Surge/wind questions - evacuation decisions

[cat]

Here's a link to a photo I took in Cocoa Beach on Tuesday. My back is to the ocean. The storm surge went over the roof of this beachfront motel and, after the surge receded, this is what was left behind.

Cocoa Beach was 100 miles north of Frances' landfall.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/ ... 070020.jpg

That is incredibly scary. Thanks for posting it.

[KayFL]

Good morning folks.
Yesterday, Gov. Jeb said that it is "unrealistic" for most folks to evac. Only those, on the mainland, that are in damaged, unprotected, modular homes or low lying areas should evac.
Most can go to local shelters if they feel their homes are not fairly sturdy. If you're boarded up, and live in a sturdy (yes even wood frame - inland) find a safe room and hunker down there.
If you don't want the hassle, got to a local shelter. Your house can wait for you and the storm, while you have the resources of food and hopefully good company.

I am sorry, but Jeb Bush is trying to prevent panic and his info is nuts! ALL the shelters were full in the last hurricane, and space is limited. People cannot just go there, they will be turned away if it's full. If you have ever been in a public shelter you will never go again, it is not even a consideration for me, once was enough. Wood frame homes cannot withstand what block homes can! I forget the wind speed at which the wood gives way, but it is a lot less. Mobile homes fall apart, the wood homes. I would not stay in either for a cat 3 or higher.

I was near Camille and was in Donna and Betsy and a few others. I don't claim to know it all, but if Gov. Bush said that the I know why I did not vote for him.

[wxwatcher2]

To add another side to Kay's comment,
I think that gov bush is doing a good job.
He is keeping assistance levels at an all time high in this state.
To get political at a time of disaster emergency is in poor taste.
There is no way we can evacuate everyone.
we are already stretched to the max as far as our infastructure goes.

But you know what? We will survive!!!!
Florida is now experiencing what it has somehow missed the past 44 years. We just didnt know it would happen all at once.

[cat]

For example, let's calculate the force a sliding glass door would have to resist in a 100 mph wind:

Assume a glass door size of 7' by 3' -- the area is 21 sq feet. Therefore we have

F = 0.004 * (100*100) * 21
F = 840 lbs!

Picture the door propped up horizontally with sawhorses on end and 5 adults standing on the door. Would yours hold or cave in? Now let's increase the wind speed to 140 mph:

F = 0.004 * (140*140) * 21
F = 1646 lbs!!!

Just about double! 10 adults? I don't think so.

Those are some incredible numbers, Karen.

Our windows are 3m Combat and Security Windows - meaning they are actually designed to withstand a bomb going off in front of them. They are rated to 140 mph as well.

3m has a website showing them taking the blast from a pretty good sized bomb. I'd be more concerned about the frames at this point, though.

Thanks for posting the info on the wind forces being inside ones "living space". Not the nicest visual I have of riding out the storm, but I appreciate it

[wlfpack81]

Well Cat I'll say this, if you plan to stay realize that the higher up you go the worse the winds get. So the winds at 5 stories will be slightly higher than those at the surface. Additionally even if Ivan passes just to your west chances are storm surge will still be a problem as the rotation of the storm would cause water to come towards the coast as the storm passes north of your location (winds would be from the west). Really I don't know if I'd want to be 5 stories up, w/no power and with water on the first floor.

Now if this thing makes a direct hit on your lcoation as a cat 3 then man if you stay in that building then there's a high chance for injury and nasty flooding will almost be certain. But to each his own. Just wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, your g/f b/c of a bad decision.