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Floridians, question

BlIIlken2

HR All-American
Nov 23, 2021
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Is there really any point of buying plywood for home windows 5 miles inland? If winds are that strong don’t think plywood over windows is a concern. Also the hurricane preparedness stuff seems crazy to me. If it’s that bad why the **** would people stay? Hotel rooms 4 hours away vs whole home generator costs 🧐.

What should the average joe buy, other than packs of water?
 
Not a Floridian. And wouldn't ordinarily recommend mimicking what Floridians do, but something to consider: When in Florida, do as your neighbors do?
 
5 miles aint shit, plenty off homes get wrecked inland, even in the middle of the state. Most people put up the metal sections now.

Leaving is debatable unless in the direct path of a 4/5 in mandatory coastal evac zone. And then what if the storm shifts and the place you are heading to is now in the path?

Imagine all hotels along the interstate for hundreds of miles booked up, gas stations out of gas and stuck in gridlock with every other yahoo attempting to flee. Many times you have to leave the state to find something, which could be 6 hours+ depending on traffic and room availability. And that is just the way out.

It's getting back that is the true bitch. Worrying about the damage, no power along the interstate/gas stations, restaurants, and more standstill interstate traffic.

My opinion is it's not worth it unless mandatory and even then...
 
The mantra is the first 72 hours are on you. The better prepared you are, the better. Five miles inland is nothing. Michael had Cat two winds all the way up to Georgia.

Riding out the Hurricane Michael eye wall in a Honda. I believe this was on the highway that runs between the Air Force base and the Gulf of Mexico.

 
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I lived in Boca Raton when Hurricane Wilma blew through. She came in from the gulf and CROSSED THE ENTIRE STATE before hitting Boca Raton. She was Cat 3 at our house, if not a borderline Cat 4.

I stood in the eye for that one and while that experience was cool, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and I never want to do that again.

Anyway, Wilma was a pretty ragged storm the day before she hit and I wasn't worried much about her until the 4 PM update when she suddenly intensified from barely a Cat 1 to a healthy Cat 3.

We boarded up the first story of the house but didn't have enough daylight for the second story.

Bad move.... even though no windows got broken, the intense winds caused water to push under the windows (and especially the sliding glass door to our master bedroom balcony) causing water damage issues.

As another example, Hurricane Charley seriously farked up the Orlando area. Again, from the gulf side.

We don't have mountains and the "land" is pretty swampy so landfall doesn't mean much in terms of hurricanes maintaining intensity.

So, the answer to your question is, "YES! Board up!"

Here's my rule: If it's predicted to be Cat 2 or higher, absolutely board up. If it's predicted to be Cat 3 or higher, board up and evacuate.
 
I lived in Boca Raton when Hurricane Wilma blew through. She came in from the gulf and CROSSED THE ENTIRE STATE before hitting Boca Raton. She was Cat 3 at our house, if not a borderline Cat 4.

I stood in the eye for that one and while that experience was cool, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and I never want to do that again.

Anyway, Wilma was a pretty ragged storm the day before she hit and I wasn't worried much about her until the 4 PM update when she suddenly intensified from barely a Cat 1 to a healthy Cat 3.

We boarded up the first story of the house but didn't have enough daylight for the second story.

Bad move.... even though no windows got broken, the intense winds caused water to push under the windows (and especially the sliding glass door to our master bedroom balcony) causing water damage issues.

As another example, Hurricane Charley seriously farked up the Orlando area. Again, from the gulf side.

We don't have mountains and the "land" is pretty swampy so landfall doesn't mean much in terms of hurricanes maintaining intensity.

So, the answer to your question is, "YES! Board up!"

Here's my rule: If it's predicted to be Cat 2 or higher, absolutely board up. If it's predicted to be Cat 3 or higher, board up and evacuate.
Charley was a sumbitch. Wasnt much until it approached land then blew up and caught many off guard. Parents neighborhood lost many 100+ yr oak trees that it was known for. And that was on the east coast. 04 was a bitch, Frances, Jean, and Ivan were no joke. I still have a coozie that says "I survived 04".

And you're right about them not losing much steam once inland. They will still chug along without a damn, picking up moisture and heat over the swamps/everglades.
 
Invest in storm shutters or storm resistant windows and garage doors. Your house will thank you and so will your insurance bill.

We have hurricane-rated windows on the south side of Tradition Manor, facing the lake. When the wind is out of the south there's no trees or anything to slow it down and the hill we're on amplifies the wind.

Anyway, I will still board them up. The technology doesn't stop the glass from breaking, but it won't blow out of the frame and into your house.

Hopefully....
 
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I lived in Boca Raton when Hurricane Wilma blew through. She came in from the gulf and CROSSED THE ENTIRE STATE before hitting Boca Raton. She was Cat 3 at our house, if not a borderline Cat 4.

I stood in the eye for that one and while that experience was cool, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and I never want to do that again.

Anyway, Wilma was a pretty ragged storm the day before she hit and I wasn't worried much about her until the 4 PM update when she suddenly intensified from barely a Cat 1 to a healthy Cat 3.

We boarded up the first story of the house but didn't have enough daylight for the second story.

Bad move.... even though no windows got broken, the intense winds caused water to push under the windows (and especially the sliding glass door to our master bedroom balcony) causing water damage issues.

As another example, Hurricane Charley seriously farked up the Orlando area. Again, from the gulf side.

We don't have mountains and the "land" is pretty swampy so landfall doesn't mean much in terms of hurricanes maintaining intensity.

So, the answer to your question is, "YES! Board up!"

Here's my rule: If it's predicted to be Cat 2 or higher, absolutely board up. If it's predicted to be Cat 3 or higher, board up and evacuate.
Dude! I was in Delray Beach at the time. Hurricanes were old hat by then because of the past year and we didn't even board up. Also with the fact that the hurricane was crossing the state. Amazing how powerful that hurricane was. We were without power for two weeks. The gas line in Delray was probably 2 miles long. That was the worst of the hurricanes I experienced and being in the eye is so eerie. I ended up having to drive to Cocoa Beach to work remotely.
 
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I went to many of the places impacted by Michael in the week after the storm for work when I was with the state. Places looked like the tree blasts you would see in Band of Brothers. Never seen anything like it.

Yup. Acres and acres of farmed pine trees snapped in half about 10 to 15 feet up.
 
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Yep. Saw it well inland as well. If you drove I-10 in the months after you know what I’m talking about.

Pine trees were mowed down up to I-10? I remember seeing videos and photos of snapped pine trees, but that was fairly close to the Gulf.

There was something similar between Homestead and Florida City after Hurricane Andrew. It looked like a giant lawn mower flattened everything between Biscayne Bay and the FL Turnpike. It is probably no more than 3 or 4 miles from the shoreline to the Turnpike. 10 years later, the houses had been rebuilt but you could still tell where the eye passed by the lack of trees. Today you can no longer tell where the eye traveled.
 
Pine trees were mowed down up to I-10? There was something similar between Homestead and Florida City after Hurricane Andrew. It looked like a giant lawn mower flattened everything between Biscayne Bay and the FL Turnpike. It is probably no more than 3 or 4 miles from the shoreline to the Turnpike. 10 years later, the houses had been rebuilt but you could still tell where the eye passed by the lack of trees. Today you can no longer tell where the eye traveled.

Yes, trees snapped in half for several miles between Tallahassee and Bonifay.

I've never seen anything like it.

And I helped with hurricane remediation at the Coast Guard housing complex in Homestead after Andrew. That was also freaking horrible.
 
Pine trees were mowed down up to I-10? I remember seeing videos and photos of snapped pine trees, but that was fairly close to the Gulf.

There was something similar between Homestead and Florida City after Hurricane Andrew. It looked like a giant lawn mower flattened everything between Biscayne Bay and the FL Turnpike. It is probably no more than 3 or 4 miles from the shoreline to the Turnpike. 10 years later, the houses had been rebuilt but you could still tell where the eye passed by the lack of trees. Today you can no longer tell where the eye traveled.
Yep. You could even see pretty good tree damage into south Georgia around Bainbridge with pecan trees. Not mowed down, but significant.
 
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I lived in Boca Raton when Hurricane Wilma blew through. She came in from the gulf and CROSSED THE ENTIRE STATE before hitting Boca Raton. She was Cat 3 at our house, if not a borderline Cat 4.

I stood in the eye for that one and while that experience was cool, I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and I never want to do that again.

Anyway, Wilma was a pretty ragged storm the day before she hit and I wasn't worried much about her until the 4 PM update when she suddenly intensified from barely a Cat 1 to a healthy Cat 3.

We boarded up the first story of the house but didn't have enough daylight for the second story.

Bad move.... even though no windows got broken, the intense winds caused water to push under the windows (and especially the sliding glass door to our master bedroom balcony) causing water damage issues.

As another example, Hurricane Charley seriously farked up the Orlando area. Again, from the gulf side.

We don't have mountains and the "land" is pretty swampy so landfall doesn't mean much in terms of hurricanes maintaining intensity.

So, the answer to your question is, "YES! Board up!"

Here's my rule: If it's predicted to be Cat 2 or higher, absolutely board up. If it's predicted to be Cat 3 or higher, board up and evacuate.
Since trad is the last horseman of the apocalypse, I think this means OP should feel ashamed of his questions.
 
Since trad is the last horseman of the apocalypse

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Yes, it is worth the purchase if you do not want to purchase hurricane shutters.
Lowes and Home Depot have a "severe weather" plywood, which is not necessary, just make sure it is a minimum 5/8-inch-thick, exterior grade. Buy 8 ft sheets go home and pre-cut all your windows and glass doors. Now some people hate them but I love the Plylox clips. Mark the windows, doors, and individual clip packs for easy installation and store them in a garage or shed.

As to the generator, the whole home is the best, but a good generator is a must. I have family in Jackson County FL which is 50 miles from the Gulf who were without power for 2 weeks after Michael. If you do not want to invest in the whole home, I would suggest a combo propane/gas and have at least 6 full propane tanks and at a minimum 5 gallons of gas.

Also get one of those survival backpacks, keep canned food and purchase a water cooler and keep 5 5 gallon water bottles. The worst items to get pre storm is water, post is gas, people lose their minds.

In my immediate family ( myself, father and brother) we have lost 2 family homes and a rental home. Therefore I take hurricane preparedness very seriously, as should everyone, or you will be one of those people stuck on the interstate running out of gas not knowing what is happening to your home and possessions.


side note-If you are a pet owner, include your damn pets in your emergency planning.
 
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Is there really any point of buying plywood for home windows 5 miles inland? If winds are that strong don’t think plywood over windows is a concern. Also the hurricane preparedness stuff seems crazy to me. If it’s that bad why the **** would people stay? Hotel rooms 4 hours away vs whole home generator costs 🧐.

What should the average joe buy, other than packs of water?
Better get plenty of generator fuel set back. Are you on a well that the generator can run? Or, when the utility loses power, you have no H2O.
 
All the HROT Floridians live on the beach so no one on here would know what the laborers living 5 miles inland would do.
 
Is there really any point of buying plywood for home windows 5 miles inland? If winds are that strong don’t think plywood over windows is a concern. Also the hurricane preparedness stuff seems crazy to me. If it’s that bad why the **** would people stay? Hotel rooms 4 hours away vs whole home generator costs 🧐.

What should the average joe buy, other than packs of water?
Inland means nothing. Look at the path of Donna in the 60s and Charlie more recently. Both entered at Port Charlotte and went right up 27 (just look at where 27 is). Destroyed every town in their paths. As inland as you can get. I’ve been through several hurricanes and have never bought plywood.

Make sure you have propane for your grill. Bottles of water. A chainsaw. Toilet paper and 24 hours before start filling coolers with ice.
 
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Is there really any point of buying plywood for home windows 5 miles inland? If winds are that strong don’t think plywood over windows is a concern. Also the hurricane preparedness stuff seems crazy to me. If it’s that bad why the **** would people stay? Hotel rooms 4 hours away vs whole home generator costs 🧐.

What should the average joe buy, other than packs of water?
My advice is do what you have to do to not be a dipshit that has to be airlifted off your roof.

1) if told to evacuate….evacuate.

Everything after that basic rule is up to you

1a) as soon as you become aware a storm is heading your way fill up your vehicles gas tanks
 
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