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.....hoping that all of you are able to find appropriate shelter away from the forecast path; and that you and yours, as well as personal property remain unaffected. Sincerely, Catch
Thanks @Catch22, I left Murrells Inlet, SC yesterday evening around 4:00 pm and even with that my 200 mile trip back to Charlotte, NC took an extra 2 hours because of heavy traffic making it a six hour drive. But, that is better than what it would have been today (possibly being twelve or more) with mandatory evacuation ordered for my zone. Done everything I can do to secure my property both at the coast and back in Charlotte. Even started my stand by generator system just to make sure it was in good working order, cleaned all my gutters and put all the outside funiture away, etc. Got plenty to eat and prepared to hunker down if warranted remembering Hugo. So, now I wait for the storm to arrive and the authorities to say property owners can return to the coast. Hopefully, that will be sometime next week. And, then there might be a few storms to follow Florence during the next few of days, or so.
Thanks for thinking of those that might be in harms way. That storm does indeed look scary.
Best of luck to you Old Skeet, and all others in the path. We'll get ours too one of these days, but it will be the San Andreas Fault rather than a hurricane.
You’ve been in my thoughts too, Old Skeet. Keep us posted when you can. I can’t begin to imagine the magnitude of this thing. Best wishes to you and others being impacted.
All my best to Old_Skeet and others, including my brother in law and sister in law in Chapel Hill. Last year this coming week spent in North Myrtle Beach and hope to go back , but it may take a while for them to recover.
Not that this matters at all, in aspect to the approaching most serious hurricane; but, several hundred miles due north of Charleston, SC is Florence the county and Florence the city, both in the apparent path of Florence the Hurricane.
While trivial compared to the human pain and suffering, I’m reminded of a personal loss. Last spring I returned to the Florida Keys and found the #1 attraction for the past 15 years, the lovely miles of sandy shaded beach at Bahia Honda State Park (Atlantic Ocean side) completely blown / washed away by wind and water. Rangers told me it would never be the same again. Thousands of tons of lovely beach sand transported away by mother nature. (The area’s now fenced off to the public). Yes - Parts of the park have / will reopen. The areas along the Gulf side (much smaller beach) weren’t hit as hard as the Atlantic side. But it will never be the same. http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20171220/play-bye-bye-bahia-honda
Good sand is a precious commodity in the Keys. This particular beach was a rarity. Along with the earlier closing of the walkable stretch of “Old Seven Mile Bridge” (a 5-mile round trip out over the open waters of the Gulf and back), there isn’t much to draw me down there ever again.
While trivial, this antidote does testify to the unimaginable strength these storms possess. I was dumbfounded to hear that miles and miles of shoreline, enjoyed by millions over the decades, could be transported away in a matter of hours or days. Most of the devestation had been cleaned up by the time of my visit in March. Entire neighborhoods and campgrounds erased. Wrecked boats stacked near the road. Stories of those who returned home to find several feet of water in their near worthless homes. Days without electricity or fresh water. And loss of life. My heart goes out to all.
Here is what one of the Carolinas first TV stations (WBTV) that begin operations in Charlotte back in the 50's has to say about Florence. If you are anywhere near the projected storm path please head what the authorities are asking folks to do. Me and my family are planning to shelter in place at our home in Charlotte. If we loose our coastal home well not all is lost because we still have a home and hopefully our lives. I'm fearing some will not suvive this storm.
The only thing more frustrating than waiting for days as a hurricane creeps toward you is waiting for days with such uncertainty -- Florence was scheduled to hit land tonight and now nobody quite knows where/when it will do damage. We have a condo on the beach at Hilton Head (the SC Governor: "evacuate"; "no don't evacuate") and live 90 miles away in southeast Georgia and are sitting on wait-and-see-and-hope.
My hurricane-experienced buddy in Louisiana says to be sure to have a three-day supply of beer on hand.
Good morning. Below is a link to the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, SC. This will provide viewing of what is taking place for storm prep, etc. For me and my family we have done all we can do at both our coastal home (Murrells Inlet, SC) and our home in Charlotte. It is difficult to move about the city with all the traffic congestion due to evacuation of the coast. Many came to Charlotte to get away from Hugo just to find it worse here than if they had stayed in place in and around Myrtle Beach. You can hear comments about this in the Sun News viedo linked below.
When, Hugo arrived in Charlotte there was major wind damage with 90+ MPH winds. Our power was out at my father's home (now my residence) for about a month while at my home with underground utilities it was only or a couple of days (now my son's home). With this, since I now live in one of the historical neighborhoods with above ground utilities I run standby power generation that runs off of natural gas. For us, we will do fine in a power outage. We are also on high ground. With expected heavy rain fall things should be fine in Charlotte others want. However, at the coast we have a golf course irrigation pond close to this home which concerns me about its overflow. I have seen rain falling faster than the drainage systems could remove which flooded neighborhood streets. I am on higher ground by about 3 feet above street grade (with ditches about two feet below street grade) which is more than some. So flooding could become a issue or me at the coast. From a wind perspective I have a home with a hip roof and this should withstand high winds better than a gabel style roof which many of my neighbors have. From a security stand point we have been told our neighborhood security force will remain on duty during the storm and will shelter on property. This should help from theift and pillage that normally takes place after storm events like this. Plus there will be police and National Guard check points as well.
Thanks for the thoughts that have been sent through messages and post on the board. It is appreciated. I'll try to write something about the storm daily and how we are fairing.
Superb graphics Old Joe, the lineup of storms to come better not impact New England, going on a cruise from Montreal to Boston in two weeks, looking so forward to seeing fall colors.
Weather Underground is my go-to site for weather, and their blog "Category 6" does a good job explaining current status of extreme weather events. It is run and moderated by their founder, and PhD in Meteorology. As noted below for the latest entry. The comments from weather nerds is sometimes also interesting.
I think @Sven meant to say “Old Skeet” - an understandable slip.
I too hope Old Skeet and his loved ones are safe and dry. Geez - some idiot interviewed on ABC news this evening plans to ride this thing out on about a 25-foot pleasure craft and says he’ll swim to shore if things get really bad. (How would you even be able to tell where the “shore” is under the circumstances?)
As I write not much happening (yet) in Charlotte from the effects of Florence. Made some last minute purchases yesterday at the local Food Lion ... filled all the vehicles with gas plus I now have an extra ten gallons to take to the coast for the portable generator that I keep there. My Jeep Commander is fully loaded with supplies, tools and equipment for the trip to the coast including chain saw and tow rope. It is extremely hard to venture much of anywhere in Charlotte as the vehicle traffic is real heavy due to those that have come seeking shelter. Currently, the only thing I am short of is D cell flashlight batteries.
In checking my weather system at my home in Murrells Inlet, as I write, the wind is coming from the NNW at 20 MPH with rain falling and the temperature is 78. In Charlotte, the wind is out of the North at 20 MPH with cloudy skies and the temperature is 77.
Florence has now arrived in Charlotte with heavy rain and high winds. We lost power at 9:17 pm this evening and according to Duke Energy there are 293 customers associated with our outage. They say crews will be dispatched when it is safe to access the damage. I'll post again when power gets restored for now we are operating on standby generation.
Comments
Thanks for thinking of those that might be in harms way. That storm does indeed look scary.
Hoping for the best for you
OJ
hank
Not that this matters at all, in aspect to the approaching most serious hurricane; but, several hundred miles due north of Charleston, SC is Florence the county and Florence the city, both in the apparent path of Florence the Hurricane.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20171220/play-bye-bye-bahia-honda
Good sand is a precious commodity in the Keys. This particular beach was a rarity. Along with the earlier closing of the walkable stretch of “Old Seven Mile Bridge” (a 5-mile round trip out over the open waters of the Gulf and back), there isn’t much to draw me down there ever again.
While trivial, this antidote does testify to the unimaginable strength these storms possess. I was dumbfounded to hear that miles and miles of shoreline, enjoyed by millions over the decades, could be transported away in a matter of hours or days. Most of the devestation had been cleaned up by the time of my visit in March. Entire neighborhoods and campgrounds erased. Wrecked boats stacked near the road. Stories of those who returned home to find several feet of water in their near worthless homes. Days without electricity or fresh water. And loss of life. My heart goes out to all.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article218201565.html
Regards,
Ted
Again, good luck to all in the path of this monster.
My hurricane-experienced buddy in Louisiana says to be sure to have a three-day supply of beer on hand.
David
https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com
When, Hugo arrived in Charlotte there was major wind damage with 90+ MPH winds. Our power was out at my father's home (now my residence) for about a month while at my home with underground utilities it was only or a couple of days (now my son's home). With this, since I now live in one of the historical neighborhoods with above ground utilities I run standby power generation that runs off of natural gas. For us, we will do fine in a power outage. We are also on high ground. With expected heavy rain fall things should be fine in Charlotte others want. However, at the coast we have a golf course irrigation pond close to this home which concerns me about its overflow. I have seen rain falling faster than the drainage systems could remove which flooded neighborhood streets. I am on higher ground by about 3 feet above street grade (with ditches about two feet below street grade) which is more than some. So flooding could become a issue or me at the coast. From a wind perspective I have a home with a hip roof and this should withstand high winds better than a gabel style roof which many of my neighbors have. From a security stand point we have been told our neighborhood security force will remain on duty during the storm and will shelter on property. This should help from theift and pillage that normally takes place after storm events like this. Plus there will be police and National Guard check points as well.
Thanks for the thoughts that have been sent through messages and post on the board. It is appreciated. I'll try to write something about the storm daily and how we are fairing.
Old_Skeet
As LCpl Carrol Ford used to tell the troops - 'keep your ass low and your flak jacket close'.
take care,
peace,
rono
@Old_Joe, you have done the right thing to get out harm's way. Our prayers are with you and your family.
https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Category-2-Florence-Nears-Landfall-North-Carolina-Catastrophic-Flooding-Expected
I too hope Old Skeet and his loved ones are safe and dry. Geez - some idiot interviewed on ABC news this evening plans to ride this thing out on about a 25-foot pleasure craft and says he’ll swim to shore if things get really bad. (How would you even be able to tell where the “shore” is under the circumstances?)
As I write not much happening (yet) in Charlotte from the effects of Florence. Made some last minute purchases yesterday at the local Food Lion ... filled all the vehicles with gas plus I now have an extra ten gallons to take to the coast for the portable generator that I keep there. My Jeep Commander is fully loaded with supplies, tools and equipment for the trip to the coast including chain saw and tow rope. It is extremely hard to venture much of anywhere in Charlotte as the vehicle traffic is real heavy due to those that have come seeking shelter. Currently, the only thing I am short of is D cell flashlight batteries.
In checking my weather system at my home in Murrells Inlet, as I write, the wind is coming from the NNW at 20 MPH with rain falling and the temperature is 78. In Charlotte, the wind is out of the North at 20 MPH with cloudy skies and the temperature is 77.
With this ... the wait and see is now on.