# Hurricane Irma \[and Maria\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446 "2017-09-04T01:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/61 "2017-09-05T20:55:55Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > Scratch that. I was ordered not to open my office tomorrow but to report to do final preps. My employees do not have to report tomorrow. The joys of management. Stay safe! I’m thinking of you (and all the other Dopers out there). ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/62 "2017-09-05T20:56:04Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is there funding assistance available? How does that work? > > Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk Funding is available. There is a set rate for a particular area. Hotel’s in Orlando are reimbursed at 114 per day. There is the standard mileage at .54 per mile and each employee and dependent will receive a per diem for that particular area. I think Orlando is about $50 per day each. Not sure what it is for Atlanta as I have never had to go that far. Only one vehicle is allowed but we will be taking two at our own expense. My hubs is in the A/C business and must have a vehicle and tools. After Hurricane Georges in 1998 I answered the phone for him and logged over 800 calls. I was hoarse. Business was good. Georges was retroactively declared a Cat 3 from the damage. When we made the decision to stay we thought it was a weak Cat 2. I will still get my regular paycheck for the days I am scheduled to work. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/63 "2017-09-05T21:23:13Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > Atlanta is 840 miles so about 16 hours. We were told to not try to do it in one day. It would be better to do it in one day than to get caught in truly massive traffic jams the second day. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/64 "2017-09-05T22:45:48Z")
FYI - I’m now in Titusville. Unsurprisingly lots of rooms are available and I grabbed a walk-in at a mid-scale national chain. But the phones at the desk are ringing non-stop with people asking about Sat night & later. The clerks tell them those nights are long since sold out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/65 "2017-09-05T22:54:56Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > I guess tropical storm winds start on Friday evening with the “eye” passing on Sunday if it were to come straight here. My understanding is tropical storm force winds extend out some 140 miles. Current (6pm Eastern Tue 9/5) NHC guidance is TS winds to ~140NM = ~160 statute miles in radius, or ~300 miles in diameter. Cat-1 hurricane winds are ~50NM = ~60SM radius or 120SM diameter. > [@Iggy](#): > > Cayman went through a Cat 4/5 during the 2004 season. > … > Don’t think you can ride this one out because you’ve been through a hurricane before. A Cat 5 is to a Cat 2 much like a tornado is to a breezy summer day. Totally different things. Just leave. Evacuate. Agreed. The core of Irma right now is producing the equivalent of an EF-4 tornado about 40 miles across. With a small 10-mile hole in the center. The Joplin MO tornado was an EF-5 and so had higher wind speeds, but was a paltry 1SM across. If Irma stays over water all the way to FL or the Keys or the Bahamas then whatever it hits will look like Andrew again. If it manages to drive the length of Cuba over land that will be really, really bad for them but produce a major improvement for SoFL. I haven’t been tracking the stock prices of insurers, but it can’t be good news for them either. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/66 "2017-09-06T01:21:11Z")
I looked up the Wikipedia page on [hurricane category ratings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffir%E2%80%93Simpson_scale). The quote that stands out is: > [@](#): > > According to Robert Simpson, there are no reasons for a Category 6 on the Saffir–Simpson Scale because it is designed to measure the potential damage of a hurricane to man-made structures. Simpson stated that “…when you get up into winds in excess of 155 mph (249 km/h) you have enough damage if that extreme wind sustains itself for as much as six seconds on a building it’s going to cause rupturing damages that are serious no matter how well it’s engineered”. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/67 "2017-09-06T01:41:24Z")
Pre-landfall federal emergency declaration already issued from DC for PR/USVI. Everyone quite unsettled. Should begin getting storm effects early morning, will be popping in if/whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/68 "2017-09-06T01:42:50Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Pre-landfall federal emergency declaration already issued from DC for PR/USVI. Everyone quite unsettled. Should begin getting storm effects early morning, will be popping in if/whenever possible. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/69 "2017-09-06T02:02:05Z")
My brother-in-law is flying out from Haiti tomorrow. The hotel and US embassy were built on a floodplain. I won’t relax until he’s in Florida (Jacksonville). Stay safe JRDelerious! ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/70 "2017-09-06T02:06:54Z")
I will be going to work (because it’s mandatory), on a motorcycle (because that’s all i own) If i make it here, i’ll pop in and say i’m alive, if not well i guess it wont matter then will it? Not as bad as it sounds i guess, i haven’t owned a car since i don’t know when, and i have gone to work in every hurricane we have had since 2002 and lived so far. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/71 "2017-09-06T02:18:12Z")
The news is saying Irma is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, with sustained winds of 185mph. My Dad is a contractor that works on power lines and just got done working in Texas after the hurricane and now his crew is on their way back to Florida to be on standby. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/72 "2017-09-06T02:20:20Z")
Somebody on a conference call today said that her son had just called her from St. Kitt’s, aka, the eye of the hurricane. So, not the best vacation ever. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/73 "2017-09-06T02:39:14Z")
I called into work (I’m on vacation this week to celebrate my milestone birthday) to see if they needed me to work from home. My boss said they’re good and to enjoy my week off. Our office down in Miami may have to bug out to where we are (we did a test a few years ago to make sure the computers and connections were set up so we could work out of each other’s offices if a storm blew through.) If we do lose power, I hope it’s back up for the Outlander Season 3 premier Sunday night. I heard the Keys are evacuating at sunrise tomorrow. Bets on how much partying is going on tonight? ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/74 "2017-09-06T08:50:21Z")
No changes in projected path. I guess we will leave the Lower Keys on Thursday morning. Visitors today and residents on Thursday. Lots of people are staying. My wood frame house was not built for this. I must report to work at 0900, at least for part of the day, to finish prep and paperwork. I have a sense of doom. Very unsettling not knowing if I will even have a home after this. Making the decision on what to take is not easy either. Small car. Dog and cat. We have a free place to stay above Orlando and will assess from there whether to go to Georgia. One of my employees refuses to leave. I am very worried for her. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/75 "2017-09-06T11:01:56Z")
This morning they said that the Keys water levels could be 10 ft above sea level it it hits…No matter the path, youre going to get rain, I’d not chance it. My mother is out east of Jacksonville on Amelia Island, she and my sister plus bf are heading to Atlanta on Friday depending on the direction. My mother on the other hand is nuts and of course wants to stay but she’s not. She lived in New Port Richey for a long time and has never had a problem so she thinks she would have it easy…NOPE! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/76 "2017-09-06T12:20:42Z")
Morning report: TS conditions expected here before noon, by which time I expect to lose electrical flow. By 1pm center is forecast at my latitude and 1.5 degrees east of my longitude. Nature observation: Already having periods of intermittent rain. Since yesterday the birds have been acting up all wacky. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/77 "2017-09-06T12:36:24Z")
You’ll be in our thoughts, update whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/78 "2017-09-06T14:42:21Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Morning report: TS conditions expected here before noon, by which time I expect to lose electrical flow. By 1pm center is forecast at my latitude and 1.5 degrees east of my longitude. > Nature observation: Already having periods of intermittent rain. Since yesterday the birds have been acting up all wacky. Please be safe, I truly hope that you get out relatively unscathed. Why would lose powe in TS winds? ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/79 "2017-09-06T15:01:27Z")
All Islanders please report in if possible. Today is the calm before the storm. Blue skies, birds singing but very hot and humid. This is all surreal. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446/80 "2017-09-06T15:20:50Z")
Intermittent drizzles have begun in my little southeast corner of Hispaniola. We expect gale force winds and lots of rain. The mass of Irma will be much further north. Our daughter is in school, but no school tomorrow. I have made almost no preparations. No extra food (we generally have food for a week) and I will fill up some water bottles to freeze and keep our freezer colder in case of short periods without power. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irma-and-maria/795446.md?page=5)