Questions about Hurricanes for Long Time SoWal Residents

Well - I've lived here my entire life and been really lucky. So far the only things lost have been trees, part of a fence, and torn bit of siding.

Having said that, know that the main damage from most storms is storm surge/water damage.

I remember having a teacher one year freaking out because a leavel one/tropical storm was coming our way. Meanwhile I was like, "It's only a ONE!"

Well - I've lived here my entire life and been really lucky. So far the only things lost have been trees, part of a fence, and torn bit of siding.

Having said that, know that the main damage from most storms is storm surge/water damage.

I remember having a teacher one year freaking out because a leavel one/tropical storm was coming our way. Meanwhile I was like, "It's only a ONE!"

yeah they are not so bad, i have stayed in our house through two tropical storms, just lots of wind and rain. heck, fff and i think it's a great time to go out and look at property, you will know what property floods! just ask bobby j!

These were taken during Dennis. I think it was the last one that reached a 2 (maybe?) We had absolutely no damage (off Bay Dr.) but the beach got eroded really bad.The walkover in the first pic is where the water is rushing out of Western Lake in the second. The first one was taken at landfall and the second about 2-3 hours later.

Found a few more.... First pic is at my house off Bay drive during the height of Dennis and the second is at Grayton the day after.

I've been through quite a few, Eloise was probably the worst, we got a direct hit. Huge trees down everywhere. Opal was miserable, they called in the Miami riot police who were harassing everyone as though we didn't have enough to do. Hwy 98 from Destin East Pass bridge was gone for quite a distance. Ivan was bad, a sailboat got stranded in the middle of 331 causeway and caused a blockage for 3 days. No one could get through. Water stayed up for 3 days. We didn't have power for about 5 days with Eloise, 3 days for Ivan. During Ivan, we were surrounded by water fro 3 days, had to use a boat to get out.

By the way, the photo on the right is the Officer's Club on the Island after Ivan.

Im a lifelong local and my bro used to work for NOAA...so I hope I can convey this as well as my bro did. I also preface this to say that I am somewhat of a thrill seeker so take this as you will.

I took my dad out of here (Destin proper) or Opal and we swore we wouldnt do it again. My mother (FWB) stayed. She's at 35' and we were at 30' above sea level. Getting back into town was hell but we did it and checked on our homes.

Ivan was like a horror movie-you're cooped up somewhere, boarded up, can't see anything and hearing AAAALLLLL kinds of noises outside....whats that...whats that....whats THAT!!! I live in a townhouse neighborhood. We were fine but spent the day after pulling valuables out of my neighbors homes across the parking lot. We had 2 twisters comes thru. Good community spirit tho- everyone pooled their perishables and we had community cookouts. Slept on our balconies (no AC). The untouched shared their showers.

Dennis was more hype- I actually had family members calling crying and saying 'goodbye'. Actually, lots of wind and rain- other than that- we were fine. I will admit- I went to bed the night before and it was a Cat 1, got up the next AM and it was a Cat4...I actually puked from the fear. We had my dad's screen door open the whole time...no worries.

There is no doubt that ANY storm will wreak havoc on the beach- as far as structures...I think it all depends on how you prepare for it. If you are in a low lying area, get out.

However, a lot of ppl here have been thru so many, incurred so much debt leaving town and so afraid of looting that they've decided to stay.

In the end- I guess it's all in what you are prepared to bear. I've got a ton of pix...but too lazy to post, right now anyway

DISCLAIMER - Be prepared to sustain yourself for 4(FOUR) days before help can arrive. This was always the case even BEFORE Katrina)

DISCLAIMER - Be prepared to sustain yourself for 4(FOUR) days before help can arrive. This was always the case even BEFORE Katrina)

Considering how slow they were at getting people out of NOLA after Katrina, I'd plan for more days to get out of SoWal. Help might get here in four days, but they may not be able to assist everyone in need at that time.

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane- had the levees held, they'd have been ok-A LOT of ppl would have been ok. My cousins were caught up in that whole thing.

Actually- govt aid (food and water) was here for us (Destin)within 2 days...if that. It certainly depends on the conditions for them trying to get back in

The thing is- you're warned to get out(via TV, radio,etc) - if you don't you are taking your life in your own hands after that.

Additionally...the slow response to the ppl in NOLA was caused by the shooting at help officers in the area...does everyone forget THAT

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane-

??? So,,,, what caused the floods if not the storm surge brought about by the hurricane?

eeerrrr- the levee walls breaking

Had the levee's not given way- New Orleams wouldnt have flooded

As for Pcola Beach - it was devestated by Ivan and Dennis. It is located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island which is basically a sand bar - very low. They had miles and miles of beautiful tall dunes that were washed into the sound by Ivan, leaving the area completely flat.

I've been through quite a few, Eloise was probably the worst, we got a direct hit. Huge trees down everywhere. Opal was miserable, they called in the Miami riot police who were harassing everyone as though we didn't have enough to do. Hwy 98 from Destin East Pass bridge was gone for quite a distance. Ivan was bad, a sailboat got stranded in the middle of 331 causeway and caused a blockage for 3 days. No one could get through. Water stayed up for 3 days. We didn't have power for about 5 days with Eloise, 3 days for Ivan. During Ivan, we were surrounded by water fro 3 days, had to use a boat to get out.

By the way, the photo on the right is the Officer's Club on the Island after Ivan.

We came over the 331 bridge the day (evening) after Ivan and there was a sailboat on the left side of the road before you start over the bridge southbound but it was not blocked. We had no power at our house in Seagrove on 30-A that evening when we rolled in, however One Seagrove Place was lit up like a Christmas tree and we spent the night in one of our condo's there. Talk about eerie, the guard, Sweetie, FFF and I were about the only ones in that big ole high rise. The following morning we went to our house in Seagrove started checking it out and the power came on, so we had power about two days later. I will post pics later, they are not on this computer.

One thing that stands out in my mind is that next day we passed Criolla's and there was a big sign out there for free food that evening. It made me well up and start crying. The fellowship we have in SoWal is incredible.

I remember I found SoWal after Dennis and some guy named Smiling JOe kept going out and checking on people's houses/property for them and giving them reports.

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane- had the levees held, they'd have been ok-A LOT of ppl would have been ok. My cousins were caught up in that whole thing.

Actually- govt aid (food and water) was here for us (Destin)within 2 days...if that. It certainly depends on the conditions for them trying to get back in

The thing is- you're warned to get out(via TV, radio,etc) - if you don't you are taking your life in your own hands after that.

I hear you, but what happens if the three roads coming into SoWal are blocked or washed away? If we get directly hit by a major storm, we should expect there to be some major problems.

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. If you want to read about the mother of storms, I believe it was back in 1929, or sometime around then, and it was bad. I've heard some stories about that storm which sound a bit exaggerated, but who knows?

While the storms of 2004 and 2005 did major damage to the dunes and beach, and many homes built directly on top of the dunes, they didn't really affect most properties, nor did they actually hit directly in SoWal. Had homes not been built directly on the dunes, it is safe to say that the damage would have been nominal, and people wouldn't have spent millions of dollars for seawalls and sand, nor would we be paying for beach nourishment.

SJ,

I learned a lot from Ivan, Dennis and even Rita. We were not in the direct path, yet close enough that we had significant beach errosion, resulting in several damaged homes. The last Cat 3 that hit us directly(my review of records show around BMB +/-) was Eloise in 1975.

Just think of the damage to SoWal if a Cat 3 hits directly or around Old 98? I'm afraid that many, many of our beautiful homes on the beach would no longer be on the beach, but part of it!

It has happened a couple of times in the past 100 years and it will again.....someday....Mother Nature always wins..:shock:

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. .

Actually, Opal came ashore near Navarre, but that put Destin and SoWal on the strong side.

Regardless, some of the best advice any long time local ever gave me was -"When there is even a small chance of a storm effecting our area, fill up the car with gas and hit the ATM for cash."

That turned out to be great advice as both gas and cash go fast when a storm approaches and people are thinking about evacuating.

As many have pointed out, the storm surge component of hurricanes is typically the biggest impact to an area unless the size of the storm is in the 4-5 range as most new building codes are based on Miami-Dade and Hurricane Andrew. The tornadoes that are spawned from the hurricane are a different story however.

Keep in mind, that the areas NORTH of Hwy 98 are typically lower than the areas closer to the beach as the land actually slopes downhill from the dune to the bay. The beachfront areas most at risk will be the areas around Coastal Dune Lakes. On the bay side, one area comes immediately to mind, Driftwood point, north of the hospital. The road out of there was flooded with Ivan and I don't know about Dennis.

The south side of Scenic 98 in Miramar Beach got hit very, very hard in spots during Ivan. If you know where to look, there are buildings there that are still uninhabitable and basically untouched since the storm.

The south side of Scenic 98 in Miramar Beach got hit very, very hard in spots during Ivan. If you know where to look, there are buildings there that are still uninhabitable and basically untouched since the storm.

Dune Allen and Blue Mountain also had areas that lost the beach side of the house due to being slab on grade structures and the beach washing out from underneath them. Geowickey if you are back 600 feet, that should not be a problem for you.

Considering how slow they were at getting people out of NOLA after Katrina, I'd plan for more days to get out of SoWal. Help might get here in four days, but they may not be able to assist everyone in need at that time.

I don't know if I would agree with this. We don't shoot at rescuers. I have been here through Opal, Erin, Dennis, Ivan and all inbetween. The community here has always banded together and taken care of each other. I would definitely plan to have 3-4 days of supplies on hand, but even after Opal, I didn't see people unable to get additional supplies any longer than that.

In my area, about 1200 feet from the beach in Destin. During Opal, 10 days wtih no utilities. (That was the worse). Erin, no power outtage, Ivan power outtage for 1 day everything else was up and running. Hurricane Dennis, no power for 3 days, no water for 1.

Of course, the closer you are to the eye, the worse it is going to get. I stayed during Hurricane Dennis, and it was frightening, but not as frightening as the evacuation drive.!

Eloise in 1975 basically marched up Hwy 331. I was a pre-teen; it made a believer out of me.

The primary danger is storm surge. Second danger is waterspouts and twisters. You should be okay, but as close to the beach as you are, I would not stay for a Cat 3 or higher. Just the sounds would be enough to scare me to death.

I know several hurricane "veterans" that stayed in inland areas of Pensacola for Ivan, and they ALL report that it was the scariest thing they have ever experienced. Ivan's forward speed was so slow that what would normally be an hour or maybe two during landfall turned into 12 - 15 hours of intense hurricane.

So what I've learned...

1. Hurricanes=scary, noisy and hard to predict.
2. A boat would be helpful in the event of storm surge.
3. Since power will be out, invest in a generator (keep it in the boat).
4. Stock up, don't forget the alcohol.
5. No standing on the dune screaming at the sky, "Bring it ON!"

last but not least...

6. Pack it up (including the contents of your fridge) and come stay with me for a few days, bring the dog.

7. An electric chainsaw is useless. If you need to use it, there's a 95% chance that the power is going to be out at the time.

Eloise in 1975 basically marched up Hwy 331. I was a pre-teen; it made a believer out of me.

I remember that one.
Hunkered down in the hallway, one mattress behind us, one over the top...just in case

AAAHHHH Memories