Questions about Hurricanes for Long Time SoWal Residents

[Geo]

Hi All:

When was the last time a hurricane hit (or near missed) SoWal? How bad was the damage?

We've lived in Santa Rosa Beach (near Spooky Lane beach access) since February. I think we are about 600 feet from the beach and about 30+ feet above sea level...

Some folks we've met say that after living here for the last 20 years that the most they've had from storms is a torn soffit. And I've heard that the new building code is such that homes built after 2004 would do well if/when something comes through...

I took some comfort in this but got quite freaked out after a drive through Pensacola Beach last weekend. It was like a ghost town, roads are still being rebuilt (or not- they're closed) and I got the impression that everything there is/was rebuilt recently- is it because it was recently wiped out???

Of all the buildings near my house, I would love to know which ones have been through a storm and what the outcome was. Can't tell the age of most of them...

Would love to hear some personal experiences from folks in the area who have experienced it- I guess the good, bad and ugly just so I know realistically what to expect...

Been worried a lot lately. Don't know if I should be as much as I am or if I have been seeing too many weather channel segments.
:idontno:

I know the same thing happened to me after watching Shark Week recently!
:eek:


Cheers, GW

[savvytangerine]

Well - I've lived here my entire life and been really lucky. So far the only things lost have been trees, part of a fence, and torn bit of siding.

Having said that, know that the main damage from most storms is storm surge/water damage.

I remember having a teacher one year freaking out because a leavel one/tropical storm was coming our way. Meanwhile I was like, "It's only a ONE!" :blush:

[Beachbummett]

Well - I've lived here my entire life and been really lucky. So far the only things lost have been trees, part of a fence, and torn bit of siding.

Having said that, know that the main damage from most storms is storm surge/water damage.

I remember having a teacher one year freaking out because a leavel one/tropical storm was coming our way. Meanwhile I was like, "It's only a ONE!" :blush:

yeah they are not so bad, i have stayed in our house through two tropical storms, just lots of wind and rain. heck, fff and i think it's a great time to go out and look at property, you will know what property floods! :biggrin: just ask bobby j!:wave:

[jodiFL]

These were taken during Dennis. I think it was the last one that reached a 2 (maybe?) We had absolutely no damage (off Bay Dr.) but the beach got eroded really bad.The walkover in the first pic is where the water is rushing out of Western Lake in the second. The first one was taken at landfall and the second about 2-3 hours later.

[jodiFL]

Found a few more.... First pic is at my house off Bay drive during the height of Dennis and the second is at Grayton the day after.

[florida girl]

I've been through quite a few, Eloise was probably the worst, we got a direct hit. Huge trees down everywhere. Opal was miserable, they called in the Miami riot police who were harassing everyone as though we didn't have enough to do. Hwy 98 from Destin East Pass bridge was gone for quite a distance. Ivan was bad, a sailboat got stranded in the middle of 331 causeway and caused a blockage for 3 days. No one could get through. Water stayed up for 3 days. We didn't have power for about 5 days with Eloise, 3 days for Ivan. During Ivan, we were surrounded by water fro 3 days, had to use a boat to get out.

By the way, the photo on the right is the Officer's Club on the Island after Ivan.

[sandflea]

Im a lifelong local and my bro used to work for NOAA...so I hope I can convey this as well as my bro did. I also preface this to say that I am somewhat of a thrill seeker so take this as you will.

I took my dad out of here (Destin proper) or Opal and we swore we wouldnt do it again. My mother (FWB) stayed. She's at 35' and we were at 30' above sea level. Getting back into town was hell but we did it and checked on our homes.

Ivan was like a horror movie-you're cooped up somewhere, boarded up, can't see anything and hearing AAAALLLLL kinds of noises outside....whats that...whats that....whats THAT!!! I live in a townhouse neighborhood. We were fine but spent the day after pulling valuables out of my neighbors homes across the parking lot. We had 2 twisters comes thru. Good community spirit tho- everyone pooled their perishables and we had community cookouts. Slept on our balconies (no AC). The untouched shared their showers.

Dennis was more hype- I actually had family members calling crying and saying 'goodbye'. Actually, lots of wind and rain- other than that- we were fine. I will admit- I went to bed the night before and it was a Cat 1, got up the next AM and it was a Cat4...I actually puked from the fear. We had my dad's screen door open the whole time...no worries.

There is no doubt that ANY storm will wreak havoc on the beach- as far as structures...I think it all depends on how you prepare for it. If you are in a low lying area, get out.

However, a lot of ppl here have been thru so many, incurred so much debt leaving town and so afraid of looting that they've decided to stay.

In the end- I guess it's all in what you are prepared to bear. I've got a ton of pix...but too lazy to post, right now anyway

DISCLAIMER - Be prepared to sustain yourself for 4(FOUR) days before help can arrive. This was always the case even BEFORE Katrina)

[Smiling JOe]

DISCLAIMER - Be prepared to sustain yourself for 4(FOUR) days before help can arrive. This was always the case even BEFORE Katrina)Considering how slow they were at getting people out of NOLA after Katrina, I'd plan for more days to get out of SoWal. Help might get here in four days, but they may not be able to assist everyone in need at that time.

[sandflea]

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane- had the levees held, they'd have been ok-A LOT of ppl would have been ok. My cousins were caught up in that whole thing.

Actually- govt aid (food and water) was here for us (Destin)within 2 days...if that. It certainly depends on the conditions for them trying to get back in

The thing is- you're warned to get out(via TV, radio,etc) - if you don't you are taking your life in your own hands after that.

[sandflea]

Additionally...the slow response to the ppl in NOLA was caused by the shooting at help officers in the area...does everyone forget THAT

[florida girl]

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane-


??? So,,,, what caused the floods if not the storm surge brought about by the hurricane?

[sandflea]

eeerrrr- the levee walls breaking

Had the levee's not given way- New Orleams wouldnt have flooded

[kurt]

As for Pcola Beach - it was devestated by Ivan and Dennis. It is located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island which is basically a sand bar - very low. They had miles and miles of beautiful tall dunes that were washed into the sound by Ivan, leaving the area completely flat.

[Beachbummett]

I've been through quite a few, Eloise was probably the worst, we got a direct hit. Huge trees down everywhere. Opal was miserable, they called in the Miami riot police who were harassing everyone as though we didn't have enough to do. Hwy 98 from Destin East Pass bridge was gone for quite a distance. Ivan was bad, a sailboat got stranded in the middle of 331 causeway and caused a blockage for 3 days. No one could get through. Water stayed up for 3 days. We didn't have power for about 5 days with Eloise, 3 days for Ivan. During Ivan, we were surrounded by water fro 3 days, had to use a boat to get out.

By the way, the photo on the right is the Officer's Club on the Island after Ivan.

:idontno: We came over the 331 bridge the day (evening) after Ivan and there was a sailboat on the left side of the road before you start over the bridge southbound but it was not blocked. We had no power at our house in Seagrove on 30-A that evening when we rolled in, however One Seagrove Place was lit up like a Christmas tree and we spent the night in one of our condo's there. Talk about eerie, the guard, Sweetie, FFF and I were about the only ones in that big ole high rise. The following morning we went to our house in Seagrove started checking it out and the power came on, so we had power about two days later. I will post pics later, they are not on this computer.

One thing that stands out in my mind is that next day we passed Criolla's and there was a big sign out there for free food that evening. It made me well up and start crying. The fellowship we have in SoWal is incredible.:wub:

I remember I found SoWal after Dennis and some guy named Smiling JOe kept going out and checking on people's houses/property for them and giving them reports.

[Smiling JOe]

NOLA Floods weren't actually caused by the hurricane- had the levees held, they'd have been ok-A LOT of ppl would have been ok. My cousins were caught up in that whole thing.

Actually- govt aid (food and water) was here for us (Destin)within 2 days...if that. It certainly depends on the conditions for them trying to get back in

The thing is- you're warned to get out(via TV, radio,etc) - if you don't you are taking your life in your own hands after that.
I hear you, but what happens if the three roads coming into SoWal are blocked or washed away? If we get directly hit by a major storm, we should expect there to be some major problems.

[Smiling JOe]

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. If you want to read about the mother of storms, I believe it was back in 1929, or sometime around then, and it was bad. I've heard some stories about that storm which sound a bit exaggerated, but who knows?

While the storms of 2004 and 2005 did major damage to the dunes and beach, and many homes built directly on top of the dunes, they didn't really affect most properties, nor did they actually hit directly in SoWal. Had homes not been built directly on the dunes, it is safe to say that the damage would have been nominal, and people wouldn't have spent millions of dollars for seawalls and sand, nor would we be paying for beach nourishment.

[Arkiehawg]

SJ,

I learned a lot from Ivan, Dennis and even Rita. We were not in the direct path, yet close enough that we had significant beach errosion, resulting in several damaged homes. The last Cat 3 that hit us directly(my review of records show around BMB +/-) was Eloise in 1975.

Just think of the damage to SoWal if a Cat 3 hits directly or around Old 98? I'm afraid that many, many of our beautiful homes on the beach would no longer be on the beach, but part of it!

It has happened a couple of times in the past 100 years and it will again.....someday....Mother Nature always wins..:shock:

[Uncle Timmy]

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. .

Actually, Opal came ashore near Navarre, but that put Destin and SoWal on the strong side.

Regardless, some of the best advice any long time local ever gave me was -"When there is even a small chance of a storm effecting our area, fill up the car with gas and hit the ATM for cash."

That turned out to be great advice as both gas and cash go fast when a storm approaches and people are thinking about evacuating.

[BeachSiO2]

As many have pointed out, the storm surge component of hurricanes is typically the biggest impact to an area unless the size of the storm is in the 4-5 range as most new building codes are based on Miami-Dade and Hurricane Andrew. The tornadoes that are spawned from the hurricane are a different story however.

Keep in mind, that the areas NORTH of Hwy 98 are typically lower than the areas closer to the beach as the land actually slopes downhill from the dune to the bay. The beachfront areas most at risk will be the areas around Coastal Dune Lakes. On the bay side, one area comes immediately to mind, Driftwood point, north of the hospital. The road out of there was flooded with Ivan and I don't know about Dennis.

[beachmouse]

The south side of Scenic 98 in Miramar Beach got hit very, very hard in spots during Ivan. If you know where to look, there are buildings there that are still uninhabitable and basically untouched since the storm.

[BeachSiO2]

The south side of Scenic 98 in Miramar Beach got hit very, very hard in spots during Ivan. If you know where to look, there are buildings there that are still uninhabitable and basically untouched since the storm.

Dune Allen and Blue Mountain also had areas that lost the beach side of the house due to being slab on grade structures and the beach washing out from underneath them. Geowickey if you are back 600 feet, that should not be a problem for you.

[yippie]

Considering how slow they were at getting people out of NOLA after Katrina, I'd plan for more days to get out of SoWal. Help might get here in four days, but they may not be able to assist everyone in need at that time.

I don't know if I would agree with this. We don't shoot at rescuers. I have been here through Opal, Erin, Dennis, Ivan and all inbetween. The community here has always banded together and taken care of each other. I would definitely plan to have 3-4 days of supplies on hand, but even after Opal, I didn't see people unable to get additional supplies any longer than that.

In my area, about 1200 feet from the beach in Destin. During Opal, 10 days wtih no utilities. (That was the worse). Erin, no power outtage, Ivan power outtage for 1 day everything else was up and running. Hurricane Dennis, no power for 3 days, no water for 1.

Of course, the closer you are to the eye, the worse it is going to get. I stayed during Hurricane Dennis, and it was frightening, but not as frightening as the evacuation drive.!

[ShallowsNole]

Eloise in 1975 basically marched up Hwy 331. I was a pre-teen; it made a believer out of me.

The primary danger is storm surge. Second danger is waterspouts and twisters. You should be okay, but as close to the beach as you are, I would not stay for a Cat 3 or higher. Just the sounds would be enough to scare me to death.

I know several hurricane "veterans" that stayed in inland areas of Pensacola for Ivan, and they ALL report that it was the scariest thing they have ever experienced. Ivan's forward speed was so slow that what would normally be an hour or maybe two during landfall turned into 12 - 15 hours of intense hurricane. :creepy: :wacko:

[Cheering472]

So what I've learned...

1. Hurricanes=scary, noisy and hard to predict.
2. A boat would be helpful in the event of storm surge.
3. Since power will be out, invest in a generator (keep it in the boat).
4. Stock up, don't forget the alcohol.
5. No standing on the dune screaming at the sky, "Bring it ON!"

last but not least...

6. Pack it up (including the contents of your fridge) and come stay with me for a few days, bring the dog.

[beachmouse]

7. An electric chainsaw is useless. If you need to use it, there's a 95% chance that the power is going to be out at the time.

[sandflea]

Eloise in 1975 basically marched up Hwy 331. I was a pre-teen; it made a believer out of me.

I remember that one.
Hunkered down in the hallway, one mattress behind us, one over the top...just in case

AAAHHHH Memories:lol:

[florida girl]

:idontno: We came over the 331 bridge the day (evening) after Ivan and there was a sailboat on the left side of the road before you start over the bridge southbound but it was not blocked. We had no power at our house in Seagrove on 30-A that evening when we rolled in, however One Seagrove Place was lit up like a Christmas tree and we spent the night in one of our condo's there. Talk about eerie, the guard, Sweetie, FFF and I were about the only ones in that big ole high rise. The following morning we went to our house in Seagrove started checking it out and the power came on, so we had power about two days later. I will post pics later, they are not on this computer.

One thing that stands out in my mind is that next day we passed Criolla's and there was a big sign out there for free food that evening. It made me well up and start crying. The fellowship we have in SoWal is incredible.:wub:

I remember I found SoWal after Dennis and some guy named Smiling JOe kept going out and checking on people's houses/property for them and giving them reports.

Actually, I stayed through the storm, and water level was too high to get out from my house for 3 days. That was the excuse I heard about the boat, why they wouldn't let people in sooner.

[ShallowsNole]

I was on the north side of the bay for Ivan and what we kept hearing from EOC was that the bridge needed to be checked for structural safety. Meanwhile, on Friday, I had all of my inlaws I could stand, and Squirt, I and the cats came home via 79. Got home, no phone, no electricity. No cell phone. House OK, went to Tom Thumb @ 331/98 to use pay phone to call Fuzz. Found that bridge had been opened while I was going around the long way. Went back home, sponge bath, noted that FSU had a home game the next day, grabbed game tickets and headed for Tallahassee, electricity, a warm shower, and air conditioning. :chill:

Came back Sunday. Something to add to the list above (#8? #9?): if you are lacking a generator, and you have perishables that have already been without power for two days but they aren't too stinky yet, go ahead and suck it up, and get rid of them. Do NOT put it off for two more days. :bang: :puke:

[TreeFrog]

I'm only a 3-year SoWaller, but I've already learned this:

1-Any time there's even a remote threat of a hurricane (i.e. starting about this Thursday if Dean tracks poorly), I only accumulate 50 miles on a full tank of gas before filling up again. If there's an evacuation, gas will sell out in a heartbeat not only in SoWal, but also in an extended radius. I want a full tank to get me to either where I'm staying or filling up on my way to the old homestead in Memphis.

2-Confirm that your generator will start and run properly. During the "Great Memphis Ice Storm" of 1994, my generator wouldn't start. Our power was out for a week and I had to endure 3 days without lights (at least warm, thanks to our antique gas boiler/radiator system) while the Honda place fixed the generator.

[Smiling JOe]

I don't know if I would agree with this. We don't shoot at rescuers. I have been here through Opal, Erin, Dennis, Ivan and all inbetween. The community here has always banded together and taken care of each other. I would definitely plan to have 3-4 days of supplies on hand, but even after Opal, I didn't see people unable to get additional supplies any longer than that.

You buy your four days, and if I have some extra stores of food, I'll share. I don't believe SoWal lost its bridges in any of these storms, but if we do, I might be sharing some meals with people who didn't properly prepare. Really, what is the cost of buying an additional 5 days supply of cheap, canned food, when it could save your life, or the life of someone who lost their supply of food because their house got wiped out? You cannot plan for the perfect storm. You must prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

[yippie]

I'm sorry. My comment wasn't clear. Buy food, of course, I was trying to point out that some of the circumstances were quite different in NOLA vs. our local community. We don't shoot at people trying to help, and we have a tendency to help each other and ourselves rather than sitting waiting for some government agency to show up.

After Opal, four families got back in my neighborhood. One brought a couple of HUGE fishing type coolers filled with ice and a pick up filled with water. We took our grilles down to one house, emptied the freezer, cooked what we could on the grille, wrapped it up and put it in the freezer. Then, if you were hungry, we all shared.

Of course, we DID run out of liquor WAY before we ran out of food......

[Snerd]

Opal has been the worst storm since we've been here. We spent it on 2nd Court, right near the SRB Golf Club and I slept through it :(

Friends of the family were on 393N (north of Nursery road, near the bay) went to bed the night before the storm and woke up to water at the level of their bed!

They're scary and fun. Gas up, likes been said before and have plenty of water & food.

Oh, and the last food that Quick Center on 393/98 runs out of is souse, so stock up on anything else you can find!

[Beachmom]

ok, here's my stupid question on the subject- how do you store up on water?? I went out and stocked up on gallons of water last summer and within no time, they were leaking and shriviling up. I know this is a silly one but....:idontno:

[jodiFL]

The last one we evacuated for was Opal. My kids were very young and I heard at 3am that it was a Cat5 and headed right at us at 55mph. Thank God it slowed down. But in Montgomery we kept hearing Destin was gone and that 331 was closed but we headed back anyway and drove right to our house with no problems.We had some trees down but no damage to the house. No power for 10 days but great neighbors, one house was set up as the shower house, one setup as the "diner" and one setup with TV, radio video games etc.I can remember washing machines and refrigerators in the middle of 30A from the houses on the beach.
Ivan was a nightmare because it hit at night (I HATE those) But as you can tell from the pictures of Dennis we were not afraid at all and were out taking pictures. But getting gas became a problem for a while after Ivan. Whenever someone would find a place that had it we would call everyone we knew to let them know and top off the vehicles.
IF YOU PLAN ON STAYING: get plenty of of food, drinks, batteries, medicine etc. (Dont forget the poptarts and beer). DO NOT expect the government or FEMA to take care of you, you will have to be self sufficient for a minimum of 5 days.(Sometimes they get here sooner, but I dont like to take chances) Get a good generator and keep it tuned up and have plenty of gas to run it. Also, it is a good idea to get a cheap 110v electric A/C that will run off a generator. You can not imagine how hot and humid and miserable it is trying to sleep. And the nights are REALLY long with no power.

[jodiFL]

ok, here's my stupid question on the subject- how do you store up on water?? I went out and stocked up on gallons of water last summer and within no time, they were leaking and shriviling up. I know this is a silly one but....:idontno:
The trick is to store them in the house. The heat is what gets to them.

[Arkiehawg]

Another little trick that we learned after Ivan. Your hot water heater will give you a couple of days of warm showers, but then it's COLD showers....which isn't always bad. But, if you want warm showers, go to Bass Pro and get a solar shower bag. It is a 5 gal. bag that you leave out in the sun and it does work!

Warning! I would recommend that you take it out of the sun for 2-4 hours before using it. It can be almost scalding if used directly after being in the sun.....:yikes:

[Poodleone]

Many, many years ago, when we lived on Okinawa, I can remember always filling up the bathtubs when on typhoon watch and having a salt water barrel on the driveway- maybe to manually flush toilets (?)- I was a kid but that's what I remember. Oh, and the adults playing cards and drinking all night!

[jodiFL]

Also stock up on bleach. It never hurts to be able to sanitize things. Peroxide and anti-bacterial cream for any cuts etc. The best investment other than a generator was a propane fish fryer. It came in so handy to heat water etc.

[TreeFrog]

ok, here's my stupid question on the subject- how do you store up on water?? I went out and stocked up on gallons of water last summer and within no time, they were leaking and shriviling up. I know this is a silly one but....:idontno:

Get a large plastic jug (similar to those for storing gasoline). Mine came from Home Depot or Home Helpers, I can't remember.

[Hop]

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. If you want to read about the mother of storms, I believe it was back in 1929, or sometime around then, and it was bad. I've heard some stories about that storm which sound a bit exaggerated, but who knows?

While the storms of 2004 and 2005 did major damage to the dunes and beach, and many homes built directly on top of the dunes, they didn't really affect most properties, nor did they actually hit directly in SoWal. Had homes not been built directly on the dunes, it is safe to say that the damage would have been nominal, and people wouldn't have spent millions of dollars for seawalls and sand, nor would we be paying for beach nourishment.

i was reading about this one yesterday...in an awesome little book by the three arts alliance....apparently the 1929 hurricane pretty much decimated the area and took the turpentine industry with it. Between that and the yellow fever...only hardcore folks were able to hang on here.

[Miss Kitty]

Many, many years ago, when we lived on Okinawa, I can remember always filling up the bathtubs when on typhoon watch and having a salt water barrel on the driveway- maybe to manually flush toilets (?)- I was a kid but that's what I remember. Oh, and the adults playing cards and drinking all night!


Memories :clap: ...I remember when the adults finally got some ice and had hurricane beer!!! (beer over ice :biggrin: ) I also loved how my daddy used to get out in the car with his HUGE video camera and drive the neighborhood giving a commentary of the damage. He missed his calling to work at TWC!!!! :wub:

[yippie]

Many of us who are now locals, have not been here long enough to report on the storms which actually hit Walton County. I believe the last direct hit was Opal, back in 1995, which reportedly hit in Dune Allen. If you want to read about the mother of storms, I believe it was back in 1929, or sometime around then, and it was bad. I've heard some stories about that storm which sound a bit exaggerated, but who knows?

While the storms of 2004 and 2005 did major damage to the dunes and beach, and many homes built directly on top of the dunes, they didn't really affect most properties, nor did they actually hit directly in SoWal. Had homes not been built directly on the dunes, it is safe to say that the damage would have been nominal, and people wouldn't have spent millions of dollars for seawalls and sand, nor would we be paying for beach nourishment.

Smiling Joe. You said Opal hit Dune Allen Beach, but you don't mean the eye came ashore in that area do you? I saved newspapers from that storm that pinned it right west of Ft. Walton near Navarre.

[Smiling JOe]

Smiling Joe. You said Opal hit Dune Allen Beach, but you don't mean the eye came ashore in that area do you? I saved newspapers from that storm that pinned it right west of Ft. Walton near Navarre.As I said, I wasn't living here when Opal hit and I was corrected by someone (BeachSiO2, I think) else about Opal directly hitting WalCo. I guess people say that we were hit by Opal, meaning they were "affected" by Opal. If Opal hit Navarre, WalCo would have been on the strong side of the storm, but not in the center of the storm.

[Smiling JOe]

ok, here's my stupid question on the subject- how do you store up on water?? I went out and stocked up on gallons of water last summer and within no time, they were leaking and shriviling up. I know this is a silly one but....:idontno:Mine did that, too, during the first year. Maybe the expiration dates on the water are really for the containers, and not the water. :idontno: I scored some empty 5 gal. water jugs, like the big ones you see at drinking fountains. They are extremely durable, and when empty, they weigh nothing. No need to fill them with tap water until evacuation time. I also have one 7gal water container with a spigot for dispensing the water efficiently. That has solved my water problem. You can also make sure your bathtubs don't leak water slowly over time. Clean them thoroughly and fill those to the top when the storm is approaching, thereby giving you even more drinkable water, or water for flushing toilet.

I wouldn't mind getting a good water filter pump (for camping) to use if I ran out of water. A good one can filter out all the bad stuff and you could drink water right out of a creek. It would strictly be used for emergency.

[jodiFL]

Smiling Joe. You said Opal hit Dune Allen Beach, but you don't mean the eye came ashore in that area do you? I saved newspapers from that storm that pinned it right west of Ft. Walton near Navarre.
I think the most logical thing that could have happened to the DA area would have been a tornado. The damage there was far worse than the surrounding areas.

[Cheering472]

Memories :clap: ...I remember when the adults finally got some ice and had hurricane beer!!! (beer over ice :biggrin: ) I also loved how my daddy used to get out in the car with his HUGE video camera and drive the neighborhood giving a commentary of the damage. He missed his calling to work at TWC!!!! :wub:

Daddy Cantore :wub:

[jodiFL]

[/b]

Daddy Cantore :wub:
Funny you mention "CANTORE" .... I can remember seeing him on 30A once and telling him to "leave the area please" because I knew that if he was here we were ****ed. :biggrin:

[seacliffes]

Hurricane Opal brought in a surge of about 13 feet at our beach which resulted in the Gulf coming right through our house. Two of my neighbors' houses literally floated away. When we came back in, it appeared that a bomb had gone off in our neighborhood. We had to wade through two different debris lines and about a foot of standing sea water complete with eels! Thankfully our house was still standing thanks to a concrete subfloor and a great foundation. Overall about $65,000 in damage, but more importantly no one was hurt.

Unlike New Orleans, no looting, no riots, no shooting and overall no complaining. People were self sufficient and everyone pulled together to help others out. It took a little while, but we rebuilt.

Lesson learned: Life is more important than any material items. When they tell you to evacuate, get out. Error on the side of caution.
Be self reliant and do not depend on first responders to bail your rear out. They have better things to do....... Self responsibility is the over all principle that will get you through (as it is in general life)

[sandflea]

Funny you mention "CANTORE" .... I can remember seeing him on 30A once and telling him to "leave the area please" because I knew that if he was here we were ****ed. :biggrin:

We saw him down by the Back Porch as IVan was approaching...told my bro "we might as well bend over and kiss our ***es goodbye"

Course my bro used to work for NOAA and he rolled his eyes and said "whatever- he's a dork". Flea replied "Jealous?" :biggrin: :lol:

[Tootsie]

Memories :clap: ...I remember when the adults finally got some ice and had hurricane beer!!! (beer over ice :biggrin: ) I also loved how my daddy used to get out in the car with his HUGE video camera and drive the neighborhood giving a commentary of the damage. He missed his calling to work at TWC!!!! :wub:
:floor: :funn: :lol:
I can just picture your Dad with videocam whopper... boy, they were fairly large way back when...

[ShallowsNole]

I think the most logical thing that could have happened to the DA area would have been a tornado. The damage there was far worse than the surrounding areas.

Storm surge. I knew an elderly lady (since deceased) that lived in one of the small concrete block homes on the west side of Oyster Lake. She and her son had water four feet deep in their house. :eek:

[njackie]

Was it Ivan or Dennis that Kurt did not evacuate and almost everyone else did? He took pictures along our beaches to let us know how our properties withstood the storm. He even stayed on the message board until he did lose power. I remember the joy of hearing my computer at work when he was able to send messages again! Thank you again for that Kurt!

[pmd8]

I grew up in Panama City and have lived in Miami for 20 years. The storm itself is usually not the biggest problem (if you live at an elevation of 15 feet or more), it's the aftermath of no electricity, no water, no gas. Most people die after the storm.

Practical pointers:

You do not need to buy bottled water. Either fill cleaned empty milk jugs or get 5-gallon containers and fill them from the tap.

Freeze several one-gallon containers of water. Bags melt rapidly and a frozen gallon of water will last for several days if you avoid opening your refrigerator frequently.

Fill garbage cans with water for flushing the toilet and bathing. If you have a swimming pool, even better. It will quickly turn pea green but you can still flush a toilet with it.

Be sure to have an extra tank of propane if you cook with electricity. The first couple of days are great. You'll be eating those now thawing steaks and ice cream.

Pool your resources with your neighbors. Check on your older neighbors who live alone. They often don't like to ask for help.

Always keep your car's tank at least half full. It's a drag to wait in long lines at the gas station only to have them run out. Don't drive unless it's absolutely necessary. No sightseeing except by foot.

Solar powered battery chargers and wind-up radio. I have a tiny television that runs on AA batteries and it's nice to be able to watch during the height of the storm.

Be careful with chain saws and clean up. People get injured when they're tired and hot. I worked in a Miami Beach ER after Hurricane Andrew. It was swamped with diabetics, respiratory patients, the elderly and people injured because they weren't wearing gloves, full shoes and eye protection. It was also swamped because it was the only one of four hospitals on the beach with running water.

Peanut butter.

[ItzKatzTime]

I lived down Spooky Lane in those condos on the beach back in the early 90's....never had a problem with hurricanes then. BUT I got caught in my car with Doug and Kalie (leaving late) during Opal and it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I've never been in a situation where I saw people going that crazy. And the wind and howling was out of a horror story. I just knew a tornado was going to hit us.

I will not stay past a cat. 2 if it looks like it might go to a 3......and WILL get out early if I do leave. I try to keep a little fund $ just in case of an emergency like that. having lived on or near the Gulf all my lifeI've learned the hard way not to chances with hurricanes and tornados.

My husband, Doug, will stay until the Sheriff picks him up and throws him over his shoulder or aims a gun at him. :bang:

Sounds like you got a lot of info from everyone....Good Luck!

[Miss Kitty]

:floor: :funn: :lol:
I can just picture your Dad with videocam whopper... boy, they were fairly large way back when...


:lolabove: ...the best is when you watch it and he cusses when he drops it.

[yippie]

I think the most logical thing that could have happened to the DA area would have been a tornado. The damage there was far worse than the surrounding areas.

I don't remember which areas got hit with tornados, but Opal was a huge storm and packed a huge water surge. Around 20 feet of water. In Destin it slammed into the condos on Holiday Isle destroying the bottom two floors of high rises, demolishing homes. The Destin Harbor was devastated. All the docks were completely gone. Boats anchored in the Harbor had broken loose and sliced other boats in half, several buildings collasped, (Including the Boathouse).

Scenic Hwy 98 in Miramar Beach was seriously undermined and if I am not mistaken, there were some problems with 30-A as well.

The newspapers I saved have plenty of photos showing collasped houses, etc in and around South Walton.

[jodiFL]

^ yep, I remember some guy got arrested for trying to pass off all the dollars from the Boathouse. Serves him right! And I remember seeing all the boats heading up the intercoastal when we were evacuating. The fishing fleet took a hard hit with Opal. I also remember Dr. Hope from the NHC saying that Opal was a nightmare to them because it became so unpredictable.

[yippie]

^ yep, I remember some guy got arrested for trying to pass off all the dollars from the Boathouse. Serves him right! And I remember seeing all the boats heading up the intercoastal when we were evacuating. The fishing fleet took a hard hit with Opal. I also remember Dr. Hope from the NHC saying that Opal was a nightmare to them because it became so unpredictable.

Oh, that's funny! I didn't hear about that! I do remember everyone going down to the harbor and raising the collasped roof at the Boathouse, putting in new studs to hold it up before the inspectors got there. They wouldn't have been able to rebuild if the inspectors graded it 50% or more lost!... Well... it's still there....

[jodiFL]

Oh, that's funny! I didn't hear about that! I do remember everyone going down to the harbor and raising the collasped roof at the Boathouse, putting in new studs to hold it up before the inspectors got there. They wouldn't have been able to rebuild if the inspectors graded it 50% or more lost!... Well... it's still there....
like that inspector didnt realize all that work was just a LITTLE bit newer than the rest, right? Good story, good folks!:D

[jodiFL]

I found a few maps of our hurricane history that are kinda scary when you look at them. The first is of the 04 season and the second is of the "Parade of Storms" leading up to Opal.
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showpost.php?p=277909&postcount=58

[yippie]

I found a few maps of our hurricane history that are kinda scary when you look at them. The first is of the 04 season and the second is of the "Parade of Storms" leading up to Opal.
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showpost.php?p=277909&postcount=58

We had hurricane Erin during the summer, followed by Opal at the first of October. Can't remember if other tropical systems affected us. We were all caught off guard with Opal. We went to bed thinking it was going past us to NO, and woke up throwing belongings into cars for evacuation.

MUCH better information systems today! phew!

[florida girl]

Anybody remember the hurricane we survived 3 times? What was it called?

[Bobby J]

yeah they are not so bad, i have stayed in our house through two tropical storms, just lots of wind and rain. heck, fff and i think it's a great time to go out and look at property, you will know what property floods! :biggrin: just ask bobby j!:wave:

It is the best time to look at property. We have discovered if it looks like a big storm we are out here. Have not really figured out the reason to stay. A true disaster to me is no power in my home with wife, son and 2 teenage daughters! My neighbor stays and calls me when the power is back. One year, I went to Orlando and surfed over at Sebastian Inlet, played at Disney World and finally flew to Costa Rica. It was my best Hurricane ever. When we returned we went back to work and never missed a beat!:biggrin:

[jodiFL]

Anybody remember the hurricane we survived 3 times? What was it called?
I believe that would have been "ELENA". zigzagged 50 miles offshore then finally crossed the state and went on to hit New York. Labor Day weekend if I am not mistaken, sometime late 80's.
It was in 85.

[florida girl]

Yea, that was it, there were t shirts that proclaimed, "I survived Hurricane Elena 3 times!" I remember the last time they went around with a loud speaker to evacuate, I just rolled over and went back to sleep! By then, after 3 calls, I'd had enough. If I died, I died!

[jodiFL]

I have a picture of about 15 of us sitting in the middle of Hwy 98 (Old 98 now) in front of the Beachcomber bar laughing about sitting there, drinks in hand, not a car in sight, on Labor Day weekend.
just remembered something else, the sheriffs dept. told us they would issue us "body tags" if we refused to leave and we all hooked these plastic tags with our names to our big toe. LOL

[Dave Rauschkolb]

I have lived here in Sowal since 1986 and before that, in Fort Walton since 1971. I have never had any damage to any of mine or my parent's homes. I think there is some danger of a branch or someones lawn chair breaking a window but I've never had that happen. During Opal I had every leaf on every tree blown off my yard in old Seagrove but no damage to my house/windows.

Basically, I believe most damage comes from water in low lying areas and tornadoes within the storms. If it is a Cat 1 through 3 the winds are not bad enough to damage your home unless you have loose shingles, poor construction, live in a trailer or something like that. If it is a Cat 4 or 5 your roof will probably blow off and any amount of plywood on the windows is going to make no difference at all. I think people spend far too much time, money and energy on running around "boarding up the house". I makes everyone feel better but broken windows are rarer than most think. I am not advocating anyone do what I have, this is just my personal experience. At any time during even a Cat 1 storm a tornado can take your roof off boarding up or not.

Now, having said that, the above opinion reflects my feeling about stuff, houses and the things that have to do with stuff. I have another opinion about life and limb altogether. I, personally would NEVER stay in any house during any storm above a Cat 1; I have done it and it is too stressful for me. While I am willing to risk a broken window or two, I believe the chances of tornadoes within hurricanes is far to dangerous to roll the dice on. The past few storms I have stayed in large, multi-story concrete buildings. I don't normally evacuate as long as I can stay in a big concrete building; non of which I have ever seen blow over in a storm unless the Gulf was pounding on it like on Pensacola beach.

A lot of the tornado's happen north of here after the storm meets the resistance of the land. If you do evacuate go in the opposite direction of the predicted track IE: If it is going north toward Atlanta, go to Houston or Orlando/Jacksonville way. We have been lucky no direct hits have come to Sowal as far as I know. Time will tell this year.

[30A Skunkape]

I believe that would have been "ELENA". zigzagged 50 miles offshore then finally crossed the state and went on to hit New York. Labor Day weekend if I am not mistaken, sometime late 80's.
It was in 85.

Elena did the crazy zig-zag, but she ended up coming ashore in Louisiana;I remember that day well, we rode it out but it wasn't too bad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Elena
I associate it with Ivan Lendl (sp?) winning the US Open. I think Juan hit us soon after and it caused major flooding.

[Beachlover2]

Oh - I so remember this one - we were at Walt Disney World for my first and only time with our son and the park was empty because of the the crazy pattern Elena was following - We literally ran from ride to ride with no wait - my son loved it. When we got to the park those days we were told that we might have to evacuate at anytime and there would be no refunds. But we barely got more than a shower or two. My son who is now 30:yikes: still talks about how we had the park almost to ourselves.

[NotDeadYet]

The past few storms I have stayed in large, multi-story concrete buildings. I don't normally evacuate as long as I can stay in a big concrete building;
Where do you find one of these south of the bay so you can return to your property without waiting on the 331 bridge to reopen? :confused:

[TreeFrog]

Where do you find one of these south of the bay so you can return to your property without waiting on the 331 bridge to reopen? :confused:

Downtown Seaside, Rosemary, Villages of South Walton. Any of the new large 4-story mixed-use or condo developments like Sanctuary, Redfish Village, etc.

[Geo]

Thx to all who've responded. I learned a great deal and have a pretty good idea of what I will be doing and when I will be doing it the next time we are in harm's way...

Certainly all your practical advice and the experiences you've shared is of immense value to all who've read this thread. The unexpected bonus, of course, was hearing the touching stories of selflessness and community...

I'm blown away (no pun intended :lol: )!
I am proud to have such incredible neighbors!

Cheers, geo

[SGB]

Here's a few more for you...

If you evacuate for the hurricane, and the hurricane hits the area enough to take all the leaves off the trees, bring back a ton of large plastic garbage bags. You're going to have a lot of clean up to do and the stores will be out of them around here. If you life on the bay, you'll have even more debris to clean up.

Large plastic tarps are sometimes needed (again depend how hard hit you are) for covering roofs. They run out quickly so buy some while out of town during the evacuation.

[jodiFL]

bring back a ton of large plastic garbage bags.
This is also a good idea if you are staying. I use them to put everything in the fridge into when icing it down in coolers. It keeps labels from coming off all my condiments etc. and getting the ice all icky. They make good impromptu luggage too!

[scooterbug44]

Buy "contractor" bags instead of typical garbage bags for your packing/cleanup needs. They are larger and made of a much stronger plastic that you will be glad for if you are trying to contain a mess, keep things dry, or pack in.

[John R]

have some magic markers and tape on hand also, for labeling what's in those bags.

[wintersbk]

Any chance SOWAL will see some rough surf from Dean??

[chrisv]

Here's a few more for you...

If you evacuate for the hurricane, and the hurricane hits the area enough to take all the leaves off the trees, bring back a ton of large plastic garbage bags. You're going to have a lot of clean up to do and the stores will be out of them around here. If you life on the bay, you'll have even more debris to clean up.

And, mow your lawn right beforehand (seriously!) It will make cleaning up all the leaves and debris a bit easier.