@Floridarob posted:He lives in the Keys, about 7 hours south. For a change, it looks like the keys are one of the safest places to be.
Wondering if he's watched Bad Monkey. Great show, great scenery.
Big tornado wrecking havoc on southwest Florida. Fort Myers and north fort Myers specifically. #HurricaneMilton @ReedTimmerUSA pic.twitter.com/iSGbG0UBsa
— Brian Conley (@B_conley25) October 9, 2024
@Floridarob posted:that is scary. No way I would stay that close to the coast. is it a newer home? I know if it was built after Andrew, there is a chance they can withstand winds up to 140 MPH. Still the flooding there is what would concern me most. Good luck to them.
I have no idea how old the building is. It belongs to some snowbird friends of theirs who are still up north. But like you said about flooding. Structural integrity is all fine and dandy but it won't help you if the water gets high enough.
Hopefully, Raymond James stadium remains in working order. It looks like Jags stadium should be alright.
@Floridarob posted:Everything is closed around here. Very minimal traffic out. Looks like everyone has hunkered down. We are supposed to start getting the outer bands in the next 2 to 3 hours. Boards are up, sand bags at the front door and loads of snacks I have to eat before Friday. The wife will give all the good stuff away on Friday if we have power.
Not even a waffle house!!
Good news is the wind speed has "slowed down" to 130 MPH and pressure up to 948 mb. (CAT 4)
That's a damn sight better than 165 MPH but still extremely dangerous especially with the debris still left from the previous storm, Helene.
Downgraded to a CAT 3...still no bueno, but some models had it as a CAT 5 when it hit Tampa which is exponentially worse than CAT 3.
Still a CAT 3 will hurl a 500lbs palm tree like a toothpick and fuck some shit up. Far from out of the woods...but this area has sustained a CAT 3 before.
The 5PM Advisory has wind speed at 120 MPH.
Still very dangerous with wind speeds of 120 MPH. The fact the wind speed is decreasing is helpful but not out of the woods yet
The area it covers has grown larger, per Joe Bastardi.
That’s a remarkable last name.
@D J posted:The area it covers has grown larger, per Joe Bastardi.
That usually happens as the storm weakens. It's the pro/con of storm severity. Cat 5 storms will have much higher winds but in a much smaller area. Cat 3 will that lower winds but over a much wider area. Pick your poison.
The 8 PM Advisory, 120 MPH winds, pressure 954 mb.
Getting close to landfall. Where that actually occurs will be a major determinate on the amount of damage. If it tracks into Tampa Bay, that's really bad. Regardless, everything south of landfall will have significant storm surge.
Here’s what to know:
This is riveting TV. Been watching, off and on, since this afternoon. Getting exponentially worse. Godspeed to Floridarob and family. The only utterance I can make is "my god!"
https://apnews.com/live/hurric...34-a7db-f4d696450000
More than 1.6 Million folks without power now
Up to 1.7 Million in Florida now
11:00 PM EDT
105 MPH winds = CAT 2 now
960 mb pressure
Moving ENE at 16 MPH
Almost 1.9 Million folks without power now
Wfla is reporting Tropicana field has lost its roof.
That was set up to be a 10,000 person base camp for first responders and relief teams.
Yeah I just heard the same thing. Not good.
Looks like the worse part is past us. Winds are still whipping but not as bad as they were. Amazingly, we never lost power. I have not been able to reach my kids since 11 pm. The eye went over their homes around then and pounded them for a while.. They lost power earlier. I am hoping worse case the cell towers are down. Outside inspections will have to wait until morning. Crazy day.
@Chongo posted:Downgraded to a CAT 3...still no bueno, but some models had it as a CAT 5 when it hit Tampa which is exponentially worse than CAT 3.
Still a CAT 3 will hurl a 500lbs palm tree like a toothpick and fuck some shit up. Far from out of the woods...but this area has sustained a CAT 3 before.
Yesterday I saw a report, from Florida, saying they were still cleaning up debris from Helene. The video showed doors, windows, bricks, metal pipes, etc, that still needed to be picked up. All of it has now become projectiles for Milton. It's not just the trees and roofs that will fly around, with deadly force, it's all the loose stuff laying in peoples' yards.
My BFF in Orlando whose house was in the eye texted this morning and said aside from back yard flooding, they got through unscathed. Never lost power, no damage from projectiles.
Got a short text from my dad this morning saying they are good. He said he probably won't go check their place and a few friends places for damage until some time tomorrow.
Is that a dumpster on the roof? Are you kidding me?
Good Lord Boris!!!
Glad you're OK Floridarob! Any word from the kids?
Maximus household made it through Milton. House did not get any damage, but man that wind was deadly. My street tree got uprooted and fence got damaged. Luckliy Milton sweeped in quickly. Hard to believe the power did not go out at any time last night.
@Boris posted:50 miles south of my friends parents house.
My daughter at Fort Myers texted this A.M. they are safe and never lost power. No word on any damage to their house tho.
We were down in Naples 6 months after Ian 2 years ago. There were still dumpsters in trees then, 6 months after Ian went thru. The house we stayed in, about 6 blocks off of Vanderbilt Beach had over 5 feet of water in it after Ian. Was completely rebuilt, we were the 1st Air B & B renters after the rebuild.
@lovepack posted:Glad you're OK Floridarob! Any word from the kids?
Thank you lovepack. Yea, the cell towers were out for a while. I was able to talk to them this morning. Everyone came thru with only down trees and limbs. Thanks for asking. They are still without power. But in the grand scheme, we were blessed for sure.
Really really fortunate it was reduced to CAT 3 by landfall. That really helped
AND that it did not hit Tampa Bay directly, hitting just south of Sarasota instead.
My sisters place in Sarasota is still standing, with some wind damage, but no flooding.
