 100 mph winds on the coast and yet, in Orlando, the winds barely reached 40 mph.

This is why people in Tampa go to Orlando. They're not looking to "escape" the storm. They're simply looking to the avoid the most harmful part of it.

One thing you learn when living in Florida is that every hurricane is a threat. You get used to the threat of it and instead of trying to get out of everything, you just avoid the most dangerous parts.

To kind of even more support the idea that Orlando is safe, look at Category 3 storms (which is my limit of safety):

In the last 150 years, out of being hit by only 59 storms, NONE of them being greater than a category 3, only 3 of them were the stregth of a category 3.

 

[ssleblanc]

Well the thing is, "concern" is relative. Actually Orlando is much safer than an area where I live (SW Fla, right on the coast). When I speak of concern, Im not talking about slight damage to homes, vegetation and infrastructure. Im talking about home destruction with high possibility of death.

I personally, by my opinion of a concern, think Orlando is MUCH safer. Though you may experience hurricane force winds, if they're below a category 3, chances are, the building is going to stand (except if it's not built to the newer codes, and near water) and you will be safe if indoors.

You took the words out of my mouth. Concern is relative. Losing the shingles on my house is the least of my concerns (I did have to replace my roof - not only from the shingles that blew off, but also because of the tree laying on top of it). But I know that in Orlando, or other "inland" areas that I won't have to swim through 6 feet of disgusting water that stays for weeks.

 

[pambo'shouse]

If I stayed home and had to deal with a hurricane, I'd have to deal with a major evacuation (or even a tropical storm for us because we can't stay in FEMA trailers during a minimal tropical storm). I'd rather be in Disney dealing with a storm than at home. [/QUOTE]


The last thing I want is for a hurricane to come to New Orleans again but if it did I can not think of a better place to evacuate. For Katrina we were in four states for 5 weeks before we could come home. Let's pray there are no landfalls this year and give everyone a break......

 

[goofy4tink]

True, however, it was VERY minimal (Charley). The "eye" did come over (what was left of it) but, the storm itself was nearly a tropical storm by the team it got to Orlando. It came ashore all the way down in Punta Gorda.

Just before landfall it was a category 4 (It was actually a category 5 about 30 minutes before landfall) and by the time it got to Orlando, it was struggling to stay at even a cat 1.

Now, I was jus outside of the strongest part of Charley (just south).

If you want to feel your heart skip a beat, you have to be sitting there, watching it on the news, literally living right on the shore, and seeing the radar sending it up to Tampa and suddenly it stops dead in its tracks and starts sending it directly towards you. I literally felt hearbroken for a few minutes when that happened.

I actually slept through the eye coming overhead!!! Missed the whole darn thing...I was so disappointed when I woke up the next morning. But, I remember watching the tv on occasion, and thinking what the heck was all the uproar. I would walk around WDW and think it wasn't really all that bad. Sure, there were some trees down, and some shingles blown off some of the roofs, but nothing like they were talking about on tv. Well, when Tuesday came, remember that Charley came through on Friday night, the parks really starting getting busier and busier. By Thursday it was a mob scene. Why? Because all those locals, who had no school or work, started heading for the theme parks. It was only when we were on the road, leaving WDW and heading back to MCO for our return flight, that we actually saw how destructive Charley had been. While I understand that Charley had lost a lot of power, there was still an immense amount of damage to Orlando...I have never seen such huge road signs twisted like pretzels or trees uprooted like I saw.
You guys reminded me of Wilma...My dad has a condo on the water in Pompano Beach. It was incredible the damage they had from a storm that had already crossed the state.
Disney does a terrific job...their buildings are all way above the expected code...it was very obvious when we saw the bldgs outside of WDW.
So...stay safe all you guys down there in Florida for the next couple of months. Here's hoping there are no biggies coming your way!!!

 

[Rudegrle]

I try not to think about a hurricane during our vacation, but how can I not??? We are going in the middle of October and arriving on Friday the 13th...I think we're doomed Oh well, at least we'll be in WDW, even if we are trapped in our hotel room.

 

[safetymom]

It's a shame we have to split hairs about how bad the hurricanes were. There were many many people in the Polk county area that experienced great losses and are still living in FEMA trailers.

I consider myself lucky compared to others but I do know plenty of people that had quite a bit of damage.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

I voted for 'hurricanes are a thing to watch for'. I'm not worried about them but I have a healthy respect for the fact that one could affect our vacation.

In September 2000 I did get to experience Hurricane Gordon. The storm was just off the coast of FL when we arrived in WDW on September 17. It then made landfall near Cedar Key (well northwest of Orlando) on September 18 (as a tropical storm).

When we checked into the Poly on the 17th people were checking out left and right and the CM that checked us in said people were leaving early because of the hurricane. My DH & I went to MK that day even though it was rainy (mostly drizzle with bursts of heavy rain) and windy and I have to say it was one of the best days we ever had! The park was e-m-p-t-y! We didn't have to wait for anything - we felt like VIPs with the park closed just for us.

Debbie

 

[goofy4tink]

It's a shame we have to split hairs about how bad the hurricanes were. There were many many people in the Polk county area that experienced great losses and are still living in FEMA trailers.

I consider myself lucky compared to others but I do know plenty of people that had quite a bit of damage.

So true. It would be a shame to forget those who are still in major need, while we sit here and worry about our vacations. There are plenty of folks out there that still have no homes, or jobs due to these storms.

 

[ssleblanc]

If I stayed home and had to deal with a hurricane, I'd have to deal with a major evacuation (or even a tropical storm for us because we can't stay in FEMA trailers during a minimal tropical storm). I'd rather be in Disney dealing with a storm than at home.

The last thing I want is for a hurricane to come to New Orleans again but if it did I can not think of a better place to evacuate. For Katrina we were in four states for 5 weeks before we could come home. Let's pray there are no landfalls this year and give everyone a break......

Me too!! We almost did. After the first 2 weeks stuck in dh's grandmother's very old, pretty much abandoned house (it was empty, she's in a nursing home, it had bees in the walls, not TV, a very old kitchen, and uncomfortable furniture - though at least we had a place to go), we started making plans to go to Disney. We figured if we were not going to be allowed back home and had to pay to be somewhere else anyway, why NOT the Happiest Place on Earth? Started making the plans, and then got the call from my boss that our plant in Jefferson Parish was opening back up. After I tracked down a fax machine, he faxed me a pass to get through the road blocks and we had to find a place in St. Tammany to stay. My plans for a Disney evacuation were squashed. I know they always tell us to go north, but next time I'm headed to Orlando.

 

[ssleblanc]

It's a shame we have to split hairs about how bad the hurricanes were. There were many many people in the Polk county area that experienced great losses and are still living in FEMA trailers.

I consider myself lucky compared to others but I do know plenty of people that had quite a bit of damage.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I think because I'm still living in a trailer in my front yard and am still fighting with insurance companies so that I can get my house fixed, I tend to make light of things that I shouldn't. I didn't mean that in a "whoa is me" sort of way. We joke about our trailer situation a LOT in my house. Not because it is funny. But as a coping techinque. And unfortunately, that tendency spreads out. I more meant a "I'd rather be anywhere else than here" and in my head had a joking manner to what I was saying. It didn't come across the way I meant it to - and really, it is nothing to joke about. It is a bad coping mechanism. I didn't mean to belittle anyone else's hurricane experiences - and didn't mean to split hairs.

Back to the topic - really, given the number of days in a hurricane season, and the number of years that Disney has been open, compared to the number of days that Orlando has been affected by a hurricane or tropical storm of any strength in that time - the chance on any given day that any one person's Disney vacation will be affected by such a storm is very slim. I wouldn't worry about it much, and go on with my normal plans.

 

[safetymom]

ssleblanc, I understand the humor part. We had a lot of those moments after the hurricanes and the damage it did around here. It doesn't compare with Katrina but any damage from a hurricane is not fun. You find out quickly what FEMA does and does not cover, and I don't recommend trying to deal with insurance companies after a hurricane.

 

[civileng68]

ssleblanc, I understand the humor part. We had a lot of those moments after the hurricanes and the damage it did around here. It doesn't compare with Katrina but any damage from a hurricane is not fun. You find out quickly what FEMA does and does not cover, and I don't recommend trying to deal with insurance companies after a hurricane.

Honestly, sorry if it came off like that but, I dont think we're really "splitting hairs". It's just a conversation about WDW and the possibility of strong hurricanes to come or those that have come to the WDW area.

Nobody's saying it's not a shame that people are in trailors. Destruction happens anywhere. A home that is not built to a sufficient code, made of wood, and in bad shape, can be destroyed in a category 1 hurricane. All it takes is one tree to fall on it.

However, I've been through my share of near misses and I've lived for 4 weeks without power one time (which is A LOT to me). I dont think they're a joke but, as someone who has lived through 2 direct hits of Category 3 hurricanes, I can say that there is a HUGE difference between a 1 and a 3.

Honestly though, it's all light-hearted talk here, and when I was at WDW during Wilma (as an evacuee) I was determined I was going to have fun. So, while I was watching TV, seeing Naples on CNN getting beaten to pieces (nothing like Orlando has seen), I went to the park 3 hours later and had a great time, and did so for the next 2 days (we were not even allowed back in our neighborhood due to the damage so we stayed 2 days longer). While there, we laughed and played, not even knowing if our house was there (and not being allowed back, you would assume the worst).

It's just one of those things. So, nobody's making light. We're just discussing it.