Stay safe down there, swampy.

Looks like sloppy and off the turf at Gulfstream Park early next week.

I never liked that name, lol

 

It is my bosses name. Even spelled the same.

Good luck!!

I had now doubt you'd be prepared, swampy! Stay safe, my friend.

I got my wish. Erika broke up at 9:30 this morning. :ylsuper: :ylsuper: :ylsuper: :ylsuper: :ylsuper:

 

 

:dancingpa

Awesome news, @swamprat! A bunch more rain is the last thing you need down there!

It hard to believe that it's been 10 years since Florida was last struck by a hurricane, especially after 2004 and 2005 when we were pummeled by them. The last tropical storm to make landfall in Florida was Debby in 2012. The last hurricane to do so was Wilma.

 

What worried me about Erika, and most others around here above the age of 40, was the memory of Hurricane Elena. Almost exactly 30 years ago, in 1985, it sat off the coast of Tampa Bay for the entire 3 days of Labor Day weekend and reeked havoc in the area. 24 people were killed. A landmark, the Indian Rocks Beach Pier, was washed away as was several houses and most of the beach there. That place was never the same.

 

I am concerned Governor Scott issued the State of Emergence too soon, though. I have seen this population get all wound up over a storm like this, then get complacent the next. I'm afraid the next one that threatens the state will be ignored until it's too late.

 

As for me, the gasoline will be good for a month, but I'll throw it in the Buick next week. Just before we come up there, in late September, I'll restock on gasoline and run out what little is in the generator. I've definitely got enough propane to do me while.

 

Today is for getting out the tailgating gear, cleaning it up, and preparing for the opening of college football season, next week.

 

There is another disturbance off the coast of Guinea, though.

The last tropical storm to make landfall in Florida was Debby in 2012.

Can you imagine the devastation it that hurricane was spelled with an "ie"?

So Rat, do you ever consider bailing when these things come? There are worse things than a last minute trip to Vegas for a few days to get out of dodge...

Can you imagine the devastation it that hurricane was spelled with an "ie"?

 

:lol2:

So Rat, do you ever consider bailing when these things come? There are worse things than a last minute trip to Vegas for a few days to get out of dodge...

 

I guess we could leave when the storm is a 1000 miles away, as was Erika when it broke up, but as many times as a storm approaches from the southeast Atlantic, that would get expensive.

 

The problem is, you can't wait to the last day to make that decision, either. Even as good as they've gotten predicting the paths, you can't really tell which way one of these things will go.

 

Look at the final path of Charley in 2004. 4 hours before land fall, it was beside Sanibel Island heading right for the mouth of the Bay. It suddenly made a 90 degree turn and drove inland across Sanibel, destroyed Punta Gorda, and headed up the center of the state to Orlando, where it did massive damage.

 

Thankfully, Tampa Bay is not particularly prone to get direct hits.

 

The last hurricane to direct hit Tampa Bay was in 1921, the previous one was in 1848. In 1921, about 90,000 people lived on the peninsula that is Pinellas County (Present day St. Pete, Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, and 20 other municipalities) and about 50,000 lived in Tampa. The Bay Area population total was under 200,000.

 

Consider that the population of Orleans Parish, Louisiana in 2005 was 500,000. Today, the population of Tampa Bay is over 4 million.

 

To evacuate the TBA, they'd have to get a 1,000,000 people out of Pinellas County. US19 is not capable of handing the traffic to the north. The Skyway, to the south would be closed at the first sign of high winds. The other northern routes, the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the Gandy Bridge, and the Howard Franklin (I-275) would soon follow. I-275, I-75, US41, the Selmon Expressway, the Vet/Suncoast Parkway, and the FL 60 would be parking lots. When Elena did it's thing in 1985, the Causeway went under water from the storm surge.

 

TIA and the Clearwater/St. Pete Airport would be closed.

 

Stock up and ride it out. You really have no choice.