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A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

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  • A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    Why do some people still think they can beat a hurricane and not evaculate? I lived on Kauai when Hurricane Iwa hit Kauai in '82, and fortunate to be on Oahu when Hurricane Iniki striked in '92. We have no choice in Hawaii to wait a hurricane out, because there's nowhere else to go.

  • #2
    Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    I was on Maui during Iwa, and the National Guard kicked in to help. What would we do now, our National Guard is off fighting a war and not home to help!?
    Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

      Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
      Why do some people still think they can beat a hurricane and not evaculate?
      "Evaculate"? Maybe they're worried that if they beat it they'll be accused of premature evaculation. [/rimshot]

      I. Could. NOT. Resist.
      .
      .

      That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

        Originally posted by LikaNui View Post
        "Evaculate"? Maybe they're worried that if they beat it they'll be accused of premature evaculation. [/rimshot]

        I. Could. NOT. Resist.
        I thought it was substantial penalties for early withdrawals. It would have been wise to pull out early then get frustrated by an investment bank.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

          I think one of the issues with hurricanes is the fact that some places get them so frequently that people become used to them. My dad lives on the Gulf of Mexico and I know he gets hit by at least two or three hurricanes a year, and in most instances he does just batten down the hatches and wait it out. And most of the time that's fine, most of them don't do enough damage to warrant leaving. If you don't have family to stay with, or you have a big family of your own, evacuation can be difficult and costly. Imagine having to do that three or four times every hurricane season. So the question becomes, is this next storm going to be worth it to leave? It seems like such a simple question -- is the life of yourself or your loved ones worth it? -- but it's not such a cut and dry issue.
          Four Thousand Miles (blog) | MacRatLove (comic)
          Better Holes and Garbage (rats) | Perfectly Inadequate (music)

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

            Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
            It would have been wise to pull out early then get frustrated by an investment bank.
            In Tonga, the word for birth control was "fusi ki tu'a." Literally translated it means, "PULL IT OUT!" I was always amused by saying that word.
            Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

            People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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            • #7
              Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

              To evaculate or not to evaculate is the age old question. If you study historical trends, self evaculation is always preferable to no evaculation. It is not necessary to pay anyone for assistance with evaculation. You can do it yourself or the neighbor next door would be willing to assist for tips. What's most important is to have an evaculation plan posted in a prominent location and you must be ready for evaculation even with the lights out because you never know when your utilities might be down. So go ahead, hop in the car, and evaculate if in doubt.

              Now with regards to tsunamis, you must be ready to evaculate at the beach too. I suggest that you practice self evaculation in the water. You never know when that big wave might come and there be no time for evaculation.

              It reminds me of my neighbor, a nice Japanese man who still has a thick accent. He came over to my house and said, "Matapule, I ha' problem with erection evr'y fo' yer. Don' know wha to do." I said, "This has been going on for four years? If you have an erection lasting over 4 hours you need to seek medical attention. I said, "Do you have an evaculation plan?" He said, "Oh Matapule, first I worry 'bout President erection, then I worry 'bout evacuration!"

              BOING!
              Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

              People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                I lived on the coast of Florida for about 15 years, never evacuated for a hurricane. My Mom still lives there, and she has never evacuated for a hurricane either.

                There was this one time, though when the wind and waves tossed a sailboat up into the backyard.
                ~ This is the strangest life I've ever known ~

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                • #9
                  Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                  Originally posted by turtlegirl View Post
                  There was this one time, though when the wind and waves tossed a sailboat up into the backyard.
                  It followed you home --- did you get to keep it?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                    Originally posted by Amati View Post
                    I was on Maui during Iwa, and the National Guard kicked in to help. What would we do now, our National Guard is off fighting a war and not home to help!?
                    Blackwater.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                      Originally posted by matapule View Post
                      To evaculate or not to evaculate is the age old question. If you study historical trends, self evaculation is always preferable to no evaculation. It is not necessary to pay anyone for assistance with evaculation. You can do it yourself or the neighbor next door would be willing to assist for tips. What's most important is to have an evaculation plan posted in a prominent location and you must be ready for evaculation even with the lights out because you never know when your utilities might be down. So go ahead, hop in the car, and evaculate if in doubt.

                      Now with regards to tsunamis, you must be ready to evaculate at the beach too. I suggest that you practice self evaculation in the water. You never know when that big wave might come and there be no time for evaculation.

                      It reminds me of my neighbor, a nice Japanese man who still has a thick accent. He came over to my house and said, "Matapule, I ha' problem with erection evr'y fo' yer. Don' know wha to do." I said, "This has been going on for four years? If you have an erection lasting over 4 hours you need to seek medical attention. I said, "Do you have an evaculation plan?" He said, "Oh Matapule, first I worry 'bout President erection, then I worry 'bout evacuration!"

                      BOING!
                      **giggle**snort**That was a great laugh to start to my day, matapule!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                        Originally posted by sophielynette View Post
                        I think one of the issues with hurricanes is the fact that some places get them so frequently that people become used to them...most of them don't do enough damage to warrant leaving... it's not such a cut and dry issue.
                        Same for my family in coastal SC. The only storm I remember evacuating for in the last twenty years was Hugo. We drove to a motel in the Charlotte, NC area, and could not sleep all night listening to the wind howling, the ceiling creaking and watching the hotel flooring lifting off the floor. I'm glad we left that time.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                          In Galveston many who didn't evacuate got killed. To stay was stupid.

                          It's not just wind and water that will get you. It's the thousands of pieces of heavy debris flying through the air that will. Pieces of sheet metal, plywood, and worse.

                          In low-lying areas, the storm surge will scrub away anything that isn't anchored into the ground.

                          I was in Iniki in Kauai and experienced it all first-hand. A huge sheet of roofing metal was crumpled in a corner of a building where I was standing 20 minutes earlier, thinking I was safe. One resident had boarded his windows with 3/4" marine-grade plywood -- what he happened to have on-hand -- and a ceramic roofing tile blew right through it.

                          An art gallery near Poipu got slammed with a section of roof from a townhouse that was about 50 yards away. And I saw a piece of corrugated metal skewered on a tree branch.

                          Along the Poipu shoreline not a single home stood. One house was lifted off its foundation and rammed into the neighbor's. Made you wonder whether it was covered by homeowners or the auto policy for rear-ending the house next door. It took a while for some survivors to figure out where their home used to be.

                          Entire structures were demolished by the winds in Hanapepe. One resident survived by hiding under the house. Several businesses were destroyed. One grocery store gave away everything it had to survivors and closed. It never re-opened.

                          A few people were killed and many injured. Considering the severity of the damage, it was fortunate the death toll wasn't higher.

                          We stayed in the community college where concrete walls protected us. One of the rooms had wire-reinforced windows and a bunch of people watched the mayhem that was building up outside, thinking it was safe. You could hear the wind tossing small bits and pieces of things against the glass. I recommended that everyone get away from the windows but no one listened. A few minutes later there was a loud bang, followed by screams. The windows had shattered, scattering glass everywhere. A few feet had minor lacerations, smearing blood across the now flooded floor. Fortunately no one got glass in their eyes.

                          So I always tell people what my structural engineer friend recommends: Board up the windows or at least secure them with tarps. Lock the door. Never tape windows. It's a waste of time. You need to completely cover them with something which will keep the opening sealed up. There was a local company selling screen which protect the glass against flying debris. Easily stored and easily deployed, it would provide needed protection whenever a serious storm is looming.

                          Then go to a shelter. If you're in a flood zone, evacuate. If you're anywhere else, stay in a concrete structure. If your house is made of grouted hollow tile and you're not near a flood zone, you'll probably be OK. Put together a few days worth of food and water and seek refuge in a shelter.

                          MRE's kept us going for the three days we were in Kauai. Shelter food had me worried as it was prepared by volunteers whose hygiene was questionable. There was no water to wash up and there were no procedures to make sure the food was safely handled. So I stuck to the MREs.

                          I found a local company that carries top-quality MREs for about $7.50 each -- which is what you'd pay for a Zip Pak. Two per person per day. You can order via phone and they'll deliver it: http://sixeagleshawaii.com/

                          And a company sells the Cabin Cot: a shelter that works with standard military-style cots. It's actually meant for fishermen who sometimes have to camp out overnight on rough ground. They suggested that this comes in handy if you're staying at a public shelter: this would provide some privacy. http://www.venturacampsystems.com/

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                            Originally posted by matapule View Post
                            To evaculate or not to evaculate is the age old question. If you study historical trends, self evaculation is always preferable to no evaculation. It is not necessary to pay anyone for assistance with evaculation. You can do it yourself or the neighbor next door would be willing to assist for tips. What's most important is to have an evaculation plan posted in a prominent location and you must be ready for evaculation even with the lights out because you never know when your utilities might be down. So go ahead, hop in the car, and evaculate if in doubt.

                            BOING!
                            I'm reading this while masturcating with a banana.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: A Hurricane is Coming, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

                              Originally posted by Composite 2992 View Post
                              It's not just wind and water that will get you. It's the thousands of pieces of heavy debris flying through the air that will. Pieces of sheet metal, plywood, and worse.
                              In the words of comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White:

                              "There was a guy down in Florida, who said that at the age of 53 years old he was in good enough physical condition to withstand the wind, rain, and hail of a force-5 hurricane. Now, lemme explain somethin' to ya: It isn't *that* the wind is blowin'. It's *what* the wind is blowin'. If you get hit by a Volvo, it don't matter how many sit-ups you did that mornin'."

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