If Cat 5 WERE to hit Palm Beach County

[JTD]

If a cat 5 were to hit Palm Beach County, are we talking about devastation the likes of which have never been seen?

What are we looking at if that occurs? How many people would need to be evacuated? Would there be mass panic? What kind of death toll are we looking at? Do you guys have confidence in Gov. Bush and his officials to handle things properly?

Essays have been written on a New Orleans cat 5 hit so I don't think this question is unreasonable. Also, please, please don't take this as a wishcast.

A cat 5 hurricane is not a sane person's "wish" at all.

[Guest]

Well, all I know about a cat 5 landfall, is that there would definitly be: catastrophic damage, mass panic prior to landfall, and this cane which is large in size would devastate a large area.

[c5Camille]

cat 5 hit anywhere would be devistating... not exclusive to palm beach county

in regards to New Orleans... there main problem
is a Cat 5 with 20+ feet of water would take the city
WEEKS to drain... everything would be a TOTAL loss

they are in a bowl... below sea level and the levies would
hold the water in....

[B-Bear]

If a cat 5 were to hit Palm Beach County, are we talking about devastation the likes of which have never been seen?

What are we looking at if that occurs? How many people would need to be evacuated? Would there be mass panic? What kind of death toll are we looking at? Do you guys have confidence in Gov. Bush and his officials to handle things properly?

Essays have been written on a New Orleans cat 5 hit so I don't think this question is unreasonable. Also, please, please don't take this as a wishcast.

A cat 5 hurricane is not a sane person's "wish" at all.

Nobody knows the answers to your question, because a strong cat 5 has never hit an area that heavily populated before. And there are other factors, such as the storm surge that comes with it. How big is the storm? That would determine how long the area was exposed to the stronger winds. etc., etc., etc.

Nobody is going to be able to give you any definitive answers. Sorry.

[CalmBeforeStorm]

If a cat 5 were to hit Palm Beach County, are we talking about devastation the likes of which have never been seen?

What are we looking at if that occurs? How many people would need to be evacuated? Would there be mass panic? What kind of death toll are we looking at? Do you guys have confidence in Gov. Bush and his officials to handle things properly?

Essays have been written on a New Orleans cat 5 hit so I don't think this question is unreasonable. Also, please, please don't take this as a wishcast.

A cat 5 hurricane is not a sane person's "wish" at all.

Dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria.

[JTD]

The aftermath is going to be horrible, but I don't think people would panic BEFORE. I think the evacuation would be calm, ordered just like Floyd in 1999 where 2 million evacuated. The aftermath would tell the tale.

And let's not forget this storm is still heading NNW.

[logybogy]

You want to know what would happen?

Look at what happen with Hurricane Andrew, except instead of 250,000 people being homeless, it'll be more like 1.5 million.

[Typhoon_Willie]

Hurricane Center says the NNW movement is very temporary! A more westward turn is very likely later on in the forecast period!

[DelrayMorris]

Best that we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best, I guess, should the storm show inclinations to come ashore here. Considering the pictures of what Charley did on the other coast, I would not be looking forward to what would happen here. Of course, Charley may have done everyone here a favor, too, in that it's fresh in everyone's mind and will hopefully lessen the amount of apathy that people have displayed in the past.

[JTD]

If it does hit FL, I think that's exactly what Charley's purpose was. Wake people up for the even bigger one.

[soonertwister]

It's way too early to predict any kind of dire outcome from Frances; regardless, any time a strong hurricane is running unimpeded by serious negative conditions in the western Atlantic with a track pointing to the southern east coast, it's time to start paying very close attention to the storm.

Of course we are likely talking about a threat timeframe on the U.S. east coast of more than a week from now, but the timetable to keep in mind is the timetable for what preparations might be needed should Frances come your way as a major storm. Don't be fooled if this thing comes your way as a monster storm, you will have deadlines before then to make major decisions.

Be sure your gameplan is solid, and stick with your preparation guidelines religiously. Most importantly, in the very unlikely chance that Frances actually comes your way, don't deceive yourself on the amount of time it would take to evacuate from a large powerful storm, especially if in south Florida, where there's only one way to run.

And especially if there is any chance whatsoever that this could be a category 5 hurricane or near category 5 at time of landfall, you absolutely cannot allow even the possibility of being stranded away from safe shelter when the effects of that type of storm arrive. If this becomes the monster it could become in a week or so, you can't afford to roll the dice if there's any chance it could visit your doorstep.

But again, it's just very early at this time. Track errors across that distance of time are so large as to be essentially near useless. All they really do this far away is give you a distant early warning to think about the fact it is hurricane season, and that you should never be caught off guard.

[cape_escape]

If it does hit FL, I think that's exactly what Charley's purpose was. Wake people up for the even bigger one.

I have to wonder...Alott of people in Ft Myers seem to think we are safe foe another 40 years now!

[canegrl04]

Cat 5,especially a strong one,will tend to flatten everything in its path.

[jabber]

If a cat 5 were to hit Palm Beach County, are we talking about devastation the likes of which have never been seen?

What are we looking at if that occurs? How many people would need to be evacuated? Would there be mass panic? What kind of death toll are we looking at? Do you guys have confidence in Gov. Bush and his officials to handle things properly?

Essays have been written on a New Orleans cat 5 hit so I don't think this question is unreasonable. Also, please, please don't take this as a wishcast.

A cat 5 hurricane is not a sane person's "wish" at all.

Dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria.

Now thats funny....

[rjgator]

IF it hit SOuth Florida it would be nearly impssible to rebuild due tot he severe material shortage of raw construction materials in the area prior to Charley and after another one it would be unthinkable.

[crazycajuncane]

We can just hope the "big 3" stay safe. We lucked out in recent years from total devestation from most of our big storms.

(And I mean devestation of huge cities... like Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Miami.)

[frankthetank]

if one were to take Miami for example, what kinda building codes have been implented to reduce the damage of a cat 5? or are most buildings going to sustain heavy damage? or if its not brick or concrete, say bye bye?

[Guest]

your avatar creeps me out cajuncane...

[Anonymous]

Living in New Orleans and friends of people in emergency management here. A cat. 3 or worse storm, with the eye coming in from the SE, up from the mouth of the Mississippi on the west side of the river, would be HUGE as far as devestation. The extensive levee system that has been upgraded over the years, to protect the area, would become our mechanism of suicide, as they would act as a barrier for the water not being able to drain. The city being on average, 5ft. beow sea-level and the levee system being at about 17ft. above sea-level, anyone could easily see how we would basically be in a bowl full of water. No other city in the United States, faces this sort of potential disaster. Yes, other cities would be devasted, but NOT 1 of them would be faced with 20ft.+ of water, in the major downtown area for god knows how long.

20 feet of water in the downtown area of New Orleans = 50,000 people dead and water that would not be allowed to be pumped out of the city because it would be considered hazardous waste water by the fed's, and would not be allowed to be pumped back into the normal bodies of water...(IE: Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain). The federal gov't. would not allow it. The city would have to drain on its own. Thus, it would be weeks before the water would go down on its own. I couldn't imagine the thought of it all.

Basically, the city would be declared a wasteland by the federal gov't. and lots of businesses and people would be out of work.

[JTD]

Could this have happened with Georges as it was?