Bountyhunter

I hope your comments are in gest and relating to the recent "comments" of the member "Flippant" in the AWB thread.

Flippant's comments in this thread are the reason I'm glad I live in FLA.

Flippant,

I guess I'm doing the gene pool a favor, (with my high tax bracket, survivalist instinct, and advanced education) by staying here.

I'm sure my willingness to help out after the storm with EMT, BC, and Comm's skills is a favor to the gene pool too.

Come to think of it, I've ridden out every storm in FLA since I've lived here (25yrs). The genny's are gassed, the batteries are charged, and the guns are loaded. Why don't ya come on down here and see what your superior intellect can add to our obviously deficient gene pool?

We're waitin' for ya!

You know, quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of people judging my (and other Floridian's) situation from a thousand miles away. You wanna judge me? Come on down.

Tell then, STFU. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Gator:

I just don't want this thread locked down because anyone picked on anyone else directly.

It's that old saw where you can say "All lawyers are liars", but if you say it about one; "Here come da judge, here come da judge, order in the court now, here come da judge.

People who do not have others first hand experience can never know what you are going through, so don't let them bother you and laugh it off as you have to use your energy to prepare for Ivan.

Now I have to call my brother in Florida and see if they are evacuating for this one.

Good luck Gator, and all you Floridians!

Bountyhunter

Hey Gator:

Damn glad to have you as a neighbor. How are you guys holding out? Some of my LEO buddies and I got together a couple of weeks ago and sent a truckload of stuff to Punta Gorda P.D. The pictures of the guys receiving the stuff choked me up.

I'd like to think that these types of disasters brings out the best in folks. I guess if you've not been through it (the way we have), its hard to understand.

PM me and let me know how you guys are doing.

Craig

Jupiter, FL

Still fail to see the logic in rebuilding your home 5 times in 5 years as could be the case with new weather patterns as reported by the hurricaine center.

Still don't buy the reasons to dodge corregated roofing material and flying glass and tidal surge when you can leave.

Sure come back after and help thats not the point. Riding out a storm when you have the means not to doesn't seem smart.

Many floridians have heeded this advice by bush and left the area briefly till things blew over.

Hey flame away I'd be packing my family up and leaving dodge for safer locals at least briefly.

There is no reason to put your family at risk IMO when you can leave and come back.

Flip

Does the utopian area that you live in have no detractions, as seen by others?
Earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides, tornados, hail storms, snow storms, floods, blizzards,
ice storms, and lightning are viewed with horror by people who live in areas that don't have that particular type of weather or natural disaster.
East coast types think Californians are crazy to live in earthquake prone areas.
Both coasts look at the midwest tornadoes and think of the movie "Twister".
West coast dwellers think hurricanes are terrible.
It all depends on your perspective.
My parents live on a small island off the Mid-atlantic coast, in an area that has seen its fair share of hurricanes.
They realize that the next storm could completely destroy their home.
They love where they live.
They feel that the positives outweigh the negatives. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, dolphins playing in the surf,
the occaisional whale sighting, and the general relaxation of living by the ocean balance out the odd hurricane.
They leave the island when a storm gets too close, and repair damage after the storms clear.
They won't move to a different area just because a hurricane might come by again.

I think Flipper was saying it makes no sence to try and "tough out" a storm in your home when you can easily hop in a car and take your family out of harms way. Honestly that makes sence to me, putting yourself in danger and more importantly your family is all vainity, be safe first adn brave second.

Yes, and what this "bug out" strategy fails to take into account is the reality of a mass evacuation in Florida. Since it was ignored the first time, I'll say it again.

Unless you leave 3-5 days in advance of the storm, the likely scenerio is that you and your family will be caught in the worst traffic jam imagineable somewhere south of Jacksonville with your tank out of gas and no way to replace it because all the gas stations will be out.

If the storm track changes just a little (and it usually does), you may find yourself weathering the storm on I-95 in a motor vehicle with a bunch of paniced knuckle heads. Also think about what risk you are putting yourself and your family to be victims of the criminal element sitting on an interstate highway or a lonely exit out of gas with law enforcement unable to aid you.

Add to that scenerio the fact that there are multiple (usually over a dozen) highway deaths caused by each evacuation as people freak out and cause accidents.

Most people simply cannot leave 3-5 days ahead of the storm. The tracks are simply not that accurate and change wildly. Most employers will not close their facilities until an actual hurricane warning is issued which only comes when there is a substantial chance that the area will experience hurricane force winds within the next 24 hours.

24 hours before the storm there was no gasoline to be had in Palm Beach County or anywhere north along I-95.

Now, compare that scenerio to weathering out the storm in a hardened concrete structure with hurricane shutters with a safe room. Also assume you have sufficent supplies to deal with the aftermath of a storm.

When applied to real life (not hypotheticals), the "bug out" option is not all that appealing and I resent the insinuation that I am putting my family at greater risk by not electing to use it. Come down here in walk in my shoes before before jumping to conclusions. The bottom line is that I am more likely to be killed by a freaked-out idiot in an SUV on I-95 than a hurricane. I can't explain it any clearer than that. I'll shut up now.

Stay safe.

Craig.

Craig,

The last 2 storms had almost a week notice. You can be in the car and out inside of 24 hrs.

I guess you can rationalize anything huh.

This ain't jumping to conclusions this is common friggin sense when the world goes for a crapper outside your window and you were told to leave 2 -7 days earlier but didn't.

Whatever floats your boat.
<img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Flip

The local paper today listed the people that died in central Florida because of Frances. All of them were killed in traffic accidents. I agree with Craig that staying close to home is better than getting out on the road with all of the crazies talking on a cell phone and looking for gas.

When you haven't been there and done that suggestions are easy to come by, personally i can't imagine living out where ChrisK does without the house being mounted on big springs and shock absorbers. But my favorite suggestion, now mind you that this was before Disney when you could drive all afternoon and not see anything but citrus groves, was that after we had our week of heater weather for the year that involved a hard freeze which would destroy a bunch of citrus that the dumb people down here should just build green houses over the citrus groves and that would solve the problem of freezing oranges. After all that's how we keep plants warm up north.

DUDE... have the Doc check yer blood pressure.