Hurricane Irma Live Thread Part II

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[NautiNurse]

Dangerous Category 5 Hurricane Irma had a devastating impact on islands in the Caribbean.

Hurricane and Storm surge watches were issued Thursday morning for South Florida. The Florida Keys began evacuating visitors and residents, followed by flood zones in Miami and Miami Beach. Sarasota FL declared a local state of emergency Thursday morning.

Polk County FL Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday that law enforcement authorities would check the identities of people who turn up at shelters--and take to jail anyone found to have an active arrest warrant. “If you go to a shelter for Irma and you have a warrant, we’ll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail... “If you have a warrant, turn yourself in to the jail — it’s a secure shelter.” Judd also posted that sex offenders and sex predators would not be admitted to the shelters. "We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders & predators. Period." Judd's statements unleashed a liberal firestorm via Twitter.

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Hurricane Irma Live Thread I

[HollyB]

Oh boy. Isn’t cocoa on the barrier islands?

[rodguy911]

we have a storm surge warning for the middle of the state?

[rodguy911]

Is there a better idea of where this thing will actually hit on the keys? My kids are just evacuating today,really late to go but I guess better than staying near Key West,the eye is so big they could actually be near an eye wall.

[Rebelbase]

Just though about this, have not seen Glades Guru on any of these threads. Hopefully he’s bugged out to a safe space (a real “safe space”) and is too busy to check in here.

[palmer]

East Orlando is safe. The area of danger is up to about 30 miles from coast where it makes landfall as cat 5. Irma will be making landfall as cat3 or cat 4. It will not make that landfall up near Orlando.

[MustKnowHistory]

Thanks! Glad to know you are somewhere safe and settled.

[rodguy911]

Here is a tip for all Freepers on the road from South to north from Miami. Yesterday I found gas at MM 101 on I-95 its a Speedway about one mile off the interstate. Might be a good bet for today. However all bets are off for today and forget tomorrow.

[CodeToad]

Please control yourself and stop spamming this thread. This thread is about Irma news, that’s it.

[alancarp]

The northern coast of Cuba looks to be in play this morning, which follows the UKMET and Euro models. Irma is also now significantly south of the 2-days-ago NHC forecasted path.

Even if those models are right, though, 2 things:
1. the eye would only brush that coastline, and thus no significant weakening;
2. landfall in Florida would still be essentially the same: a direct hit on Key West, then up the middle of the state.

[palmer]

For Cocoa Beach, I would leave. The other alternative is to find a local shelter and make a run for it at the last minute once the final track it known.

You gotta keep in mind that "leaving" may mean sitting in traffic during a cat 2 with embedded tornadoes. Leaving now would avoid that but ti's still a judgement call. Not cut and dry. Depends on the house, sturdy or not sturdy.

[rodguy911]

THank you 15 hours to go to north fla. from Islamorada but we made it.that was yesterday today forget it.

[Rebelbase]

“Mozzarella is a good one to start with. If you can get raw milk, that will help.”

Get a water buffalo to make the real deal.

[rodguy911]

Anyone who goes political on a hurricane thread is doing the wrong thing unless the storm has gone and passed.

[palmer]

People who are 30 miles inland or even 20 should not be going north. That just wastes gas for people closer to the coast. It also creates accidents and deaths, it blocks the roads for people who need to leave.

The most important thing to emphasize with this storm is that it is predicted to be cat 4 or less at landfall. NHC is saying cat 4 with perfect conditions. They have two caveats of eyewall replacement and Cuba interaction that will make it cat 3. But they are saying cat 4 to be safe. Only a cat 5 causes destruction 20-30 miles inland, and beyond that cat 5 (Camille and Andrew) were more sporadic meaning people in flimsy houses or mobile homes need to leave.

[MayflowerMadam]

I’m probably wrong; God knows I’ve been pig-piled on about this plenty. But I believe that truth is more important than branding and principles are more important than branding. Disappointing that this organization caved the same way Ryan, McCain, etc., caved.

It would’ve been a perfect opportunity for them to have explained the truth to the public (assuming they knew the truth). People respect(ed) the Salvation Army; people would’ve listened to them.

I’m not a S.A. hater; I went to a S.A. summer camp in upstate NY when I was a kid when my uncle preached there. They’ve changed.

[mewzilla]

Wow! What befuddles me in this high tech age is the number of folks who don’t avail themselves of it and find other routes. Or failing high tech, use something like a DeLorme Gazetteer. Saw the same thing travelling south for the recent eclipse. Lots of warning that parts of I-81 S were a parking lot, but many didn’t use alternate routes. I don’t get it.

[rodguy911]

Weather channel’s Cantore was still saying less than an hour ago that the storm could get stronger or weaker. I didn’t see how it could get stronger but I’m not the expert. I only saw it getting weaker.
What is more likely and do we have an approximate landfall location in the keys?

[alancarp]

Ships bugging out by the dozens.

@CedarPosts :Massive flotilla lead by Disney Dream heading southwest out of Miami to avoid #hurricanirma this AM @spann @wxbrad"

(Also confimed on vesselfinder.com.)

[mewzilla]

On a charity-related note, Samaritan’s Purse is working Harvey, now Irma, too. :-)

[WVMnteer]

South Florida IS too big to evacuate as you are seeing.

The real problem in Houston (I live here) is that the storm went from tropical depression to category 3 on the beach in literally 3 days. I first learned that it was something to be concerned about on Tuesday morning. It hit us Friday night.

South Florida has at least had a few days warning here.

But the fundamental problem in Florida is that there is only one escape route (due North) and it is hundreds of miles long. I have friends and family in Florida and everyone has the same fear - getting stuck in traffic, running out of gas or having no place to stay near Orlando and then having the storm overtake them. Most people seem to think that the best bet is hunkering down at home with food and water nearby and hoping for the best.