What will you ride out?

[Ixolib]

Been through everything to hit coastal Mississippi since 1965, all in the same house that I'm in now. At 35 feet above sea level, with no pine trees anywhere nearby, custom bolted boards on ALL the windows, in a solid house, I feel relatively safe. In fact, at times, the problem with canes is the tornados that get spawned inland - which is often exactly where many coastians evacuate to!! If you look at the damage after Ivan, it was serious damage all the way to Montgomery!! So, pretty much, I'll be staying for all of 'em. No thrill seeker - too old for that. I just feel I'm equally as safe here as I would be anywhere I could "effectively" evacuate to.

[CFL]

I'll leave for any major hurricane - category 3 and up. My neighbor has 3 tall pine trees that could fall on my house, and I don't want to put the kiddos through that.

[jes]

I stayed last weekend for Dennis and he was a 4 when approaching. I was here for Frederic and he was a weak 4. However, I may rethink that. I would never leave for a 1 or 2 or medium 3. I will say--- on Sunday morning when I got up to learn Dennis was headed straight for Mobile Bay as a 4 I questioned very seriously my decision to stay, but by then it was too late to leave. I wouldn't stay for any storm if I lived close to the coast or water.

[beachbum_al]

Strong Cat 4 I would probably leave. We don't stay in our house for Cat 3 and higher. DH works for the City in Daphne and we have stayed with him during Ivan and Dennis. He couldn't leave so there was a group of us with their family members staying there.

[stormie_skies]

A Cat 2 at the MOST .... and if a Cat 2 was coming I would have to be prepared to stay in the house until storm surge receeds....there is a reason my townhome is on stilts, yanno...

[mdlemin]

If it is a Cat 3 and up, I'm out of there. I was inside an F2 twister once and I perhaps have a very small idea what a Cat 3 hurricane is when it comes to wind. I never will forget that horrific moment.

[skufful]

I am one of those fools who would never leave, even for a CAT 10. (If there were one) Unfortunately, that's when then the looters come out. The police go hide at 50mph (or so). But I do have a secure place to ride out out the storm.

[Swimdude]

To be honest, I'd stay for anything. But my parents claim we'd leave if threatened by a cat. 4/5. Sooo I voted as such. Wow, that sounds so childish... But it's not like I have a choice.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

I would ride out any storm...Thats what I do up here. In would love to do down there.

[digitaldahling]

I stayed last weekend for Dennis and he was a 4 when approaching. I was here for Frederic and he was a weak 4. However, I may rethink that. I would never leave for a 1 or 2 or medium 3. I will say--- on Sunday morning when I got up to learn Dennis was headed straight for Mobile Bay as a 4 I questioned very seriously my decision to stay, but by then it was too late to leave. I wouldn't stay for any storm if I lived close to the coast or water.

We left at 8:30 Sunday morning for New Orleans. Traffic was minimal. Took us no time to get there.

[Houstonia]

The biggie (Labor Day 1935) passed over the Keys between 9-10 pm.

I bet anyone who's been through one has a pretty good idea where they stand.

I went through Alicia (1983) here in Houston. I would stay through another cat 2/cat 3 as long as I was on the far side of the city.

However, it's certainly nothing to sniff at. Listening to the wind scream for hours on end, never knowing if it's a tornado or not - isn't fun. Plus, we didn't have power for 2 weeks afterwards - I wish we would have evacuated AFTER the storm was over!!

[jasons2k]

Probably up to a minimal 4 for me. I am 69 miles inland from the Gulf and 40 miles inland from Galveston Bay.

[Scorpion]

Stay for anything basically.

[Hurricaneman]

Upper cat 2

[facemane]

I would ride out a cat 5 once to feel how it really is.

I rode Camille out,and I saw a lot of Frightened Adults in the Shelter crying
like Small children. My Parents freely admit they were stupid to stay
through it,and if they had to do it again,we would have packed up and left.

Sitting in any structure, wondering if it's going to explode into a pile of
rubble and the very real possibilty of Death is not a fun experience Imo.

On a recent Discovery Chanell episode about Hurricane Camille,a former
Hurrican hunter,and WW2 veteran who flew over the area devaststed by
the storm stated he felt like he was flying over Hiroshima right after we
dropped the Bomb. It was stated in an earlier thread,but those photos
you see of Camilles aftermath only tell a small part of what it actually looked
like here.

If I were convinced my area was going to take a Direct hit, I'd leave
if the storm reached Cat 4 status.

[wxman57]

This question always comes up several times during the season. It's not really a valid question, because the assumption behind it is flawed. That assumption is that we can actually predict intensity at landfall from 48 or even 24 hours out.

I think that Emily is proving that you'd darn sure better board up (or leave if you're in a surge zone) for ANY hurricane that approaches, even a strong tropical storm. Unless you can forecast intensity better than the models or the NHC, then how can you be sure that Cat 1 in the Gulf at 3pm one afternoon won't be a Cat 4/5 bearing down on Galveston the next afternoon? You just can't! Now there are cases where we can identify strong wind shear along the coast that will definitely weaken a storm prior to landfall. But without such a strong indication of wind shear, you need to treat every single tropical cyclone like it can become a major hurricane in 24 hours, particularly in the NW Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico.

That's why I have such a gripe about those who say they'll ride out a Cat 1-2 but leave for a 3-4-5. That kind of thinking assumes we mets have some kind of skill in forecasting intensity. Clearly, without more data, we're clueless when it comes to forecasting intensity much of the time. Are any of you better at forecasting intensity? Then how can you make the decision to stay when evacuations are suggested 48 hours from landfall?

[Ziplock]

I hope I never find out.

I will probably stay. I am now disabled, and long car trips are out of the question. I'd rather trust my home than a shelter, where I'd have a hard time, anyway.

So, I've got to really pray nothing big comes my way.
Zip

[Innotech]

Cat 2 is my limit. Weak cat 2 or below I will stay since Im pretty far inland. When Hurricane andrew passed to our east we got 70+ mph winds still, but enough to damage a lot of stuff and definitely enough to make us think twice about staying next itme.

[dhweather]

I'm gonna ride Emily out, I don't care.











Of course, I'm not REMOTELY near where she'll make landfall.