I have a question about how far inland we should go

[Ev1948]

We have only lived in FL for 2 years, we are on the East Central Coast. along with preparing our hurricane kit, we were wondering if we have to evacuate, how far inland or away from, should we go depending on a 2, 3, 4 or 5 hurricane coming our way? We have no idea..

[andrewsurvivor]

Hey ev1948! Welcome to the sunshine state. I'm not a weather expert but a 30 year intense tropical weather following. I lived well inland during Andrew...almost at the edge of the everglades in south dade county. Our friends on the beach were fine while we were in a war zone. Two important considerations. 1) storm surge and coastal flooding. Here in So. Fl all beach and bay areas along with most everything east of US 1 are mandatory evac even in a cat1. Not to be taken lightly! Remember bridges will be locked and you have to plan ahead. Howver, we are a narrow strip with lots of flat steamy wetlands and except for storm surge the rains, wind and tornado threat remains so don't expect to go inland to escape the storm, you are escaping storm surge though flooding can still be a major issue inland as well (Irene). Hope this helps shed some light. Have a plan that is ready to go. Things can change quickly and special needs for children, pets, medical situations etc must be in ready to go mode. If you are going inland be sure it is someplace with hurricane protection. It's not fun having a tree hurled through your window at over 100mph! Have a plan to make it through the storm as well as the aftermath. Feel free to hit me up anytime. I might not have the expertise to advise on forecasting a storm but surviving one is Andrew's legacy to me. Be prepared and be safe!

[DanKellFla]

Ev1948, good question. The general rule is: Run from the water and hide from the wind. If you are in an evacuation zone, do as the authorities tell you. Just going inland does nothing if you don't have a place to go. A car is a very VERY bad place to be. A lot depends on your dwelling. Is it an older mobile home? Find a shelter. Is it a new CBS construction house that came with hurricane panels? You are probably better off preparing and staying at home.
Somewhere on the board I asked a question about inland windspeed. According to the professional that answered me, once you are a third of a mile inland, the frictional effects reduce the max possible windspeed to a Cat 3 storm. Of course, this doesn't mean that a small tornado or vortex can show up with much higher wind speeds. A lot of that happened durring Andrew.
I am six miles inland and I stay. I have hurricane panels.





andrewsurvivor , where were you durring Andrew? And where were your friends? Andrew was a 25 mile wide Tornado. Beyond that, the situation got better pretty quick. I was in Boca Raton durring the storm, about 50 miles away and it was a scary thunderstorm. That could explain the difference in the experience. Or not???

[tronbunny]

I live smack dab in the center of the state, where people have been known to evacuate TO.
The most vivid 'ride outs' are Charley, Frances and Jeanne in 2004.
The first concern is storm surge, and dwelling sturdiness.
We have a block-construction home built post-Andrew. We are not in a flood prone area, so we shelter at home, after boarding up and stocking the preparation kit.
Just be aware of all local shelters and travel routes. Know and understand your home construction and surrounding area.
You may not have to evacuate, but sheltering in-place still requires planning and preparation.
If local authorities recommend evacuation, do not hesitate. Create a plan for keeping in contact with others and places to meet.
In Florida, you should be able to move a few miles from surge and flood prone areas and find solid shelter within range of post disaster support services without having to go to Tallahassee,Gainesville or Orlando.
While winds cause some mind-boggling damage, the largest danger with a hurricane is storm surge. As long as you have a sturdy construction shelter, and don't have many special needs, you should be able to stay close to home with safety plans and preparation.
If you have special needs, do not hesitate to contact your local authorities for specific accommodations.
visit the State disaster planning site to prepare and feel confident about your family's wel-being.
http://www.floridadisaster.org/

[andrewsurvivor]

Dan...I was in south kendall by tamiami airport, near Country Walk. Yes indeed Andrew was tight and the impact was far less for those not in deep south dade. The winds, however, did not diminish inland. We were in a well constructed cbs home, well protected and fully stocked. We were in awe by the power and terrified for our lives. We stood in the living room with umbrellas dazed at the destruction. No power for weeks and months for some, boiling water for 6 mnths for those of us south of sw 104th st. The aftermath went on for several years. Friends, we encouraged them to come inland but as it turned miami beach did far better than us. We learned you can escape storm surge but not the storm inland. We ended up at a hotel on the beachvin Fll amazed that we were sipping pina coladas when 30 miles away a war zone existed. May that be a once in a lifetime experience!

[Ev1948]

Thanks to all of you for your input, we live in a mobile home, so I know we will have to go somewhere You all have been a great help.. Truth is I am scared to death during hurricane season, I am from South Jersey and on hurricane I remember was Hazel and I was a child..But we didn't have to go anywhere..

[Bobd33]

Dan, I have lived in Miami since the summer of 1960 and Hurricane Donna. Considering the construction of your home, it’s not a matter of "if evacuating" but when. Even a Cat 1 storm could be very dangerous in your situation. You need to find out where your local shelters are located and have a plan to get there. Local Gvt. WEB sites list them by county and can recommend what you need to bring with you and what you can't. Riding out a storm in a shelter will be very unpleasant (dark, hot, sticky, noisy and smelly...... ), but you will live through it. A far better plan is to see if you can cultivate a friend that will let you and yours ride out the storm in their CBS Shuttered home, in exchange for you helping them prepare and clean up afterwards. Depending on how close to the coast, don't expect to be able to get back to your home or the remains for several days, especially if you have taken a direct hit.

Recommend that you spend some time looking over this site on how to prepare and what to save.

[mpic]

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[DanKellFla]

Bobd33 , I think you mean Ev1948. I have a CBS home that did well thorough a few hurricanes. I think that you had the best advice. Set things up with a friend. All I can add to that is to make sure that you bring supplies. And a few gallons of gas if said friend has a generator.

[Bobd33]

Your right on all accounts! Especially the fuel.

[Persepone]

If you live in a mobile home and need to team up with someone with a well-constructed house, consider teaming up with someone "older." [You did not say how old you are, but if you are younger, this would work.] I notice that what used to take much less time and be less tiring is now much more of a chore. On the other hand, no kids, etc. in the house anymore. I'm not in Florida, so this won't work for you, but... I'm sure there are a lot of "me" in Florida. If a young family with decently behaved kids showed up 48 hours before storm threatened and they were willing to help with storm prep. that would be totally cool. They would need to come with their own medicine, diapers, dog/cat food, etc. (and no fleas, please) and hopefully would contribute toward food/water/gasoline... But yes! Before we moved to this state, we were in the "younger" category and we had several older people for whom our house was the regular destination when storms threatened. That worked pretty well. But we also had friends where the person with the appropriate house was "older" and the people who sheltered there were younger. They helped with stuff like taking in the lawn furniture, etc. It's trivial if you're on the right side of 60--not so trivial on the other side.... Note that you do not have to "know" the person well--these people were all originally relative strangers... Over the years they became surrogate family... You may not be able to do this "this season" but plan for the future... Think friends of friends of friends parents, etc.