Hurricane Frances : 2004-09-01 (New Thread)

Various | 2004-09-01 | Patton@Bastogne

[Patton@Bastogne]

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Free Republic Community:



Welcome to Wednesday's Hurricane Frances news-twist !

It looks like a Melbourne Landfall after all, once again (to Section9's worst fears) churning it's way North along the Coast Highway ...



Excellent Hurricane Frances Websites:

HURRICANE ALLEY

U.S. Weather Observers






Patton@Bastogne
Free Republic Member since 1998.



General George S. Patton Jr. Website

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[Patton@Bastogne]

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NonValueAdded,


Here's a question for you ...


My four (4) teenaged kids live in Melbourne (Palm Bay) with my ex-wife. I live and work in the Tampa St-Pete area.

Anyone familar with Melbourne Hurricane Evacuation Routes knows that I-95 (North/South) quickly becomes a very long parking lot.

Worse yet, the ONLY direct Highway West is the Two-Lane 192 which is a mangled under-construction mess, all the way from Melbourne to St. Cloud.

Therefore, I'm planning to request that my ex-wife evaculate with three (3) kids (via I-95 and then I-4) first thing Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, I'll be driving from Tampa to Melbourne, via Hwy-192, to ride the storm out at the kids' house, staying with my oldest son (16 years old).


Personally, I think Hurricane Frances comes ashore just north of Vero Beach, and literally rides Hwy-1 all the way to Jacksonville, destroying Patrick Air Force Base, Satellite Beach, NASA, and East Orlando in the process.


Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.



Patton@Bastogne


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[vollmond]

My parents are from Ft. Pierce (currently living in Jacksonville), and I don't like the looks of the current tracking. We could end up with a nice solid storm hit on the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. That's an event I've never wanted to see. Hopefully it pushes further north or south.

[submarinerswife]

We are traveling over there via 50. Will NOT travel through Oralndo. We are going to NewPort Richey (N. of Tampa)

[null and void]

That would be an odd path...

Yes taking 4 would be faster...

[Jennifer in Florida]

Where is Palm Bay? I'm in Cape Coral (we saw some "Charley"). I haven't been to the store yet this morning, but when I was out on Monday people were already buying water and the buzz was out about the storm. I have in-laws in Pt. St. Lucie and I'm waiting to hear if they're going to head out over here.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I'm just an amateur hurricane predictor... having lived in Houston for 45 years. My experience is.... when storms get this big, INERTIA keeps them moving in a straight line much longer than the experts, and their models predict.

I'd be more worried down Florida coast, and in the mid-gulf areas of Mobile to Fort Walton.

IMHO

[Swanks]

Personally I would play the percentages, get ahead of the crowd and get out of dodge. I.E. you KNOW that storm is coming into Fl, or at least a 50%/50% probability. That said, you also know that on Thurs, the 'parkinglot' situation will develop, probabillty 100%. Get out Wednesday ahead of the crowd, run for your lives, (and enjoy the Labor day weekend)

[submarinerswife]

destroying Patrick Air Force Base, Satellite Beach, NASA, and East Orlando in the process.
You're sending bad vibes...the entrance to Kennedy Space Center is 3 miles up the road from our development. Be safe...

[alancarp]

Respectfully, no - when Charley hit the west coast, it was pulled in by this effect, true. However, on the east coast, the spin coming from the opposite direction will tend to make the storm skip along before committing inland. This just adds to the bad news going around there today... a very lengthy eyewall hit is possible across a wide area.

[alancarp]

Palm Bay is in the south of Brevard county, adjacent to and south of Melbourne.

[alancarp]

(And Palm Bay's population is actually bigger than Melbourne's, but don't tell anybody -- Melbourne doesn't want that to get out).

[My Favorite Headache]

Shear is one thing...the gulf stream is another. The shear might effect it near landfall but the fuel will be right there to replace it.

[ZinGirl]

thank you for the update from Palm Bay. I have a cousin there (she tends to run on the hysterical end...but certainly well-meaning) and my father-in-law lives near Sebastian Inlet. Actually, he is planning on going to my cousin's in Palm Bay...or his son's house...also in Palm Bay.

[My Favorite Headache]

Had no clue we were neighbors! I know..the area is in total panic mode.

[TongRat]

Howdy vollmond,

St. Lucie nuclear power plant ? Lord have mercy-is there any talk of shutting down the reactor temporarily ? Daggumit-nuclear power plants are a terrorist target--yet another reason for my daughter to move-besides the dang hurricanes !

[ksen]

I'm in Palm Bay.......so.....where do you want to meet to clean up on Sunday?

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

God luv ya - I like your attitude!!! :-)

[NonValueAdded]

My folks are in Tampa. I remember one trip over where 192 was blocked by an accident. I took I-95 north to route 520, 520 to 528 (the "bee line") that gets you headed west towards Orlando. After the toll booth take the Greenway which cuts south west to I-4 around Disney. That eliminates the Orlando mess on I-4. To be super-safe, I-95 north directly to 528 bypassing 520. That gives you at least 2 lanes all the way. Just be sure to have money for tolls.

I-95 all the way up to I-4 in Daytona is too far North in my opinion. You will fight all that traffic just to fight your way back down I-4 which is mainly a south-west trek until you hit Orlando.

Palm Bay will be safe from the storm surge but most of the damage will come from winds and tornadoes. Emergency services will be hard pressed to deal with the barrier island damage. Even if the storm crosses over to the Tampa area, it's gonna recover much faster than will the east coast. If it misses, hey, it was a good drill. But if it hits ...

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I guess the good thing is that Charley raised everyone's awareness.

.... while flattening their homes and their trees....

(sorry I couldn't resist :-)

[Rainmist]

" Fixin to turn either north or south "


That's what I'd like to know - at what point does a hurricane start it's move ? Does that space between the tip of Florida and the Bahamas, that open space, cause its movement upward ( by wind, water movement, etc ) ? I just think that it's gonna go up, I really do. Living on the Ga coast, I know that you never say never where a hurricane is concerned. No one is saying anything about us, it's like we're being forgotten and it just makes me uneasy. Maybe it's too soon, maybe I should just chill and see what happens ...... LOL.