Hurricane Milton

[sam_gordon]

I fully understand our parents are their own entity & decision-makers in their own lives, but is anyone close enough to literally go get her while there is still time? In person it is sometimes easier to convey how utterly awful it will be for all of you not being in constant contact with her, during the emergency.

And to receive a simple "Let me help you get everything in order & I've got the rest all organized" kind of speech. Seeing the emotion on a loved ones face in person might be a game changer.

Anyway, all the best to you. And everyone facing this storm.

No. She's 13 hours (with good traffic), from me and DW. Her sister and niece are 30 minutes further from us and my sister and BiL are 3 hours further away.

And thats the closest.

 

[lisaviolet]

No. She's 13 hours (with good traffic), from me and DW. Her sister and niece are 30 minutes further from us and my sister and BiL are 3 hours further away.

And thats the closest.

Okay. So hard.

 

[emmybee]

I believe it was in the NYT where I read the saddest story about an elderly uncle who refused to leave his house. His family begged, the firefighters swung by twice, but he refused to leave. His house got swept away, but he managed to find refuge in a tree. Sadly, family wasn't able to get to him because he was surrounded by fast water. The county rescue team arrived, only to determine they didn't have the equipment to safely rescue him. If they lost the rescue team, the whole county would have been left with nothing. The poor man eventually got tired out and fell into the water. I don't know if his body was recovered. I can only imagine his family's horror & sorrow to have witnessed that. I'm sure the hearts of that team were broken as well. I really don't understand the stubbornness. The choice doesn't just affect the person who stays. Good luck to those in the path.

 

[dvcgirl67]

This is a scary storm....fourth strongest ever recorded. I hope people near the coast get out...this could be the big one for Tampa. Hope everyone stays safe!

 

[brockash]

We're here now staying at Music (tried moving to CR) but they said no. Hoping for better news about the storm in the morning; really haven't heard anything other than their monitoring it from Disney

 

[bdrex28]

This is a scary storm....fourth strongest ever recorded. I hope people near the coast get out...this could be the big one for Tampa. Hope everyone stays safe!

Just to clarify.

The pressure is the 5th lowest recorded in the Atlantic Basin at 897mb.

Wilma 882
Gilbert 888
Labor Day 1935 was 892
Rita 895
Milton at this time 897

Quite a few lower that were Typhoons.

Lowest ever officially recorded was Typhoon Tip at 870 mb

Typhoons Gay, Monica and Angela are thought to all be under 870mb but not officially measured for records.

Milton is crazy and could see even lower pressure.

 

[kerry1379]

One thing I never thought about if one stays and there is bad flooding, as there often is during these storms-are the mosquitoes. A close friend had loved ones in LA when Hurricane Katrina hit. She told me that when one of her loved ones was rescued after many days of being stranded, they were covered in mosquito bites (as well as being in bad overall shape). I don't know what it is about mosquito bites but they drive me insane. I have very low tolerance for them. I know there are so many more worse things that could happen, but that is something that would convince me to evacuate.

I am truly worried about those in the path of this storm. Between Milton and Helene, so many people are going to be/already are impacted and in need of desperate help.

 

[barkley]

The county rescue team arrived, only to determine they didn't have the equipment to safely rescue him. If they lost the rescue team, the whole county would have been left with nothing.

and this is what i think of when i hear of people who refuse to evacuate and are in no way, shape or form capable of extricating themselves even in far less severe weather (and fire) circumstances when evacuation warnings/orders have been issued. if they don't care about their own well being/lives-they should be thinking about those others who are putting their OWN lives on the line to rescue them because of their choices as well as the lives of those who have no choice/ability in evacuating and are awaiting rescue b/c moments count and the moments spent on one who chose not to leave could save the lives of those who could not.

 

[bdrex28]

and this is what i think of when i hear of people who refuse to evacuate and are in no way, shape or form capable of extricating themselves even in far less severe weather (and fire) circumstances when evacuation warnings/orders have been issued. if they don't care about their own well being/lives-they should be thinking about those others who are putting their OWN lives on the line to rescue them because of their choices as well as the lives of those who have no choice/ability in evacuating and are awaiting rescue b/c moments count and the moments spent on one who chose not to leave could save the lives of those who could not.

Exactly

 

[Iguanago]

Listening to a news-talk station in So Cal RN and they just had on a guy from their sister station in FL. He said if you haven't left by now, don't bother. Roads are clogged, gas stations are out of gas. You seriously run the risk of riding out the storm in your car on the side of the road. Hunker down.

 

[Iguanago]

There is still time to evacuate or move to higher ground. Live cams show traffic is slow but moving on major highways. Storm still 24 hours or more away. Do not listen to third hand reports of traffic conditions. If you are in an evacuation area get out. If you have an older relative who refuses, force the issue. Better to have them alive to be angry with you afterwards

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Listening to a news-talk station in So Cal RN and they just had on a guy from their sister station in FL. He said if you haven't left by now, don't bother. Roads are clogged, gas stations are out of gas. You seriously run the risk of riding out the storm in your car on the side of the road. Hunker down.

This does not sound like a legitimate source or even half-sane advice. If you are on the east coast of Florida in the impacted areas, check with your local government’s official sources, not a news-talk station guy.

 

[Iguanago]

Just to clarify.

The pressure is the 5th lowest recorded in the Atlantic Basin at 897mb.

Wilma 882
Gilbert 888
Labor Day 1935 was 892
Rita 895
Milton at this time 897

Quite a few lower that were Typhoons.

Lowest ever officially recorded was Typhoon Tip at 870 mb

Typhoons Gay, Monica and Angela are thought to all be under 870mb but not officially measured for records.

Milton is crazy and could see even lower pressure.

As I understand it, Milton may be a lower category when it hits land but almost as dangerous because it is likely to expand in size and the storm surge could still be unprecedented and drastic even if the wind speed decreases a bit. I really hope we get lucky and the tide is out when Milton comes in

 

[Iguanago]

This does not sound like a legitimate source or even half-sane advice. If you are on the east coast of Florida in the impacted areas, check with your local government’s official sources, not a news-talk station guy.

No reputable source is advising people in evacuation areas to stay put at this point. All of the official advice is to get out as soon as possible and not wait until the last minute. Advice is to take food, water and prepare for a long slow drive. The state has every possible force mobilized to help traffic keep moving. Help emergency crews stay safe by getting out when told to evacuate so they do not have to rescue you at the risk of their own lives.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

and this is what i think of when i hear of people who refuse to evacuate and are in no way, shape or form capable of extricating themselves even in far less severe weather (and fire) circumstances when evacuation warnings/orders have been issued. if they don't care about their own well being/lives-they should be thinking about those others who are putting their OWN lives on the line to rescue them because of their choices as well as the lives of those who have no choice/ability in evacuating and are awaiting rescue b/c moments count and the moments spent on one who chose not to leave could save the lives of those who could not.

I agree with you when people just don’t want to leave their stuff but I have seen countless stories where people simply can’t afford to pack up their families and pets to flee just days after they were forced to flee last week.
Most areas have free shelters for humans but very few will allow pets.
I have linked a sad story of a mom of 6 that is staying put because she can’t afford to leave.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFPSCoS8/

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I agree with you when people just don’t want to leave their stuff but I have seen countless stories where people simply can’t afford to pack up their families and pets to flee just days after they were forced to flee last week.
Most areas have free shelters for humans but very few will allow pets.
I have linked a sad story of a mom of 6 that is staying put because she can’t afford to leave.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFPSCoS8/

Does the Florida government have programs to help people in this situation? It would be much cheaper thant the cost of trying to rescue them later.

 

[barkley]

I agree with you when people just don’t want to leave their stuff but I have seen countless stories where people simply can’t afford to pack up their families and pets to flee just days after they were forced to flee last week.
Most areas have free shelters for humans but very few will allow pets.
I have linked a sad story of a mom of 6 that is staying put because she can’t afford to leave.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFPSCoS8/

i am entirely sympathetic to those in these situations-it's those who have no restrictions from evacuating and just choose to stay put potentialy resulting in endangering the lives of others in the aftermath that i take issue with.

 

[NotUrsula]

Does the Florida government have programs to help people in this situation? It would be much cheaper thant the cost of trying to rescue them later.

When you go to shelters you are told to bring your own food, clothing, diapers, water, toiletries, flashlights, blankets, pillows and quiet things to entertain your children without electricity, because shelters can and do lose power sometimes. If you don't own some kind of luggage that's really difficult to manage on a bus with several children, even if there is a bus. Lots of people figure that their kids are better off in their own homes where they will not be as frightened, though depending on where that home is in terms of a water body that could be a deadly mistake.

Most authorities in Florida right now are telling people that if they are on high ground in a building built to the new hurricane code, and do not have a medical condition that means they cannot survive without electricity, then they should stock up on storm supplies and at *least* a full week's supply of shelf-stable food and water for every person in the house, but stay off the roads. However, if that doesn't apply to your situation, bug out ASAP or by early Tuesday evening so as to be in a high-ground shelter or out of the path by the middle of Wednesday.

My childhood experiences of hurricanes took place in the old days when evacuation really was not a thing, and we simply didn't leave. However, we turned our elevated homes into fortresses, with plywood on every window and door, steel straps bolted into all the roof trusses to anchor them to the walls, and the inside of the house rigged up as a kind of campground with stocks of canned food, kerosene lanterns, bottled water and powdered milk, and tons of tools, tarps, ropes, wood and sandbags, in case something breaks and has to be repaired in the middle of the storm. You lay the kids down to sleep on a pile of blankets in a bathtub with a mattress over their heads, the adults stay up all night keeping watch, and you have an inflatable dinghy at the ready just in case. That kind of preparedness is less often done nowadays, when people in storm zones who have the money primarily clean out the fridge and crank down the shutters before hitting the road.

The standard declaration given by first responders to people who choose to ignore "mandatory" evacuations is good luck and God help you, because we won't be risking our lives to do it. You're on your own from the point that the road into your zone closes until the storm has fully passed.

If you are willing to stay at a public shelter (and some people are not), most of the cities in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota and Manatee counties are running shuttle buses to take people there today and probably for at least the morning tomorrow.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Are you on the coast?

Yes, about 10 min from the beach -- east coast, though.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

Does the Florida government have programs to help people in this situation? It would be much cheaper thant the cost of trying to rescue them later.

Not that I am aware of but they might. I hope these people are ok and rescue teams don’t have to be at risk to save them.