Hurricane Irene Safety Concerns

[LoveMyHats2]

Just now regained power. Its been out since 4:30 yesterday morning. Evidently, we are among the first to have electricity restored and I'm darned thankfull. Many trees down in my and my neighbors' yards. River got up to my next door neighbors' back door and remained for hours. Then finally began to receede when the wind shifted northwest. The water has been going out since. I haven't checked on the Beaufort house because most of the roads in that area are closed due to high water, downed trees, downed power lines or structural debris. Sadly, there have been a few fatalities in the area. This was only a category one hurricane, but it did the damage of a cat three...especially in down east Carteret County.

There's still a cerfew in the area, tonight. Even though I'm law enforcement, we'll probably just stay at home tonight and try not to gawlk and become a problem for those who are trying to help others. Frankly, I haven't slept much in the past several days. I'm just looking forward to a hot shower, a shave and a cool bed this evening.

I'm glad Irene wasn't much of a problem up North. I think she maxed her efforts here.

AF

Thank you so much for letting us know what took place there, and you sure have my respect for being in Law Enforcement. It takes a lot to do the job, and I have often felt that many in Law Enforcement risk their life daily for doing an job that serves the public and is never paid enough for the work done. No pun intended, but "Hats Off" to you, sir!

 

[Atticus Finch]

Thank you so much for letting us know what took place there, and you sure have my respect for being in Law Enforcement. It takes a lot to do the job, and I have often felt that many in Law Enforcement risk their life daily for doing an job that serves the public and is never paid enough for the work done. No pun intended, but "Hats Off" to you, sir!

Thanks, but I'm just an Assistant District Attorney...Law Enforcement in definition only. The women and men who were out on the streets the night before last...out trying to help people in the 90 mph wind and rain...are the ones who deserve the thanks.

AF

 

[Mr. Hallack]

Report from me: Not much happened in my neck of the woods. Some power outages here and there, but nothing to write home about.

 

[Boodles]

It's good to hear from you Mr. Finch, and good to hear that your electric power has been restored. I noticed yesterday on the Progress Energy website that 94% of the people in Craven County were without power. I guess the New Bern area fared worse than we hoped it would. Is there anything you need from over Charlotte way, anything I can mail or ship to you?

Just now regained power. Its been out since 4:30 yesterday morning. Evidently, we are among the first to have electricity restored and I'm darned thankfull. Many trees down in my and my neighbors' yards. River got up to my next door neighbors' back door and remained for hours. Then finally began to receede when the wind shifted northwest. The water has been going out since. I haven't checked on the Beaufort house because most of the roads in that area are closed due to high water, downed trees, downed power lines or structural debris. Sadly, there have been a few fatalities in the area. This was only a category one hurricane, but it did the damage of a cat three...especially in down east Carteret County.

There's still a cerfew in the area, tonight. Even though I'm law enforcement, we'll probably just stay at home tonight and try not to gawlk and become a problem for those who are trying to help others. Frankly, I haven't slept much in the past several days. I'm just looking forward to a hot shower, a shave and a cool bed this evening.

I'm glad Irene wasn't much of a problem up North. I think she maxed her efforts here.

AF

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Thanks, but I'm just an Assistant District Attorney...Law Enforcement in definition only. The women and men who were out on the streets the night before last...out trying to help people in the 90 mph wind and rain...are the ones who deserve the thanks.

AF

Well, you still deserve some thanks for service! And yes the same goes to those that are out "on patrol".

 

[Atticus Finch]

It's good to hear from you Mr. Finch, and good to hear that your electric power has been restored. I noticed yesterday on the Progress Energy website that 94% of the people in Craven County were without power. I guess the New Bern area fared worse than we hoped it would. Is there anything you need from over Charlotte way, anything I can mail or ship to you?

Thanks, Boodles. We are doing well here. I checked on the house in Beaufort and it was as if the storm had never occurred. Beaufort was pretty much land fall “ground zero” but, surprisingly, there was very little damage in the old town. There were a few small limbs down, and the mailbox was crooked...but that was about it.

For some reason, Craven and Pamlico counties fared much worse. My house came through with only the loss of a half dozen shingles, but I'm beginning to learn that I'm the exception. Many of my friends now have large trees through their homes and storm surge wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses in our low lying areas. Sad to say, every where here is “low lying”, “lower lying” or "lowest lying". As I understand it, Irene was only a Category 1 at land fall, but her surge had already built up when it was a Cat 3...so the surge experienced here was larger than anything younger North Carolinians have ever seen.

AF

 

[Boodles]

Good news from Bo Furt. I was afraid that you'd find the town a mess. That old girl has weathered a bunch of storms.

From what I'm hearing, even with the idea that the storm had dropped to a Cat 1, its track along the right coast along with all of the flooding will put Irene into the record books.

Thanks, Boodles. We are doing well here. I checked on the house in Beaufort and it was as if the storm had never occurred. Beaufort was pretty much land fall “ground zero” but, surprisingly, there was very little damage in the old town. There were a few small limbs down, and the mailbox was crooked...but that was about it.

For some reason, Craven and Pamlico counties fared much worse. My house came through with only the loss of a half dozen shingles, but I'm beginning to learn that I'm the exception. Many of my friends now have large trees through their homes and storm surge wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses in our low lying areas. Sad to say, every where here is “low lying”, “lower lying” or "lowest lying". As I understand it, Irene was only a Category 1 at land fall, but her surge had already built up when it was a Cat 3...so the surge experienced here was larger than anything younger North Carolinians have ever seen.

AF

 

[Pompidou]

Four days and counting without power/internet has driven me insane. They speculate our power will be restored sometime between Sunday and Wednesday. I've taken my cellphone and laptop to the cafe for a good battery charge and chance to catch up on email backlog.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Four days and counting without power/internet has driven me insane. They speculate our power will be restored sometime between Sunday and Wednesday. I've taken my cellphone and laptop to the cafe for a good battery charge and chance to catch up on email backlog.

Yep. A little bit of hurricane goes a long way with me. Admittedly, there is an air of excitement and anticipation before and during the storm. I guess that excitement is what gives storm chasers the rush they crave. But I've learned that hurricanes are much more fun when you don't actually own anything. Dealing with prolonged power outages, tainted water, damaged or destroyed property, arrogant insurance adjusters and swarms of mosquitoes isn't my idea of a good time.

AF

 

[Silver Dollar]

It maddens me that this event was so incredibly overblown by the media around here. It was ridiculous. We got a nice rain, for sure, out of it, but there was no need to panic everyone into rushing Walmart for generators. I heard the grocery stores were crowded Friday night with people stocking up. I ordered a pizza online for delivery....

O.K. now it's my turn to weigh in. To all those readers who feel that this event was overblown, I have a few things to add to the discussion. For 13 years, I lived in Northwest Florida and saw enough hurricanes and tropical storms to last 6 lifetimes. If you think that the event was overblown, you were not duped, you were just extremely lucky. Firstly, tropical storms and hurricanes are extremely hard to predict exactly where they'll wind up. Winds change, hurricane paths wobble at will and they go wherever they want, when they want even with all the technology we have to predict them. A simple 20 mile wobble in either direction, east-west or north-south (depending on where and how it's making landfall) can be the difference between no damage and absolute destruction. I've seen it happen up close and personal. I was in Hurricane Andrew which was a cat 5 at 155 MPH winds plus and I saw what they can do. I lost 95% of everything I owned including all my family pictures, all my school certificates and awards, my WWII USAAF collection and more that can never be replaced or compensated by insurance. Thirty miles north of me, they hardly had any damage at all except for a few downed trees. I was also in Hurricane Dennis, 2005 which was a cat 4 that hit us as a cat 3. My neighborhood did pretty well but about a mile and a half down the road was total chaos. The storm surge took out 2 restaurants, a strip mall and almost destroyed a supermarket. There was a heck of a lot more than that. I was in Hurricane Ivan which hit us as a cat 3 in Fort Walton Beach only 8 months earlier. The flood waters cut a highway in half making it totally impassable and there were boats all the way inland. Hurricane Erin did the same thing as a cat 1. Then 3 months later, Hurricane Opal hit the same area as a cat 3. There were many more hurricanes and tropical storms I went through there and I'm extremely glad I took each warning seriously.

The reason that the authorities warn a very wide area is because of the unpredictability of the storm and because of it's dynamics. A hurricane can be as large as 400 miles wide with an eye of about 30 miles wide. The strongest winds are located just around the eye about 10 miles more. The worst part of the storm is the northeast quadrant where the winds and the storm and wave surges are the strongest. That's also where the majority of tornadoes are. Pensacola was about 30 miles from where I lived but when the eye hit east Mobile Alabama, we caught hell as far out as Destin Fl. Check out your maps. That's why a 20 to 40 mile unpredictable wobble can mean the difference between life and death if you don't heed the warning. The technology can only predict the general area but not the exact punch. If this post doesn't convince you of the seriousness of the warnings, check out areas in Connecticut, Long Island and New Jersey and look at them for a looooooong time.

Now that's when the hurricane hits. The aftermath is where the fun really starts. You won't be able to get back to your area if you've had to evacuate for at least 4-7 days. Your electricity can be out for a few days or up to a month. Your water will be contaminated for at least a week because the lift stations back up with raw sewage which gets into the drinking water. You can't even take a shower until they call the all clear in your town. Your food stores will be closed and all your refrigerated and frozen foods will be destroyed. Law enforcement is much more difficult because of looting. The clean up takes a long time as does the recovery. Family members may need special medical considerations like oxygen which if you haven't done any preparation will not be available. Gas pumps won't work because of the power outages so if you haven't filled your tanks in preparation and you need to get to a safer area or out of town, you're screwed. Now, with all that I've spoken about, if it's not clear why you take the warning for preparation so seriously, then I suggest you go to an area where the storm will hit head on and stand in the middle of it. Remember, you haven't been duped by the media, you're just lucky as hell. Nest time you hear the warnings, start your preparation early. Believe me, it's well worth the time and effort. Your life and the lives of your loved ones may be at stake.

 

[rue]

Well said.

 

[Atticus Finch]

In my fifty-five years of living in perhaps the most hurricane prone area on earth, I've also seen quite a few tropical systems. I have to admit...I think the media is generally guilty of overblowing hurricanes. Note I said media...not NOAA, the NHC, Weather Underground or any of the other mainstream weather professionals.

I think the most guilty group is local broadcast media. Local television station managers understand that "tracking" hurricanes boosts viewership...and they are not shy about sensationalizing pending storms in order to keep viewers glued to their sets. Just as soon as one storm has passed, they will begin harping on the fearsomeness of the next storm. Our local weather person is already devoting most of his nightly segment to TS Katia, and Katia is about ten days away...even if it were move in a straight line directly here. It is worth noting that the NHC's five-day track forecast error is currently averaging 250 miles. There is no ten-day forecast error because nobody with good sense would make a ten day forecast. But that fact sure hasn't stopped our local guy! In the five days since Irene visited, Skip has managed to convince most locals that Katia will be here next Saturday!

So while I think everyone should pay attention to the pros at the NHC...I wouldn't always suggest that folks swallow everything they hear in the media about hurricanes...at least not on on local television.

Just my two cents.

AF

 

[Silver Dollar]

rueI agree with you when it comes to those who take each hurricane seriously and make the necessary preparations to save first life, then limb and then property. For those folks, it really does look like sensationalism. In fact to us, enough is enough. The problem is that there are still too many people who think that nothing is going to happen and they do not prepare. When they finally wake up and realize that they need to do something, it's too late. That's what happened during Hurricane Ivan when a huge number of people on Pensacola Beach didn't bother preparing or evacuating and were killed during the storm. They were even finding one or two bodies washing up in Naples Fl. on the west coast of Fl. How do you reach these people and get them to act before it's too late? It's almost as if a large portion of those who rarely get big storms need to have the wits scared out of them. The folks on the Outer Banks, the Gulf Coast and a few other areas know what they need to do and generally do it. I had aluminum hurricane shutters. Many of my neighbors had 3/4 inch plywood for their windows. A number of those closer to the water had hurricane resistant windows. These folks had hurricane kits, evac routes and places to go if they had to get out of Dodge. In my case, I had enough of the hurricanes and permanently evacuated to Louisville Kentucky. True, we have tornadoes once in a while but tornadoes take out a few miles, maybe a little more. Hurricanes take out coastlines.

 

[kamikat]

My sister finally got her power and water restored last night.
I think the major issue with Irene is that it was headed toward Manhattan, where most national broadcasters are. Of course, they're going to make it all about them. I think my local broadcasters did a good job. This area can be hard to predict because the viewing area included both coastal areas that got hit pretty badly and the western mountains that barely got a sprinkle. We have the same issue with snows. My county might get 3-6in, while the county just to the east of us gets flurries-1in.
As for the hype continuing for Katia and TD13, I think it's purely a factor of late August-early September typically being a slow news period.

 

[Stray Cat]

I have to admit...I think the media is generally guilty of overblowing hurricanes.

Not just hurricanes.

Anyways.. IS EVERYONE OK NOW?

 

[Atticus Finch]

Not just hurricanes.

Anyways.. IS EVERYONE OK NOW?

I am fine, thank you. Of course, people in my area are still dealing with the damage inflicted by the hurricane. There are still power outages and tainted water in locations to my east. Here in New Bern, people are rebuilding or at least patching damage to homes and businesses that resulted from trees falling through structures.

And, sadly, I am now prosecuting five looters that were caught red-handed stealing from hurricane damaged stores. All five are young…one is a local high school football star...and none have criminal records. But they have certainly become pariahs in the local press, and perhaps rightfully so. I would not want to be in their shoes right now. To some degree, the pain brought by Irene to our community now seems focused on these five people.

AF

 

[Stray Cat]

And, sadly, I am now prosecuting five looters that were caught red-handed stealing from hurricane damaged stores. All five are young…one is a local high school football star...and none have criminal records. But they have certainly become pariahs in the local press, and perhaps rightfully so. I would not want to be in their shoes right now. To some degree, the pain brought by Irene to our community now seems focused on these five people.

AF

I know how that feels.. sadly, we have those here, too. (not hurricanes, looters). On a political gathering, two girls were caught stealing sneakers (Reebok) from the window that "angry mob" broke on their rampage.. No one talked about the gathering.. all eyes were on the SHAMEFUL act of those two girl. Oh, did I mention that their FRIEND got them on tape and posted it on YouTube?
Yeah.. lol

That a side, I'm glad thing are calming down.

 

[sheeplady]

In the US, we've had years to look at what happened during Hurricane Katrina. And one of the biggest problems was that people didn't evacuate or weren't prepared because we didn't understand how bad the storm could be. They were still finding bodies a a year ago. I don't think we'll ever have an accurate death toll from Katrina. I don't think they'll ever find all the bodies. There are some people who are still having problems locating relatives. The entire thing was seeped in tragedy, incompetence, and other things I won't mention.

The question is this: would you rather have a potential over reaction or would you rather have a potential under reaction given the fact that these storms are unpredictable? Either one could be the right reaction- the storm could be as worse as they say it is or it could be puny. I'd rather read all this whining about evacuation than to experience the aftermath that occurred surrounding Katrina.

And I have to say, that the local news casters here stressed that the storm would probably be downgraded early on. However, they stressed that it was important if you were in a evacuation area to get out, because these things can change in a moment and they weren't sure where it would make landfall. They also said that if you were in a flooding area to be diligent and aware and be able to seek higher ground. They say the same thing in a heavy rain storm, because people in flooding zones die every year here.

I think that something like this is a good practice for a more substantial threat, so even though it turned out to be less of a storm, we derived something of value from it. We now know some of the problems in evacuating NYC, for instance, that we can improve on. Come a substantial highly damaging event, we'll be better prepared. And we'll save more lives- which is the important part.

ETA: I'm not saying people here are whining, but I have seen some whining by people I know and on news sources.

 

[Atticus Finch]

My problem is that I am close enough to people who work in the local media to know that I am correct about their sensationalizing tropical weather. They do, and it is for the purpose of boosting viewership. Some stations do it more than others, but they all understand the connection between their borderline hyperbolic reporting of impending storms...and their local ratings.

Sadly, the downside is that people quickly become cynical when it comes to hurricane warnings. They hear the ominous “hurricane” music that suddenly begins the local weather report. They see the scary graphics that depict the possible storm path. They listen to the endless "expert" speculation about the size and intensity of the storm at land fall. They watch "the models" which change daily or even hourly such that yesterday's confident predictions become as worthless as three dollar bills.

And they ignore it all.

They ignore it because all of that same stuff happened last month or last year or last week when another tropical system was predicted to end civilization as we know it...and it only rained.

AF

 

[kamikat]

The question is this: would you rather have a potential over reaction or would you rather have a potential under reaction given the fact that these storms are unpredictable? Either one could be the right reaction- the storm could be as worse as they say it is or it could be puny. I'd rather read all this whining about evacuation than to experience the aftermath that occurred surrounding Katrina.

And I have to say, that the local news casters here stressed that the storm would probably be downgraded early on. However, they stressed that it was important if you were in a evacuation area to get out, because these things can change in a moment and they weren't sure where it would make landfall. They also said that if you were in a flooding area to be diligent and aware and be able to seek higher ground. They say the same thing in a heavy rain storm, because people in flooding zones die every year here.
.

I completely agree with everything you've said here. Our weather people kept saying "we can't know for sure until we're 24 hours away". Everybody who lives in hurricane prone areas knows that they are unpredictable, however the technology has gotten better. I read an article that suggested that based on early 90's weather technology, the hurricane warnings would have been issued for Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina only and we would have been surprised.
To be completely honest, Katrina didn't demolish New Orleans. It was the poor state of the levies. If the levies had held up, the devastation never would have happened. Therefore, I find it hard to believe that another Katrina would ever happen. That was a manmade tragedy. On the other hand, the devastation that occurred from Andrew was due to Andrew alone. Andrew was a Cat 5, which are extremely rare.