Batten Down The Hatches, Mateys!

[PenJoe]

This is going to hit as a 4 or 5. Major hurricane
This is not a pull in your awning storm.
This is a get in your RV and run.
Run for your life.
This is not a joke. This storm will be one of the strongest ever. Pick up your RV or trailer and throw it across the campground.

You are 100% correct. Trying to ride out a hurricane in a camper is a death wish. Problem is, there is nowhere safe to camp in Florida with Milton coming. Routes out of Florida are parking lots and there is inadequate shelter space.

We have a mobile home in Punta Gorda and have been told to evacuate. Mobile homes are strapped to the ground. PG is at the southern edge of the cone, but on the strongest side of the storm.

When Ian made its debut in our mobile home park, most of the homes survived with minimal damage-others were destroyed. But the office roof lifted off, remained airborne over a parking lot parking area and sheared the cab area of a class A MH completely off. Fortunately, the camper was unoccupied. In surrounding areas, tornados spun off of Ian destroying mobile homes and campers. And, being out of the cone is not salvation.

 

[LetsGoWest]

Im seeing plenty of people offer their farms and land for Floridians who can get their Rvs and animal trailers a few hours up north of FL. They can set up little boondock towns on the farm land and wait this storm out.

 

[NXR]

We have a mobile home in Punta Gorda and have been told to evacuate. Mobile homes are strapped to the ground. PG is at the southern edge of the cone, but on the strongest side of the storm.

When Ian made its debut in our mobile home park, most of the homes survived with minimal damage-others were destroyed. But the office roof lifted off, remained airborne over a parking lot parking area and sheared the cab area of a class A MH completely off. Fortunately, the camper was unoccupied. In surrounding areas, tornados spun off of Ian destroying mobile homes and campers. And, being out of the cone is not salvation.

Please post back when you know how it went. We're scheduled to stay at Creekside RV Resort by the Punta Gorda Airport in December.

We stayed there once before in December, right after Ian. By the time we arrived almost everything was repaired and functional at Creekside. They said they had about 40 RV's blown over but three that were next to each other remained upright. I'm guessing it was the wind direction. They said they had several families living in their building because it's rated for Cat 5 winds.

But wow, points south like Ft. Myers still looked really bad.

A friend with a condo on a canal in Punta Gorda had water damage from Ian's winds, no flooding, but that was because the complex was rebuilt after Charlie. With Debby this year they had zero damage but neighbors said the water came to within a few feet of their unit. They're still in Ohio so out of danger.


Our Jan-Feb-March campground, Timberlane, evacuated everyone. They are by the Bradenton Costco so several miles from the coast. That's why I keep the one bookmark for the traffic camera at I-75 and SR 64.

Ray

 

[TitanMike]

This is going to hit as a 4 or 5. Major hurricane
This is not a pull in your awning storm.
This is a get in your RV and run.
Run for your life.
This is not a joke. This storm will be one of the strongest ever. Pick up your RV or trailer and throw it across the campground.

No matter how dire the warnings there will always be those who ignore them and will remain.

They too will be the ones requiring most of the rescue and recovery resources.

 

[Aussieguy]

Well I’m staying in my trailer

Just moved it a bit….. Jacksonville is nice and not anywhere near the cone

Told Mrs AG to unplug any none essential power before we left
Should have realized Wi-Fi router ie essential if you want to remote watch if house still standing
leave wifi on if you want to view the ring doorbell. !

Starting to see some southward movement on the track
Just a bit more south I can expect to have a house next week

Don’t ya just love the Sunshine state?

 

[NJKris]

I'd be more concerned about aftermath shortages even up in Jax. Fresh water plants may be crippled. Logistics hampered. I wouldn't be comfortable without 1-2 months supply of water. I would not trust Feds or locals to be able to help much. The good thing is the camper could roll out of there to a better situation if it's not flooded/damaged, eventually highways will reopen. Can you believe the morons up here flooded Costco and creating a run on paper products again because of Longshoremen strike? The sheep never learn.

 

[Aussieguy]

Traffic out of the west coast was moderate
Gas shortages in smaller towns
But we got some and had jerry cans just in case

Think I loaded too much stuff
Tongue weight and angle of the Yukon was bad
Will sort that out before return

Had to change one tire on the trailer
The tread all way round was crowned
Looked like as if someone pumped 200# into it
Didn’t track well…. But plenty of empty strip mall car parks to pull into

All in all an experience we could live without… but we dealing with it

 

[TitanMike]

Well I’m staying in my trailer

Just moved it a bit….. Jacksonville is nice and not anywhere near the cone

Told Mrs AG to unplug any none essential power before we left
Should have realized Wi-Fi router ie essential if you want to remote watch if house still standing
leave wifi on if you want to view the ring doorbell. !

Starting to see some southward movement on the track
Just a bit more south I can expect to have a house next week

Don’t ya just love the Sunshine state?

Wifi won't be working if the power is off. Even with underground power in the 'hoods, main power distribution is still overhead and usually downed by the hurricane force winds.

Florida's called the Sunshine State but it might as well be called the Beach State too considering how low it is. Cities built on elevations of only 40-50 feet elevation???

Just read about the Waffle House Index. Supposedly if a Waffle House in your area stays open you should be OK. If you find it closed you should be on your way out of town.

Wonder I'd this will hold true with Milton?

 

[capeharj]

If you are still in Florida, get away from your camper because it will be doing summersaults in the wind and floating away in the storm surge and rain.

 

[TitanMike]

If you are still in Florida, get away from your camper because it will be doing summersaults in the wind and floating away in the storm surge and rain.

Not to mention all the flying debris still in piles from Helene.

 

[Aussieguy]

In contact with next door neighbor who is watching the storm on his ring
Guess he knows the trick about Wi-Fi

Anyways he reports things looking a bit messy and looks like power may now be out

LAST thing they saw …..is a mail box flying past

He could not confirm if it had 1132 on it so it may or may not belong to a Aussie?
MRS AG…. She would like anew one anyways

I reckon that it may be easy to pick one up when we get back

 

[NXR]

My sister in Cape Coral lost power about 8:45 PM. She just said it's a lot of wind but no rain yet.

Punta Gorda about 30 miles to the north has flooded streets, though.

Ray

 

[DougW9876]

Power is out in Zephyrhills. Last check I had from my weather station was 10 inches of rain, winds not too bad still in the teens with gusts. Just have to wait and see what it looks like when we get back.

 

[LowFlyinAggie]

I hope all our camping friends either got away in time or were out of the way of Milton’s fury. What a nasty surprise they had on the east coast’! Aussieguy, Jax was a good choice! Glad you went! I watched Ryan Hall until late, and marvel at his team. NO ONE does coverage of a storm, right down to intersections and street names sometimes, warning anyone there to take cover because there is a tornado coming their way. I highly recommend this YouTube channel:

I know the folks in Sulfur Oklahoma and other small towns there watch when the big ones fly. Sulfur lost their entire historic district and he literally waks people away from trouble with his coverage. He also has a 501-C3 to donate to storm victims. Cool dude withtwo or threemeteorologists helping out as well as storm chasers onthe ground. Its not network; its real time, real people. They had 130 NatinalWeather Service tornado warnings - sightings - last night. Port St.Lucie was a bad place to be. Also Ft. Pierce. Here in Ocala, we didn’t lose power andonly had a couple of branches down from the tree next door. Breezy andcool herenow. Chime in, campers! Tell us what you see, what you did, or what you went through.

 

[Aussieguy]

Jaxonville sucks cause I got zero sleep
Winds here were about 40 ish?

Branches etc fell on roof a couple of times
The park’s maintenance guy loaned me a ladder… no damage to roof membrane or to the solar

Btw am using the converter today not got the energy to worry about solar … have not seen sunshine for about 4 days

A neighbor who did not evacuate reports I still have a house
no apparent damage and we suppose to have power … we got underground and everyone that has above ground around us is blacked out

They are also letting people back into the county
Not sure how they ever thought they could close a whole county…. I know the back roads!

 

[NJKris]

3.4 million without power in FL as of 1000. If you can't make your own power, gonna be a long October....I lived in Jax with no air conditioning, October not so bad...

 

[Aussieguy]

Going back home today
Got about 15 gallons of extra gas

Will probably fill up again about half way down there as it looks like gas availability in my area will be biggest concern

My neighbors report we have electric
And house is still standing , the eye of Milton would have been about 35 miles from the house

Wayyyyyyy tooo close this time
Only had to wobble a little bit and the outcome would have been much different?

 

[Aussieguy]

got back home today... Uneventful trip except for some strange guy behind me that kept honking his horn because I let a couple of people IN from a side road (there was a 1/2 mile traffic jamb where road went to one lane)

Fixed that guy...... let 2 more cars in.

Filled up my tank again when I got Gainesville, they got plenty

Crystal river last town before the mess started..... also had a lot of open gas stations and no queue lines.
Except for the very last gas station in town ... everybody decided
OOOPS better get some gas here resulted in a about a 1/4 mile line down the road
I just shook my head as I drove past them.


Just as my neighbors reported no real damage to my house except I got a pretty good puddle of water in living room..... I should have taped the doors before I sandbagged
Sandbags trapped rain water hitting the door and then funneled it inside under the door

Helene shook our trees pretty good... so there was not a lot of loose branches etc, left for Milton


Today... beautiful fall weather no humidity.. a bit of a bonus for those without power.

 

[kenandterry]

got back home today... Uneventful trip except for some strange guy behind me that kept honking his horn because I let a couple of people IN from a side road (there was a 1/2 mile traffic jamb where road went to one lane)

Fixed that guy...... let 2 more cars in.

Filled up my tank again when I got Gainesville, they got plenty

Crystal river last town before the mess started..... also had a lot of open gas stations and no queue lines.
Except for the very last gas station in town ... everybody decided
OOOPS better get some gas here resulted in a about a 1/4 mile line down the road
I just shook my head as I drove past them.


Just as my neighbors reported no real damage to my house except I got a pretty good puddle of water in living room..... I should have taped the doors before I sandbagged
Sandbags trapped rain water hitting the door and then funneled it inside under the door

Helene shook our trees pretty good... so there was not a lot of loose branches etc, left for Milton


Today... beautiful fall weather no humidity.. a bit of a bonus for those without power.

So glad to hear your damage sounds minimal, compared to others and what could have been. Also, unlike others (which I never understand) you relocated with your RV to another location during the evacuation. I’m sure your accommodations in an RV are quite often much better than what one finds upon return. If people have an RV (especially on their property) why NOT evacuate with the rig?

Best wishes to you and yours for your recovery and restoration.

 

[Aussieguy]

forgot to mention... tiled floor so no carpet to remove

mop and bucket took 5 minutes