Hurricane Irene 2011. History in the Making.

Originally posted by miniatus
reply to post by Endure

 

Does it matter who takes the surge? we're talking people .. should we just care less because it's not New York? I hope that isn't the insinuation

Of course that isn't what I am saying. But The NC coast is just not as populated, not even close, and those residents on that coast know when to bail so the areas that get hammered will be just empty buildings, unless people did not leave.

No one is denying there will be damage, and possible injury and death, it is a hurricane, duh. But it is not historical, not even close.

I understand the people up north getting their panties in a wad over this, but being from the gulf coast, a Cat 2 really doesn't send up the alarms for me.

A Cat 3 I start paying attention. A Cat 4 I start to consider leaving. But a Cat 2? For us who are used to it, we just cancel plans and prepare for a day without power at the worst.

But I understand those up north being scared about this like they were with the earthquake. It's unusual to them and not something they are really used to. Their governments probably are not prepared for it as they should be and they will lose power have down lines and trees and blown out windows. But within a few days everything will be back to normal.

I was in Houston when that first hurricane after Katrina hit there. It was like the whole city left over a little Cat 3. I slept through the whole thing. Woke up to some flooding in the usual areas and some down trees. We only lost power for about an hour, but because of what just happened and most people being to stupid to realise they DONT live in a bowl, everyone freaked out.

Now I'm not saying it's stupid to err on the side of caution, I'm just saying this is a really bad thunderstorm. There isn't much to worry about.

reply to post by thenewguy1987

hey now, not all us northerners are scared.

i personally could care less except for the bit of extra work putting lawn furniture away, and the possibility of no power for a little while

other than that, as long as you're not standing on the coast....

i remember they hyped up Gloria in '85...we had no power for a week

Originally posted by thenewguy1987
I understand the people up north getting their panties in a wad over this, but being from the gulf coast, a Cat 2 really doesn't send up the alarms for me.

A Cat 3 I start paying attention. A Cat 4 I start to consider leaving. But a Cat 2? For us who are used to it, we just cancel plans and prepare for a day without power at the worst.

But I understand those up north being scared about this like they were with the earthquake. It's unusual to them and not something they are really used to. Their governments probably are not prepared for it as they should be and they will lose power have down lines and trees and blown out windows. But within a few days everything will be back to normal.

I was in Houston when that first hurricane after Katrina hit there. It was like the whole city left over a little Cat 3. I slept through the whole thing. Woke up to some flooding in the usual areas and some down trees. We only lost power for about an hour, but because of what just happened and most people being to stupid to realise they DONT live in a bowl, everyone freaked out.

Now I'm not saying it's stupid to err on the side of caution, I'm just saying this is a really bad thunderstorm. There isn't much to worry about.

I live on the Gulf Coast as well. I've been through a lot of strong hurricanes. The thing people aren't understanding is that I'm not talking about the wind, that isn't what the meteorologists and the National Weather Service are talking about.

It's because it is a massive storm that is moving extremely slow through many, many states.

When we get a hurricane here on the Gulf Coast, it's a direct hit then it's over affecting only a select number of cities. The angle at which this storm is going will cause an incredible amount of damage. It's not just Florida, it's not just Louisiana. It's North Carolina to Maine.

reply to post by iamhobo


Look up Hurricane Elena in 85. That was a cat 3 that sat over the eastern-central Florida coast for 3 days when I was 14. Probably you never even heard of it, because it was not historical. This one will not hang around anywhere near that long. It will pretty much be a really warm Nor'easter.

And that was a weird one, because it was forecast to hit Mississippi, then suddenly took a right turn and stalled. Oops. Then when Mississippi saw this, they came back to their homes, only to have it finally move up there and hit them after all. that one humbled alot of meteorologists.

reply to post by iamhobo


The thing you aren't realising is if it was hitting down here it wouldn't be such a big deal. It's only being blown out of proportion because it is hitting near NYC.

It is not hitting a bigger portion of land. It is just hitting a more "important" portion of land. Yes it is hitting during high tide. Yes statistically more people will be affected. No it is not historically more important as of this second.

It is a Cat 2 right now, a Cat 1 when it makes land fall. People up there are just not used to it, including the news organizations. If it was hitting down here you know it'd be a 15 min segment versus the whole hour it is right now.

I'm telling you, barring it gaining strength (highly unlikely) in 3 days this will be forgotten. If it was hitting down here it'd be forgotten once it fully made landfall.

I hate to sound like one of those guys but it is what it is.

reply to post by BadBoYeed


Sorry to generalize bro-asauras rex

I know not all of you are scared, have family up there, they are keeping their cool

I understand that this is the MSM disaster du jour, and it is being massively covered and reacted to.

I would caution those who just look at the category 2 and write it off to be aware, not paranoid, but stay informed and aware of STORM SURGE if you are along the coast. This storm, while not a high category based on sustained winds, has the large footprint and other factors which could displace a lot of water in low-lying areas - and its arrival timing compared to the tidal cycle will be a factor.

I actually think this is where the MSM can do such a disservice - they over-hype, so people ignore the "sky is falling" mantra. Which will make for a mess if we ever are faced with the sky actually falling. (Sorry, with all the elenin threads I couldn't resist)

reply to post by Endure


Agreed, the Hurricane will be bad for some sure, as any Hurricane typically is, but the media is blowing this WAY WAY out of proportion. Just like that Earthquake the other day, tons of stuff happening in the world but every news outlet here on the east coast talked non-stop about an Earthquake that wasn't even a 6.0. No wonder the average American is so poorly informed about the world.

Originally posted by Endure
reply to post by iamhobo

 

No, actually I experienced Katrina as it crossed over Florida. Katrina was a cat 5 hurricane, how on earth can you compare this thing to that???

And, New Orleans is largely below sea level, that is a totally different situation.

edit on 26-8-2011 by Endure because: (no reason given)

Hurricane Katrina was not a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall, it was a Category 3

All the flight cancellations tell me this is not being over-hyped, why are airlines opting to cancel thousands of flights over a two day period? Is that a run o' the mill response to an over-hyped tropical storm? Bottom line and all.

Last few paragraphs of

www.cnn.com...

Originally posted by Pilot
All the flight cancellations tell me this is not being over-hyped, why are airlines opting to cancel thousands of flights over a two day period? Is that a run o' the mill response to an over-hyped tropical storm? Bottom line and all.

Last few paragraphs of

www.cnn.com...

Well, you're quoting CNN. That's your first problem. The other problem is that you're quoting CNN.
Finally, you're quoting CNN.

reply to post by Enlightenme1111


so, cnn is lying? can you prove that?

if you all think this is bad then what about 1985:

Hurricane Elena
Formed August 28, 1985
Dissipated September 4, 1985
Cat 3
damage: $1.25 billion

Hurricane Gloria
Formed September 16, 1985
Dissipated October 2, 1985
Cat 4
damage: $900 million

In total 1985 Atlantic hurricane season saw 7 major hurricanes.

2011 hurricane season has so far seen 1 hurricane.

Hurricane Irene
Formed August 20, 2011
Dissipated N/A
Cat 2
Predicted damage: $3.1 billion

so is it something to be worried about?

YES, but not to panic about, just prepare and you will be fine. It seems that it will do more damage than both a cat 4 and a cat 3 hurricane.

On the other hand if US gets hit like back in 1985 people would claim its the end of the world starting!

Lol... I swear, ever since the damned levee's broke in New Orleans it seems like every hurricane that comes along is hyped up to be a national panic.

I grew up in Mobile, AL and have lived on the Gulf Coast most of my adult life. 'It seemed to me' that before Katrina nobody gave a crap except storm chasers and the people in the path of the storm. Now we've got Nancy Grace talking dramatically to the reporter on the scene... "Describe for the viewers the utter DESTRUCTION you see around you!" With this poor schmuck on the scene going... "Well Nancy... it's uh... really gusty and the rain is uh... really coming down... and uh, there are some actual tree limbs on the road over there!" trying to come up with something dramatic to say for tv. Meanwhile she sees nothing's really going on and goes "Ok, time for a commercial, but rest assured when the DESTRUCTIVE CATASTROPHE finally hits, we'll bring it to you live.

Hehe... nobody could do it like ol' Jim Cantore though. That dude (on the Weather Channel) will stand out on the beach in a CAT 5 screamin' into the mic for all he's worth throughout the entire storm with his little blue raincoat blowing around

Hurricanes are bad, they cause a lot of property damage and if you don't take proper precautions you stand to lose a lot. I've been through more than my share of hurricanes, every one to come up the Gulf from the mid-eighties till right now. I've seen the storm surge suck all the water right out of Mobile Bay like it was the Red Sea parting. Seen a whole lotta downed trees and power lines, homes smashed with big old pine trees on top of them, water damage, flooding in low lying areas.... But after all that, I can honestly say that I'm more afraid of a massive front coming out of the east than I am out of a hurricane from the south.

Anyways, that's just me. The further we get from Katrina, the more the images of a flooded French Quarter will fade into memory and the Nancy Graces of the world will move on to the next viewer generating disaster or mass murder. Meanwhile, us folks on the Gulf Coast have learned to build a better levee and will smartly get back to enjoying our hurricane parties and days off work Thank you ma'am and have a nice day!

Originally posted by RizeorDie
if you all think this is bad then what about 1985:

Hurricane Elena
Formed August 28, 1985
Dissipated September 4, 1985
Cat 3
damage: $1.25 billion

Hurricane Gloria
Formed September 16, 1985
Dissipated October 2, 1985
Cat 4
damage: $900 million

In total 1985 Atlantic hurricane season saw 7 major hurricanes.

2011 hurricane season has so far seen 1 hurricane.

Hurricane Irene
Formed August 20, 2011
Dissipated N/A
Cat 2
Predicted damage: $3.1 billion

so is it something to be worried about?

YES, but not to panic about, just prepare and you will be fine. It seems that it will do more damage than both a cat 4 and a cat 3 hurricane.

On the other hand if US gets hit like back in 1985 people would claim its the end of the world starting!

i totally agree! if irene is as destructive as Gloria, the damage will still be greater now. because alot has changed in the people and population since 26 yrs ago. nyc has gotten alot more crowded than in 85. cars, home construction, people. lots of undocumented immigrants and other straining the system, adding to the sewage volume, facilities, emergency services, consumption, traffic, parked cars, you name it.

Hey guys... Hurricanes are bed news....BUT, Irene is continuing to track east here in NC and the winds are dropping down to Cat 1 levels...thankfully.

In 48 years I have seen a lot of hurricanes here inNC, the worst being Hugo, Fran, Floyd, and Issabella.

Floyd was pretty bad in that it was preceeed by a hurricane a week earlier and the ground was saturated when Floyd hit and stalled....all of eastern NC was flooded...I mean all of eastern NC. Do any of you remember the pics of hogs clammoring on top of the metal roofed hog barns..like little tin islands.

Irene is fast moving, has not made land fall yet, but will be out of NC within the next 12-16 hours..

Trust me in saying that I am concerned. I have a trailer on an island on the Pamlico Sound and am concerned about my native nabors down there...BUT, knowing them..they didn't evacuate over a Cat1-2 storm...most of them are crab and oyster fishermen and they all have stories about hurricanes much worse than Irene that they sat through.

The only people blowing this thing into an apocolyptic event is the media and the politicians...

So... the preparations have been made if you are smart. Now we just sit back and see what happens. Good Luck...

reply to post by Cyprex


Fear is relevant to the individual. Like the previous poster mentioned, this storm is hitting several major cities with a lot of water. Please folks, let's not judge the situations of others, why not show a little concern for your fellow Americans.

I agree that this hurricane is and was hyped up too much.

Some of you believe blah blah blah, storm surge. We've had storm surges before on several other hurricanes that have hit the north east. People in low lying areas need to be worried about widespread coastal flooding. People that don't live in flood zones, secure your yard belongings, and get ready for a lot of rain, some wind, and maybe a power outage here or there. The media is a joke, and they are the ones Fear mongering. It's true we haven't had a hurricane in a while, but the majority of the people that live here have lived through at least 1 hurricane and if they haven't I'd hope they wouldn't be stupid enough to build their house right on the beach.

That is all.

Originally posted by iamhobo

Originally posted by Endure
reply to post by iamhobo

 

How is a cat 2 hurricane "historical" in any way? Way to add to the irrational panic the media has created.

Were you born after Hurricane Katrina? Apparently you don't know what storm surge does to cities on the coast line. Not to mention people who aren't prepared for hurricanes in the northeast. Not to mention this hurricane isn't hitting just one major city, it's hitting a sh*t load of major cities both on the coast and inland.

Ah sorry forgot to mention, it's been almost 200 years since a hurricane took this track.

edit on 26-8-2011 by iamhobo because: (no reason given)

Ok I stopped reading at this post. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. I grew up in Philadelphia and I clearly remember 2 hurricanes that came up the coast. Neither one did much of anything, but it blows your whole "200 years since" nonsense right out of the water.

This storm is a joke. It will be a joke for most of the Eastern Seaboard. It will only be a real issue for the NC/Virginia area where it initially makes landfall. Of course, by the time of this post everythign I have been saying about this storm will be proven to be accurate and all you fear mongers will go run on to the next subject that you can doom and gloom in your bid you work people up into an unnecessary panic.