Hurricane Irene

[Viggen 644]

Mass exodus from the Carolina coast for the impending impact there. Possibly slamming into Long Island as a Category 2. Weather Channel is saying this could be the worst storm in centuries in the North East. Don't think a hurricane has hit the North East since before I was born. I live in Central Massachusetts but already my local Walmart is running out of non-perishable food and flashlights (how can people not have one?). What are people's reactions down in New Jersey or New York City?

 

Is a lot this just media overhype or are they just trying to prevent another Katrina like incident?

[+Typhoid 231]

A cat II will do some damage if the place isn't ready for one. For an area that is hit regularly - not so much. Everyone is normally prepared.

 

A Hurricane hasn't made landfall in the US for a couple of years now - so everyone is "out of practice" and I imagine the media hype will be a bit, er, overblown.....

 

It certainly will be a dangerous storm. A cat II is nothing to sneeze at.

 

At the moment it is forecast to be a Cat IV but "only" a Cat III when it hits the coast and a Cat II by the time it hits mid-Atlantic.

Edited August 25, 2011 by Typhoid

[dsawan 624]

I am taking this seriously as we havent had a serious one since 1991 or 2 in Boston, MA. See track below;

 

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/08/irene-storm-track-moves-west-timing-impact-still-uncertain/3YJdvbStvxmrBPVnIom9XM/index.html

[Viggen 644]

It's gonna head right over Springfield and Westfield. Depending on how big it is looks like Worcester might get part of the eye wall. Guess I should expect a call asking for Civil Air Patrol members to volunteer in post storm clean up and relief.

[MAKO69 186]

Vig I live right next door to you I remember Gloria 1986 I think, I was active duty for Bob though.

[Fubar512 1,350]

What are people's reactions down in New Jersey or New York City?

 

Is a lot this just media overhype or are they just trying to prevent another Katrina like incident?

 

Well, so far, my area of central NJ has already received over 14 inches of rainfall for just the month of August (the average is just over 4 inches). The ground is pretty saturated, and we're expecting an additional 4 to 8 inches from Irene. As it is, the parking lot in my complex had almost a foot of water from a series of heavy downpours just this past Sunday....

 

Most of the projected tracks for Irene have the eye coming either through my town, or a few miles to either side of it (I live 7 miles inland from the coast). So you can say that most people around here are somewhat concerned.

 

Oh, and Mako69, Gloria was in September of 1985...I vividly recall having to secure my (then) brand new boat, in advance of that storm. When I checked it a day after the hurricane passed, one mooring line had almost chafed through, but everything was otherwise ok.

[Falcon161 3]

YeahIm dead center of its Sight Picture too! Oh well guess a good time to stock up on MRE's!!!!!!

[+ST0RM 145]

The KC-135s from the NJ ANG at McGuire will be evac'd to McConnell tomorrow. Wish we'd get some of the fighters and a bit of the rain. Droughts suck! (Water and photo ops)

[ironroad 218]

I hope everyone stays safe and makes it through, hopefully this joker will swing out to sea.

 

The media has a way over hyping things (hey it gets them attention and ad revenue), but that is still no reason to scoff or take it as a joke.

 

I have seen Northeasters and tropical depressions do some major flood damage to the upper south and mid-Atlantic. I vividly remember getting flooded out during a cat 2, and loosing power for a few days during a tropical depression (flooding uprooted a lot of trees).

 

Everyone in the region laughed off the quake, however; I found out later that some high-rise apartments not to far from my house suffered major structural damage and the residents have been sleeping at a local shelter still waiting to see if they can go home.

 

You never know...

Edited August 26, 2011 by ironroad

[+Veltro2k 6,351]

Looks like my Area is going to get hit also.....To ALL Effected...Prepare and Keep Safe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MigBuster 2,884]

Good luck with this one to all affected - lets hope it dies out a bit.

[+Gepard 11,323]

Sorry guys, but always if i see extrem weather situations in the USA, i ask myself, why they dont build weather proof buildings? This tiny houses made by wood, no wonder that a storm can do maxium destruction.

 

Dont want to offence one, hope that all will be fine if the storm is over.

[+daddyairplanes 10,252]

The KC-135s from the NJ ANG at McGuire will be evac'd to McConnell tomorrow. Wish we'd get some of the fighters and a bit of the rain. Droughts suck! (Water and photo ops)

i know/ i was at Dix for training til last night and the planes were takin off steady thursday night gettin outta dodge. raced the storm home to NC last night as the last three days of training got cancelled. wonder what happened to the B-17 that landed in the area on thurs....

 

and to gepard, with a hurricane there is no such thing as weather proof. if a Cat 5 were to hit the Pentagon it would be badly damaged. hope it weakens signifigantly before hittin Jersey and NYC

Edited August 27, 2011 by daddyairplanes

[Fubar512 1,350]

Sorry guys, but always if i see extrem weather situations in the USA, i ask myself, why they dont build weather proof buildings? This tiny houses made by wood, no wonder that a storm can do maxium destruction.

 

Dont want to offence one, hope that all will be fine if the storm is over.

 

Michael,

 

There are homes right on the New Jersey coast (in a town called Seabright), that are over 160 years old. They have seen quite a few weather events in their lifetimes, where winds (or wind gusts) have exceeded 130 KPH, have been flooded at least once every few years, and they are still standing.

 

This is literally all that separates the town from the fury of the Atlantic Ocean:

 

 

The bulk of the town sits on a narrow strip of land, that's less than 100 meters wide, that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Navesink River. I understand that it's almost impossible for homeowners there to obtain flood insurance

 

Edited August 27, 2011 by Fubar512

[Fubar512 1,350]

Here's Youtube footage from Friday evening, a good 8-10 hours before Hurricane Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

 

[Fubar512 1,350]

Here's a link to some footage from this morning:

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/raw-irene-in-nags-head-nc-21701#loc=41/169/21704

[ironroad 218]

Sorry guys, but always if i see extrem weather situations in the USA, i ask myself, why they dont build weather proof buildings? This tiny houses made by wood, no wonder that a storm can do maxium destruction.

 

Dont want to offence one, hope that all will be fine if the storm is over.

 

Hurricanes are a routine occurrence from the Gulf states up to the mid-Atlantic region of the US, and most people are use to them.

 

However, affordability is the main driving factor. Those who can afford to build (or renovate)in order to mitigate the factors of these storms, but not everyone (in fact most people) can not afford to build and or move into a bunker complex....

 

We have had strong, category 4 hurricanes blow through here, only to see a few tree limbs in the yard. but we have also had supposedly "weaker" storms come through and wipe out half the state.

 

Mother nature is a unpredictable and uncontrollable thing, and you just prepare for the worst...

Edited August 27, 2011 by ironroad

[+Stary 2,427]

I soo hope it will cause no mayor damage and loss of life, yet I find Gepards comment very well put. Maybe it's because we europeans used to brick or concrete or ceramic blocks houses for ages...

 

be safe guys!

[+Veltro2k 6,351]

Winds starting to pick up..tornado warning we will get hit later tonight

[ironroad 218]

I soo hope it will cause no mayor damage and loss of life, yet I find Gepards comment very well put. Maybe it's because we europeans used to brick or concrete or ceramic blocks houses for ages...

 

be safe guys!

 

 

You can slap a hardened aircraft shelter down in the middle of one of these hurricanes and there is still a high chance it will take damage. These hurricanes don't just spawn winds, but tornadoes (often several at once), and torrential down pours that lead to extreme flooding (the leading cause of death in these storms on the US east coast).

 

I see where you guys are coming from, but nothing is indestructible, and bricks don't float...

[+Veltro2k 6,351]

and the flooding begins...about 2 feet on the main road

[Dagger 21]

[+Gepard 11,323]

You can slap a hardened aircraft shelter down in the middle of one of these hurricanes and there is still a high chance it will take damage. These hurricanes don't just spawn winds, but tornadoes (often several at once), and torrential down pours that lead to extreme flooding (the leading cause of death in these storms on the US east coast).

 

I see where you guys are coming from, but nothing is indestructible, and bricks don't float...

 

Of course a Tornado or a Hurrican will damage west or central european style houses too. Sure. But the damage is not as bad as we can see it in the USA very often. When we have such Tornados here in Germany the damage is mostly that the roofs are blown away, but with the US light houses the entire house is gone. Its simpler and cheaper to rebuild a roof, than a entire house.

Here an example, two photos, a german village before Tornado came and after hit by Tornado.

 

 

 

A american style village would have been flatted.

 

 

By the way and OT. When the germans had had their colonies in Africa hundred years ago they build houses with clay. The walls of this clay houses were 1 meter or more thick. With the result, that the houses were cool and comfortable. In 1919 the british came and build light wooden houses and the inhabitants sweat, because it was hot in this houses.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Gepard

[+Stary 2,427]

We do have "small" by comparision tornadoes in Poland too since few years (2012 marketing?) and that's true damage caused is mostly shattered roofs, specifically on old buildings.

Ok, apart from that was a here known case of bus with some 40 passengers inside on a speedway turned upside down by the tornado that passed meters away, you can search for clips recorded from inside on the web. Scary.

 

not so completely OT: In southern Poland in mountainous area I live in it's quite common to design new houses with reinforced concrete 29x29 posts every 150-200 cm on the roof floor to which the the roof construction is tied via usually 16x16cm wall plate, roof rafters are usually 8x18, 8x20 or 8x22 (rarely 10x22) cm here, given the snow coverage weight safety regulations. Oh, and we do typically 40-45 degree roofs (again, regulations)

 

Here's an example of building now under construction, shops and garages on the ground floor with owner's home in the first (roof) floor:

 

 

 

 

 

It's slightly bigger than typical home for my area given the owner's small shops and magazines on the ground floor, but the same rules and materials are here used for standard "single family homes", notice these concrete posts to which roof construction will be bolted in weeks to come.

 

Just to add to Gepard's post

 

(BTW It was my first building I designed as an architect hehe)

[eraser_tr 29]

I can't speak for more coastal areas, but so far I am unimpressed for all the hype.