Hurricanes for 2006

[TooFarTampa]

But it's similar to waiting for results for a serious matter from a doctor's office - you want to know just to relieve the anxiety of not knowing, but there might be nothing you can do (except, like in my husband's case, get your chest sawed open).

We always drive down ASAP after a storm. With the high insurance deductibles, we're anxious to know if we have any damage or are totally screwed.

This is an excellent analogy BR.

I also would like to add, based on experience, that immediate water extraction is key, which is why people need to know of damage right away. Houses built in the past 5-10 years are more airtight than ever, and when water sneaks into the walls in such houses, it becomes a perfect environment for mold.

Thanks to our Ivan issues, we already have an "in" with a water extraction guy. I called him several times last year to make sure his cellphone was working and that he would take my calls if we needed him to come dry us out again. :roll: :funn:

 

[TooFarTampa]

Here's a very informative article about the upcoming season. Some more bad news, but a little bit of hopeful news near the end:

Get Ready to Hunker Down

 

[30A Skunkape]

Just gotta be ready, what else can we do?

 

[Smiling JOe]

This is an excellent analogy BR.

I also would like to add, based on experience, that immediate water extraction is key, which is why people need to know of damage right away. Houses built in the past 5-10 years are more airtight than ever, and when water sneaks into the walls in such houses, it becomes a perfect environment for mold.

Thanks to our Ivan issues, we already have an "in" with a water extraction guy. I called him several times last year to make sure his cellphone was working and that he would take my calls if we needed him to come dry us out again. :roll: :funn:

I hear you loud and clear, but unless you bring the generator and the shop vac and fans while you eat canned tuna for a week or more, the water removal ain't gonna happen.

 

[TooFarTampa]

I hear you loud and clear, but unless you bring the generator and the shop vac and fans while you eat canned tuna for a week or more, the water removal ain't gonna happen.

True about the lack of power -- I had forgotten, it took a number of days, maybe almost a week, for Water Extraction Guy to get his machines in and hooked up. But if Water Extraction Guy is put on speed dial and can get in there once it is safe, he can tear out damaged drywall and nasty, gloppy moisture-sucking insulation and at least get the process started.

Of course if a tree falls on your house or storm surge chops it to pieces none of this matters anyway. This info is probably only useful if a door blows in or windows take a beating but the rest of the structure is generally sound.

 

[Uncle Timmy]

2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast from Dr. Gray:

http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2005/dec2005/

A part of the conclusion:

"We should interpret the last two years of unusual large numbers of U.S. landfalling hurricanes as natural but very low probability years. During 1966-2003, the U.S. hurricane landfall numbers were substantially below the long-term average. In the last two seasons, they have been much above the long-term average. Although the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons have had an unusually high number of major landfall events, the overall Atlantic basin hurricane activity has not been much more active than five of the recent hurricane seasons since 1995 (i.e., 1995-1996, 1998-1999, 2003). What has made the 2004-2005 seasons so unusually destructive is the higher percent of major hurricanes which moved over the U.S. coastline. These landfall events were not primarily a function of the overall Atlantic basin net major hurricane numbers, but rather of the favorable broad-scale Atlantic upper-air steering currents which were present the last two seasons. It was these favorable Atlantic steering currents which caused so many of the major hurricanes which formed to come ashore.



It is rare to have two consecutive years with such a strong simultaneous combination of high amounts of major hurricane activity together with especially favorable steering flow currents. The historical records and the laws of statistics indicate that the probability of seeing another two consecutive hurricane season like 2004-2005 is very low. Even though we expect to see the current active period of Atlantic major hurricane activity to continue for another 15-20 years, it is statistically unlikely that the coming 2006 and 2007 hurricane seasons, or the seasons which follow, will have the number of major hurricane US landfall events as we have seen in 2004-2005."

 

[DBOldford]

Well, it is nice to see a different perspective on the 2006 season, at least. Who knows what this season holds and for what reasons? Informed minds may disagree. I think it's foolhardy to be too Pollyannaish after what we've been through the past year. On the other hand, I lived in that area my entire life and we never saw a single hurricane season like 2005 or even close to that. And I'm not a recent high school graduate, friends.

Between our discussions of the real estate market and hurricane predictions, that painting of all the dogs sitting around the poker table comes to mind. My real concern is that we are a society too quickly to assume the worst and embrace fear as of late. The events and political dynamics of the past few years have brought us to this, I expect. But Americans are famous for their fearlessness. If those folks in New Orleans can believe enough to rebuild, why we can certainly believe that things might be different this year. Chicken Little politics are so tedious. :rofl:

 

[Miss Kitty]

Once again.... Bravo Donna! Do what you can and stop wringing your hands over the uncontrollable. BTW....I work on this almost everyday myself!!

 

[Sandcastle]

Once again.... Bravo Donna! Do what you can and stop wringing your hands over the uncontrollable. BTW....I work on this almost everyday myself!!

I?ll second that. I spent most of last week at the beach meeting with people trying to come up with ways to protect out French doors, tower room windows, etc. I looked at everything from impact-resistant film, to shutters, to hurricane panels, etc.

Every solution seemed to present another potential problem. I finally bought some 5? stainless steel sliding bolts at Franks to secure the free side of our French doors to the door jam. I?ll probably buy some aluminum panels to cover the first floor doors and windows on just the east side of the house. Most of our trees have been bent from east to west by the recent storms and all of our screen damage has been on the east side.

After that, I?m going to forget it.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Every solution seemed to present another potential problem. I finally bought some 5? stainless steel sliding bolts at Franks to secure the free side of our French doors to the door jam. I?ll probably buy some aluminum panels to cover the first floor doors and windows on just the east side of the house. Most of our trees have been bent from east to west by the recent storms and all of our screen damage has been on the east side.

After that, I?m going to forget it.

What type of trees do you have that are leaning from the wind? Palms?