Let's face it. On Wednesday of this week Dr. Gray's forecasts was front-page on our local paper(the Virginian Pilot). But there was a large*on the page stating they said this last year too.
http://epilot2.hamptonroads.com/Default ... ewMode=GIF
Now the Virginian Pilot has a circulation about the size of the Sun Sentinel (around 200,000). I was wondering how many papers in hurricane prone areas ran this same type of article. The problem with this is that how many people will take this forcaast hurricane season seriously because forecasters were so off last year. Here in North Carolina we know how the cycles can go recently 95 and 96 were a big hit years 97 was an off year 98 and 99 were big hit years 2000 2001 2002 were off years in 2003 was a big hit year. The big question will be was 2006 the off year for Florida and the Gulf and we now return to big hits years for Florida and the Gulf. My fear is that it will return to those years affecting areas that were devastated in 2004 in 2005 as well as oil and insurance. I hope I'm wrong!
Cry wolf.
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Cry wolf.
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- GeneratorPower
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There is no point in worrying about people's interpretations. The fact is 90% of the general public doesn't know or care to know anything about hurricane forecasts. You'll get some folks that will get all emotional and worried. Most folks will say, "oh boy here it comes" then forget about it. Most people will think they are prepared. Few people will be prepared. A tiny fraction is meaningfully prepared and ready to deal with the aftermath of a Katrina.
I've absolutely had it with the constant hand-wringing over people's preparedness. It's all a bunch of sillyness. Let those who will prepare be prepared. I think most of it is simply us hurricane nuts wanting other people to be excited about what we are excited about. As for me, I'm content to let Mark Sudduth and others get the word out on preparedness. I care very little for folks who purposely or carelessly ignore his message.
And as for people who take their marching orders from some newspaper somewhere, they lack judgement. And those who lack judgement unfortunately cannot be led around on a leash all day by the government or their neighbors. Personal responsibility is not only vital to society, it's downright fun if you take it seriously and enjoy producing something with your life.
You will be making your own ice in your own refrigerator running off your own generator, filled with gasoline from your own 55-gallon drum. You will not be in line at the library waiting for the National Guard to give you two bags of ice after waiting 90 minutes, only for you to plop your half-melted ice into your hot car and drive back to the house over downed power lines on the 3 pints of gasoline you have left in your car because you were too busy to fill it up last week.
You may even have enough power left over to string a cord to your neighbors house and run their refrigerator, too, because they were too busy ordering out of the Pottery Barn catalog and shopping at Best Buy to have time or money to buy their own $700 generator and spend the $185 it requires to buy and fill a 55-gallon drum with gasoline.
How many people can't afford $200 worth of extra gasoline and hurricane supplies but they DO have enough to plunk down $250 on a 30GB iPod Video.
You've been warned, every one of you in the United States. Katriana kicked butt down there and another one will eventually kick butt somewhere else. You better be prepared.
I've absolutely had it with the constant hand-wringing over people's preparedness. It's all a bunch of sillyness. Let those who will prepare be prepared. I think most of it is simply us hurricane nuts wanting other people to be excited about what we are excited about. As for me, I'm content to let Mark Sudduth and others get the word out on preparedness. I care very little for folks who purposely or carelessly ignore his message.
And as for people who take their marching orders from some newspaper somewhere, they lack judgement. And those who lack judgement unfortunately cannot be led around on a leash all day by the government or their neighbors. Personal responsibility is not only vital to society, it's downright fun if you take it seriously and enjoy producing something with your life.
You will be making your own ice in your own refrigerator running off your own generator, filled with gasoline from your own 55-gallon drum. You will not be in line at the library waiting for the National Guard to give you two bags of ice after waiting 90 minutes, only for you to plop your half-melted ice into your hot car and drive back to the house over downed power lines on the 3 pints of gasoline you have left in your car because you were too busy to fill it up last week.
You may even have enough power left over to string a cord to your neighbors house and run their refrigerator, too, because they were too busy ordering out of the Pottery Barn catalog and shopping at Best Buy to have time or money to buy their own $700 generator and spend the $185 it requires to buy and fill a 55-gallon drum with gasoline.
How many people can't afford $200 worth of extra gasoline and hurricane supplies but they DO have enough to plunk down $250 on a 30GB iPod Video.
You've been warned, every one of you in the United States. Katriana kicked butt down there and another one will eventually kick butt somewhere else. You better be prepared.
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- DanKellFla
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- GeneratorPower
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DanKellFla wrote:How does one go about buying a 55 gallon drum?
That's a good question. You can get them from a plastics recycling company. Any medium sized city should have someone nearby that processes all the spent oil/grain/fertilizer barrels that industry produces. Look for a place in the phone book that handles recycling, or an agriculture supply store like a feed mill or fertilizer company. The key is to ask questions. If they don't have them, ask if the know who does.
A 55-gallon blue plastic drum technically isn't rated for gasoline, but it will store it for up to a year before it needs replacement/re-evaluation. You'll need the special plastic caps that will work with gas, too. Keep in mind that none of this should be too hard, just ask around.
If that fails, there are other things you can do. Northern Tool sells 285-gallon metal fuel tanks for $500. Probably overkill for the average homeowner. You can order virgin plastic and metal 55-gallon containers on the internet, just Google it. Although you'd be paying shipping, too.
If that fails, there is no reason why you cannot store ELEVEN 5-gallon Blitz fuel cans. The cans are $6 at Wal-Mart = $66 investment. Buy new cans. Buy a container of Sta-Bil brand fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions and your gas will keep fresh for one year. At the end of the year, if you haven't used the gas, dump it in the car (it's perfectly safe) and burn it up over the winter. In the spring, repeat.
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- GeneratorPower
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- DanKellFla
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I looked it up and did the math. Home Depot is now selling the cans for $3. So it really doesn't pay. I have relatives nearby and one of us usually gets power back within 3 days. So I really don't need to plan for anything too long. If we get something really big, I'll send my family to visit relatives far away and I will "hold down the fort."
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- Downdraft
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This is the kind of stuff that makes those of us in the fire department realize we will always have a job.
GeneratorPower wrote:DanKellFla wrote:How does one go about buying a 55 gallon drum?
That's a good question. You can get them from a plastics recycling company. Any medium sized city should have someone nearby that processes all the spent oil/grain/fertilizer barrels that industry produces. Look for a place in the phone book that handles recycling, or an agriculture supply store like a feed mill or fertilizer company. The key is to ask questions. If they don't have them, ask if the know who does.
A 55-gallon blue plastic drum technically isn't rated for gasoline, but it will store it for up to a year before it needs replacement/re-evaluation. You'll need the special plastic caps that will work with gas, too. Keep in mind that none of this should be too hard, just ask around.
If that fails, there are other things you can do. Northern Tool sells 285-gallon metal fuel tanks for $500. Probably overkill for the average homeowner. You can order virgin plastic and metal 55-gallon containers on the internet, just Google it. Although you'd be paying shipping, too.
If that fails, there is no reason why you cannot store ELEVEN 5-gallon Blitz fuel cans. The cans are $6 at Wal-Mart = $66 investment. Buy new cans. Buy a container of Sta-Bil brand fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions and your gas will keep fresh for one year. At the end of the year, if you haven't used the gas, dump it in the car (it's perfectly safe) and burn it up over the winter. In the spring, repeat.
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- DanKellFla
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I have a neighbor who bought a pallet of gas cans. I will keep 5 or 10 gallons of gas in my garage durring hurricane season. ( I rotate the gas into my car every few weeks.) And before a storm I will get 25 more gallons. Yes, I know, that is way above the recommended amount. But, I do keep a dedicated fire extinguisher next to the cans. And, after the storm has passed, I put them in my vehicles. You know what, I think I will buy a fire alarm for my garage just for this reason. And no, the cars won't trigger the alarm. Why? Because I haven't had a car in my garage in 4 years.
Here is an interesting bit on knowledge that you probably already know. I picked it up from a Chemist who worked at a sheriffs department. A half gallon of gas spread around typical home and given enough time to become a vapor has the explosive potential of a stick of dynamite.
Here is an interesting bit on knowledge that you probably already know. I picked it up from a Chemist who worked at a sheriffs department. A half gallon of gas spread around typical home and given enough time to become a vapor has the explosive potential of a stick of dynamite.
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