IMO - staying in a mobile home during a hurricane

[bumcat]

is similar to staying in a cardboard box. So many have died due to staying in their mobile homes. I don't know if they refused to leave or due to Charley changing directions they just didn't have enough time to get out. I'm sure most felt somewhat safe earlier in the day.
My first home was a mobile home. I never stayed there during hurricane warnings even though I was about 70 miles from the Gulf. I know I am probably more paranoid than most since I was in Hurricane Carla in the early 60's. I was only 3 but I'll never forget it.
I think too many focus on where the weathermen say the direct hit will be but you're really suppose to evacuate if you are 75 miles to the left or right of that hit per the weatherman on one of our local channels.
It's times like these that I wish mobile homes were banned.
I keep hearing it may be a week or so before they know how many lives have been lost in Punta Gorda.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

I'm shocked they stayed too, but every year I am shocked by the # of trailer parks that get hit by tornadoes and people still stay in them, it's insane.

 

[Rutt and Tuke]

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I heard on the new that many people who live in those homes are seniors/elderly. Maybe mobility is an issue with some, maybe they had no one to help them. Probably most thought the hurricane would go elsewhere and "won't be that bad".

 

[bumcat]

Hugsforeeyore:
Probably most thought the hurricane who go elsewhere and "won't be that bad".

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I think this is probably why the majority stayed. This is always my husbands kind of thinking and I am the exact opposite.

 

[bsnyder]

Well, a tornado doesn't give you the same warning that a hurricane does.

In my opinion, ignoring a mandatory evacuation, whether you live in a mobile home or a conventional house, is just plain stupid!

I am still shocked at the number of friends and neighbors we have who refused to evacuate the South Tampa area. The evacuation order covered about 2/3rds of the peninsula.

I'm sure today they all think they cleverly saved themselves the inconvenience (and it WAS an inconvenience) of packing up and relocating for the day. But the reality is it was just sheer, dumb luck.

I'm not willing to take a chance with my life and especially my childrens' lives, just to spare myself a little trouble for what might turn out to be a false alarm.

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by HugsForEeyore
I heard on the new that many people who live in those homes are seniors/elderly. Maybe mobility is an issue with some, maybe they had no one to help them. Probably most thought the hurricane who go elsewhere and "won't be that bad".

The various county emergency management teams have assistance, for those people who have mobility issues, and special shelters to accomodate various health problems and disabilities.

Most people just refuse to leave their homes.

 

[skiwee1]

I heard that they did have 4 hours to get out after being notified that it was coming to them and was a cat 4 storm. Prior to that, they were advised to leave anyway as they were in a low lying area. They were offered help and could have easily called the police to help them evactuate to a shelter. I saw them interview a couple of elderly men that were evactuating from the area. They remarked that those that were staying were either hard headed or didn't take the warnings to heart. I think it was pretty stupid on anyones part to stay in the mobile homes when they had plenty of opportunity to leave.

 

[Keli]

Originally posted by gymnasticsmom68
I'm shocked they stayed too, but every year I am shocked by the # of trailer parks that get hit by tornadoes and people still stay in them, it's insane.

The trouble with tornadoes is there is often no warning at all. We have had quite a few tornadoes touch down in our county in the last several years and with most of them there was no warning. They move so quickly too that unless appropriate shelter is very close there is no way people in the mobile homes should venture out to try to find better shelter or they will get caught outside in the middle of one without any shelter at all.

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by skiwee1
I heard that they did have 4 hours to get out after being notified that it was coming to them and was a cat 4 storm. Prior to that, they were advised to leave anyway as they were in a low lying area. They were offered help and could have easily called the police to help them evactuate to a shelter. I saw them interview a couple of elderly men that were evactuating from the area. They remarked that those that were staying were either hard headed or didn't take the warnings to heart. I think it was pretty stupid on anyones part to stay in the mobile homes when they had plenty of opportunity to leave.

Here in Florida, mobile homes are evacuated in a Category I storm. The southern counties (Lee, Charlotte, Collier, etc.) were the FIRST counties to activate their emergency plans and order mandatory evacuations. Those evacuation orders were never lifted, even while the storm continued to track towards Tampa.

 

[piratesmate]

I forget now if it was in PG, but I heard on CNN this morning about a man who had time to remove "all his things" from his trailer home & put them in a storage facility. I'd say there was sufficient warning to at least get yourself out.

This poor guy, though - his mobile home was virtually untouched. Unfortunately, the storage facility was wipe out....and I think there was a third thing - like the shelter he went to was hit.

But at least he was alive to tell the story.....unlike many who stayed in their mobile homes.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I have to agree with you. And, unfortunately, a lot of those in mobile homes down there are senior citizens. They can be the toughest to get to budge!

 

[bumcat]

bsnyder:
Here in Florida, mobile homes are evacuated in a Category I storm. The southern counties (Lee, Charlotte, Collier, etc.) were the FIRST counties to activate their emergency plans and order mandatory evacuations. Those evacuation orders were never lifted, even while the storm continued to track towards Tampa.
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Sounds like they didn't take it very serious then.

 

[RitaZ.]

I can't understand it myself... I'm sure that you all have seen the pictures on tv of these mobile home parks and their close proximity to the coast. Did they really think that mobile homes could withstand a hurricane's fury?

Hurricane preparations are a real pain, but they are necessary. We have had several hurricane warnings and watches over the years and after a while of not getting hit by one, we became complacent. Then, after Andrew hit in 1992, it totally changed how I view hurricanes and their power.

To me, it's simple. There is no home, whether mobile home or CBS construction, that is worth risking your life over. If you are in an evacuation zone, then evacuate.

 

[Kay7979]

One reporter I heard today said that many are elderly people and they have pets. The shelters don't allow pets so the elderly people are reluctant to abandon their dogs or cats and tend to just stay put with the animinals. While I understand the feeling, there's not much beneft to the animal if you stay and are killed, too. If it were me, and I had time, I would just load up the animals if I were capable of driving and drive somewhere, anywhere, beyond the storm.

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by Kay7979
One reporter I heard today said that many are elderly people and they have pets. The shelters don't allow pets so the elderly people are reluctant to abandon their dogs or cats and tend to just stay put with the animinals. While I understand the feeling, there's not much beneft to the animal if you stay and are killed, too. If it were me, and I had time, I would just load up the animals if I were capable of driving and drive somewhere, anywhere, beyond the storm.

Unfortunately, if you did this, and the storm changed paths, like this one did, you could be in more danger.

People need to prepare ahead of time, before there is even a storm in sight. Preferably, at the beginning of hurricane season. Most of the newspapers in Florida publish a hurricane guide every year, in May, and distribute it with the daily paper. It can be used to determine if your home is in an evacuation zone and plan accordingly. Everyone should have a plan that includes several scenarios, and the best refuge is obviously one that is not in any evacuation zone and is strong enough to withstand a hgher category storm.

People think too much about having the most comfortable or most convenient place to evacuate to, when that may not necessarily be the safest place. A motel, with lots of plate glass windows would not be much of a comfort to me, if it turned out to be in the path of the hurricane. But that's exactly where some of my friends went yesterday.

Find a friend, or a co-worker in an area that will not be evacuated, based on the flood maps and ask them if you can have a standing invitation, to stay with them, if need be. And then hope you never need to impose on them in that way.

My family's hurricane plan was finally put to the test this week, but we've had it in place for more than 10 years. We learned some things, that we will do a little differently next time, but I'm confident that if the storm had come ashore in our area, as it was expected to, we would have been safe and secure.

Also, regarding pets....we have a dog who is like another child to us, and I couldn't imagine having to leave him behind. That's why we haven't chosen to just rely on our designated public shelter, if we have to evacuate our home.

 

[WillyJ]

Well I have to admit my first reaction when hearing about so many staying in their homes that are mobile homes and what happened to many of them was along the lines of "what the heck were they thinking?? ". . .


But after hearing that many were elderly I started thinking about it and realized that while it might have been stubborness or ignorance, it also could be that some might have been too scared to act;

Some might have been getting conflicting information.

Some might not have been able to fully grasp the solid info they were getting;

Some might have been getting conflicting advice from friends, neighbors, relatives and even possibly officials;

Some might have mistakingly thought they had to find their own shelter and get their on their own and pay for it. . . (every year yo hear about seniors who die from the heat sitting next to an AC they wouldn't turn on because they worried about the cost of running it.)

Maybe some didn't know transportation would be provided. . maybe the transportation wasn't as widespread and availabble in the more rural areas or maybe it didn't function as smoothly some places as it did in others.


But mainly I realized I wasn't there and I don't have all the facts. . . and then as I saw some of the images of the destruction down there and I understood whatever happened, anyone who make an error in judgement paid a horrific price and so did a lot of those who did the right thing. . .

I understand what some are saying because as I said, I felt the same way at first. . but now I just see victims of a disaster no matter what they did or didn't do..

 

[bsnyder]

Willy, you make a good point. We don't know the particulars of each individual situation.

But I do know that the emergency management officials did an unbelievable job, at least here in Tampa. We were given a constant stream of information, round the clock, on all the local TV and radio stations. They had phone banks set up for people to call in, and they were constantly running the number on the bottom of the tv screen. They made it very clear that people in the evacuation areas really needed to leave, and that they were prepared to assist people who needed help.

 

[bsnyder]

On Thursday night, we also received an automated phone call, from the County Emergency Management office, telling us our home was in a mandatory evacuation area and that we had to be out by 6:00 a.m. the following morning. And then the next morning, we had police cars, with sirens and bullhorns, come through our neighborhood, reminding us it was time to leave.

I have no idea if they have the same procedures in all the counties, but I do know there is a lot of state-wide coordination, for the plans and drills, and I would assume they all follow a lot of the same protocol.

 

[WillyJ]

I don't doubt you about how well things were readied there in Tampa, Bet. . (and I'm very happy to see you're safe and sound. . ) and maybe it was the same way down around Punta Gorda. . .

But sometimes the less populated areas don't have the same large and efficiant system set up. . and no one can know for sure things would have been done as well in Tampa if they hadn't been told for four days that it looked like the storm was going to hit there. . .

. . . or if things would have gone smoothly and the agencies would have been just as prepared if they'd only had fours hours of being the storm was likely going to hit there instead of four days. . and even with the advance preperation, I'd imagine 180 mile- an- hour-winds might tend to derail the best of plans. .


And then again, maybe it would have ran like clockwork. . I can't claim to know for sure either way. .

My point was while my first reaction was that only a nut would stay in a mobile home with a hurricane coming, after thinking it over and seeing the type of damage that occured down there it doesn't feel at all necessary for me to feel anything but sympathy for those who were affected down there. .