Fay / Cuba / Bahamas / Florida (obs / preps / reports)

[MiamiensisWx]

The other thread covered the NE Caribbean (Puerto Rico/Leewards)...

[quaqualita]

Webcam, Dominican Republic, North Coast, Cabarete:

http://www.cabaretewebcam.com

[greels]

Reporting from Provo....

We have begun to receive heavy rains and gusty winds,,,,,,,

[msbee]

stay safe Gretchen

[CrazyC83]

Winds are 45 kt right now - so it should be treated as a tropical storm with that intensity even if there is no circulation. The impacts are all the same.

[bahamaswx]

I was willing to set up the old webcam, but it looks lime I'm pretty well in the clear here.

[greels]

Notification from DM office...now under TS warning.

Confusing as we had blue skies this afternoon.....be safe everyone.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

The current track brings 70 mph just south, but if it stays
further west off Tampa that means a category 1 storm surge
and the water is shallow off Tampa Bay and the Bay is
vulnerable to surge; so that is
7-8 foot surge? I am 5 feet above sea level. Should I prepare
to evacuate???

[Recurve]

The current track brings 70 mph just south, but if it stays
further west off Tampa that means a category 1 storm surge
and the water is shallow off Tampa Bay and the Bay is
vulnerable to surge; so that is
7-8 foot surge? I am 5 feet above sea level. Should I prepare
to evacuate???

Surge may be a little less than you said, could be 3-6 feet. Is your ground floor at 5 feet or the ground itself? If you could get flooded by 5 feet of rise then you may want to lift important things off the floor and think about staying a little farther inland so you aren't in a lake. Just my opinion.
BTW, the chief met in KW told me today the lower Keys would probably not be flooded by 5 foot surge, but the keys have less surge potential that your area.

[HurricaneBelle]

http://kamala.cod.edu/fl/latest.nous42.KTBW.html

NOUS42 KTBW 160149
PNSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-161400-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL
949 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008

...ALL PERSONS IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SHOULD
MONITOR THE LATEST TROPICAL WEATHER INFORMATION...

THE LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER HISPANIOLA HAS DEVELOPED INTO TROPICAL
STORM FAY...WHICH CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST.

COMPUTER MODELS SUGGEST THAT FAY COULD POSE A THREAT TO SOUTHWEST
AND WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...THERE IS A VERY
HIGH LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE TRACK AND INTENSITY OF THE
SYSTEM AS IT MOVES AWAY FROM HISPANIOLA AND APPROACHES CUBA OVER THE
WEEKEND. AS A RESULT...RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THIS
SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.

THIS IS A GOOD TIME FOR RESIDENTS TO GO OVER THEIR HURRICANE PLANS.
VISITORS TO FLORIDA ARE ENCOURAGED TO READ UP ON INITIAL
PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS THAT MAY NEEDED. THE FOLLOWING ARE BASIC
SUGGESTED ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN AT THIS TIME:

CHECK BATTERIES FOR RADIOS AND FLASHLIGHTS...DRINKING WATER...CANNED
OR DRIED FOOD...FIRST AID SUPPLIES AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE. HAVE A
SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF CASH AS ACCESS TO CREDIT CARDS AND AUTOMATED
CASH MACHINES MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE WITHOUT POWER. CHECK FUEL LEVELS
ON AUTOMOBILES...GENERATORS AND CHAIN SAWS.

MAKE INITIAL PLANS TO DETERMINE WHERE YOU WILL LIKELY BE IN CASE OF
AN APPROACHING STORM. CHECK WHETHER YOU LIVE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE.

FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION REGARDING FAY...PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO...AS WELL AS INFORMATION FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS AND MEDIA OUTLETS. YOU CAN ALSO MONITOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS...AS WELL AS POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS...FROM THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN RUSKIN ON THE WEB AT
WEATHER.GOV/TAMPABAY. INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
CAN BE FOUND ON WEATHER.GOV BY CLICKING ON THE HURRICANES LINK.

[meteorologyman]

I made a thread on preparing for Fay but it got deleted, thats probably because I missed this thread. silly me

For Vehicles, make sure your tires are pumped, oil is good, if not or its low, change and fill up, same goes for transmission fluid. Also have water in the vehicle, so it doesn't overheat. It would be cool if we can come up with a system to fill up on gas so every one can fill up instead having leave some dry. example( i call my friend, u call your friend, your firend call his and her friend etc... to fill up on different times and day , now imagine if everyone does that!)e-mails work too.

[Recurve]

As far as I know, no evacs ordered for Keys.
In Category 1-2 storms, the county does open shelters for residents. Since surge is not likely to be a huge problem with a cat 1 storm, there may be no mass evac at all if the forecast is for no more than Cat 1.

[JonathanBelles]

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL
213 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2008

...

.LONG TERM (MON NIGHT-SAT)...TRACK OF TROPICAL STORM FAY WILL PLAY
THE MAIN ROLE IN THE FORECAST MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
CURRENT FORECAST TRACK FROM TPC WOULD CREATE CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE
CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.
WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO CLOSELY MONITOR EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM AS
IT TRACKS ACROSS CUBA. BUT AT THIS POINT RESIDENTS ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA SHOULD PREPARE FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS TUESDAY.
ALSO...ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION DURING THIS RAINY
SEASON HAS CREATED IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR FLOODING TO DEVELOP. FAY
COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...AS WELL AS RIVER FLOODING
INTO NEXT WEEKEND. FAY WILL PUSH NORTH OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
WEDNESDAY WITH WESTERLY FLOW OFF THE GULF IN IT`S WAKE. DEEP
TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY.

...

[dizzyfish]

Yeah fact, I just got home and saw that too. This part caught my attention!

BUT AT THIS POINT RESIDENTS ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA SHOULD PREPARE FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS TUESDAY.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Thanks Recurve! I'll be checking the lastest info.

[29healb]

Monroe County, FL, plans to order a mandatory evacuation of the Keys for non-residents at 8 a.m. tomorrow:

http://cbs4.com/local/hurricane.nationa ... 96937.html

[JonathanBelles]

Pinellas County EOC Bulletin #1:

The National Hurricane Center has forecast that Tropical Storm Fay may pass close to the Pinellas County coast sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. While it is not certain that Pinellas County will experience hurricane force winds, there is a possibility that this may be the case should the storm continue on the forecast track.

Now is an excellent time for residents to:

* Find their evacuation zone if they do not already know it.
* Review their family disaster plan. Remember to include pets as part of the planning process.
* Get their survival kit and important papers ready.
* Begin work to prepare their home and yard.
* If they live in an evacuation zone, know where to go and how to get there.
* Residents who have special needs should be sure their caregiver begins to implement their emergency plan and they are registered for a special needs shelter.

Residents can find their evacuation level and review the Surviving the Storm hurricane guide at http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency. They can also call (727) 453-3150 to find their home evacuation zone.

Pinellas County Emergency Management is carefully monitoring the situation, and will provide additional updates as warranted.

[JonathanBelles]

St. Petersburg College will be CLOSED on Monday the 18th.

[29healb]

St. Petersburg College will be CLOSED on Monday the 18th.

Not according to their website:

http://www.spjc.cc.fl.us/

[29healb]

Tropical Storm Fay- Advisory #2

Governor Crist declares State of Emergency Due to Threat of Storm

City of Sanibel Activates Storm Preparation Plan

Sanibel City Hall to Open 8am to 5 pm Sunday, August 17th

Sanibel Police Dept Hurricane Passes Available 8am-5pm Sunday, August 17th

Tropical Storm Fay is located 660 miles southeast of Sanibel Island. Tropical Storm Fay is traveling west at 16 miles per hour. Currently sustained winds are at 40 miles per hour. A turn towards the west-northwest is expected later tonight and into Sunday morning.

Sanibel is still within the 5-day forecast cone. The City of Sanibel urges all residents, business owners, and visitors to begin to closely monitor the storm and to be prepared to take the necessary precautionary action to ensure your safety and protect your property.

City of Sanibel Administrative Offices, 800 Dunlop Road, 239-472-3700, will be open for Storm Preparation from 8 am to 5 pm, Sunday, August 17th. The Sanibel Police Department, 800 Dunlop Road, will be open from 8 am to 5 pm, Sunday, August 17th for Hurricane Pass Distribution.

http://www.mysanibel.com/Departments/Ci ... st-16-2008