The Rohrbaugh Forum
Miscellaneous => The Water Cooler -- General Discussions => Topic started by: DDGator on October 07, 2024, 12:10:07 PM
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Having not quite taken us out with the glancing blow (Helene), Mother Nature has lined up a new monster storm (Milton) with a direct path to the Tampa Bay area. This could be the storm we have always feared, a major hurricane running up the mouth of Tampa Bay.
My home is on very high ground, so I mostly fear the wind. Please hope for the best for us. The forum's servers are not physically located here of course, so the forum should be fine.
See you all on the other side.
-Duane
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Stay safe!
Don't be afraid to run away from it if need be.
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I'm on the other side in Sarasota! Be safe...
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Stay strong, we're praying for you and your family.
.
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Hoping maybe it lightens up. Stay safe.
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Amelia Island took a glancing blow from Helene and it appears will be on the outer edge of Milton. My son is in Orlando and plans to ride it out. I do fear for the folks near Tampa. Wishing you the best of luck Duane!
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The current path takes the storm to just about the mouth of Tampa Bay, but more easterly than going up the bay which we have always considered to be a worst case scenario. It's possible that I will avoid winds more than Cat 1 or so... But there will be some destruction where this monster storm hits land. It's going to be a long 24 hours. Good luck to all!
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Prayers for all in the path!
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We're in Lakewood Ranch (outside Sarasota ) and we're directly in the eye of the storm. Heavy winds and rain, then a beautiful calm, then more wind and rain. We watched just about all of the storm from in our lanai cage. It was beautiful. Not all fared that well. It will be interesting to hear from Duane as he was in the outer north side.
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We here on Amelia Island had a little wind and moderately heavy rain. We are pretty much all in flood zone A but had not real problems. Lucky! Praying for Duane and all those on the west coast of FL.
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From a facebook post from a few hours ago it looks like he and his family are safe. So good news on that front.
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Hello all,
Well we had an interesting night -- 12 hours in the nasty NW eye wall of Milton. It was as scary as any weather I have seen in my lifetime in Florida. We sustained minimal damage, but have a mess to clean up for sure.
We have a few problems. One is no power. I have a generator but not the "whole house" variety, so my house is full of extension cords. Even the 5G service here is sketchy. Text messages work much better than anything else still. I have not been on-line very much.
The community is reeling. There is very little gas -- with half mile or more lines at the pumps. There is very little propane or ice. I'm actually well-stocked for everything except ice. Traffic lights are still out many places, and all non-essential businesses are closed. The couple stores and restaurants opened are mobbed all the time.
All in all, we are safe and won't starve. We are thankful, but also uncomfortable (no air conditioning) and a bit grumpy.
I know many of my friends and neighbors lost a lot -- especially those to the south and on the barrier islands. I am praying for them. I am also updating my hurricane plans and prep. I hope that will be for NEXT season, and not this one.
Thanks for checking in with me. We are a long way from "normal," but we will get there.
-Duane
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Thank you for taking a moment to update us all. Glad you are ok and that everything is relatively ok as well, all things considered.
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Two days later we are lucky enough to have had power restored. That is a game changer.
City government and schools and many businesses remain closed. However, most traffic lights are functioning and gas is much more available. As the critical infrastructure gets fixed we can start to focus on the rest of the problems.
I think it will be months before even all the hurricane debris can be removed and cleaned. This storm we be around for quite a while.
Thanks for all the support. If this pattern continues I will consider moving to New Mexico when I retire!
-Duane
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I think it will be months before even all the hurricane debris can be removed and cleaned. This storm we be around for quite a while.
-Duane
If you are lucky. We still have debris piles in my corner of the Houston area. Home repairs on the most seriously damaged residences are still in progress. However it's not that bad, you get used to it I guess.
Glad to hear you and yours are safe and sound with the AC running.
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Good to hear everything is beginning to move in a better direction for you Duane. Sorry, I've been busy on my end and not paying attention here for the moment.
I apologize. I hope you, your family, and your neighbors can begin the cleanup and rebuilding where necessary.
Our prayers are with you all.
ECR
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A little update...
We are completely fine and thankful. Gas is back. Most groceries are available, except eggs which seem to be in short supply. Businesses on the mainland have largely reopened. Every road is piled high with hurricane debris, and the local governments struggle to find capacity to remove it.
I finally surveyed some of the damage out on the beaches. The structures are all largely intact but so many have to be gutted as a result of salt water intrusion. There are piles of sand everywhere from sand that was washed up and left by the storm. It will be a long time (and a lot of money) to get to "normal" on the barrier islands.
No signs of any tropical activity that will threaten the USA, and temps have really dropped. I'm going to change the oil on the generator and stow it away (hopefully for a long time).
Thanks!
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Thank you for what appears to be a positive update Duane.
As you mention, it seems you will rebuild and it will take some time to get back to any real sort of normalcy for a while yet.
Our collective prayers are with you all who have had to endure horrible conditions and endure the hardship of rebuilding.
. . . . . . and a sympathetic prayer for absolutely everyone who has lost family members this hurricane season. We can't even imagine the empty feeling of such a loss. Dear Lord hold us in your arms with your grace.
ecr