Would you evacuate?

[Frantastic]

mrschad

these clips might help you decide

http://www.ExtremeStorms.com

[inotherwords]

I made the decision to evacuate for Charley, and I'm glad I did. I caged up my cat and bird and piled in the car and headed for Miami. The storm damage ended just 9 miles away, and the brunt of the worst part was just 25-30 miles away. Driving home on I-75, I could not believe what I saw, and that wasn't even in a populated area.

I was lucky only to have a little bit of yard damage, but I have to say that I'm glad I left only for the fact that if you've ever been in one of these storms, even a small one, it's terrifying, and you really don't know how bad it's going to get before it's over. For my own sanity I got out of Dodge, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. This time I think I'm staying as there is little chance of storm surge on the W coast (I live 1/2 mile from the GOM) and winds here aren't expected (so far) to be too bad. I'm thinking I could ride out a II if I had to (I have before) but anything bigger and I'm outta there. If this was bearing down on me, if I was in central coastal FL, I'd already be boarded up and gone.

[LaBreeze]

As Soonertwister mentioned - wild animals of all sorts will try to share your shelter. This is true as I did witness such a thing many years ago. In 1957 (yes, I'm older than that), I experienced a Cat. 4 hurricane - Hurricane Audrey. Although I was young, I do remember seeing one of the beds in my grandparents home which seemed completely black. The water was starting to subside from the first floor of the house and my father told me not to go near the bed - the black that I remember was actually snakes. It was covered with snakes trying to escape the water. The entire hurricane was frightening, but I remember this scene as well as the broken graves in the cemetery. Some caskets had floated out of the broken graves and came to rest in trees. I would evacuate - no question.

[Aimless]

I have both my parents living with me - both on oxygen and nebulizers... AC is is a necessity and one is on dialysis.

I can't convince either to leave..... yet .... I have reservations at a hotel in Tampa, Gainesville and Tallahasee..... just waiting to get a better feel for the track before I force them (and my daughter) into the car ...bound and gagged if necessary ... Thursday morning.

I live in the same red dot as MrsChad.

However, I intend to return to the house ... dogs, cats, birds to care for.... cement block older home with a center hall with no windows and a supporting wall on both sides of hall..... God I'm scared.

[wlfpack81]

I'm about 7 miles inland in Jacksonville, FL. I'm planning to stay put if it heads this way.

Well, then deadcities your name may be forshadowing then if this things comes in just south of Jville and you stay in your house. I'd recommend you get the heck out of there as the current track as of 11pm would still give Jville hurricane force winds not to mention the angle of attack from still storm would cause bad flooding to the north of the eye all the way up into Georgia. Nothing worse than a hurricane coming in at an angle such as Frances may do + a coastline that's oriented at a 45 deg angle.

[incogneato]

When Floyd was approaching Wilmington, Nc a few years back as a Cat 4 we decided to head up to stay with family in Charlotte. We didn't leave until the morning of the day it made landfall. A drive that normally takes 3.5 hours took over 8 hours to make. If the storm had taken a path inland like Hugo it's likely that we along with thousands of other motorist would have been killed.
I'm not advising you don't evacuate, but if you do decide to leave- get out as soon as you can. Your house is a safer place to be than your car.

This is what I'm thinking. It is impossible for us to leave to go anywhere tomorrow, and I'm convinced that Thursday will be too late to try to leave, even provided our truck would make it in the stop-and-go traffic (it's very old and not very reliable). I'm hoping that since our home was built so recently that it is up to all of the current codes, but it still scares the bejesus out of me . As far as supplies, we're stocked and as ready as I suppose we could be, if such a thing is possible.

'Neato

[LaBreeze]

Go West young man (or woman). If you evacuate north, Frances may follow and dump flooding rains and whatever else.