Hurricane Wilma Live Thread, Part IV

NHC - NOAA ^ | 24 October 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Category Three Major Hurricane Wilma is barreling toward the Southwest Florida coastline. The storm is packing wind speeds of 125mph, moving NW at 20mph, with an enormous eye 65 miles in diameter. Landfall is anticipated shortly in Collier County between 6:00 and 7:00AM ET.

Storm surge flooding of 9 feet to 17 feet is possible along the coast near and to the south of where Wilma makes landfall. Storm surge of 5 to 8 feet is predicted for the Keys. The storm has spawned tornados throughout the Florida peninsula since yesterday evening.

The following links are self-updating:

Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 0500, 0800, 1100 etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 0500, 1100, 1700, 2300 ET
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track

Wilma Forecast Track Archive
Forecast Models
Buoy Data SE Florida
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Florida
Florida Department of Emergency Management

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Florida Radar/Sat Loop Caution: Broadband users only
Extra Large Miami Radar Broadband only
Extra Large Key West Radar Broadband only
Miami Long Range Radar Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Loop
Miami Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Melbourne Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Key West Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Tampa Bay Radar Still image w/watches warnings

Streaming Video:

WBBH-TV/WZVN-TV Ft. Myers (WMP): http://waterbc.wm.llnwd.net/waterbc_netvideo
WESH-TV/DT Orlando/Daytona Beach (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:24028.ram
WFTV-TV/DT Orlando (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:20361.ram
WKMG-TV/DT Orlando (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:23942.ram
WPBF-TV/DT West Palm Beach (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:24035.ram
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (WMP): http://216.242.118.140/windowsmedia/asx/wsvn_broadband.asx
WTVJ-TV/DT Miami: http://nbc6.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=381015
WPLG-TV/DT Miami (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/8660/live/reflector:23941.ram
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (WMP): http://wfor.dayport.com/viewer/content/special.php?Art_ID=612&Format_ID=2&BitRate_ID=8&Contract_ID=2&Obj_ID={obj_id}
WTSP-TV/DT St. Petersburg/Tampa (WMP): mms://wmbcast.gannett.speedera.net/wmbcast.gannett/wmbcast_gannett_sep252004_1915_64623
Hurricane City (Real Player) - http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram
ABCNews Now (Real Player) - http://reallive.stream.aol.com/ramgen/redundant/abc/now_hi.rm

Additional Resources:

Pet Friendly Florida Shelter Info
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City
CrownWeather.com

Category	Wind Speed	Barometric Pressure	Storm Surge	Damage Potential
Tropical Depression	< 39 mph < 34 kts			Minimal
Tropical Storm	39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts			Minimal
Hurricane 1 (Weak)	74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts	28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more	4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m	Minimal damage to vegetation
Hurricane 2 (Moderate)	96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts	28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb	6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m	Moderate damage to houses
Hurricane 3 (Strong)	111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts	27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb	9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m	Extensive damage to small buildings
Hurricane 4 (Very strong)	131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts	27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb	13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m	Extreme structural damage
Hurricane 5 (Devastating)	Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts	Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb	Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m	Catastrophic building failures possible

Previous Threads:
Hurricane Wilma Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Wilma Part II
Hurricane Wilma Live Thread
Tropical Storm Wilma
Tropical Depression #24

[MIsunshine]

My Dad's home. His place between Naples & Marco, between the coast & the everglades, survived nicely. NO flooding, no major damage anywhere in his complex. Still without power though. The roads between Naples & his place were closed not because of damage or flooding, but to prevent looting in Naples. They're still closed, at least until power is restored. If anyone is going to Naples, you'll need to show ID to get in the city.

With heartfelt gratitude I thank everyone for your concern, advice, & prayers.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Don't beat yourself up too much. How many things are you RIGHT about. Thanks for all your hard work and the hard work of others to help others. You have probably made more positive difference than you know. KUDOS.

[jeffers]

I appreciate your thanks.

I'm not beating myself up. Predictions are almost always wrong in one way or another. When you're wrong, admitting it and moving on is much more efficient than trying to deny the obvious. You waste a lot more calories trying to build and maintain a false impression than you do admitting error.

That box is now checkmarked. Onward.

:-)

[jeffers]

The Indian Burial legend was the one I was referring to. I was pretty sure it had to do with Indians, but didn't have the time to wade back through the thread to find it.


One thing sure, anyone who believed it before is NEVER going to turn it loose now. It's set in concrete for evermore.

[jeffers]

synbad600 wrote:

"Good lesson to be learned. Never underestimate the
power of even a cat one hurricane."



Amen.

Matter of fact, it bears repeating:

"Good lesson to be learned. Never underestimate the
power of even a cat one hurricane."


Don't play around with the energy equivalent of a 10 MT hydrogen bomb exploding every twenty minutes. You'll get burned.

[jeffers]

MIsunshine
wrote:


"I think it was you that posted the storm surge map for Collier county. That's what finally got my dad out
of his one-story condo between the coast & the everglades."



No. I forget who did that. It was one of the regulars, but I can't remember exactly who. I posted a map of Marco Island with a 5' surge hoping to get your dad and Marak on the move, but it didn't work. If I remember right, I had your dad and Marak kind of mixed up and merged at the time, things get to happening fast and it happens that way sometimes.

I'm glad both are ok, that's what really matters.

[Marak]

I have lived on the island for 19 years and had never heard about the Indian Burial legend until last week, right here on FreeRepublic, so I don't think it will have any effect on future storm evacuations. People choose to stay and ride out a storm for a variety of reasons, but the Marco Island population is not a very superstitious one.

[patriciaruth]

Home Depot made an exception and took my credit card on the phone even though their computers are down.

The tarp they had left was I think 16x11 feet and they sold me 5 plus a boatload of firring and they were supposed to be nails and hammer, staple gun and staples in the lot.

I told the taxi driver that it was waiting for him, but not sure he can fit it in his car.

We are dependent on his cell phone for communication and as his wife is sick he isn't available most of the time. The people at Home Depot were going to give him the Verizon address where he can get a prepaid cell phone for my aunt.

Next time he is there and I have my aunt on the phone I am going to get her insurance information and try to contact her agent and see if he can line up someone licensed for us to hire to put on the tarps.

Thank you so much, Veni, for beating the bushes for us to find someone to do this, and thank you, vigil, for being on call to go help in case all our efforts fall through.

I just UPS'd some cash to my aunt to help her pay for the taxidriver's work and maybe labor for someone to put the tarps on. They say it will probably get there by Thursday evening.

That's all for now except to confirm that she won't have phones for another week and may not electricity either.

[Marak]

Gotta love those linemen. They are awesome!

LCEC is a coop utility and they constantly amaze me with their ability to get things done. They are awesome. So far everyone involved has been awesome. There is a good spirit of community here.

[patriciaruth]

Forgot this new information.

The tar paper is still on the roof, the tiles have blown off.

And she has found some leaks.

[patriciaruth]

Praying all is well soon on your end.

[VeniVidiVici]

Unfortunately, I'm still waiting on a call back. I called the chief's office today and my wife knows someone with Miami-Dade. But we're thinking both are swamped right now :-(

Also, a buddy of mine at work has a son at FIU. We're kind of thinking as a last resort maybe we can talk to him (the son)about doing it.

I still have a few things in the fire and hope to have something concrete to tell you tomorrow. Am I to understand Vigilante will help if we can't rustle anybody up?

[patriciaruth]

When he returned, his house was gone.

Good night!

[VeniVidiVici]

The tar paper is still on the roof, the tiles have blown off.

Well, that's good to know. At least there is something there to put the tarps on. I was afraid there wasn't any plywood left from the initial description.

[patriciaruth]

I'd be interested in top wind speeds on the East coast of SE Florida. That strengthening of the backside after the eye entered the Atlantic looked significant on the radar images.

[vigilante2]

it doesn't sound like the damage is very serious..Perhaps some neighbors could assist in putting up the tarps to stop the leaks..if the tar paper is still intact then it should be ok for awhile..If the stores run out of tarps you can buy rolls of heavy polyethylene plastic..it comes in all size rolls..the fir strips nailed vertically every couple feet will hold it down

[patriciaruth]

As a last resort if we don't have anything lined up by Friday, Vigilante2 says he might be able to make the long haul from Orlando this weekend to help.

Naturally we would pay him for this trip and for the work, and a motel room to overnight if needed.

My aunt is "eccentric" and won't let any of us come in her house, so he wouldn't be able to stay there if he had to overnight in the area.

[cll]

Through a network of cousins and aunts, we gather that she moved from her dorm to a friend's house. Still looking...

[patriciaruth]

It's a fairly flat roof with just a slight pitch in the old Spanish style from the when Curtis was developing the area and fell in love with Spanish style homes.

It was a small working class home back then, and is probably pretty delapidated now.

[patriciaruth]

The male neighbor is on parole for drug dealing.

Don't think she'll find anyone in the neighborhood fit enough to do this task.