2024 Hurricane and Tropical Weather

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Izzylizzy said:
Wow! It says volumes that your uncle cares though they're not speaking.

Maybe letting your dad know that even his brother gives a damn what happens to him will make him realize just how dangerous remaining there is?
Where's your step-brother who they live with in all this?
Did he get out of Dodge already?
Click to expand...
Step-brother is staying, too. Last I heard he was securing his boat somewhere.
Waiting on them to call me back for an update, but I doubt anything has changed. Trying to find out if my niece and her husband have evacuated - their home is north of MacDill.
Looks like Lakeland is now on the "wet" side now instead of the "wind" side, but we all know that things can change quickly.
 
arielilane said:
Posted three hours ago

The Target lot in Fort Myers is filled with people, RVs, EVs, and boats, all seeking high ground ahead of Hurricane Milton.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1843726188357005585
Click to expand...
They will be protected from the water surges but what about the winds? Those trees will likely be uprooted, and those small boats blown away, not to mention some of those campers toppling over.
Better there than being in the path of surges though.

I experienced a hurricane once in my life, in Hawaii when was a kid. We were stuck in a hotel, on an upper floor, in the bathroom as instructed. When it was over the windows had blown out and there were palm trees in the swimming pool. Cars were scattered and overturned on the streets, and the garage and ground floor were flooded. It was frightening at the time.
This however is 100 x worse.
 
whitelilac said:
They will be protected from the water surges but what about the winds? Those trees will likely be uprooted, and those small boats blown away, not to mention some of those campers toppling over.
Better there than being in the path of surges though.

I experienced a hurricane once in my life, in Hawaii when was a kid. We were stuck in a hotel, on an upper floor, in the bathroom as instructed. When it was over the windows had blown out and there were palm trees in the swimming pool. Cars were scattered and overturned on the streets, and the garage and ground floor were flooded. It was frightening at the time.
This however is 100 x worse.
Click to expand...
It's always advised to evacuate RV's and mobile homes in a minor hurricane. They don't fare well at all.
 
I'm at my daughters place in Panama City Beach. The neighbors are texting me that its looking really bad and they're glad I left.

My two nieces, 1 in St Pete and 1 in Clearwater, said its too late to evacuate. There are no hotels and they have 4 boys between them. I'm not sure about their Dad (my 1/2 brother) and his place in St Pete. Our family in central FL are not going to fair much better in this storm. My aunt & uncle on the east coast (Sebastien) are prepped with their shutters up.

 
PayrollNerd said:
I'm at my daughters place in Panama City Beach. The neighbors are texting me that its looking really bad and they're glad I left.

My two nieces, 1 in St Pete and 1 in Clearwater, said its too late to evacuate. There are no hotels and they have 4 boys between them. I'm not sure about their Dad (my 1/2 brother) and his place in St Pete. Our family in central FL are not going to fair much better in this storm. My aunt & uncle on the east coast (Sebastien) are prepped with their shutters up.

Click to expand...
Sending you my thoughts from the UK @PayrollNerd

I hope your family still in Florida manage to stay safe.
 
PayrollNerd said:
I'm at my daughters place in Panama City Beach. The neighbors are texting me that its looking really bad and they're glad I left.

My two nieces, 1 in St Pete and 1 in Clearwater, said its too late to evacuate. There are no hotels and they have 4 boys between them. I'm not sure about their Dad (my 1/2 brother) and his place in St Pete. Our family in central FL are not going to fair much better in this storm. My aunt & uncle on the east coast (Sebastien) are prepped with their shutters up.

Click to expand...
Take care of yourself. I am glad you got out.

Your nieces, I pray for them. I'd be even more scared on the peninsula of St Pete/Clearwater. Water on 3 sides. Hope they have a 2nd floor.
 
whitelilac said:
Maybe those people in that parking lot will take refuge inside the Target, if opened?
Click to expand...
I doubt the Target will be open. Probably windows boarded up, sandbags along the walls, doors, and loading bays. Expensive goods moved to the highest racks. Target is probably praying to keep its roof. Too much liability to allow people inside during the hurricane. All lithium and other ion batteries removed or placed on the highest racks to prevent fires from saltwater surges.
 
PayrollNerd said:
I'm at my daughters place in Panama City Beach. The neighbors are texting me that its looking really bad and they're glad I left.

My two nieces, 1 in St Pete and 1 in Clearwater, said its too late to evacuate. There are no hotels and they have 4 boys between them. I'm not sure about their Dad (my 1/2 brother) and his place in St Pete. Our family in central FL are not going to fair much better in this storm. My aunt & uncle on the east coast (Sebastien) are prepped with their shutters up.

Click to expand...
Let your daughter take care of you!! I know she is so relieved that you are with her. Thank you for updating us.
 
In Clearwater, Fl. For those familiar with the area, I am around NE Coachman and 19, a Non-Evac area. I am going to hunker down here. I thought about leaving but I feel safer here at home. It looks like landfall is trending south of here which means we will get the wind and rain part and not as much storm surg.
 
I see Hurricane Milton has wobbled south over Sarasota again. When it first turned into a hurricane, I remember a weather person saying it was coming in at Bradenton, FL. It keeps wobbling north and south of there. That area is already flooding from recent rains.
 
arielilane said:
The AquaFence is back up at Tampa General Hospital to protect against storm surge from Hurricane Milton.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1843755034699551107
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Potential problem is the AquaFence around Tampa General Hospital can only handle 15 feet of surge/flooding.
Just IMHO, that fence may be tall but it doesn't look very sturdy.
www.tampabay.com

Milton storm surge could be too much for Tampa General’s AquaFence

Projected storm surge of up to 15 feet would be the maximum the hospital’s flood barrier can handle.
www.tampabay.com www.tampabay.com

JMO
 
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Tampa may avoid the worst of Milton's storm surge​

It is far too early for residents around Tampa Bay to breathe a sigh of relief, but Hurricane Milton wobbled farther south than expected Tuesday, leading to a southern shift in the forecast from the National Hurricane Center.

On the northern side of the storm, winds across Tampa Bay would largely push water out of the bay, potentially even reducing the water levels as happened during Hurricane Ian, which made landfall near Fort Myers in 2022.

Even with a potential track south of Tampa, which would spare that area the worst of the surge, there is still a significant risk of catastrophic hurricane-force winds and flooding rain. Hurricane Milton is expected to grow into a large storm as it approaches landfall, and much of the Florida Peninsula will experience the wrath of the storm.
 
PayrollNerd said:
I see Hurricane Milton has wobbled south over Sarasota again. When it first turned into a hurricane, I remember a weather person saying it was coming in at Bradenton, FL. It keeps wobbling north and south of there. That area is already flooding from recent rains.
Click to expand...
That’s what happened with Helene. Literally up until the last few minutes it kept wobbling. I was a part of Reed Timmer’s live on YouTube for the whole thing. well up until about 30 minutes after the eye had passed over. That has got to be such a scary thing for the people that didn’t have time to evacuate.
 
Puzzles8 said:
Potential problem is the AquaFence around Tampa General Hospital can only handle 15 feet of surge/flooding.
Just IMHO, that fence may be tall but it doesn't look very sturdy.
www.tampabay.com

Milton storm surge could be too much for Tampa General’s AquaFence

Projected storm surge of up to 15 feet would be the maximum the hospital’s flood barrier can handle.
www.tampabay.com www.tampabay.com

JMO
Click to expand...

Because of what happened with the flooded hospitals in New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina, and in recognition of their perennial hurricane risk, Tampa General moved it's power plant and HVAC systems from the basement to the third floor, 33 ft above ground level. They also have an independent well for their own water.

From their website:
Details on preparations at Tampa General Hospital on Davis Islands include:

  • On-Site Energy Source – Tampa General completed construction in 2022 on a 16,000-square-foot Central Energy Plant. Located 33 feet above sea level, this energy plant provides a reliable, protected power supply in the event of power disruption. It is built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane. The plant houses generators and boilers that can create steam and hot water.
  • On-Site Water Source – In the rare event that water service is disrupted, a well is available to supply water needs. In addition, more than 5,000 gallons of water was moved on site to support patients and team members.

www.tgh.org

Tampa General Hospital Implements Comprehensive Mitigation Plan to Prepare for Hurricane Milton | Tampa General Hospital

<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="eop"><em><span>Tampa General’s Preparedness Efforts, Which Include On-Site Energy Plant, On-Site Water Well, AquaFence Barrier, Additional Supplies and Trained Teams, Allow Providers to Safely Care for Patients Through...
www.tgh.org www.tgh.org
 
CNN is reporting fuel shortages as up to 1500 gas stations are reported to be out of gas by GasBuddy.

Overall, 20% of gas stations in the entire state are out of gas, of course, principally in the areas of evacuation.

There is great concern that Hurricane Milton may damage or disable the Port of Tampa where a substantial amount of gasoline and other fuels from the Gulf area refineries are unloaded from tankers. This may also impact aviation fuel for the Tampa and Orlando airports, as the Central Florida Pipeline handles fuels from the Port of Tampa to Orlando.

Currently 70% of gas stations in the Ft Meyer area are reporting being out of gas.


In the emergency preparations, the Florida Highway Patrol has escorted gas tanker trucks into areas of shortages.

One small blessing is that the major port that deals with vehicle fuels and holding tanks is Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. Outside of strong winds, the ability of tankers to unload their fuels and the ability to store and distribute gasoline and diesel fuels in Florida is not expected to be impacted by the storm. Additional supplies from the Gulf refineries have been ordered and are in the process of providing backup stores in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

Because of the terrain, there is not the expectation of widespread destruction of roads and bridges that we saw isolate western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, other than removing debris and fallen trees from roads.

Kinder Morgan’s Central Florida Pipeline (CFPL) system consists of a 110-mile, 16-inch diameter petroleum pipeline that transports gasoline and batched denatured ethanol, and an 85-mile, 10-inch diameter petroleum pipeline that transports diesel fuel and jet fuel. At Tampa, the CFPL system is capable of receiving those products from five terminals in the Port Tampa Bay area, and transporting them to delivery points in Orlando, Florida, including CFPL’s Orlando, Florida Terminal (also known as CFPL Taft Terminal). The 10-inch pipeline is the sole source of pipeline-supplied jet fuel to the Orlando International Airport.
 
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The Maritime Shipping trackers show the impact of a pending hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico:

Very little tanker container or tanker traffic between Hurricane Milton and the Florida west coast. Lots of activity around the Port of the Everglades and the Miami ports, with what looks like numerous shipping vessels bound for the Gulf ports in Texas and Louisiana just hanging out on the eastern Florida coast.

Move the cursor to the west to see all the ships and tankers hanging out near the Texas coast trying to avoid Hurricane Milton.

 
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