The 2 behind Florence may blow out and miss us, maybe not. I was in Harbor Freight picking up a few preps on Sunday, so were others in line. Local supermarket was smart, had butane lighters, candles and flashlights on display. Ace Hardware had something similar items front and center.

I picked up some things for my girlfriend to stash if she got stranded at her place. If the path of anything deviates and heads north to NY, I'll be filling up the cars and spare gas cans. I got a bunch of gas grille-friendly food to cook and the makings for soup and chili. I'm set with propane.

 

I filled my cars and a 5 gallon gasoline safety can yesterday. That is all I had to do.

Though I still might open some ammo cans and fill a few magazines.

 

My folks were just on a long overdue vacation. They visited with some family up in Alaska, took a cruise, then came down to visit us.

They flew back to South Carolina yesterday, coastal (Georgetown County), but they are set back from the coast about a mile and about 30’ up. We’d been watching the alerts in this one since late last week. At the current track, it looks like they will feel the lee side of this one.

They’re at the ready to head to visit family in Georgia if needs be by Wednesday. Else they’ll stay. Fingers crossed for all, wherever it may make land fall.

 

I don't have much to do to prep. My supplies are topped off. I'm just getting set up to monitor emergency radio nets in case we are impacted. Florence looks to head into NC/SC area so most we would see from this one is remnants dumping rain over already very wet land.

 

Same here in Charlotte....

I have most everything i need here, gonna bring trailer w genset n gas, misc. kit from storage unit and park in driveway...

we're most likely gonna get major rain, that should be it...

otherwise, i am all set....

 

Live in the Charlotte area and I am hoping that we just get a quick rain. I am worried about our half basement but will have to wait it out and see what happens. The Walmart I went to located in the University area of Charlotte was busy. Stay safe everyone!

 

The Walmart I went to located in the University area of Charlotte was busy. Stay safe everyone!

you sir, are a braver man than I...

i avoid that walmart at all cost.....

be safe....

got comms?

 

My brother lives in a little town in NC called Mayodan. He is well to the west of the coast and up near Virginia. I still worry about him though because these things push onto land and he ends up with severe thunder storms and tornados from what he has told me.

Well I worry more for my niece and nephew. I had to go down there and help him out when he was in a jam over the winter and I was shocked. FEMA always says to keep three days of food on hand and I was always like "who don't have three days of food in the house?" He don't. Goes to Wal-Mart every single day. We weren't raised like that. We were poor so if you bought in bulk as much as you could giving you a bit of leeway by having extra and saving money in the long run. If you got extra money you bought extra food because you knew there would be a lean time ahead.

Completely shocked me the only canned goods he had was some stuff the school sends home with the kids because they are low income. Those they just saved up and sent to a food pantry or threw away when there were enough to be in the way.

It really concerns me that he probably isn't the only person that lives like this. You're IQ shouldn't have to be very high to know that you should keep food in your house and if you have kids you NEED to keep food in the house.

 

FEMA says to keep three days of food on hand and I was always like "who don't have three days of food in the house?" He don't. Goes to Wal-Mart every single day.

It really concerns me that he probably isn't the only person that lives like this. You're IQ shouldn't have to be very high to know that you should keep food in your house and if you have kids you NEED to keep food in the house.

I have family that lives like this. The dh goes to the store daily for food. They DO have food in the house, just not whatever they need for that night's dinner. But they also don't have a way to cook if the power goes out. Another family member lives by them and they feed her. And all three are going to get walloped by rain and wind. They are far enough inland, but they most likely will lose power.

They always worry about us, as we're by the gulf, but durn....I have months of food and then some, a propane stove indoors, another one for camping, and we have a gas AND charcoal grill (shoot, we have a camping charcoal grill, too). We're ready if something comes our way....ham radios, a noaa radio, walkie talkies, flashlights and lanterns, water, etc. But they frighten me. They've had winter storms in the past few yrs which took out their power, and all three of them lived in a hotel for a bit. And complained about it. They have a gas fireplace...needs a thermostat....needs propane....but they could've dealt with that yrs ago and stayed home, in their own bed!

Other family could get a ton of rain, which they don't need, as there has been local flooding this summer, but they have gotten more and more ready with every storm that has hit them in the past 8+ yrs. They are wired for a generator to plug into the house. I don't worry about them because they have learned and made changes and used the good brains the Lord gave them to get ready for bad weather that comes. And they aren't preppers at all, but they use common sense!

 

Gonna need to pick up a couple handles of whiskey before the ABC stores shut down. Other than that...good to go

 

The Navy FNMOC shows it coming in close to Cape Hattaras in about +132hr.

 

Hurricane Florence Preparation

We have been watching from south-central VA. Started working through our severe weather checklist on Saturday. Topped off the prep supplies early. A few more items around the house to pick-up/put-away/tie-down over the next couple of days. Just waiting to see if she stays on track, or makes a turn. A lot depends of the high-pressure ridge coming out the Great Lakes later this week. A stalled system could mean a lot of rain. It has already been a very wet summer. With the trees still in full foliage, any significant winds could mean downed trees. Just spent the afternoon trimming willows next to the power line. If she doesn't come to visit, nothing lost. If she does, we'll be ready.

 

Watching Flo here in Orlando and hoping it makes the turn to the right and heads North. Don`t trust tracking charts since we got fooled and slammed by "Charlie" back in 2004. Mother Nature is fickle!.

 

Grocery store in Fayetteville, NC today. Bad time to be needing things....

Forecast goes pretty much right over it. Looks, um, like an interesting image.

 

Grocery store in Fayetteville, NC today. Bad time to be needing things....

View attachment 277878

Forecast goes pretty much right over it. Looks, um, like an interesting image.

View attachment 277880

Should rename it hurricane Hilary... Since she's such a ****

 

I like Nutella though. I'd grab those.

 

Don't I remember something said by someone in Congress, about having so much food in one's home being equated with being a terrorist?

 

I can believe it. I went "hurricane party" shopping the other day although we will just get the storm surge up on the Island. Chili makings, canned beans, extra small packages of rice, burgers, dogs. Four tanks of propane, 10 gallons of kerosene which I always top off this time of year. Beer, pasta. Just filled out what I would want to make quick and easy.

I do notice friends stocking more food than they used to. Having less than a couple of weeks of eats on hand is lunacy.

 

The hype and too early mandatory evacuation has all gas stations out of gas as of early afternoon today.

Apparently the governor did not alert the distributors he was going announce it today. So they got caught flatfooted. Most of us that have been through many such storms in our lifetime knows this announcement is about 2 day early.

This is a classic case of political grandstanding.

Most planned to get out tomorrow or Wed. There would have been plenty of time for distributors to keep filling the gas station tanks. This would have put most people gone by the time all lanes changed to one-way. There will be no way to get gas to stations after noon tomorrow.

What he has done is create a situation where people are going to be blocking exit lanes because the traffic will be 4 time as great with most having half the fuel they need.

This is going to be a mess before the storm hits. Many are already planing for plan "B". Ride out the storm rather than be stuck in traffic for two days or more.

No not say I am politically bias because until tonight I supported him. I had no clue he was an idiot.

 

That sounds like an epic failure and a disaster in the making.

 

My uncle and cousins are in North Myrtle Beach just south of ground zero from what it's looking like. I think they're going to bug out to Orlando if it ends up being a cat 5 but may ride it out if it stays a cat 4.

 

Florida May be next

 

Having a mild flashback episode to Irma. I was in the hospital getting antibiotics through an IV due to a bad infection as the hurricane got closer. It was a Thursday evening, I relayed the doctor's announcement to my wife that I would be discharged on Friday. She smiled at the good news. We agreed that going to my parent's second home was a good move being 2.5 hours North and 90 miles inland.

I then asked her if she'd filled the gas tanks on my truck and her car. She replied, "No, we can gas up on Saturday and then go to your parent's house." Now allow me to explain that the hurricane was due to arrive on Sunday.

The gasoline refinery deliveries by ship were delayed as the port was closed ahead of the storm. Domino effect, the fuel deliveries to the gas stations were interrupted. We did find a gas station that only had the premium grade for sale. (biting my tongue here!)

Now, looking back at it all. I was vulnerable due to my medical condition. My spouse was inexperienced. I find myself saying she can learn; but I still have serious doubts regarding my wife's decision making abilities. Her older brother's words at the wedding still haunt me as he said; "She's your problem now."

Our wedding aniversary was 9/4, fourteen years ago. It isn't perfect and things could definately be worse. Wondering how my parents have made it work for almost 60 years is a mind blowing mystery.

 

My late wife was a sharp cookie. She never let her gas get below a 1/2 tank ever. She knew what to do in advance of bad weather, we just split up the tasks between us and ran with it.

My current lady friend, good person but needs to be told what to do for an emergency. She's Italian so she has food in the house. I went over basic preps she should have at her place, we don't live together. I picked up a number of things for her over the weekend.

 

We're keeping an eye on this in the valley. I went through Isabel in '03. If I recall, she came ashore as a Cat 3. Power was out for 24 hours, but water was out for over a week because of lowland flooding. This one is taking a similar track. Even the dates aren't too far off (Isabel came ashore on September 18th).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isabel


If you haven't already, stock up on water. Water Treatment plants in low lying areas are going to get flooded out, especially with all the rain we've been having in VA.

 

My local news is now saying we here in lynchburg could be hit with the hardest storm in decades? Hope their just playing fear mongers again Anyways I have all 3 gens running and ready with lots of gas and propane. Might run out this week a pick up a couple new chainsaw chains just in case.

 

They haven’t learned from other coastal evacs what not to do apparently. Should be evac by zone starting on the coast over blocks of time. If you aren’t in the zone don’t move or you will clog up roads. Fuel supply should have been set up way in advance

 

From the reports I've seen they are evac'ing by zone.

 

A little background on Tracking Charts. 2004..here comes Charlie and the track is to go around the bottom of Florida and head up the west coast to Tampa,ALL tracks showed this. Well Charlie got halfway around and hung a Sharp Right turn and came up the middle of the State,we here in Orlando had a 6-7 hour warning it was coming right for us. The eyewall was 1 mile from my home,we were on the wrong side and had 110MPH winds in our subdivision,trees down on cars,roofs off and no power,phones for almost a month. Nightmare!. SO,Always Pay Attention to where it`s going.

 

Even crazier was Jeane - did a loop-d-loop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Jeanne#/media/File:Jeanne_2004_track.png

And it hit within a few miles of where Francis hit 3 weeks earlier - I got power back just in time to lose it again! Had to cut my way out of the neighborhood with a lumberjack saw because every 40' banyon tree was on the ground blocking emergency services. It was a warzone.

Moral of the story...if you are even near the cone get ready...and if you are in the direct path, you should have left yesterday.

 

We are located in Ramseur, NC about 125 miles from the coast, topped off our preps on Saturday, battened down things around the house Sunday. This will be our first hurricane since moving to NC from PA (we have been through multiple Nor'easter blizzards in PA). Same mentality with people waiting till the last minute to grab essential items, then complaining when nothing is available. Shelves are almost bare here, hoping everyone is ready and stay safe.

 

Im not to far from you. We looked at property in Ramseur and Randleman at one time.

Yeah, the people around here act like "Hurricane Season" is something new. If you havent lived here long enough to see a Snow Storm, you will be in for a good laugh. Its like Armageddon round here. :

Meanwhile, back at my place...

In the almost 5 years we have lived here, this will be the first time that there is a real chance for a direct hit. Ill admit, im a little nervous. Plenty of food. Propane is good. Have a gas cooktop. Vehicles are topped off. Fuel for lanterns.

The main concern is my Greenhouses being ripped to shreds. Or, the ground anchors giving way and them flying off into never land. I know they have taken 40 MPH gust, and I was in one when it was shaking violently. But this might do them in. Fingers crossed.

God help us if the storm lands on the S.C. coast and comes straight up.

 

What's the green house material? Can you just take it apart and let the wind blow through the frame?

 

6 mil GH plastic.

Some of the plastic is already off, and the sides rolled up. Hoping that the wind just blows on thru. One GH still has around 100 pepper plants, but they are about done for the season. So no worries there.

 

Today sucks, it's 9\11
I got some bad personal news, our solar panel batteries quit this week ( won't charge) and now we have this stupid storm coming ( expected that in Florida but not here)
So we drove all the way to Roanoke to buy new batteries, and went to the Walmart to get a few more supplies. All the water ( we don't really need any) , all the batteries , all the bread gone, just like in Florida before a storm. And this is in Roanoke, miles from the ocean. Weird thing, nobody was buying ice. That's usually one of the first things gone before a storm in Florida. Maybe people here don't think about lack of refrigeration when power goes out. Lines were already forming at the gas stations but we had no problem getting gas .

 

Today sucks, it's 9\11....

Indeed it does.

Assuming you get the batteries going tonight, will they have time to take a charge?

 

Hickory, NC here...I went through Hugo in '89, when very few people thought a hurricane would make it as far as the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 7 hours after landfall, it hit our county and jack-strawed thousands of trees. As a career firefighter who spent the next 72 hours responding to emergency calls, clearing trees from roadways and checking on folks in damaged structures, I don't underestimate these things.

We should be in pretty good shape prep wise...new shingles covering the house on high ground, swimming pool closed and covered last weekend, a decent supply of food with six different ways to cook, city water & sewer, backup well, stored water, new 8kw genny, 80 gallons of fuel in the RV tank with an auxiliary pump, 3 vehicles and a motorcycle with full tanks, all family within 10 miles, battery-powered back-up sump pump in the basement, a half-dozen tarps, wooden strips and nails for emergency repairs, and plenty of 'looter deterrents'.

My biggest concerns are my 100 lb. boxer/shepherd who is outside in a covered kennel & insulated house, and our 30 lb. Jack Russell who is terrified of storms and spazes out, even when medicated. Seriously considering putting both of them in kennels in the basement with a radio playing to shield them from the sights and sounds of the storm.

 

Bring the big guy inside! Even if he has a decent set up, a super bad storm will be scary for him. Share the love with the guy. He counts on you keeping him safe.

 

You guys over in the path of the hurricane stay safe. If you need to avacuate it’s better safe than sorry. Easy to rebuild things than people.