Paging mayjay...
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Hurricane Florence is supposed to hit the Carolinas very soon. Hopefully @mayjay (who lives in South Carolina) is safely away from the affected zone.
@mayjay, if you see this post please let us know you are ok. Same for all other East Coast posters that will be in the danger area.
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@JayHawkFanToo Thanks for the shout-out! I was about ready to post something.
Florence turned toward us last night after several days of assuring friends and family we were not a target. Right now the projected track goes right over our heads (Monday, I think) after hanging out near its namesake (Florence, SC, at the intersection of I-20 and I-95) for a long while. By the time it gets to us, the winds should be down to tropical storm force, but the bigger problem for the whole interior of the state will be rain anywhere from 10 to 20 inches, with spots near the coast up to possibly 30 or even 40.
We had devastating floods in Oct 2015, when over 100 dams in this area failed or were topped. A close friend lost her home when 16 inches in 6 hours topped a dam nearby and another one on Ft Jackson failed (disclosures since then show the commanding general had the lake behind his house raised several feet despite warnings it would make the spillway ineffective–he wanted a better view; wish I was licensed down here). And there was no potable water for about 10 days, during which we happened to go to Cancun (anyone remember my joke about being the only people going to Mexico to find safe water?). So people here are prepping like crazy. Sam’s is out of water and bread; Lowe’s is selling out generators and flashlights; the highway from Charleston to Columbia was made 1 way for all 114 miles to aid in evacuating. After 2015, and Matthew in 16, and the two last year, everyone is no longer casual. My wife’s VA hospital is receiving dozens of patients from some of the 177 hospitals and care facilities evacuated from the coast.
Fortunately, our house is not in an area likely to be flooded, although many roads nearby could be closed. I have my generator, a room a/c if we need it (all temp forecasts are mid-90’s); lots of water and buckets to save rain water, and a pool to provide water for flushing for us and the neighbors (assuming the sewer system works); extra cell phone batteries and standby charging packs; lots of ice; gas for my grill; and many nonperishable goodies to consume if necessary. The two biggest trees nearby were cut down last fall after part of one almost took out our power line.
We almost replaced our roof due to its flapping shingles this past spring, but couldn’t quite swing it–that is the biggest question mark now. I will tie down our outside furniture tomorrow since this forecast seems to change so much, and if the hurricane doesn’t stall at the coast, we could get a full wind blast after all.
Much more detail than anyone wanted, but I will cut and paste this for updates for relatives, too!
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Stay safe and stay dry.
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@mayjay sounds like the insurance company will be paying for a new roof soon! Stay safe!!!
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@mayjay, your family is always welcome here in good ole hurricane proof ks! Better head out soon though.
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Great thread. - -Yes for sure , sounds like South Carolina is going to be the main target. - - Been hearing one of their main concerns is they think it is going to stall out when it hits the Coast. - Talking like places can be facing anywhere from Coastal to Hurricane winds could be for 2-3 days - - talking torrential rain 30 inches of rain and up to 9-13 ft Surges. - -Just like as they say can very easily be a catastrophic storm.
Every one there on the Coast please be care and take shelter - no hero’s please - - you can always replace materlistic items - we can’t replace lives, we need everyone here for the Crimson and Blue --Stay safe my friends ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@mayjay Not at all my friend you can detail forever if you want to / the BIG THING IS you just watch yourself- - you and family all of you just BE SAFE - these things are ugly and this one sounds like a doozy.
I knew there was a reason I wouldn’t live on the Coast - - I’m here in Tornado Alley and that’s bad enough for me - -Take care my friend - -GOD SPEED
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Okay, here we go! Florence will be in my area for about the next two days. Wind now about 14 mph, gusts up in the 20s, but no rain yet. 689,000 without power already in the Carolinas. Living in Columbia, the radar makes me feel kind of like one of those food pellets in PacMan (let it load):
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@mayjay Just stay safe. I know easier said then done.-- -Sad stories coming from the weather channel. - -Lady died of a hearth attack , rescue workers couldn’t get to her cause of tree’s down in the Road. - -A mother and baby dies when a tree fell through their roof, just have the old phrase hace those eye’s in the back of your head - -be so very careful my friend - -we need you here. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Thanks! We should be fine. Most things that would get us are in the pain in the neck variety, like if the roof leaks. Even if we lose power, since we are in the capital we don’t think the power would be out for more than a couple days. Time to grill all those frozen Nathan’s hot dogs!!
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Apparently Florence has been downgraded quite a bit but still very dangerous. Stay safe.
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Hope it’s like that for you. @mayjay
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@dylans I saw the clip. It is funny! Believe it or not, the clip probably does not show any faking by the reporter. He is bracing for gusting (and has been standing out for hours), plus his rain gear is flapping around catching any wind. In addition, these gusts can be very localized even separated by 100 feet, depending especially on what buildings may be blocking it. I remember a clip last year or the year before where they showed exactly the same contrast–reporter seeming to struggle while someone walked blithely by in the background–and then the walker got slammed to his butt and went sliding about ten feet.
I haven’t tempted fate by saying anything about how we only have some wind under 30 mph so far, and only a half inch or so of rain. Supposed to get some 40 to 50 gusting later with periods of sustained 30 to 40 mph. Expecting rain today and tomorrow of 4 up to 7 inches.
Not many losing power around here. But now that you have instigated this “we have been lucky” comment, I will hold you responsible of we get slammed!
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@mayjay I hope not!
I’ve been out in gusts up to 119mph. He’s acting. (He’s leaning with the wind smh wrong way)
It’s funny kinda like when the people walked by the weather lady in the canoe during Katrina (I think). No doubt it was much worse somewhere at some time, just not there and then as he’s portraying.
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Technically, the center of the remnant of Florence is around here right now. The expected 35 to 45 winds overnight mysteriously disappeared. It is still dumping all over NC and NEast SC, but we will likely just get a couple more inches of rain. Thanks to everybody for your concern!
Despite our good luck, other people really got slammed and NC will be dealing with massive flooding for days, if not weeks. I am hoping this convinces my wife once and for all that retiring to NC’s shore is not an optimum plan!
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Many years ago, my family used to vacation on the Outer Banks in North Carolina (Duck, Nags Head). We would rent these big houses they have there (5-6 bedrooms) that will hold 15 to 20 people and stay there for a couple of weeks in the Summer. Beautiful place to stay on a vacation but I would not want to be there during a storm.
About 10 years ago I was in Sarasota and we were invited to a friend’s home located on a multi story, high end sea side condo and their apartments was located in the 3rd or 4th floor. It was the typical warm and sunny afternoon but then a storm came in with heavy rain and lots of thunder and lightning, nothing particularly severe according to the locals, but watching the “angry” sea made me rethink ever retiring to any sea side location.
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And as of now, Hurricane Michael is expected to go directly overhead here on Thursday. By then it is supposed to be a tropical storm, but that is still bad news for this area since Thursday is the second day of the State Fair. We should be fine in the mayjay hovel.
Meawhile, please send mental and spiritual help out to the folks in Florida/Alabama who might be “welcoming” Michael ashore as a Cat 4 hurricane with 13 foot storm surges.
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@mayjay
not looking good! My neighbor said we’ve had 9 plus inches in the last 4 days. No winds, just rain. Prayers to all!
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We’ve had 6 inches of rain and 8 inches of acorns falling in Lawrence the past 5 days. Stay safe, Jaypeeps!
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@DanR We won’t be getting much in the way of acorns, but with the pine trees around here I expect about 4 inches of pinestraw.
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Okay, time for the scariest moment of the entire experience of having two tropical storms pass directly overhead within a month:
I believe we have come through both of them without losing power or suffering any damage! And now that I said it, I’m sure our chimney will topple on me, or we will be overrun by a herd of escaped drowning rats or something…
Thanks to everyone for your support!
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Sounds like you came through it well. Glad to hear. We had one serious hurricane during our Baton Rouge years, Gustav.
