If a Storm like Ike hit Tampa Bay, would we evacuate?

[JonathanBelles]

Bay News 9 did a poll today to ask just that very question. The results are expected, puzzling, somewhat annoying, and fatal.

"If a storm like Hurricane Ike was headed for the Bay Area, would you evacuate?"

Yes 59%
No 40%
*

*Results as of the time of this post.

[VeniceInlet]

Maybe only half of the area actually needs to evacuate.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

I'd evacuate...being just a few feet above sea level (backyard) and the
first floor aroung 6-7 feet (visual estimate).

Ike gave my canal a tidal rise of several feet that almost overtopped the walls
around the canal- and where there was a break and as a wall not present the yard was underwater, and that was a 3 foot above normal tide...so a 20 foot surge would
be pretty bad. Pinellas County would be an isolated island, and much of Hillsborough
along the Bay would be inundated. The last major tidal surges were I think Frances
of 2004, Gordon 2000, Josephine of 1996....and then of course 1921, the 10-15 foot
rise. We have been lucky not to get hit from the SW by a major. Storms
have hit us from the East (Frances, Jeanne), but luckily the East Coast
storms don't pile as much surge in Tampa Bay as would a SW storm.