Hurricanes for 2006

[Smiling JOe]

Nothing from official storm agencies, but listening to long-time locals who are always out on the Gulf, they are in strong belief that we may be due for some major storms this year due to the Gulf not cooling down much this winter. Gulf temps right now are around 64F degrees, and have not been much colder this winter.

This coupled with the predictions from NOAA and its peeps, could spell for rough seas this season. It would not suprise me to see a named storm before the start of the official season (june 01) this year.

Knowing the threat of storms, what will you be doing differently this year than last? Did anyone learn anything from last year's storms? Will you folks with rental units have your property managers do anything different regarding rentals, eg- refunding deposits if renters are displaced from storm, will Prop. Mgt actually communicate with the renters keeping them posted of the actual property damage if occured?, etc.

Me? I may pack up and actually head out if the storm approaches anywhere close by.

 

[SHELLY]

Have plywood and shutters at the ready

Bought generator and chainsaw

Beginning of season fill up 5 5-gal gas cans (add gas stabilizer)

Have a radio "walkman" and batteries available

"Reservations" on hold with friends in Georgia.
(in exchange for visits to the beach)

Gas up the vehicles when a storm is forcasted to enter the gulf

Keep BBQ gas tanks topped up

Purchase extra water and nonperishables at beginning of season.

Pack up document box at beginning of season.

When the panhandle enters the "cone of uncertainty" watch others panic while you enjoy a quiet day at the beach.

 

[DBOldford]

We are arranging to have an able-bodied local guy sign on to do storm prep, instead of entrusting it to housekeeping. He will secure all windows and outdoor furniture/BBQs, the pool area, and even put up plywood if needed. Plywood is a major pain and then has to be removed and holes filled, painted, etc. Unless there is say, a strong Category 3 storm headed right for the area, it really doesn't accomplish much. The more important thing is to get possible flying objects away from contact points with glass windows or doors. If we were in store for a Category 4 or 5 direct hit (perish the thought), I wouldn't even bother. Would be like a Band-aide on a shark bite.

A funny aside about hurricanes. When I was 6 years old and living in Ft. Walton Beach, we waited out a hurricane and our house was actually below sea level in elevation. The family gathered in a back bedroom with a radio and a lantern and an ice chest filled with food and soft drinks, the bathtub filled with water, and books, puzzles, etc. During the storm, there was a huge crash and my father ran into the dining room to find that a silver platter had sailed right through the plate glass window. It was one that I had confiscated from my mother's kitchen to play in the sand with and it had been lost in the sand in our back yard for months. As she looked for that platter in vain, I had never admitted having taken it outside, of course. I will always remember the look of amazement on my mother's face upon discovering that platter, a wedding gift in my father's hands. She looked stunned, looked out that window and actually said, "Thank you."

Trip insurance is always good to have, but the vacationers have to make the arrangements themselves. This would have to be done by one person in the party renting. It is only a little over $100 and is good for both the renter and owners. Renters are not refunded with our company unless there is a mandatory evacuation of the area. My husband and I have started getting trip insurance for extended trips, particularly those out of the country, because we both having aging parents and you just never know. It's a particularly good idea for an area that experiences hurricanes. I think owners have to request that their management companies provide insurance brochures to renters, because people aren't otherwise motivated to pursue this.

What I am doing differently is watching less of The Weather Channel, which has become increasingly sensationalist. I was incensed at a recent program on TWC, "It Could Happen Tommorrow," about a Category 5 hurricane hitting New York City. Geez...like a Cat 5 is going to roar in out of the chilly northern Atlantic waters. Give me a break. Keep in mind, that with all the truly awful storms of the 2005 season, we had little or no damage at South Walton but for dune erosion. Not to minimize the importance of that, but everyone needs more perspective on the situation, in general.

 

[SHELLY]

Keep in mind, that with all the truly awful storms of the 2005 season, we had little or no damage at South Walton but for dune erosion. Not to minimize the importance of that, but everyone needs more perspective on the situation, in general.

Full-time residents must take the threat of hurricanes more seriously than folks who simply own investment property in the area. During the hurricanes of the last couple years the TV was full of images of people who were woefully unprepared who said "we've had hurricanes before and we never had THIS kind of damage." The insurance companies love to prey upon folks who don't do anything to mitigate damage to their properties.

 

[Just_In_Thyme]

An interesting site.

http://www.hurricanecity.com/Rank.htm

Doesn't bode well for PC Beach according to this guy. Maybe it will wipe out all of those preconstruction condos Shelly has been harping about.

 

[ShallowsNole]

Prep so far at my home:

Minimizing the food in our freezer to what we are expecting to eat in the next 2 - 3 weeks. This goes against everything I was taught growing up (food for the winter!). I will also not buy 50 lbs of shrimp from the boats in Freeport each June as I have done in the past. It sure was painful (and stinky) to lose it all after Ivan.

Pet travel food bowls and disposable litter boxes are ready, as are plans for which pets go where and with who. Also, for once, I have access to a brick home 40 miles inland. :clap_1: I will not stay down here during a storm (if for no other reason than I do not want to be "cut off").

Perhaps the biggest change is in our home organization. No longer do many things get stored in our large filing cabinet. All important documents and back-ups of my Quicken files are ready to go at a moment's notice.

Finally, we are about to switch cell phone providers. Nextel was down for well over a week after Ivan, and our home phone was out as well. Alltel stayed up. We had just switched to Nextel. Boo.

 

[DBOldford]

Shelly, it is in the insurance company's best interest for all people to adequately protect their homes. I must tell you that our insurance claim after Ivan was excellent---paid in full and a check in hand before the charges came through on our charge card. And our agent handled everything beautifully. I know there are differing stories. But the key to working with insurance companies is to be thorough and straightforward at the time the claim is filed and to follow instructions. Our agent and our company actually called to thank us for making our claim easy for them to process. It takes time, but it can be done. And not everyone is on the take, after all. It's a business. While I recognize that having one's primary residence in harm's way is worse than having a vacation home threatened, you really should consider how someone feels from afar. It is sad to go to sleep at night, wondering if your cherished vacation home and all its memories will be standing at daybreak. And perverse to go to Google Earth to see if your home is awash in storm surge. (My eternal thanks to Smilin' Joe for sparing us that indignity.) What great neighbors we have, which leads to my next thought.

We will always have people who are unprepared and/or uninformed with natural disasters. They are not stupid, just human. Your post's final point, i.e. watching Panhandlers panic while you enjoy a day on the beach as the storm approaches, is disheartening. If I'm squared away in the advance of a storm and my neighbors are in need of help, guess where I'm going to be? And I'll finally get to meet you, because you're probably going to be the only person standing there alone and gloating on the beach. We get back what we put into this world. I'm starting to better understand your cynicism. You are nothing if not consistent. Geez...what a life; what a wounded spirit.

 

[beachmouse]

I was incensed at a recent program on TWC, "It Could Happen Tommorrow," about a Category 5 hurricane hitting New York City. Geez...like a Cat 5 is going to roar in out of the chilly northern Atlantic waters.

In the past 100 years, the New York City area has taken worse hurricane damage than Tampa Bay has. It takes a pretty specific set of circumstances for that to happen (the right storm in about early September when SSTs are relatively high) but when it does, you get the Long Island Express, part 2, which is going to be pretty ugly.

My sister in Queens carries flood insurance because of that possibility, and also refused to buy a place close to the south shore of Long Island because the surge maps there put so much under water, even with a light category 1 or 2 storm.

 

[Paula]

I do the same things everyone has said they do with their homes, pretty much. We bought one story cottages so it would be easier to put up plywood on the windows. We pay someone to do it for us and bring the person chocolate after the storm as well because we really do appreciate the fact that we have someone to count on and to patch and paint window frames ourselvs after the plywood comes down. Our rental agency puts the things on our porch inside the cottages.

I make sure that we have plenty of flashlights in the cottage, extra batteries, and battery-run radios. I'd also like to get those wind-up radios from LL Bean -- some of them even charge cell phones, not that they would necessarily work.

I want our guests to leave or to not come down if there was any risk they'd be in harms way. I'd work out the rent/etc., with them one way or the other. I wouldn't put my family in harms way and I wouldn't expect anyone else to do so, either.

Like Donna, I think it was amazing that we had several people willing to take photos and let us know how our places did -- among these wonderful people were Smiling Joe, Kurt, Camp Creek Kid, and others. We do indeed have wonderful neighbors who look out for each other.

I'm interested in knowing if the people who will have access to the area after a hurricane (if it's a nasty one that cuts off power for a while) will have ways of communicating with each other (e.g., CB radios, or whatever people use to communicate with each other). Heck, I'd be willing to chip in to help buy several sets of high-quality communication stuff for people who will be there after a storm because those will be critical in helping people know how their places/friends/family are doing, helping people out, getting the place up and running again, etc.

Also, let's say a worse case scenario happens. All the bridges are out and those of us who live far away want to get to our places. How would we do it? Would we launch boats from somewhere to get to our places? (seriously, this is something I think about).

Frankly, I honestly think many of the people on this message board could become the most organized and dependable disaster relief if needed. And if I could get there, I'd be willing to be one of these people.

 

[TooFarTampa]

In the past 100 years, the New York City area has taken worse hurricane damage than Tampa Bay has. It takes a pretty specific set of circumstances for that to happen (the right storm in about early September when SSTs are relatively high) but when it does, you get the Long Island Express, part 2, which is going to be pretty ugly.

You're jinxing us beachmouse. I usually enjoy your posts, but exnay on the ampa bay tay.

Currently our hurricane plan is to evacuate to SoWal if one comes here. It seems physically impossible for both places to get the same hurricane.

Still trying to figure out the plywood thing. We have no storage at our Seacrest house (no garage), so whoever put up plywood for us would have to purchase it, cut it to fit and then hang it. I'd rather have it figured out beforehand and have someone store it for us just in case. Any ideas on that front?