Seasoned Vets Please Help!!!!!!!

[chigger11]

Please dont disregard this b/c I am not a weather pro. I live in Jupiter and need some answers. I live about 2 miles off the coast and live in a 2 story frame house. If a Cat 4 or 5 hits direct, what will the effects be on my home. I am supposed to be closing on a mortgage on Tuesday and am moving into a similar home merely blocks away over the weekend. Can someone give me an idea of what to expect. If it were to be say 20 miles north of us, what would those effects be as well.

Sorry for the waste of a post. I am a long time watcher and have always wished to see the effects of a hurricane(sad but true). I will admit that I was slightly disappointed that I got no severe weather from Charley. I promise that I will never wish for something like this to come near me again after I saw the results of Charley. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[charleston_hugo_veteran]

what home....you wouldnt have a home left....sorry....

[Agua]

Two miles from beach? Assuming no flood hazard, your house would most likely be toast.

[drudd1]

Wow, that is unfortunate timing. While none of us could predict with any certainty what condition your home would be in after the storm, a direct hit could be devastating. With a storm of this magnitude, if the storm hit 20 miles north, you would receive winds just as strong as a direct hit. Irregardless, both homes would be exposed to the same level of winds. Is your home in a mandatory evacuation/flood zone, I am assuming it is. The only significant difference in say, the storm hitting north of you, would be storm surge, being south is much, much better.

[GalvestonDuck]

A direct hit...and you're 2 miles off the coast? Given that fact that the eye is (last time I checked) 30 NAUTICAL miles wide, I'd say a direct hit on the coast in Jupiter would be a direct hit on you.

It seems we're all still uncertain about where landfall will be. But if it is going to come to you or close to you, pack up early and get out. Have insurance for your home, but don't try to stay and "save" it. You can't hold it together on your own, especially not during a major 'cane.

Praying for your safety...and for something miraculous in regards to intensity and path.

And it's definitely not a waste of a post. Don't ever worry or apologize for asking a question here. We're here to help.

[BensonTCwatcher]

There are a lot of factors, but a strong cat 4 or cat 5 will cause catastrophic damage around the eyewall and will likely cause roofs to be blown off and many broken windows and trees down in the 74+ mph wind zone. I have personally been it though 180 knot winds ( super typhoon Flo) and if your house was not made fron concrete with bullet proof windows, you have no business near the eyewall if you can get out. Picture a 50 mile wide F-2 tornado

[Agua]

Category Four Hurricane:
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km). Hurricane Luis of 1995 was a Category Four hurricane while moving over the Leeward Islands. Hurricanes Felix and Opal of 1995 also reached Category Four status at peak intensity.


Category Five Hurricane:
Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required. Hurricane Mitch of 1998 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity over the western Caribbean. Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity and is one of the strongest Atlantic tropical cyclones of record.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml

[stormie_skies]

IF you havent closed on the home yet, you probably wont be able to. Your lender will refuse to fund your loan unless your home is insured, and insurance companies wont take on new clients if a hurricane is approaching.

At least thats how it works here on the Texas Gulf coast. Call your agent and ask him or her about this....or your title company.

So if I were you, I would make sure that your current home is still insured, and I would keep an eye on the weather.....and keep yourself safe!

[anjou]

I have personally been it though 180 knot winds ( super typhoon Flo) and if your house was not made fron concrete with bullet proof windows, you have no business near the eyewall if you can get out. Picture a 50 mile wide F-2 tornado

Benson, having been through what you went through, I'm curious about what you recommend vs. don't as far as the entire east coast of Florida and Central Florida goes? Is it your opinion that those who aren't advised to evac should stay, or are you for leaving Tuesday/Wednesday if you're anywhere along the east coast, or what?

I'm not in Florida myself, but given what you went through I'm curious about whether you fall on the very pro evacuate-now-as-a-precaution side of the fence or not. Thanks.

[bosag]

I live in Jupiter too, the problem is WHERE DO YOU GO. Would Indiantown be good? but thats right by the lake. would there be a chance of flooding there? We are 3-4 miles from the coast and considering hunkering down. Our house is cbs, actually we had additions built around parts of the original house (to enlarge it), so what used to be the original outside windows are now either open shelve space or blocked up. We may block up those spaces to give us a "house w/in a house" thingy I guess, so we have interior walls that are cbs in addition to the exterior walls. does that make sense? LOL! Its getting very nerve-wracking now.

Barb

[quickychick]

IF you havent closed on the home yet, you probably wont be able to. Your lender will refuse to fund your loan unless your home is insured, and insurance companies wont take on new clients if a hurricane is approaching.

At least thats how it works here on the Texas Gulf coast. Call your agent and ask him or her about this....or your title company.

Same here on the MS Gulf Coast. A friend was a day away from closing when Bonnie formed, and closing was delayed until after she was gone.

Good luck with everything...

-qc

[Brent]

Worse case scenario for you would be the eye coming in just south giving you an onshore flow and thus the surge(13-18 feet if it's a Cat 4) would devastate the area. North of you, yes the winds would be bad, but the flow would be offshore, so no surge.

[wlfpack81]

bosag & chigger11, I'd strongly suggest you evacuate if it looks like you'll be within 30-40 miles of the eyewall at landfall with Frances. I'm not talking about just 30-40 miles from the center but even 30-40 miles from the outer eyewall itself. With the strength of this storm being within 40 miles of the eyewall will probably get you winds well over 74mph since this storm at the moment has shown an impressive windfield. And if this things were to come in south of you then 13-18ft storm surge would cause flooding well inland. I wouldn't want to lose any fellow 2korg members b/c they failed to leave the area.

*Following suggestions are based on Frances striking the Cent Fl coast at a NW/NNW-ward angle and continuing a NW/NNW-ward track through Fl into S-ern Ga*

Based on the current forecasted track (though it'll change some obviously between now and tomorrow) you wouldn't want to evac north into Ga so going w, wsw, or sw-ward away from the forecasted point of impact is good. Not only would that keep you inland but it'd also keep you on the weaker side of the storm and you wouldn't have to worry about an increased tornado threat as well. Now when I say move w/wsw/w-ward I'm not talking about 5 miles or so but maybe 100-150 miles or so if not farther. TS winds extend out pretty far with this storm (185 miles or so) but at least going 100 miles or so sw-ward of the predicted landfall point would put you on the fringes of the storm.

Again though if you evacuated you'd want to make sure you'd move w/wsw/sw-ward away from the location where Frances would make landfall. Of course if the location and angle of "attack" so to speak on FL has a lot to do with where'd you go. Should this storm come in farther north or south and at an different angle (saw w-ward) you'd have to adjust your movement.