IMO - staying in a mobile home during a hurricane

[bumcat]

It's just so sad. I keep hearing that hundreds are missing.
I think maybe some have always taken risk, chances and have faired ok thru their lives so maybe once again they thought it would be ok but it wasn't.
I can't help but wonder if the media isn't to blame for some folks attitude about stuff like this. How many times have they made a big deal about minor weather related stuff just to have a great story for the news when they knew it was really no big deal. Then the real thing comes along and some aren't going to listen because they heard it all before and nothing happened.

 

[CarolA]

My father lives in Florida.

He says some of his neighbors are just plain stubborn. They have a hundred excuses but the truth is that they just don't want to deal with it. He was not there for this storm, but a few years ago he was the only one to evacuate. His neighbors are not rich, but they could afford to load up in the car and drive (they aren't that poverty stricken yet!) He says some of their kids even come to get them and they had to drag mom/dad kicking and screaming out of the mobile home! They seem to really belive "it won't happen to me"

One guy spent an hour telling my dad how WELL his home was locked down YEAH RIGHT!

 

[bsnyder]

Willy, I feel total sympathy too.

But as I stated in an early post, the areas that actually got hit had MORE preparation time than Tampa did. Their emergency plans went into affect before ours did, simply because they had the possibility of landfall before we did.

Pinellas County didn't get evacuation orders until Thursday morning. Hillsborough County's order came at around noon on Thursday.

Of course, weather weenie that I am, I had already started preparing.

 

[WillyJ]

I'm not sure if it's still a problem these days Cheri, but for a long time the National Huricane Service had a bad reputation and a lot of ill-will because they had absolute authority to force evacuations. . . and they were notorius for evacuating huge areas days before the storms were even forecasted to hit.. . and then it would change course and land hundreds of miles away at some place that had little or no warning. .

This was back when they didn't have the kind of technology they have now. . and the guy in charge of it (Frank something. . can't recall if that was his first or last name) was not real popular with a lot of people down there. . and perhaps some older folks still don't trust the agency at all. . .


And I agree about the media. . they were all reporting how much the total amount of damage would be in dollar amounts practically before the storm even hit.. and they were all wildly duifferent and obviously guesses . . and all reported it as if they had solid info backing the numbers. .


And as we speak the official death toll for the whole state is 15. . . but since dawn this morning they have all been throwing out numbers of how many might have been killed. . one higher then the next, none more then rumor and guesses and reported as if they had some kind of facts and with the highest possible dramatic affect. .

I've felt awful for anyone who couldn't get in touch with loved ones in the storm area and were hearing that stuff. .

 

[Rutt and Tuke]

One elderly woman on the news road it out (and survived). She said that she didn't want to come home to a mess. I'm not quite sure what she thought staying there would help. As it was, the homes on the sides of her were destroyed and hers held up pretty well.

Capricious nature of hurricanes, I guess.

 

[WillyJ]

Neal Franks. . that was the guys name. . I think. .


Whoops, sorry Bet. . I missed that. . . . my bad.


i don't doubt for a second you feel for everyone affected by this my friend. . . and I'm really not disagreeing with your point(s) on what people should do.. heck, I'd be going early right with you if I were there! LOL!!


And I'm not even challenging anyone elses's opinon. . I'm just saying that for me personally there's no interest right now in who did or didn't do what they should have. . everyone who lived in the areas hit are paying some kind of a price and I feel for all no matter how they reacted. . . I mean no one "deserved" to lose their home or life no matter what they did, right?

 

[RitaZ.]

I don't think that anyone here has said that those folks that lived in mobile homes deserved their fate. No one deserves that kind of devastation, whether they choose to stay put or evacuate. The loss of human life can't be reversed. It's going to take years to rebuild the hardest hit areas.

Having gone through several hurricane preparations, I can't tell you how many people do NOTHING until the hurricane is upon them. Then, at the last minute, there is mass panic at the grocery stores, Home Depot and gas stations. It's truly frightening!

I remember one year one of my neighbors went to buy water at Publix, at the last minute, and he decided to leave when two women started fighting (physically) over the last gallon of water. Some folks just dismiss the warnings and say things like, "We aren't going to get hit, it will turn before it makes landfall and miss us". Do they deserve to die or be hurt by the effects of a hurricane? Of course not!

It's very smart to be prepared ahead of time and to have a plan. People that live in FL know that there is a hurricane season, we are reminded every year and throughout the season (ad nauseum, I might add) to prepare ahead of time, the information is all over the place. There are so MANY reasons why elderly folks choose to stay in their homes, even if they are told to evacuate. What can emergency personnel do when people refuse to leave their homes?

Any way one looks at this mess, it's very sad to see all that devastation and the effect it's having on all those poor people.

I do think that the media tends to exaggerate some storms, but when the Director of the Hurricane Center is telling Floridians to prepare, then it's the real thing.

 

[bsnyder]

Willy, the only reason I'm harping on what people should have done is because there will be other storms, we can count on it. It's not to put blame on anyone, or say they deserve what they got. It's a natural disaster, and a human tragedy. No amount of preparation would help the loss of all those mobile homes, and all the other property destroyed. But the loss of life can and should be prevented.

In fact, there's already a new one, Earl, following right in the same path as Charley. May he please stay far, far away from land, but if he doesn't, I hope people who have decided to ride out past storms will take a long, hard look at the pictures and video of Charley's destruction and rethink their decisions.

 

[bumcat]

Neal Franks. . that was the guys name. . I think.
________________________________________________

LOL, He is on one of our local weather channels here in Houston. I think it's actually spelled Neil Frank, not sure.


I understand what Willy is saying I think, he had the same thoughts as some of us in the beginning but he has put that aside and has moved on to feeling very sorry for all involved.
I and some of the others also feel sorry for all involved but I think we just can't get past the why didn't they leave? but then again I do tend to dwell on things like this maybe it's because I went thru Hurricane Carla as a little kid and man what devastation that caused.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Fox news was saying this morning that part of the reason many did not evacuate was the late turning and strengthening of Charley. Hurricanes rarely make a right turn like that and most go on up the coast. Denial is probably another reason-people really do think bad things won't happen to them-that they happen to the other guy.
I am not sure how much time these people had to react.

 

[SplshMtn99]

What I don't understand is why mobile homes even EXIST in the first place in such proximity to coast lines -- ESPECIALLY in Florida with the # of hurricanes...and how they don't hold up.

I know these folks are elderly...and perhaps it's all they can afford. BUT REALLY, we have building codes for homes because we've learned of past building methods that fail during storms. So why do they continue to allow NEW trailers &/or parks to be placed. We all KNOW what happens to a trailer in a storm. I just don't get it????

Sure, you can just tell the folks to evacuate.... but obviously they don't.

 

[missyc]

Not only is it stupid, but I feel it is incredibly selfish also. Just think of what those rescuers face in finding and dealing with the bodies. Not to mention family members who will get the news that their loved one died when they quit possibly could have very easily survived.

(Not that it matters much, but they really didn't have the 4 hours notice that it was a Cat 4 like someone mentioned earlier. It went from a Cat 2 to Cat 4 in 90 minutes). I think they should evacuate in a regular thunderstorm, so they shouldn't have been there anyways.

 

[Luv2Roam]

This was our first hurricane, but we have dealt with tornadoes, blizzards and ice storms.
I can see that a hurricane is similar to tornadoes, although there is much more warning and prep time for a hurricane.
It really does seem to be (bad) luck of the draw on who is effected.
We were virtually untouched, although a few neighors had trees to upright and scruffy debris to haul away.
Our subdivision has few large trees. But we are surrounded by large trees and I have not seen any downed.
We just lucked out. Ten miles more east, or maybe seven miles more south were in the direct path.

It was not unusal once a year in Omaha to have a terrible storm move through that produced 100, or near 100 mph winds.

It is nice not to have three feet of snow to dig out from.

 

[Laz]

I know evacuation centers do not take pets, but couldn't the pet be left in the car? It would be safer for both pet and owner.

I do worry about my parents who are retired in Fla. They were lucky because they live north of Tampa. I wanted them to evacuate and they wouldn't. In fact, their entire community stayed put. It does make me rethink my retirement plans in terms of where I want to live.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Some shelters locally were pet friendly. That would be a tough decision.

 

[bsnyder]

Our county was also giving out a list of motels/hotels that were not in the evacuation zones that would take pets. Some of them change their rules during a hurricane and allow pets when they normally would not.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Luv2Roam
Some shelters locally were pet friendly. That would be a tough decision.

I would think if the knowledge that these shelters were not pet friendly was well known, that local humane societies would set something up? I am really, truly surprised that there is not something. I have no kids, so it would just be me to think about and I'll be totally honest, I would not leave Monty Dog behind.

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by SplshMtn99
What I don't understand is why mobile homes even EXIST in the first place in such proximity to coast lines -- ESPECIALLY in Florida with the # of hurricanes...and how they don't hold up.

Most of the trailer parks that were destroyed will not be allowed to be rebuilt. They were grandfathered but any new construction will have to meet the more stringent codes. One reporter pointed out that some of the roofs were made with 1x1 lumber that you wouldn't use to build a dollhouse.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Originally posted by PamOKW
Most of the trailer parks that were destroyed will not be allowed to be rebuilt. They were grandfathered but any new construction will have to meet the more stringent codes. One reporter pointed out that some of the roofs were made with 1x1 lumber that you wouldn't use to build a dollhouse.

See, that's what I mean. By grandfathering them, they basically are allowing them to live in "cardboard boxes" during storms - even with mandatory evacuations.

Lose of life is horrific -- I know that is more important than materials. But my brain can't help but also thinking that now everyone will have to absorb the costs --- higher insurance rates....... (sorry, I work in insurance...my brain thinks that way....how to prevent things.)

And yes, the risking of addition life of rescuers.

 

[JimB.]

Mobile homes (in fact MOST manufactured homes) & Tropical weather Do Not Mix.

There's a reason a 1500 sq. ft double wide can be had for 10-15ooo dollars.

It's because they are cheaply made pieces of doo-doo.

Regardless of what the lobbying industry sez they will NOT stand up to sustained hurricane force winds. Wind get in, around and underneath them & just tears them apart.

And they are still going up in Florida like weeds in my front yard.


dumbdumbdumbdumb.

Our Fire Department told the community "If winds get too strong & you get in trouble, we may not be able to help you, you may very well be on your own for a long period of time" We just cannot go out in a hurricane to saw & cut a trailer apart to get someone else out. We don't avoid risk in our job, but we aer not going out on suicide missions either.

We were lucky & did not get a direct hit. If we did, we could very well look like Punta Gorda.

Pets and stuff aside, it's just a Very Poor Decision to remain in a manufactured house during thease possible weather conditions.