I was quite impressed by this latest post in Dr. Jeff Master’s blog, on The Weather Underground. (Which, btw, is a just fabulous weather site, and Jeff Masters is my internet boyfriend)
Very dramatic pictures, and what should be a lesson to anyone thinking of riding out a hurricane.
I sometimes complain that I live in such a boring part of the world when it come to landscape and climate - but compared to this, maybe thats not too bad. :eek:
I don’t know if it was linked before, but The Big Picture has some impressive pictures, too.
I hadn’t seen those pictures before. You’re right, they’re pretty amazing! Those coffins scattered around…yikes!
Whether riding out a hurricane is a bad idea or not depends on several things:
1)Location where you plan to stay. (leave if you’re exposed on a barrier island)
2)Type of building you’ll be in.
3)Your level of preparedness.
4)Personal “toughness” for lack of a better term. Can you & yours handle the first two weeks of aftermath?
5)How badly do you need to be there after the storm is over?
As a native of South Florida, I rode out numerous hurricanes in my younger years. The old family home, built in 1915, was constructed with the idea that hurricanes would be coming.
We always had enough supplies. Grandpa assumed there would be no electricity, running water or stores open for two weeks. It was never that long, but we were ready.
My family was in the nursery business. We had to have “all hands on deck” as soon as the storm passed, or we might lose thousands of dollars worth of plants.
In Alabama, I was without electric service for 24 days following hurricane Opal in 1995. Thanks to my early training and the miracle of a modern portable generator, we made it ok.
To quote Ron White:
“It’s not THAT the wind is blowin’…It’s WHAT the wind is blowin’.”
Masters’ blog is also one of my favorites. If you’ve been reading along, you’ll remember that some folks blasted Masters’ repeating of NHC’s “certain death” warning.
I guess the folks who washed out to sea at Gilchrist can’t tell us that the NHC was right about that. 
Here’s another story about a survivor. Says he had “every intention of leaving” but why wait so late? It was a fatal decision for his friend, and he’s quite lucky to have lived to tell about it.
Hockey Monkey: I love Ron White. And he’s spot on with that one!
There is so much in that story that makes no sense - not least the odd decision making and the references to commandeering…
Here are a lot more pictures from the Austin American-Statesman
Honestly, I’d say whether or not it’s a bad idea depends on whether or not you value your life over whatever you feel you have to stay and protect. Given that you can’t predict exactly what a storm will do when it come ashore, and that hurricanes also really like to create tornados, I’d buy lots of insurance and get myself and my loved ones out, personally.
I do remember the criticism that he took, over that and over his warnings to get out of NO for the latest hurricane there, too. I really liked his reply, along the lines of 'I’m not a civil defense expert, but I am a hurricane expert, and this shit could be really bad."
And another vote for Ron White, he’s hi-larious.
That survivor story garnered absolutely drop zero of sympathy in me. I just don’t see how anyone could have been “caught off-guard”. He chose to stay to protect his valuable computer and drafting equipment, (the story did not say if the stuff survived the storm), and literally lost a friend in the process. It makes me angry that people are blaming anyone but themselves for the mess they are in.
That guy is one of the people currently being Pitted for whining about rescue services. Jesus, does CERTAIN DEATH not mean anything to you? He should just be counting his blessings he survived instead of complaining that no one came to rescue him.
Those pictures posted are something else. Personally, I’m terrified of hurricanes and those pictures don’t do much to change that.
Fixed link (it shouldn’t have that quotation mark at the end).