What Category Hurricane will cause you to leave your home?

[sprink52]

Cat 1
Cat 2
Cat 3
Cat 4
Cat 5
Don't know.

[Roxy]

Cat 4, maybe 3 depending.

[Dean4Storms]

Cat 3 just to my west within 70 miles and a cat 4 to my east within 50 miles.

[gtalum]

None.

[GalvestonDuck]

Cat 1.

[GalvestonDuck]

None.

C'mere...lemme feel your forehead.

[sprink52]

I have my wife to consider. I know our house will handle a 4 but the skys the limit on a 5. I think our tile roof and decking would probably go at about 175~180 mph. I think the lift created at that speed would do it in.

[swimaster20]

Cat 3

[gtalum]

LOL!

I figured I'd draw some ire. Let me clarify.

We have no kids to consider. We live above all of the flood zones, about 5 miles inland. My house is well-constructed of concrete block with a solid hip roof (no gables, small soffits) that is well-tied to the walls. We have a very solid interior clost that is large enough to hunker down in. I have no desire to add to the congestion for those that must evacuate because they are in flood zones. Charley proved that there is nowhere to go that is safe without going all the way up into Georgia.

Oh and thanks to last year's wake-up call, I have stored enough water and canned goods for over two weeks, and have a substantial hurricane survival kit to help make the aftermath bearable.

[gkrangers]

I'm 10 miles inland, with no flooding threat on the upper New Jersey shore.

Probably leave if the NE eyewall of a 4 or 5 was going to hit my house...

[lacyclone]

Cat 3...I'm a good bit inland

I worry about tornado spinoffs and local flooding though.

[gtalum]

Probably leave if the NE eyewall of a 4 or 5 was going to hit my house...

If there were a reliable way to know that far enough in advance to safely evacuate, I'd do it too. The problem is that you can't possibly know that with any reliability until just a few hours beforehand. I'd have to evacuate every time a storm has a chance at hitting any part of Florida's west coast, and as Charley showed us, I'd be just as likely to be moving right into its path.

[Hurricaneman]

wouldnt move, I live 2 miles inland

[sprink52]

Five miles inland and with your home constucted as it is (my roof is all hip also) you are safer to stay where you are than to go to any of the shelters in the area. I can't think of any other building in Palm Beach Co. that I would feel safer in other than the EMS operations center and I'm certainly not going there. I would probably stayfor a 5 if I could get my wife a flight north quick enough. She has health care issues that we can't handle beyond 7 days. I figure FPL can restore power within 7 days to most area. I'm out of fuel for the generator in 7 days and can't operate her medical equipment. She would not do well in a shelter.

[gtalum]

Health issues are an important factor to consider. We're both young and relatively fit, though I'm a bit "fluffy" and a couple of weeks on short rations certainly couldn't hurt!

As you mentioned, I can't imagine that any of the shelters are safer than my house.

[dhweather]

A four did the trick (Ivan)

[AL Chili Pepper]

None....being a few miles from the coast I'm safe from the surge. No way I'm dealing with the gridlock....other people need the road more than I do.

[gkrangers]

Probably leave if the NE eyewall of a 4 or 5 was going to hit my house...

If there were a reliable way to know that far enough in advance to safely evacuate, I'd do it too. The problem is that you can't possibly know that with any reliability until just a few hours beforehand. I'd have to evacuate every time a storm has a chance at hitting any part of Florida's west coast, and as Charley showed us, I'd be just as likely to be moving right into its path.

Yeah but a 4 or 5 is never going to hit New Jersey so I'm never leaving....

[HouTXmetro]

4 OR 5

[TSmith274]

50/50 for a Cat2, definitely for a Cat3. I'd rather avoid the toxic soup.