And move books and papers and other easily damaged possessions upstairs. Good luck!
My relatives who evacuated during Irma said all the hotels they stayed at were like dog hotels. Lots of rooms had dogs. They’d hear barking up and down the hallways as they walked by. So don’t worry at all about your pets at the hotel. You won’t be the only ones who bring them.
It’s rained so much around here lately that all the streams are at their limits. I happened to be driving last Friday evening just as the storm hit and it was one of the heavier rainfalls I’ve ever had to navigate through.
We have a sump pump - they were required by code when our house was built.
Of course, when Hurricane Sandy hit and we lost power, the pump didn’t work so well :smack: We were lucky we just had a couple inches of water in the lower area of the basement. We were down there clearing out things that had been sitting on the floor when I became aware of a faint hum, and we realized power had just come back on. The water was gone within minutes.
We put in a water-powered backup after that (suggested by some folks on the Dope, I think). I expect we’ll be testing that out.
I decided to pop down to Costco last night to pick up some no-heat-required food (and a little bottled water). I was not the only one with that idea - the place was mobbed and the checkout line was longer than I’d ever seen.
I came out with one of the few cases of bottled water (yeah, yeah, but it is convenient and will last us years in normal use) they had left. Got several shelf-stable foods (dunno how the Madras lentils will be cold, but we can eat 'em and like 'em). I also got some Vienna sausages - which are vile in concept but as I recall surprisingly tasty if you’re hungry. I was not the only person getting such “treats”. I passed on the case of Spam someone else scored as I walked by.
And bread (we already have PB).
The checkout lines were as noted quite long, but as someone was loudly singing opera in the nearby employee breakroom, I didn’t mind.
A buddy of mine lives in Topsail Beach, NC. As near as I can tell from the storm maps, Florence is headed straight for his living room. He and the wife and dog bugged out this morning for safer climes.
My wife is now adamant about not leaving. She is worried about the cat. So say some prayers for us.
Can’t you take the cat along?
Too many pets for the hotels.
I think my wife is over stressed and not thinking clearly (which is hard right now). Everything we have is wrapped up in this house. She is fatalistic and I will stick by her.
If it keeps its track, you guys will likely be in the outer bands. You’ll probably get waves of rain, but it probably won’t be like that situation from Camille where so much rain was dropped in such a short time. Other places on the coast may get dumped on quickly, but I would guess your rain will not be as heavy. A big question is where it moves after it hits landfall. If it meanders north, you’re probably in for several days of heavy rain. Look at floodplain (or floodpain :)) maps of your area to gauge how likely it is for your house to flood.
Do you have any watercraft? If so, it’s a good idea to keep it handy. Even if your house doesn’t flood, it may make getting around easier after the storm.
You’ll probably be okay, but keep in mind that things can go bad extremely quickly. Think now what you’ll do if the water rises enough to enter the house. For example, they say to leave an axe in the attic as a way to escape if need be. Just be prepared for what could happen.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand this. You could potentially die in a hurricane and you are worried about the hotel? Just lie, and then put all your animals in your room.
Also, I understand that everything you have is wrapped up in your house, but what does you staying in danger do to help that?
Correction: everything you have is sleeping next to you in the bed (or will be in a pet carrier).
Things can be replaced.
People (and beloved pets) cannot.
Get the house in as good shape as you can and GTF out of there. The hotel is NOT going to be watching that closely as you smuggle the cat in.
Hell, bring her up here to NoVa. Our couch may not be as comfy as a hotel, we might lose power, but we’re not in a flood-prone area. and we need help eating those damn Vienna sausages!
Yeah, I would chance it with taking all my animals with me to the hotel. I would hope they would be accommodating under the circumstances. Better to ask for forgiveness later than permission now. There is a high probability you wont be the only one doing that.
Anyway, it’s easy for us not in your situation to offer advice (that is what you asked for), but only you are in your situation, while we are safely at a distance, so only you know what is best for you and the family. Anyway, now I know where Faber, VA is, so will keep an eye on the news. I will be keeping a good thought for you no matter what you decide to do.
I live right in the middle of the red zone. Luckily, I live on an incline, so not so much worried about flooding, but all the rain will probably cause more oak trees in my yard to fall. The ground becomes too saturated to support them. I watched one come down in my back yard last year and jar the earth when it landed. It didn’t hit anything, but hoo-boy it was scary.
This is an “F” hurricane, and in years past Fran and Floyd did the most damage in my area.
To inject a little levity…
Someone tell me this graphicis not obscene. Go ahead - I dare you! (warning - plays audio)
(Scroll down to the graphic titled Forecast models for Florence, as of 11:05 a.m. ET Tuesday.)
You have a dirty mind.
As long as its into THE Delaware and not into Delaware itself. That would be a disaster! I mean, the bars down there close at 1:00 am the last I knew.
I do indeed :D.
I think the residents of a certain town along I-95 in SC are thinking “what a stupid name we chose for our town!”. And I’m trying not to make jokes about “unwelcome visitor” and “Aunt Flo”…
/hijack
Here’s a flyer I got from work on hurricane preparation. Since it appears to have been written by a U. S. Government employee over the course of their official duties, it appears to be fair game for copying and redistribution.
ETA: You should be able to see this without a Google account. If this is not so, let me know and I’ll adjust the settings on the document till it works.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11cLxDK4_eP8b8kvDw2lmxhyGQR8w6jMi/view
Florence is a whole county in SC, not just the city. So there is the chance of Florence in Florence being hit by Florence.
I have friend who lives near the inland waterway near Myrtle Beach. He and his wife are staying and I half-jokingly told him to get a chain saw and put it in the attic in case they had to cut their way out. I think he may be doing so as I type. I think he’ll be O.K though with the eye predicted to make landfall much further north. The name of his street is Fallen Timber so, there’s that.
It might be a good idea to get pet cages, instead of them wandering around loose in the room.