sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

This year we actually got prepared with a "Hurricane Prep Box", since we live just a few miles from the Atlantic. Doomsday Preppers would call them the SHTF (***T hits the fan) ready box perhaps. We are expecting 130MPH+ winds tonight. About five days worth of food that requires little preparation, a nice Coleman camp stove and propane, bottled water (1-2 gallons per day per person for 3-5 days), batteries, etc. One thing I realized last night that I forgot was BIG BLUE TARPS. People who have not been through something like this just do not appreciate the big blue tarps. For the last 20+ years roofs have been built to the "Miami-Dade" standards, which includes things like extra strapping to tie the roof to the walls, no excessive overhangs, etc. Garage doors are reinforced. So what happens now is that the roof stays intact - but lots of shingles, tiles, and metal roofs get blown off. And shingles will be very hard to come by for the next four to six months, as many, many roofs here will have blue tarps nailed down over them. After Jean and Francis twelve years ago the blue tarps were ubiquitous in Central Florida. The first major task of FEMA will be to get out and help people tarp their roof - but for some it may be months, while every rainstorm wets down their home. Blue tarps have been gone from store shelves for the last few days - I got smart this morning and ordered some from Amazon which will be delivered on Monday. They don't even have many left.

We have plenty of water to drink - have to remember to fill the bathtub with water for bathing and for flushing the toilet should the water pumping station lose power.

Ran up to the store just now to grab some ground beef to make a nice pot of chili tonight. Interesting to see what is available...

Front of the house is ready.


Only a few cans of Vienna Sausage left! What kind of wine goes with that? Boxed?


Not ONE can of Chef-Boyardee left!


Surprised to find a small amount of water left.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Stay safe Doc, hope you don't get hit as hard as the forecast says, but you have to be prepared for the worst.

twowindsbear

Are you above the flood surge?

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

Good luck. I left Florida after 21 years for a variety of reasons but the 4 hurricanes I went through and the loss of a house in 2005 was the proverbial straw.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I can understand... we moved back to Melbourne to get away from the winter storms of Maine....
Much of the year is really nice here. It seems every nice place has its hazards - wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. Maybe Tennessee is a good spot...

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Yes - the storm surge is not supposed to be so high - but people living on the barrier island could have some flooding from that. The ground is already saturated, so hopefully we won't get too much rain. They do a really bizarre thing here - they pour a slab pretty much on grade and build the house on that, rather than building it up a few feet - I cannot understand that. They also put the plumbing under the slab, so when it eventually needs to be replaced, it is a $8,000 proposition...

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Thanks! Our biggest concern is just roof damage - we have a ridge vent that runs north-south, so really strong winds from the east will rip that right off and allow rain to enter. So we are prepared for roof leaks - as much as we can be.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Right, and the reason is that it is the cheapest way to go for the builder😬

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Hang in there!

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Pretty sad that for even very expensive homes that is the way they do it. I think I have only seen two homes around here that were built up a few feet. There are no basements because the water table is about a foot below ground, so we don't have the kinds of foundations you see elsewhere.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

It is going to be a hairy night. I have all of my camera equipment inside big plastic totes in case the roof starts to leak. Trash bags over the computers, etc...

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Good luck man, and if you've still got internet in the morning please let us know how you are doing. Pictures of the storm would be good too.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Our thought will be with you Steve, It's about 11;00 PM as I read this and have been hearing about Melbourne quite often tonight! We appeared to be in the storm track earlier in the week, but woke up to the good news that it wouldn't quite make it up this far. Looks like you are very prepared, and know what you are going through, as we were really clobbered by Isabel many years ago. Sure hope the storm eye will be far enough from you to lessen the severity. Be safe and take care! Corky

rdfarr Loc: Floridian living in AL

Older post. Did you have any damage?
I lost a house in Pensacola, my hometown. It's why I now live far from the coast on a lake in Alabama.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Thanks for asking, and no damage except a few tree limbs, but did receive seven inches of rain! So very sorry for your loss of your home in Pensacola. We live on the Chickahominy River, which is a tributary of the James River that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. We are only about eight feet above sea level but, with many large marshes along the river, we never figured that flooding could be a problem, but being tidal, when strong winds force water from the bay up the rivers, along with local flooding , this can cause problems! We have lived here 20+ years and so far water has made it to about ten feet from the foundation only once, but is always a threat. Glad that you are now in a more safe location, and am sure that you are located where you can make frequent use of your camera. Take care!