Now Comes Hurricane Milton...
 

Might Arrive Wednesday or Thursday, after adjustment of its forward velocity...Not particularly big, but serious.

I'm 90 miles from the coast, yet I'm evacuating!

Weathermen are saying there no place in the middle of the peninsula that'll be safe from these winds.

I think 140 mile an hour winds sounds pretty big !

We’re nervous about this one too. And to make matters worse, my son just bought a house and is just finishing renovations. My son is in Tampa and we are in Parrish, which is about. 40 miles south. I just had someone put up my hurricane shutters and they are not correct and now I have someone coming tomorrow to see if they could figure out why they’re wrong because I can see outside! Everybody comes out and wants to scam you. I hate these times.

My son lives outside of Greenville, South Carolina, and besides a few branches down and losing power, they made out all right. Then he went up to Asheville, which is just about an hour or so away and that was completely destroyed and he was volunteering with his 14-year-old daughter and passing out food. It’s just a mess everywhere.

Neighbor's house is destroyed = not big wind.

Your house is destroyed = BIG WIND!

Florida not good.
 

One of the NH snowbirds completely renovated his home in Venice with 'hurricane' windows and doors. Only to find out 2 years ago they got blown out! A complete waste of money! Right now, he and my cousin have had enough and are trying to sell their investment. No luck!

I have two neighbors in the 'hood who were Florida residents. They love it up here!

I don't know how people can go through that rebuilding process more than once, never mind twice within weeks of each other!

Narrow, But Still Strong 90 Miles to Either Side of the Eye...
 

You'd think Florida would've emptied out after the 150-MPH winds of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. State Farm Insurance abandoned Florida the following year.

A Miami neighbor installed "hurricane windows" in his concrete-block house. What struck me immediately was the cutting-off of all outdoor sounds (some good ;) ), but self-isolating. Weren't those windows subsidized by insurance- or government/insurance funding?

This morning, there's been a small shift predicted, moving Milton somewhat northward: imagine vacating south to the Florida Keys? :confused: There are local and eastward options, but a hurricane approaching directly perpendicular to the Florida peninsula has me worried--and not just for myself...

During Hurricane Helene, I had traveled to North Carolina, where I overnighted. Gas stations were closed all around and restaurants were cash-only. In looking for gas, I had gotten myself lost, but found a business open for directions--a marijuana dispensary! :o

Upon leaving early on a lonely
I-77, I received a text saying, "Don't travel on I-77...!"

:eek2:

They are known as Impact Zone.
Some changes to the framing, but mostly a change from annealed glass to laminated glass that can crack but should not breach.
Also a change in the swinging doors from a 3 point to a 5 point contact on certain brands.

Watch Eric Burris on WESH-2 for detailed and accurate information about Milton. Central Florida is NOT part of the evacuation zone unless you’re in a mobile/manufactured/RV/tiny home. And that depends on your tie downs. Felt perfectly safe during Ian, and that was a long duration storm. Of course, the way they throw up buildings down there, I’m sure there’s going to be lots of homes with water intrusion.


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We’ve only had a few sprinkles so far, but one of our rivers in Manatee County is already overflowing. They were not able to get all the storm debris from Helene and now that is jamming the rivers as well.

Milton suddenly a category 4
 

Just in the last hour it explosively jumped to a category 4 with 150mph top winds...will be catastrophic for northern coast of Yucatan.

The big question is where on the Left Coast of Florida will it hit, because there are differing opinions from the computer models. Anywhere from southern Big Bend/Cedar Key down to Fort Myers and Naples could be in the bulls-eye. Also, Milton may start to weaken before landfall, but that isn't certain...though whether it is a category 4 or 5 or lower, the flooding and storm surge is coming. Expect quite a few counties to impose some coastal evacuations by tomorrow.

Sending prayers and hoping it loses some strength before it strikes. The power of Ma Nature never ceases to amaze (and frighten!)

Now A Category 5!
 

Milton was just upgraded to a monster category 5 hurricane! I sure hope everyone has or will evacuate safely!

Dan

Yes. They are already doing mandatory evacuations along the coast in evacuation zones A and B. I am in zone D and I doubt that I will be evacuated. My house was built in 2016 up to the highest codes. I’m afraid for my son who is in Tampa and has a house built in the 1940s.

Hi all...

I am currently sitting on a balcony on a cruise ship in the port of Tampa... cloudy and breezy but not too bad.

We were notified yesterday that the ship was recalled back to port 1 day early to turn around before Milton nears. Luckily(??) We were already scheduled to fly down today and our Deltaflight went off without a hitch. We were supposed to sail tomorrow.

The Good? We get a free extra day of cruising.

The Bad? Who knows what the seas will be like and we have no idea how the itinerary will look.

The REALLY Bad? I may return to Tampa to find my Largo home hasblown away..

You are lucky that you got out. My son had make a reservation for tomorrow to fly out to New Orleans and stay with a friend, but the airport closes at 9 AM and there are no flights anywhere. Orlando has a couple of flights but they are so extremely expensive. And of course, getting to Orlando with all the traffic is just about impossible.

Quote Below:
 

"Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Milton has strengthened to a category 5 hurricane.

"The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 160 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts.

"Data from the aircraft also indicate that the
minimum pressure has fallen to 925 mb (27.31 inches)."

I think I'll leave tomorrow morning...

:eek2:

EDITED:

Make that 175-MPH.

:eek:

I just read that if there was such thing as a category six, Milton would be it.

Stay safe, southern friends!

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My wife and her 2 sisters own a family condo in Bonita Beach...right on the Gulf. It was devastated by Ian a few years ago and hasn't been rented since . It was scheduled to reopen next month and renters are lined up for this season. Not looking to good, is it...

Jesus Steve, Bonita Springs is NOT a good place to be for this storm! Hoping the best for you and the family…

Dan

If you do need to evacuate, Rosen hotels are decreasing rates. Don’t know if others are as well. If I were still in Davenport, I’d tell you to come to my house! Please stay safe.


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I just got off the phone with my sister, who is not a happy camper. She and her husband have lived on Bonita Beach for over 40 years, and were able to move back into their condo after being virtually homeless for almost a year following Ian. She is terrified, needless to say. She is almost 90, and her husband is 91. What a nightmare for them and for many. It breaks my heart.

Thanks, gillygirl

Sue, I am so sorry to hear about your sister and brother-in-law. Is there any chance they can go to the Miami area?

It appears Milton is trending weaker, though there's still a considerable risk of it picking back up over open water.

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Bonita area
 

My wife and I snowbird in Bonita Springs in a golf community 3 miles from the ocean. The entire area has been issued a mandatory evacuation order. Most neighbors and friends left but a few are staying. The 1-2 punch for those impacted from Ian is terrible (as well as Helene victims)

Thankfully we had scheduled our return to Bonita for next week

Good luck to all

Yes and that is exactly what they expected.

Some Welcome Updating...
 

Atlanta Speedway, although a bit of a hike, is offering free camping facilities on their usual campgrounds. Jacksonville, thought to be out of the "Cone of Death", will appreciate that offer. Even the "city" of Lakeland--well inland--is leaving.

https://www.11alive.com/article/traf...3-96851d957fc8

Had this camping offer appeared earlier, I would have left already!

As it is, I've successfully found gasoline and plan to travel south this morning, maybe stopping in Miami until the storm/tidal surge has ended. Five-feet-depth of ocean water--and fish--through my garage during Hurricane Irma has given me pause. I'll wait.

:coolsm:

The governor, facing hostile relief efforts, has authorized opening Tampa's breakdown lanes for evacuation. Traffic remains open in the opposite direction for relief efforts.

Weakening is good. The last report of 180-MPH winds was ghastly--even bringing a TV weather forecaster to tears! :eek2:

Was the team that came up with the name "Milton" also responsible for the name of Hurricane Beryl?

:look:

Thanks, Susie. Their daughter recently moved from Chicago to be closer to them, and they will move in with her today….still not far from their place, but in a non evacuation area. It’s a help, but still unnerving. We are hoping for the best for all down there….enough, already!

The winds may be down to category 4 again, but because it will be growing in overall coverage area, no one should think it is truly weaker - based on the angle of approach and its size and strength, the storm surge will be historic and the winds will be destructive. Anyone on the left coast who is advised to evacuate needs to do so today. This will set new records for highest storm surge on record, and water kills many more people than wind when it comes to hurricanes.

Sending prayers in advance, hoping everyone remains mindful that possessions can be replaced but people cannot!

think, Hurricane Katrina weakened to a category 3 when it hit New Orleans. We are in very grave danger. Please don’t make light of this. The storm surge is what we have to be worried about, not so much the wind. We are going to get tremendous storm surges, and many homes are going to be destroyed.

We have good friends who live full-time in Spanish Wells community in Bonita Beach, not too far from the ocean. We texted them a couple days ago and at that time, they were planning to stay put. Yikes...

"How To Fill A Sandbag"
 

From the State of Florida's www.floridadisaster.org ...... their instructions on how to fill a Sandbag ...... http://www.floridadisaster.org/disas...rricanemilton/ ..... sandbag usage.

Milton is a somewhat unusual name ..... don't know any Milton's ....... so's maybe the name Milton will become more in use, a more common name after this Hurricane Milton has come and gone, especially if it is a big storm?

Here's a Wikipedia ..... www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_(given_name)) ...... list of Milton's and it apparently was more in use in the first half of the last century from 1900 to 1950. Time will tell if Hurricane Milton causes a name surge for Milton in the future.

Much of New Orleans is up to 10 feet below sea level which exacerbated the damage. I agree though, this storm will most likely be catastrophic. I have friends in the Tampa Bay area.

I wasn't "making light of this" at all, just hoping for the best given that the models at the time showed a weakening trend.

Though that hope appears to be out the window as the models have almost exclusively reversed.

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Our daughter just sent a video from our condo in Sarasota….in the storm’s eye…
looks so peaceful…the calm before the storm. Fingers crossed that she doesn’t lose power. 🤞

Fingers Crossed
 

Hoping and praying for you Sue!

Dan

Thank you, Dan! We hope for everyone’s safety.

Typical...
 

87% of Highlands County without power, Thursday morning due to high tornado activity. Highlands County has a higher than normal elevation for Florida

Staying with old friends in Miami, concerned that tidal surge would swamp my vehicle if I continued south to the Keys.

We toured my old vehicle haunts in South Miami. A new restoration shop, run by an admitted illegal Brazilian migrant, whose first name was, yup, Milton.

:eek2:

Friends living just north of Tampa, who evacuated inland from Hudson, have just lost power.

In checking their oceanfront cameras, the power is still on, giving them their usual view of the Gulf of Mexico.

:o

Last message from daughter: lost power, almost 80% Sarasota County without power. Now here’s a dumb question: would it be possible to have a portable generator in a condo that’s on 3 levels? Garage on lowest level, 2 levels living area above with lanai that’s completely closed in. Where could it be placed so that it’s safe and effective? BTW, we aren’t contemplating this, but I have been wondering.

Portable generator
 

I remember a winter storm here where I was at the hardware store. The word was that nobody had generators in stock and nobody had gas cans, and most gas stations weren't pumping because they had no electricity.
We've been to St. Thomas several times in the last few years. Major destruction from hurricane in 2017. Now, most of the condos and private homes have generators and private cisterns for water supply and arrangements to collect rain water. We lost power a couple of times, "just because" and the generator kicked in, just like here in NH, but it was big enough to supply ~80 units in the five building complex. I can't imagine a circumstance where a local fire dept. or condo association would allow a gasoline portable generator without major built in safety precautions.

Attachment 18644

I own one of these. Battery Storage Generate. Plugs in to get charged. Will operate most applications. They come in various sizes. And be kept indoors.


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Phone charger
 

Amazon has a variety of solar phone chargers for as little as $15. Great for camping as well as emergencies.

Our place is in Sarasota. From all reports I received the storm effects were very diminished from what they were saying. ⁶

We came through the hurricane OK. We’ve had some downed trees and a lot of yard waste, but the house had no damage. We were very lucky because so many homes in our neighborhood are going to need new roofs.

Still no power
 

Our condo has never lost power before this one….and still we are without. I know they are working around the clock to restore it to everyone, but parts of Sarasota are a mess! We had no damage and no flooding, so we have no complaints, especially from 1500+ miles away. I feel for those who lost nearly everything… and more so for the loss of life. Please! No more hurricanes! Enough already!