Hurricane Irma

Thai1On

Slave to my route
Hello all, as you know hurricane Irma is bearing down on Florida. I live here on the central east coast and have made plans to ride it out.The storm should only be a 2 or 3 by the time it hits here and while it won't be pleasant I live in a strong all block condo so I'll be alright. With Trainz backed up on a portal hard drive and the cloud I think I'm ready. I'll be binge building my route during this time off from work and hopefully make good progress. Of course I have the necessities needed for a hurricane party in the event the power goes out :cool:.

I feel south Florida is going to be a mess and the amount of traffic flowing north is unbelievable, but it is good to see as people will not what to ride a storm of this size at home. Supply's are getting scarce and lines are long at gas stations, hardware stores and groceries.

I'll try and post updates through the storm. Anyone in south Florida get out now while there is time.

Dave
 
Good luck and stay dry. Will drop by the thread over the weekend to see how you're doing.
 
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Good Luck. I have several families going to ride it out. Been thru one hurricane there in Florida and ones enough for me.
Hope your power stays up and you are cool and safe.

Bob
 
I am definately watching this one closely. Being in the Tampa area has got the whole family on edge. I believe we are dug in good and proper for the ride, but sometimes that don't add up to a hill of beans. My hopes and prayers for my fellow Floridians that we all pull through and come out with all our fingers and toes...
 
I have been praying for all you Floridians and the other states too, I'm really hoping some how, some way, this Monster will make a quick Right turn and give you all some breathing space.........May God Speed and keep you safe.....
 
Latest update shows Irma making her northern turn late and moving closer to the west coast with Tampa in the cross hairs. So far here some of the distant rain bands are keeping everything wet. With this latest track the storm should be here tomorrow afternoon, but only tropical storm force winds.

Dave
 
Just as we are getting ready for the final testing of SP2 RC, mother nature has a way of changing the subject. "Pay attention or get blown away" kind of concentrates your thoughts. Trainz can wait, all you in the path of Irma get safe!
 
I'm watching Irma on The Weather Channel also. I saw a lot of cars with Florida heading north on Interstate 75, going inland. The gas station at the Costco, which is at the last exit on Interstate 75 in Georgia before going into Tennessee, was covered up with people filling up their cars. I also saw several trucks equipped with cherry pickers like those that power companies use heading south on I-75 into the eye of the storm (pun intended). I also read that Irma is tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane as the strongest landfalling cyclone on record in the Atlantic basin. And if you know the history of the Florida East Coast Railway, you'll know what happened to their Key West Extension when it was hit by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.
 
At 9:30 AM some of the first storm bands are coming in and the eye is over the keys. The keys are well over 200 miles away from here to give you an idea how big this storm is. We just had a tornado warning go off, but the winds are steady at 35 mph with moderate rain. Back to working on the route.

Dave
 
Its a mess.

I grew up in St. Petersburg and when we moved to Florida in 1950 we lived across the street from the water. You could look out and see the barrier islands across the 2 or 3 miles of open water. Today that view is history. 100,000's of houses have been built out there on land dredged up, each with its floor 2, 3, and if they are lucky 4 ft above mean high tide. Even a line squall can generate a storm surge sufficient to put water in those houses. Now think about this hurricane with a predicted 8 to 12 ft storm surge. Water to the gutters gents. On top of this is the fact the Tampa bay area hasn't been hit with a major storm in close to 100 years you get you get a "it can't happen here because it hasn't happened here in 100 years" attitude. Complacency is not a good policy as a lot of folks are (unfortunately) about to find out.

It isn't just the Tampa Bay area either. My father-in-law lived in Homosassa springs and a line squall deposited his 34 ft boat in his back yard. Its this way anywhere on the west coast of Florida since the continental shelf goes out for 100 miles or more. We used to joke about for every mile you walk out into the Gulf the water gets 1 ft deeper. Its not quite that extreme but its not that far off either. This makes a storm caused surge worse.

These folks need to do some serious hunkering down and everyone needs to do some serious praying.

Ben
 
Here's some info of my neck of the woods

Tropical Storm Watch is in effect until Sunday, September 10th at 8:30PM EDT.
A Tropical Weather Statement is in effect until Sunday, September 10th at 9:15PM EDT.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect until Tuesday, September 12th at 8:00AM EDT.
The governor of Georgia has declared a State of Emergency for ALL COUNTIES in Georgia.
Whitfield County Schools have cancelled school for Monday, September 11th and Tuesday, September 12th.
And we're gonna get it Monday, so here's the forecast, word-for-word, for Monday and Tuesday, according to my Weather Channel App:

Tomorrow (Monday):

Showery rains will be accompanied by very heavy downpours and strong gusty winds at times, especially in the afternoon. High 63F. Winds NNE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tomorrow Night (Monday):

Bands of heavy rain showers along with strong gusty winds. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.

Tuesday:

Light rain early . . . then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High near 65F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

Tuesday Night:

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

My whole family is watching The Weather Channel's coverage of Irma, as it's forecasted to past near Atlanta as it heads inland, because my sister lives in Decatur, on the east side of Atlanta.
 
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Heck - I live about 50 miles south of Nashville, TN and I'll get some of this. Remnants of course but that still isn't good.

Ben
 
5:30 pm and the weather is deteriorating now. The rain is becoming much more harder and the winds are starting to howl a little. My younger just called and he has lost power all ready. He is coming here now before the weather worsens. We still have many more hours of this still coming. Back to the route and a few reskins.

Dave
 
The prayers of a nation are rolling your way, and from my Church this morning,,,,,,,Hoping the very best in a bad situation.

Lord Bless and keep you and the families safe.
 
As I type this, The storm is ENE of Ft Myers, Running due North, reduced to cat 2 and dying hard. Avg winds are 105. There is some relief if only a little bit. Because this one came ashore early, it helped alot. Lets hope the track stays on a North track. This will make the storm the weakest fastest, thus reducing the potential harm. Prayers to all fellow Floridians. I am right here with with you all...
 
Hope everyone here and that are still in the path of that hurricane have evacuated. Stay safe out there. Also I heard that this hurricane is as powerful as the one that struck Florida in 1935 (the same one that brought an end to the Florida East Coast Railway Key West Extension).
 
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