Re: Question about my daughter and family
Posted by
alligatorob on 9/10/2017, 9:06 am
I lived in the Tallahassee area for a long time, not there now though. I'll tell you what I learned from several hurricane experiences. You have a number of things to think about:
Where you are going if you do evacuate. You don't want to jump from the frying pan to the fire, what you will have to drive through to get there and what it will be like when you did. In Tropical storm Debbie we evacuated to a place that flooded from one that did not. On the other hand we had friends in Debbie who stayed home and had to be evacuated by air boat.
A lot, but not all of Tallahassee is high and dry. What is your elevation and what is the history of flooding where you are? If you are low lying what would it be like to stay and be flooded? No fun, but if you have a well-built house with a second floor it might be alright, but no fun for sure.
Wind has always been a big problem in Tallahassee, even if only a category 1. There are lots of trees to blow down and they do. Last year Hermine was a marginal category 1 and thousands of trees blew down, and this one will likely be worse. The widespread problem is power outages, a lot of people were without power for a week or more. The immediate threat is getting a tree on your house. A friend of mine's 85 year old mother had a tree blow over and come crashing into the bedroom where she was sleeping in Hermine. She was lucky and got out ok, but it was not a pleasant experience. This storm has the potential to be more powerful wind than Tallahassee has had in living memory. I don't think Tallahassee has had more than a category 1 wind in a long long time.
How well built is your house? Do you know? I would not stay in a trailer, and there are some stick built houses I would not stay in, but a lot I would. Tallahassee has lots of older cinder block houses, how safe they are depends very much on how they were built, with a concrete bond beam and lots of rebar they are pretty sturdy, without they are not. How well attached is your roof? Do you have window covering for the storm or impact resistant window, most folks in Tallahassee have neither.
How well prepared are you to live in your house for several days without power, water and access to a store? Trees could be down in the street and local stores may not be open. Do you have a good supply of water and food? Remember your toilet won't flush without water, we always kept a bucket to bail water, but that only works if you are close to a water body.
There are several good hurricane shelters in the Tallahassee area, I don't know their current condition, but that can be a local option.
I know what you are going through right now, and as Stedwoo says no one here can give you specific advice, and I'm not doing that. I'm just trying to share my experience. Good luck, I hope all works out for you and your family.
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