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[RedKing]

So....hurricane. Pretty big one. Which at last check, was headed straight for my house. 

Granted, it's still days away and predicting the path of a hurricane this far out is like predicting which streetlamp a drunk is going to cling to for support. But the strike cone at this point is more or less focused on North Carolina. And since I know we have a fair share of representation on B12, thought I'd toss a topic up here to discuss our impending DOOOOOOOM.

In all seriousness, this is also potentially a "check-in" thread for after the storm. I was on HOTU back when Katrina hit, and there was a forum member in New Orleans. Thanks to the thread, we not only knew he was okay, but that his home was competely destroyed and he wound up living in Chicago and never going back. Not that I'm expecting anything like that, but hey...we haven't had a direct hit in 8 years. And the last couple of storms we had were kind of a big deal. We've also only been struck by a Category 4 storm once in modern history. Most of our worst storms have been Category 3. And Irene is projected to possibly be a Cat-4 by the time it hits near Wilmington, if it stays on current track. 

And to lighten the mood, The Onion reminds us why we name hurricanes and provides some useful safety tips.

[Siquo]

Good luck, my man.
(and to the rest who lives there)

[Grakelin]

Good luck, Siquo's man.

[scriver]

I have mentioned before the many reasons I'm happy to live the wussiest part of the world?

I hope you all do all right. You have my lucks.

[RedKing]

And already, the forecasts are in flux. Now it's tracking further east. Better than a direct hit, but then the "left" shoulder of the storm is actually the worst place to be, because the wind speed is strongest where the forward movement and forward rotation combine.

With any luck it might track completely offshore and miss us. Of course, that might mean DC or New York are screwed, but usually the storms begin curving back to the northeast after they pass the Mid-Atlantic states.

[Nadaka]

Well, at least its missing my part of Florida.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I've always wanted to lead an angry mob through the flooded streets of Raleigh and take over the city. So, in the event of the perfect storm, that is why there is now a People's Democratic Republic of Carolina where two of the states used to be. Just giving you all a heads up.

[RedKing]

I've always wanted to lead an angry mob through the flooded streets of Raleigh and take over the city. So, in the event of the perfect storm, that is why there is now a People's Democratic Republic of Carolina where two of the states used to be. Just giving you all a heads up.

Hah! Not as long as the Carolina Democratic People's Republic stands! Splitter!

I wasn't down here for Fran but from all the stories I've heard, it was damn near post-apocalyptic. People without power for 2-3 weeks, whole neighborhoods huddling together around that one guy that would have a generator so they could get hot food and a makeshift shower, every chainsaw in town being used to clear debris, etc.
Between the charcoal and my woodpile, at least we'd have some kind of fuel to work with.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I was in NC for Fran, but I was really young then. Specifically, I was two years old. Despite that, I do remember that one street flooded to the point that someone's boat had floated into the area, without anyone on it. And that most of the houses down the hill that my house was near the top of had been totally submerged by the river.

[RedKing]

I was in NC, but I was in college up at UNC-Greensboro. We just had some downed trees and rain and lost power for most of a day.

I was 13 when Hugo came through. Now that was an impressive storm. There are still some swathes of mountainside up towards Virginia where all the trees were blown over and are still lying there--22 years later. I wanted to go out and play in it, until I saw a coconut bird feeder that I had made go sideways and then go airborne and vanish off into the distance at about 80mph. 

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Ah. I was in Greenville during Fran because my father was attending ECU .

Hugo always sounds crazy when people talk about it though, I wish I could have seen it.

We had that insane thunderstorm over Raleigh two days ago though. I hope that isn't a precursor to Irene, because there was a lighting strike very close to the vehicle I was in during that.

[Nadaka]

I've always wanted to lead an angry mob through the flooded streets of Raleigh and take over the city. So, in the event of the perfect storm, that is why there is now a People's Democratic Republic of Carolina where two of the states used to be. Just giving you all a heads up.

Hah! Not as long as the Carolina Democratic People's Republic stands! Splitter!

I wasn't down here for Fran but from all the stories I've heard, it was damn near post-apocalyptic. People without power for 2-3 weeks, whole neighborhoods huddling together around that one guy that would have a generator so they could get hot food and a makeshift shower, every chainsaw in town being used to clear debris, etc.
Between the charcoal and my woodpile, at least we'd have some kind of fuel to work with.

I went through Katrina in Mississippi. It was terrifying because it was the first storm in the areas history to completely knock out all communication, even the radio stations went down. That first week there was no contact with the outside world at all, then when we did make contact the rumor was that it would be most of a year before electricity and telephone could be restored. It took us a month to get power back. Even 6 months later, I knew people that still didn't have power. My sheriff "allegedly" held the national guard at gunpoint when they attempted to steal the supplies the sheriff had stockpiled for the citizens of our town.

All I have right now is about 2 weeks of rice, beans, canned goods, and the ability to store 2 weeks worth of water. Living in an apartment means I can't really stockpile fuel or equipment like generators or chainsaws.

[Duke 2.0]

With any luck it might track completely offshore and miss us. Of course, that might mean DC or New York are screwed, but usually the storms begin curving back to the northeast after they pass the Mid-Atlantic states.

I sorta have the impression that any storm that heads directly for DC gets crippled and can't deal as much damage as other locations. Last hurricane that came up this north was Isabel, which knocked out power for a week and damaged harbors and a few coastal residences, but that was pretty much it. I do hope it swings up this way, the chance of causing deaths severely drops the further north they drift.

[RedKing]

With any luck it might track completely offshore and miss us. Of course, that might mean DC or New York are screwed, but usually the storms begin curving back to the northeast after they pass the Mid-Atlantic states.

I sorta have the impression that any storm that heads directly for DC gets crippled and can't deal as much damage as other locations. Last hurricane that came up this north was Isabel, which knocked out power for a week and damaged harbors and a few coastal residences, but that was pretty much it. I do hope it swings up this way, the chance of causing deaths severely drops the further north they drift.

Yeah, but that was after she had already done $2 billion in damage down here (especially in the Norfolk, VA area) and killed 11 people. She was tired by the time she got to DC. She had also cut Hatteras Island in two and created a brand new inlet.

It's not a "real" hurricane unless you have to redraw maps afterwards. 

[Akura]

Maybe I should temporarily relocate to North Carolina. For some reason I deflect hurricanes.

Spoiler: Seriously. (click to show/hide)

Not once in all the years I lived in Florida did Tampa take a direct hit from a hurricane. And the past few years living on Long Island, no hurricane has come close. Then again, I never really thought a hurricane could maintain much strength this far north, but just walking into the library today I see brochures about hurricane survival.