I am currently located in Charlotte right now. All that we are experiencing is a lot of rain. We had some wind over the past two days, but nothing to worry about. This is about the sixth storm that I have experienced in the Carolinas(mostly in Raleigh, but one or two in Charlotte) in the past 20 years. Here is what happens every time.
1: The coast gets hit hard in that you may loose your beach house(Usually a secondary home and a passive rental income stream) if you are foolish enough to have one built on a sand dune or some other piece of land that is not on solid high ground. Please note that we are all paying for the disaster insurance courtesy of the federal government.
2: Those people who are foolish enough to have a primary home along the coast line either have to evacuate or hunker down and stay in doors. If you are in a low lying area, then you better have an inflatable raft or a second story home. Expect to clean up a lot after a storm like this as there will be trees down, and the power will be out for some time.
3: Everyone thinks that we will experience the next Hugo, which was a once in a life time storm so large that hurricane force winds were felt in Charlotte. I am in Charlotte now, and we are just getting rain and the wind gusted up to 35 MPH. No Big Deal. Yet, everyone empties the grocery stores of their bread and milk.(as if that will last during a time without any creature comforts) I had my apartment complex warning me to take stuff off of my patio, and giving me the Power Companies telephone. A little overboard once the storm was downgraded to a Cat 2.
4: Surprisingly, regardless of party affiliation, all governors in NC and SC take this situation seriously. Every storm that I went through had the National Guard already mobilized, and ready to provide security and rescue once the storm lets up enough to start working. Say what you want about the Billy and Frank Graham, but their organizations are already in Raleigh with trucks full of food, water and anything else that is needed. This is just one of many volunteer organizations that have already deployed aid and resources. I am sure that the Red Cross is in Raleigh parked at the airport as well. All of these organizations should have coordinated with the Governor's office last week. This is normal disaster recovery protocol here in the Carolinas. The shit storm that was Katrina does not happen here due to those fact alone.
5: As stated before you will always have dipshits during this time who do stupid shit. If the are looting a residence, it is at their own risk. This is a gun friendly part of the country.
The dirty little secret is that only the coast line is populated along the Carolina's. Up to thirty miles inland is for the most part swampland or farmland.(i.e. sparsely populated) The only major cities of Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston are really it. Once the coastline is evacuated, than the hurricane goes through a lot of swampland and farm land before you hit more major cities. Most importantly unless the eye is still at sea the hurricane will lose its power quickly. Officially we are now at a tropical depression, which makes it a rain storm with gale force winds.
Yes you will have flooding, yes you will have rain and wind damage inland, yes you will have trees down, yes the power is out along the coastline, and yes some buildings that are not ready for hurricanes will be destroyed. My estimate is that it wont be as bad as everyone thinks. As long as you have a solidly built home with good flood insurance inland you should be fine.
My advise to anyone on the coast in a Hurricane is the same as I heard from a relative 30 years ago who lived along the coast line. Secure your car to a telephone pole or some other large structure so that it wont become a projectile. Don't go to the store for anything like Bread and Milk, freeze everything ahead of time. Throw a party in a closet or a interior room. Obviously some game opportunities here.
I went to a movie last night with some friends and just stayed in doors throughout the day yesterday. I plan on going to the grocery store and going to Sunday night dinner with the family, like I always do. The coast line will have some cleanup for a while, but guess what, everyone will be going back to work here in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Columbia on Monday.
We will be fine.
1: The coast gets hit hard in that you may loose your beach house(Usually a secondary home and a passive rental income stream) if you are foolish enough to have one built on a sand dune or some other piece of land that is not on solid high ground. Please note that we are all paying for the disaster insurance courtesy of the federal government.
2: Those people who are foolish enough to have a primary home along the coast line either have to evacuate or hunker down and stay in doors. If you are in a low lying area, then you better have an inflatable raft or a second story home. Expect to clean up a lot after a storm like this as there will be trees down, and the power will be out for some time.
3: Everyone thinks that we will experience the next Hugo, which was a once in a life time storm so large that hurricane force winds were felt in Charlotte. I am in Charlotte now, and we are just getting rain and the wind gusted up to 35 MPH. No Big Deal. Yet, everyone empties the grocery stores of their bread and milk.(as if that will last during a time without any creature comforts) I had my apartment complex warning me to take stuff off of my patio, and giving me the Power Companies telephone. A little overboard once the storm was downgraded to a Cat 2.
4: Surprisingly, regardless of party affiliation, all governors in NC and SC take this situation seriously. Every storm that I went through had the National Guard already mobilized, and ready to provide security and rescue once the storm lets up enough to start working. Say what you want about the Billy and Frank Graham, but their organizations are already in Raleigh with trucks full of food, water and anything else that is needed. This is just one of many volunteer organizations that have already deployed aid and resources. I am sure that the Red Cross is in Raleigh parked at the airport as well. All of these organizations should have coordinated with the Governor's office last week. This is normal disaster recovery protocol here in the Carolinas. The shit storm that was Katrina does not happen here due to those fact alone.
5: As stated before you will always have dipshits during this time who do stupid shit. If the are looting a residence, it is at their own risk. This is a gun friendly part of the country.
The dirty little secret is that only the coast line is populated along the Carolina's. Up to thirty miles inland is for the most part swampland or farmland.(i.e. sparsely populated) The only major cities of Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston are really it. Once the coastline is evacuated, than the hurricane goes through a lot of swampland and farm land before you hit more major cities. Most importantly unless the eye is still at sea the hurricane will lose its power quickly. Officially we are now at a tropical depression, which makes it a rain storm with gale force winds.
Yes you will have flooding, yes you will have rain and wind damage inland, yes you will have trees down, yes the power is out along the coastline, and yes some buildings that are not ready for hurricanes will be destroyed. My estimate is that it wont be as bad as everyone thinks. As long as you have a solidly built home with good flood insurance inland you should be fine.
My advise to anyone on the coast in a Hurricane is the same as I heard from a relative 30 years ago who lived along the coast line. Secure your car to a telephone pole or some other large structure so that it wont become a projectile. Don't go to the store for anything like Bread and Milk, freeze everything ahead of time. Throw a party in a closet or a interior room. Obviously some game opportunities here.
I went to a movie last night with some friends and just stayed in doors throughout the day yesterday. I plan on going to the grocery store and going to Sunday night dinner with the family, like I always do. The coast line will have some cleanup for a while, but guess what, everyone will be going back to work here in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Columbia on Monday.
We will be fine.
"Stop playing by 1950's rules when everyone else is playing by 1984."
- Leonard D Neubache