Hurricane Florence (merge of several Hurricane Florence Threads)

[ScottBrownstein]

I think everybody should give a little slack to people who LIVE in hurricane zones. This isn't the weather channel. Lots of us have ridden them out in various situations. Remember, the problem in New Orleans was flooding, not wind. If you are in a low area within 100 miles of Wilmington, NC, get what you can out...but you needn't go to Alaska!

[katkt]

When the wind turbine people start calculating tower height and wind speed, they get into surface foliage effects etc..
A decent wind turbine should be about 30 meters high, and well away from any trees etc., to maximize its potential.
You don’t have to be very far into the trees, to see a significant drop in wind speed, at ground level.

However, a Hurricane tends to be a bit more problematic then the typical straight line winds people are fond of for wind turbines. The winds are generally being measured quite a bit above street level, but depending on surroundings or lack of, high winds can get pretty close to the ground because of the violent compact nature of the storm.
I have an 8 to 10 mile reach of open water to my SE, so when they say 125mph winds, that’s what we’re getting more or less, when a storm targets us. Further inland, if you have lots of structures to break the wind, it helps. The biggest issues tend to be the damage from flying debris, and tornado activity.
Older taller trees or diseased trees and poorly built structures are prime targets for hurricane force winds(75mph for a cat 1).......as are, boxlike things that aren’t protected from the wind in a semi sheltered area. Like RV’s and TT.

When Ivan blew through back in 04, it trashed Hattiesburg Ms, on its way north, and was still generating Hurricane force winds when it got close to Pennsylvania. Hattiesburg is quite a ways from the coast. Significant tree damage brought down a lot of power lines, and had them out of power for a while.

Monitor the weather closely and understand, waiting to long to leave, and getting caught on the road with no gas stations open, is a really bad idea.
If you’re going to sit it out, take precautions. If you’re going to leave, don’t wait for the last minute.
If you’re staying, make sure you’re self sufficient for at least a week, depending on where you are. Scrub and fill your bathtub with clean water as full as you can get it, and add a bit of bleach(1/4 cup or so). Use a clean dipper to dip water out of it to flush the toilet, and for hygiene(don’t bath in the tub, use the shower and pour the water over you, Navy style).
Set aside drinking water. Buy it, or fill your own clean jugs. If you think you are going to lose power for an extended period, start cooking and making ice before it’s to late, and you lose power.

People with a little camping experience do a lot better in these types of situations.

Big storms with high winds have a tendency to fall apart from their sheer force, and then reorganize. If it happens closer to land, it may take some punch out of this storm. Fingers crossed, and Prayers sent. A lot can happen in a week, let’s hope for the best.

[dbarr]

Better not catch you in a Walmart campground. Lol.
Be safe.

[DreiHunde]

Matthew was a Cat 1. Winds were not an issue. Water. Catastropic flooding occurred. Water is almost always a factor.

[aceinspp]

Material things can be replace but lives can not. Move out now before the big rush. If your not one that can not leave do to being required to stay, then stay safe. Later RJD

[timfromma]

Unless you are required to stay (emergency workers, hospital staff etc) or are physically unable to leave (nursing home residents, severely handicapped etc) you need to obey evacuation orders. If you stay and get into trouble as a result, I will have ZERO sympathy.

[D W]

Originally Posted by 5er_tom

You need to hook up and leave. You appear to be located where Florence will come ashore. Almost no way to fully protect your RV and more important yourselves. Leave now!

X2!

[maskins]

But in all seriousness.

By the time it gets to my house it is expected to be a category 1 storm. I'm just going to get gas for the generator and fill up the water tank. I'm on top of a hill and not worried about flooding.

If you want to take a road trip inland to move your camper away from the beach, I will offer you a yard to park it in.

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by maskins

THIS! Without a doubt this is the truth! For local governments and businesses as well as citizens. If the forecast was calling for 1/2" of snow on Friday, there were would already be a "Closings" scroll on the TV for Thurday thru Tues.

[5er_tom]

I am happy that I do not have to make a decision about hooking up and moving, as we are on the coast of Oregon. If we were home in Durham I might just decide that Stone Mountain Georgia was calling.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by 5er_tom

I am happy that I do not have to make a decision about hooking up and moving, as we are on the coast of Oregon. If we were home in Durham I might just decide that Stone Mountain Georgia was calling.

I live 30 miles from the coast in Massachusetts. If that sucker was headed our way, it would be a great time to go check out Pennsylvania.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Rjoyed

A kiss and a prayer and double check our insurance coverage? Any advice would be great for us newbies!

If you're not planning on leaving, double checking insurance coverage would be my advice. Your insurance company might have some recommendations.... although all ours said was to 'get it to a safe location.' (yeah, right.)

You can't really predict how the wind and water will affect the rv or what direction it will come from.

Sometimes 'hunkering down' is a better option than trying to evacuate and getting caught on the road during a hurricane. As long as you and your loved ones are safe, rvs can be replaced or repaired.

[spock123]

My problem is how far out the 140mph is, I have saw one hundred miles from the center. . Since I live 70 miles from the coast. If I leave it will be Tuesday morning. I’ll just leave the camper and come back home and ride out the storm then go get the camper

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by spock123

. If I leave it will be Tuesday morning. I’ll just leave the camper and come back home and ride out the storm then go get the camper

Keep an eye on the evacuations from the coast. They are already doing mandatory evacuations from the Outer Banks.

The one thing you don't want is to get caught in stop and go traffic evacuations. (Been there, done that and it isn't any fun.) People running out of gas, gas stations with no gas, fast food restaurants closed, emergency vehicles stuck in traffic....

Luckily for us, the hurricane took a turn or we would have been on the road directly in the path of what they predicted was a cat 5 storm. You are a lot more important than the rv.

[D W]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Unless you are required to stay (emergency workers, hospital staff etc) or are physically unable to leave (nursing home residents, severely handicapped etc) you need to obey evacuation orders. If you stay and get into trouble as a result, I will have ZERO sympathy.

Amen to that!

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by timfromma

...... If you stay and get into trouble as a result, I will have ZERO sympathy.

Ok, we have all figured out your feelings (or lack of) by now.......

[rskeans]

Being at the West Coast, we don't have Hurricanes, just wild fires (evacuated 3 times in the last 10 years), Earthquakes and taxes. I have no idea what I would do to protect the RV if I lived from Florida up to NC and in the current situation in SC and up.

What do you do??


on edit - - Sorry, I didn't realize there were threads on hurricanes.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by rskeans

Being at the West Coast, we don't have Hurricanes, just wild fires (evacuated 3 times in the last 10 years), Earthquakes and taxes. I have no idea what I would do to protect the RV if I lived from Florida up to NC and in the current situation in SC and up.

What do you do??


on edit - - Sorry, I didn't realize there were threads on hurricanes.

The biggest danger of hurricanes is flood water followed by wind damage. Short of parking in a reinforced water tight bunker, the only real way to protect a camper is to haul it out of harms way.

[spock123]

I have booked a campsite in Pigeon Forge TN. I’ll leave the camper there and come back home. If my house it destroyed I want to be able to save some things

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by spock123

I have booked a campsite in Pigeon Forge TN. I’ll leave the camper there and come back home. If my house it destroyed I want to be able to save some things

Good deal! Safe travels!