Please Help me with Your Opinion!

[chigger11]

I live in North Palm Beach and obviously am freaking out right now. If you lived 4 miles inland and had a storm shelter (school that was built last year) could this be safe enough to ride out the storm in. They supposedly have hurricane proof glass etc. All of my neighbors, many who live in frame houses are considering riding it out in their homes. I though that might be feasible if we had a better idea that it was going to miss us by a hundred miles north or so, but now it is not looking very good. Please post your opinions on the safety of being in a shelter 4 miles inland. Thank you.

[Pebbles]

Honestly... I'd be runnin for the hills...but warning you..it's going to get very ugly with evacuations in about 3 hours..so if your up now and really want to leave..grab up some stuff ...and in the next hour jump in your car...last chance before you hit traffic galore before the 8am advisory and everyone wakes up.

[birdwomn]

No one can tell you with any certainty whether your home or a shelter down the road will be the safer place. You need to look at things like quality of construction, flood zones, shutters, location, and most importantly how safe you will feel. The vast majority of buildings in FL are not built to withstand cat 5 winds which you may be experiencing in that area, it is too soon to tell, in my unprofessional opinion.

Take a deep breath and try to take your emotions out of the situation and pick the place that you will feel the safest, then make your plans accordingly, but expededitiously.

Even over here on the GOM, I am having to re-think myself for Frances.
Hang in there!

[SeaBrz_FL]

I sincerely understand your anxiety, Chigger. I was in the exact same predicament just 12 hours ago with the landfall expected in my county. Your question was asked by many up this way yesterday and we were told that if our Emergency Management Services does not feel that a designated public storm shelter is safe then they will route people elsewhere.

I do know that a public shelter was destroyed in Port Charlotte during Charley, but that building was supposedly fairly old and not built to current hurricane code.

All the best to you,
SeaBrz (still under a mandatory evac order and heading 12 miles inland)

[feederband]

leave

[Brent]

DON'T RIDE IT OUT IN YOUR HOME!!! Shelters might be OK, but I'd get out, and get out NOW. The roads are going to be at a standstill if you don't leave soon.

[stormchazer]

Where you are....Go To The Shelter. That is just my opinion.

[Derek Ortt]

Why are you asking this question here? This is something that you should be asking local emergency management officials and if there is an evacuation ordered, by all means leave then regardless as to what anyone else may say as you should only be listening to local emergency management officials

[Charleston_eye]

Couple of things.

1) If building was recently contructed, and deemed a shelter.. it should be OK.

2) If your house is only 4 miles away. I would opt for the shelter. You have a fairly short walk back home after the storm to check things out.

My conclusion:
Go to the shelter!

[Guest]

I would not ride this thing out in a wood framed home. Good luck to you.
...Jennifer...

[das8929]

I am riding this out. My house was built 6 years ago and is made of concrete. Its also 1 story. I feel for the people with 2 story houses, because the top half is made of wood. I just hope my house holds up .

[weathermom]

you don't mention if you have children or not.....if you do, you have to consider not only their physical safety, but must also consider what will be the least frightening to them. Staying at home is not an option, the decision should only be between the shelter and leaving.

[Patrick99]

One thing to remember - this was probably not widely broadcast, but with hurricane Andrew, older homes built in the 1940s-1960s fared quite well. If you live in a home built in that time period, and you are not in a coastal evacuation zone, I would strongly consider not evacuating.

[Anonymous]

I would leave for a cat 4 storm. But not just for the reasons regarding safety during the storm but afterwards even if your home is fairly secure its just pure hell without power (AC,water,etc) and it could be like that for a long time depending on how much damage the entire region gets. Much better to locate to a more comforting place well away from the storm where the gas pumps, ATM's, & Burger Huts are working. I like the idea of AC and a TV from a Holiday Inn then after a bit going back and checking out what is left, I don't see the need for sitting in the husk of a wrecked neighborhood. If the worst winds come up no matter how well the house is built, there will be loss of some if not all property outside of the actual structure.

One of the things after Charley which didn't shock me was that many people were driving around looking for a gas station open to fill up generators or there car. As the power is out there is no pump to supply gas from the storage tanks. People just driving around wasting what gas they had then running out having to leave there vehicles about. They were worse off then before.

Mike

[bosag]

well thats somewhat reassurring:) my home was built in 1960. but........Im almost positive the roof is gonna go.we are not staying but do you think if put the majority of the supplies (that we cant take w/ us) in our windowless bathroom, would survive?

Barb