[lizardlady]

Shades of 2004 when we got hit by FIVE hurricanes. Hurricane Maria popped up in the Atlantic yesterday. She is currently following the same path as Irma. My heart goes out to the poor folks on the islands who lost everything to Irma and are now facing another one.

Personally, I'm alternating over freaking out and just not giving a rat's tush. On one hand, lots of my storm prep is already in place. I left outside stuff packed away when I got home. Some inside stuff is still packed too. On the other hand, I'm emotionally and physically drained from the last two weeks. There's a part of e that just thinks "screw it."

[Travelinglady]

I know what you mean, liz. I was all geared up for Irma hitting North Carolina and my part of the state was not affected. Of course, Jose could affect the East coast. Maybe lots of rain?

Maybe we should move way inland! Not Kansas, though. Those tornadoes scare me even more!

[lizardlady]

Trav, I grew up in the mid-west with tornadoes. They scare the bejeebers out of me. Personally, I think that everywhere in the country has to deal with weather or weather-related extremes. We have to decide what we can tolerate and what we can't. At least with hurricanes we gets days of notice. That's stressful, but at least there is time to prepare. Tornadoes just come bearing down on you.

From what I've seen you ought to be okay from Jose. Looks like if he makes landfall it will be way north.

[Travelinglady]

Yes, thank goodness we now get ample warning for hurricanes. Not much for tornadoes and I guess none for earthquakes.

[Trippin2.0]

Wow ��
Idk how you all cope with such extreme weather, kudos to you and best of luck to everyone for any future storms.

[Artchic528]

Well, thankfully no two hurricanes follow the exact same path, especially if they are right after one another. Basically, the first hurricane churns up the water in it's wake and the warm water on top that fuels a hurricane is mixed with the cooler water deeper below the surface. So, where ever one hurricane has been, it leaves the churned up water behind and another can't possibly follow right behind because there is nothing left of the warmer water to fuel it.

Also, once a hurricane makes landfall with a big enough mass of land, it loses it's ferocity in a hurry. Like I said before, a hurricane needs the warm ocean water to fuel itself, and without it around, it basically sputters out and dies in a matter of hours to days.

It doesn't hurt to be prepared, though. Especially if you live in an area prone to violent hurricanes, like the Bahamas and other Island nations in the Caribbean. I know it must be scary to the point of needing a change of clothes because you've soiled yourself in your fear stricken state, riding out a ferocious hurricane down there, but thankfully, I've never had that experience. I live in a part of NC that is far enough inland that it doesn't usually get the full brunt of a hurricane. I also live on the top of a sort of smallish hill so we are sort of safe from flooding.

Now, with that said, we do get the outer bands of hurricanes and some rain and wind, but nothing like what happened with those in Harvey's or Irma's direct path. That's not to say that the coast of the Carolinas can't ever be slammed by a particularly harsh hurricane, it has happened before with Andrew and Floyd, but we've mostly been spared a perfect storm up here.

[lizardlady]

Well, so far Maria is very close to the same track as Irma. The Caribbean islands devastated by Irma are under hurricane watch/warning. I can't imagine being trapped on an island with depleted resources and waiting for another one to hit.

I'm still struggling with PTSD-like symptoms from Irma. The idea of another storm this soon scares the ctap out of me. How about some empathy for those of us affected by Irma.

[Rawmango]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Shades of 2004 when we got hit by FIVE hurricanes. Hurricane Maria popped up in the Atlantic yesterday. She is currently following the same path as Irma. My heart goes out to the poor folks on the islands who lost everything to Irma and are now facing another one.

Personally, I'm alternating over freaking out and just not giving a rat's tush. On one hand, lots of my storm prep is already in place. I left outside stuff packed away when I got home. Some inside stuff is still packed too. On the other hand, I'm emotionally and physically drained from the last two weeks. There's a part of e that just thinks "screw it."

Be warned! Maria is not Irma and it could take an entirely different track and affect people who may be caught off guard. This one looks like it is possible to hit the east coast of the states, so I'm praying for everyone there and in the Caribbean that they can avoid the worst of this storm.

Even though I'm across the pond, I follow these storms a lot online because they not only capture my interest, but the science and spectacle of it all are equal parts enticing to me. I find myself checking storm tracks multiple times a day and following all of the news coverage and footage to come from these areas.

It is rare for such an event to have an effect where I live, but I simply cannot stop watching! Still, though, I hope everyone is safe in light of this very active season.

[lizardlady]

Maria hit Puerto Rico today. I heard on the way home the entire island is without power. There was an interview with the director of a children's hospital. He said they are running on generators at this point, but he is concerned how long they will last if the power stays out. He said past experience has shown they start to break down after several days of continual use.

The storm is still predicted to turn north into the Atlantic, but that's not definite. Can't tell you the number of people I've talked to around here who are scared and are leaving hurricane protections and preparations in place.

I had to grocery shop last Sunday. After having to throw out most of what was in my fridge and freezer, plus eating my hurricane supplies I needed food. Supplies were still low in the stores. Yes, electricity is back on and trucks are running, but distribution centers need to restock before they can send things along to the stores. I bought very limited fresh food or anything that goes in the freezer. Though I did restock non-perishables.

I hope to whatever power there is that Maria stays away, but I'm prepared just in case.

[Nammu]

I can't imagine having to deal with that. When I was a kid we lived in the country and several yrs we would have the power go out during blizzards. But our heat source was rarely jeopardized and it was just easier to go without power back in the 1960's. Getting cut off from others wasn't a big concern....of course I was a kid and don't know what it was like for my parents, I imagine their take was different. We would have several buckets of water saved up for flushing and jugs for washing and brushing of teeth. I'd sooner have a blizzard as it doesn't usually take houses down. There are tornadoes but they are nat as common here as they are south of us. Floods do happen around here though, they are deceptive because the rain happens elsewhere and the rivers rise here.