Storm surge. I knew an elderly lady (since deceased) that lived in one of the small concrete block homes on the west side of Oyster Lake. She and her son had water four feet deep in their house.
Questions about Hurricanes for Long Time SoWal Residents
- Thread starter Geo
- Start date
-
Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
Storm surge. I knew an elderly lady (since deceased) that lived in one of the small concrete block homes on the west side of Oyster Lake. She and her son had water four feet deep in their house.
Was it Ivan or Dennis that Kurt did not evacuate and almost everyone else did? He took pictures along our beaches to let us know how our properties withstood the storm. He even stayed on the message board until he did lose power. I remember the joy of hearing my computer at work when he was able to send messages again! Thank you again for that Kurt!
I grew up in Panama City and have lived in Miami for 20 years. The storm itself is usually not the biggest problem (if you live at an elevation of 15 feet or more), it's the aftermath of no electricity, no water, no gas. Most people die after the storm.
Practical pointers:
You do not need to buy bottled water. Either fill cleaned empty milk jugs or get 5-gallon containers and fill them from the tap.
Freeze several one-gallon containers of water. Bags melt rapidly and a frozen gallon of water will last for several days if you avoid opening your refrigerator frequently.
Fill garbage cans with water for flushing the toilet and bathing. If you have a swimming pool, even better. It will quickly turn pea green but you can still flush a toilet with it.
Be sure to have an extra tank of propane if you cook with electricity. The first couple of days are great. You'll be eating those now thawing steaks and ice cream.
Pool your resources with your neighbors. Check on your older neighbors who live alone. They often don't like to ask for help.
Always keep your car's tank at least half full. It's a drag to wait in long lines at the gas station only to have them run out. Don't drive unless it's absolutely necessary. No sightseeing except by foot.
Solar powered battery chargers and wind-up radio. I have a tiny television that runs on AA batteries and it's nice to be able to watch during the height of the storm.
Be careful with chain saws and clean up. People get injured when they're tired and hot. I worked in a Miami Beach ER after Hurricane Andrew. It was swamped with diabetics, respiratory patients, the elderly and people injured because they weren't wearing gloves, full shoes and eye protection. It was also swamped because it was the only one of four hospitals on the beach with running water.
Peanut butter.
Practical pointers:
You do not need to buy bottled water. Either fill cleaned empty milk jugs or get 5-gallon containers and fill them from the tap.
Freeze several one-gallon containers of water. Bags melt rapidly and a frozen gallon of water will last for several days if you avoid opening your refrigerator frequently.
Fill garbage cans with water for flushing the toilet and bathing. If you have a swimming pool, even better. It will quickly turn pea green but you can still flush a toilet with it.
Be sure to have an extra tank of propane if you cook with electricity. The first couple of days are great. You'll be eating those now thawing steaks and ice cream.
Pool your resources with your neighbors. Check on your older neighbors who live alone. They often don't like to ask for help.
Always keep your car's tank at least half full. It's a drag to wait in long lines at the gas station only to have them run out. Don't drive unless it's absolutely necessary. No sightseeing except by foot.
Solar powered battery chargers and wind-up radio. I have a tiny television that runs on AA batteries and it's nice to be able to watch during the height of the storm.
Be careful with chain saws and clean up. People get injured when they're tired and hot. I worked in a Miami Beach ER after Hurricane Andrew. It was swamped with diabetics, respiratory patients, the elderly and people injured because they weren't wearing gloves, full shoes and eye protection. It was also swamped because it was the only one of four hospitals on the beach with running water.
Peanut butter.
Last edited:
I lived down Spooky Lane in those condos on the beach back in the early 90's....never had a problem with hurricanes then. BUT I got caught in my car with Doug and Kalie (leaving late) during Opal and it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I've never been in a situation where I saw people going that crazy. And the wind and howling was out of a horror story. I just knew a tornado was going to hit us.
I will not stay past a cat. 2 if it looks like it might go to a 3......and WILL get out early if I do leave. I try to keep a little fund $ just in case of an emergency like that. having lived on or near the Gulf all my lifeI've learned the hard way not to chances with hurricanes and tornados.
My husband, Doug, will stay until the Sheriff picks him up and throws him over his shoulder or aims a gun at him.
Sounds like you got a lot of info from everyone....Good Luck!
I will not stay past a cat. 2 if it looks like it might go to a 3......and WILL get out early if I do leave. I try to keep a little fund $ just in case of an emergency like that. having lived on or near the Gulf all my lifeI've learned the hard way not to chances with hurricanes and tornados.
My husband, Doug, will stay until the Sheriff picks him up and throws him over his shoulder or aims a gun at him.
Sounds like you got a lot of info from everyone....Good Luck!
:funn:
I can just picture your Dad with videocam whopper... boy, they were fairly large way back when...
...the best is when you watch it and he cusses when he drops it.I don't remember which areas got hit with tornados, but Opal was a huge storm and packed a huge water surge. Around 20 feet of water. In Destin it slammed into the condos on Holiday Isle destroying the bottom two floors of high rises, demolishing homes. The Destin Harbor was devastated. All the docks were completely gone. Boats anchored in the Harbor had broken loose and sliced other boats in half, several buildings collasped, (Including the Boathouse).
Scenic Hwy 98 in Miramar Beach was seriously undermined and if I am not mistaken, there were some problems with 30-A as well.
The newspapers I saved have plenty of photos showing collasped houses, etc in and around South Walton.
^ yep, I remember some guy got arrested for trying to pass off all the dollars from the Boathouse. Serves him right! And I remember seeing all the boats heading up the intercoastal when we were evacuating. The fishing fleet took a hard hit with Opal. I also remember Dr. Hope from the NHC saying that Opal was a nightmare to them because it became so unpredictable.
Oh, that's funny! I didn't hear about that! I do remember everyone going down to the harbor and raising the collasped roof at the Boathouse, putting in new studs to hold it up before the inspectors got there. They wouldn't have been able to rebuild if the inspectors graded it 50% or more lost!... Well... it's still there....
Last edited:
like that inspector didnt realize all that work was just a LITTLE bit newer than the rest, right? Good story, good folks!
I found a few maps of our hurricane history that are kinda scary when you look at them. The first is of the 04 season and the second is of the "Parade of Storms" leading up to Opal.
SoWal Beaches Forum - View Single Post - Tropical Deppression 4
SoWal Beaches Forum - View Single Post - Tropical Deppression 4