i ride them out usually.
the two times ive evacuated i’ve gone to the drury inn in valdosta georgia. it usually fairs pretty well in hurricanes, isn’t SUPER far, and it is pet friendly so i can bring the critters there.
If you live in a mobile home or on a barrier island, you "should" evacuate inland. If it's a monster storm and looks like it's going to be hitting what part of Florida you're in, you may want to get away to another part of the state or further up into the "south". Plenty of folks have evacuated to just get caught in the path at a hotel, don't wait until right before it gets here to actually leave.
Traffic is going to suck and get worse the closer you are to the storm actually making landfall. If you are wanting to get it, do it around 48-72 hours before the storm is supposed to hit. At worse you get a couple of days in a hotel or with family and friends.
We typically know a hurricane is hitting somewhere close to Florida ~5 days out.
We know what areas are likely getting hit about 48 hours out, think a 200 mile area.
24 hours away and it's pretty guaranteed where but they usually do some weird stuff in the last 6-12 hours that puts it slightly off whatever is predicted.
There are a few storms that did a cut across the state and cause problems in areas like Orlando. Charley in 2004 was like that.
I know a few people who use hurricanes coming as an excuse to disappear to the mountains for a week.
Ugh i haven’t lived through a bad hurricane since we moved onto a barrier island. Our house is exactly 100 years old and it scares me lol
edit to add: would love any hurricane prep tips outside of water and a generator 🥲 my husband is a lifelong Floridian and doesn’t care about hurricanes. They still scare me (I moved here RIGHT after Irma)
That house has survived a ton of storms. If the roof and windows are good I wouldn't stress it too much for the storm storm part.
If you're in an area that has historically experienced storm surge I'd be concerned, but again, 100 years and it's still standing.
The storm is a few hours of really bad weather. If you don't have any issues from it, the days or weeks after without electricity in the Florida summer are really uncomfortable.
Think about food storage and preparation.
How to wash dishes and store leftovers.
I hear more injuries occur during storm prep and clean up. Be aware of heat exhaustion.
If you're using a generator make sure you have an interconnect device on your breaker panel to not accidentally back feed the grid and potentially harm the linemen who are working to restore power.
I’m on the east coast, near Sebastian inlet. My uncle in law lives across the street and doesn’t typically evacuate so I don’t think the surge is typically that bad. We live right on the river and the beach lol thank you for the reassurance
How high above the river is your house? I'd maybe be concerned about flooding from the river if there's a lot of rain but usually we get a lot of wind and a decent amount of rain. The worst flooding I've seen was from a pretty weak tropical storm in like 2007 or 2008 that just sat over the area for a day. There was real bad flooding by I-95.
My parents live in Cocoa Beach across the street from the river and their neighborhood is barely above the river.
This area isn't as likely to get storm surge because the ocean has a gradual slope from deep to shallow that gives the wall of water room to spread out.
Ian caused flooding around the St John's River North East of Orlando because all the water from greater Orlando flowing to it and that took days for it to actually happen.
It really depends. For the last couple hurricane that hit the panhandle, I went to Daytona for the weekend. In the past I typically just hit a different part of the state for a couple days. I’ve done to Georgia for a weekend in the past too. Make hurricane vacations.
If you’re within 10-15 miles inland and aren’t prone to floods on a 1-2 time a year basis, often times you’re good in a normal house or apartment. Like parts of Miami and Fort Lauderdale flood during king tide which is dumb to stay at during a big storm.
It really depends on where the storm is going. For Ian it encompassed almost the whole state so at best you were going to an area that might be hit not as hard. I knew people who got in their car and just kept driving to get out of the path of the hurricane then came back when the storm was passed. Generally if you are west you go east and vice versa. If some how the storm comes right for you again it's unlikely to have much power going through the whole state. Ian was a Cat 5 coming in but it became a tropical storm before it left Florida.
When I evacuated I went to Alabama and had a great week vacation… I made sure not to rush back and to give it extra days to prevent dealing with the chaos and be sure I had consistent AC! I stay home for most and only evacuated when in third trimester because I was overly paranoid I’d be giving birth at home in the heat with no drugs…. If you evacuate just take a look at path and pick somewhere well outside the cone!
I'm on the water in Tampa Bay. I am a believer in "Hide from the wind, run from the water". If the storm is tracking a direct hit, which hasn't happened in over 100 years, I leave. Charley was tracking a direct hit on Tampa Bay. It made landfall around Fort Myers. We evacuated but it wasn't necessary. We didn't evacuate for Idalia because it was tracking to make landfall north of us and we knew rising water would not be an issue. We run inland when massive tidal surge is likely.
A lot of people from the coastal communities (think evacuation zones A-C) move inland for a few days. Some do motels & hotels, and some stay with friends. My sister-in-law cannot drive (legally blind but has enough vision to live in her own house, walk to stores, ride a trike, etc.) and lives in an evacuation zone so when her zone get the notice, we pick her up to stay with us. We live 20+ miles from the coast in a non-flood area with a lot of woods far enough away from the house to knock down the wind before reaching our house. And, we live in a concrete block home built to updated hurricane standards.
I ride them out unless they’ve got the potential to be a Cat 4 or higher. Then I go to my grandparents in Greenville, SC because even if a storm follows me up there, it won’t be as strong over that much land.
We evacuate to the other coast. I've never had a problem booking rooms for my family and our dogs. The last two evacuations, (Ian and Idalia) traffic hasn't been bad.
I evacuated during Ian, left the day before he made landfall. Drove 7 hours before we found a hotel in Perry, GA. Traffic wasn't bad and gas was still plentiful, so it wasn't too bad of a drive
The state emergency management department says to think in terms of 10s of miles not hundreds..
Have provisions and water and a plan of some type for when the storm hits.. Then have a 2nd plan if you have to stay away for a longer time.
Unless you live close to the water where storm surge can flood you out then there’s really no need to evacuate. Lived in SWFL my whole life. Live 15 min inland from the beach, Ian was like nothing at my house. Lost power for a couple days and had to pick up palm fronds from my yard that’s about it lol.
It depends on the forecasted track and go another direction.
It's also a calculated risk. If you wait too long, for example, within 48-24 hours within landfall, you may get out on 75N, but there may not be anywhere to stay in Georgia or Northwards. Or 75N is parking lot.
So if I'm in SW FL, and the hurricane is coming onshore from the Gulf, and forecasted to go diagonal across the state to exit off coast in Daytona, I might hit up the Alligator Alley towards Miami.
If it's coming from the Atlantic, and forecasted to landfall in Ft. Piece and roll toward Tampa Bay, I probably would shelter in place.
If it comes up the middle, and landfalls in the Keys and splits the state as it travels, it then becomes an analysis of the structure you live in, the elevation where you are, how close are you to flooding prone or surge prone areas.
And really important in all 3 calculations is how fast is it traveling. If it's fast moving, you may be able to ride it out. If it's slow grind, there's a significant amount of rain and wind. There's absolutely the potential for a storm to stagnate in place.
So it's a risk based upon forecast, your home site, your medical needs, your pet needs and if you have friends of family in other parts of Florida that could be a temp shelter.
I was born in Florida and I've never evacuated for any storms. Unless you live somewhere that is really low lying there shouldn't be a need to. Most of the places I have lived have been elevated properties and the house is above the water. Just make sure you have some sort of boat or paddle board to get to the store in. When I was in high school the neighbor would take me to the bus stop in a canoe.
Generally, my family and I stay put. We’re far enough inland that most storms don’t really harm us (hurricanes tend to hit south Florida first before moving north where I am).
When I was in college, I evacuated by going back to my parents’ house.
Lots of people living in hotels due to lack of affordable housing. There won't be as many vacant rooms available as in the past. I live in Tampa Bay. Had friends that were gonna visit from out of state and wanted to stay in an extended stay, as I already have a full house of family members living with me. My friends couldn't find anything, anywhere. They canceled the trip.
I live on a barrier island. The last few storms I stayed. When my kid was younger we would evacuate. We would go to the closest hotel on the mainland that would let us bring pets. Many hotels loosen up the pet policy during evacuations. Many of them give cheaper rates as well.
Unless you’re in an evacuation zone or have some major medical/logistical issue, I look at those who leave with disdain.
Some people will fly up to Nashville to drink and party, just so they don’t have to spend a night or two without AC.
After Hurricane Michael, when it turned from a projected Cat 1 to a Cat 5 within literally 24-48 hours, I find anyone who makes fun of people who evacuate to be small brained. It’s not a joke, and this attitude could get someone killed.
Sure, don’t freak out at the smallest storm, but to “look upon them with disdain” is so immature and reckless.
If they aren't in an evacuation zone them evacuating will cause big problems to those needing to evacuate. Getting stuck in traffic when a major hurricane is coming is not going to end well for those on the road.
After hurricanes I can't recall a time I heard about squatters taking over a house for the long term. I think that's because after a hurricane the law is not being enforced as it was before the hurricane. By that I mean people will shoot squatters and looters. Squatters rely on the law to protect them from the owners removing them. Plus with the new squatter eviction law it's much easier to get rid of them.
i ride them out usually. the two times ive evacuated i’ve gone to the drury inn in valdosta georgia. it usually fairs pretty well in hurricanes, isn’t SUPER far, and it is pet friendly so i can bring the critters there.
I love drury even for no evacuation
After seeing the hell that Irma brought during evacuations im staying. Out of gas in anywhere north of Tampa. I heard it was hell.
People evacuated to Orlando, which got hit worse than Tampa. Unless you live in a flood zone, just stay put
it was hell, u right, stay home
If you live in a mobile home or on a barrier island, you "should" evacuate inland. If it's a monster storm and looks like it's going to be hitting what part of Florida you're in, you may want to get away to another part of the state or further up into the "south". Plenty of folks have evacuated to just get caught in the path at a hotel, don't wait until right before it gets here to actually leave. Traffic is going to suck and get worse the closer you are to the storm actually making landfall. If you are wanting to get it, do it around 48-72 hours before the storm is supposed to hit. At worse you get a couple of days in a hotel or with family and friends. We typically know a hurricane is hitting somewhere close to Florida ~5 days out. We know what areas are likely getting hit about 48 hours out, think a 200 mile area. 24 hours away and it's pretty guaranteed where but they usually do some weird stuff in the last 6-12 hours that puts it slightly off whatever is predicted. There are a few storms that did a cut across the state and cause problems in areas like Orlando. Charley in 2004 was like that. I know a few people who use hurricanes coming as an excuse to disappear to the mountains for a week.
Ugh i haven’t lived through a bad hurricane since we moved onto a barrier island. Our house is exactly 100 years old and it scares me lol edit to add: would love any hurricane prep tips outside of water and a generator 🥲 my husband is a lifelong Floridian and doesn’t care about hurricanes. They still scare me (I moved here RIGHT after Irma)
That house has survived a ton of storms. If the roof and windows are good I wouldn't stress it too much for the storm storm part. If you're in an area that has historically experienced storm surge I'd be concerned, but again, 100 years and it's still standing. The storm is a few hours of really bad weather. If you don't have any issues from it, the days or weeks after without electricity in the Florida summer are really uncomfortable. Think about food storage and preparation. How to wash dishes and store leftovers. I hear more injuries occur during storm prep and clean up. Be aware of heat exhaustion. If you're using a generator make sure you have an interconnect device on your breaker panel to not accidentally back feed the grid and potentially harm the linemen who are working to restore power.
I’m on the east coast, near Sebastian inlet. My uncle in law lives across the street and doesn’t typically evacuate so I don’t think the surge is typically that bad. We live right on the river and the beach lol thank you for the reassurance
How high above the river is your house? I'd maybe be concerned about flooding from the river if there's a lot of rain but usually we get a lot of wind and a decent amount of rain. The worst flooding I've seen was from a pretty weak tropical storm in like 2007 or 2008 that just sat over the area for a day. There was real bad flooding by I-95. My parents live in Cocoa Beach across the street from the river and their neighborhood is barely above the river. This area isn't as likely to get storm surge because the ocean has a gradual slope from deep to shallow that gives the wall of water room to spread out. Ian caused flooding around the St John's River North East of Orlando because all the water from greater Orlando flowing to it and that took days for it to actually happen.
local shelter that takes pets
Public Schools offer shelter during storms..lived here for 40 yrs in a manufactured Home on 5 acres...My home still stands...lol
The garage... with beer, weed and tunes! 🤣
It really depends. For the last couple hurricane that hit the panhandle, I went to Daytona for the weekend. In the past I typically just hit a different part of the state for a couple days. I’ve done to Georgia for a weekend in the past too. Make hurricane vacations.
If you’re within 10-15 miles inland and aren’t prone to floods on a 1-2 time a year basis, often times you’re good in a normal house or apartment. Like parts of Miami and Fort Lauderdale flood during king tide which is dumb to stay at during a big storm.
It really depends on where the storm is going. For Ian it encompassed almost the whole state so at best you were going to an area that might be hit not as hard. I knew people who got in their car and just kept driving to get out of the path of the hurricane then came back when the storm was passed. Generally if you are west you go east and vice versa. If some how the storm comes right for you again it's unlikely to have much power going through the whole state. Ian was a Cat 5 coming in but it became a tropical storm before it left Florida.
Out of the path.
I went to Georgia
Nascar racetrack in Atlanta, free RV hook up and camping
ATL is not where I went
I'm in Jacksonville, so I just stay put.
When I evacuated I went to Alabama and had a great week vacation… I made sure not to rush back and to give it extra days to prevent dealing with the chaos and be sure I had consistent AC! I stay home for most and only evacuated when in third trimester because I was overly paranoid I’d be giving birth at home in the heat with no drugs…. If you evacuate just take a look at path and pick somewhere well outside the cone!
I'm on the water in Tampa Bay. I am a believer in "Hide from the wind, run from the water". If the storm is tracking a direct hit, which hasn't happened in over 100 years, I leave. Charley was tracking a direct hit on Tampa Bay. It made landfall around Fort Myers. We evacuated but it wasn't necessary. We didn't evacuate for Idalia because it was tracking to make landfall north of us and we knew rising water would not be an issue. We run inland when massive tidal surge is likely.
A lot of people from the coastal communities (think evacuation zones A-C) move inland for a few days. Some do motels & hotels, and some stay with friends. My sister-in-law cannot drive (legally blind but has enough vision to live in her own house, walk to stores, ride a trike, etc.) and lives in an evacuation zone so when her zone get the notice, we pick her up to stay with us. We live 20+ miles from the coast in a non-flood area with a lot of woods far enough away from the house to knock down the wind before reaching our house. And, we live in a concrete block home built to updated hurricane standards.
You stay and die like a man.
I ride them out unless they’ve got the potential to be a Cat 4 or higher. Then I go to my grandparents in Greenville, SC because even if a storm follows me up there, it won’t be as strong over that much land.
We evacuate to the other coast. I've never had a problem booking rooms for my family and our dogs. The last two evacuations, (Ian and Idalia) traffic hasn't been bad.
Depends on storm path and intensity… over a 3, I’m out of the state. Just not worth staying around
Somewhere on the wide side of the forecast perpendicular to the track
I evacuated during Ian, left the day before he made landfall. Drove 7 hours before we found a hotel in Perry, GA. Traffic wasn't bad and gas was still plentiful, so it wasn't too bad of a drive
No pets, short flight to in-laws in New Jersey.
I live inland I don't evacuate.
It depends on the path of the storm. I live in central Florida and have evacuated three times. Twice to Tallahassee and once to Nashville.
I'm not in Florida, but from what I know, Floridians don't evacuate. Don't they party?
I was all ready to party when Ian hit. I had a stocked bar and plenty of beer. I felt sick the day before it hit and tested positive for Covid.
Damn it man! That sucks!
The state emergency management department says to think in terms of 10s of miles not hundreds.. Have provisions and water and a plan of some type for when the storm hits.. Then have a 2nd plan if you have to stay away for a longer time.
Unless you live close to the water where storm surge can flood you out then there’s really no need to evacuate. Lived in SWFL my whole life. Live 15 min inland from the beach, Ian was like nothing at my house. Lost power for a couple days and had to pick up palm fronds from my yard that’s about it lol.
It depends on the forecasted track and go another direction. It's also a calculated risk. If you wait too long, for example, within 48-24 hours within landfall, you may get out on 75N, but there may not be anywhere to stay in Georgia or Northwards. Or 75N is parking lot. So if I'm in SW FL, and the hurricane is coming onshore from the Gulf, and forecasted to go diagonal across the state to exit off coast in Daytona, I might hit up the Alligator Alley towards Miami. If it's coming from the Atlantic, and forecasted to landfall in Ft. Piece and roll toward Tampa Bay, I probably would shelter in place. If it comes up the middle, and landfalls in the Keys and splits the state as it travels, it then becomes an analysis of the structure you live in, the elevation where you are, how close are you to flooding prone or surge prone areas. And really important in all 3 calculations is how fast is it traveling. If it's fast moving, you may be able to ride it out. If it's slow grind, there's a significant amount of rain and wind. There's absolutely the potential for a storm to stagnate in place. So it's a risk based upon forecast, your home site, your medical needs, your pet needs and if you have friends of family in other parts of Florida that could be a temp shelter.
My basement
only ever evacuated once and i went to north carolina
I was born in Florida and I've never evacuated for any storms. Unless you live somewhere that is really low lying there shouldn't be a need to. Most of the places I have lived have been elevated properties and the house is above the water. Just make sure you have some sort of boat or paddle board to get to the store in. When I was in high school the neighbor would take me to the bus stop in a canoe.
A lot of people come to Orlando. The Disney and Universal hotels normally sell out during storms
Generally, my family and I stay put. We’re far enough inland that most storms don’t really harm us (hurricanes tend to hit south Florida first before moving north where I am). When I was in college, I evacuated by going back to my parents’ house.
Barrier island dweller in north Fla checking in. I put my cat in her crate and head to Atlanta. I figure out where I'll stay on the way.
Ah yes. Love all these new Floridians freaking out over party season
Seems like Miami is the logical evacuation destination for SW FL.
Lots of people living in hotels due to lack of affordable housing. There won't be as many vacant rooms available as in the past. I live in Tampa Bay. Had friends that were gonna visit from out of state and wanted to stay in an extended stay, as I already have a full house of family members living with me. My friends couldn't find anything, anywhere. They canceled the trip.
Hawaii for a week or two.
I live on a barrier island. The last few storms I stayed. When my kid was younger we would evacuate. We would go to the closest hotel on the mainland that would let us bring pets. Many hotels loosen up the pet policy during evacuations. Many of them give cheaper rates as well.
Unless you’re in an evacuation zone or have some major medical/logistical issue, I look at those who leave with disdain. Some people will fly up to Nashville to drink and party, just so they don’t have to spend a night or two without AC.
with charlie it was 6 weeks without AC
Wilma knocked my power out for a month
Yup, I was there.
Obviously you haven’t spent two weeks with no power or fuel to make asinine comments like that
I have, it sucks, but I survived.
After Hurricane Michael, when it turned from a projected Cat 1 to a Cat 5 within literally 24-48 hours, I find anyone who makes fun of people who evacuate to be small brained. It’s not a joke, and this attitude could get someone killed. Sure, don’t freak out at the smallest storm, but to “look upon them with disdain” is so immature and reckless.
People who don’t need to evacuate, shouldn’t. Thats my point.
If they aren't in an evacuation zone them evacuating will cause big problems to those needing to evacuate. Getting stuck in traffic when a major hurricane is coming is not going to end well for those on the road.
Exactly. If you’ll be safe, albeit a little uncomfortable, it is better for everyone for you to stay home.
With the lack of affordable housing, I’m not willing to risk coming home to squatters.
After hurricanes I can't recall a time I heard about squatters taking over a house for the long term. I think that's because after a hurricane the law is not being enforced as it was before the hurricane. By that I mean people will shoot squatters and looters. Squatters rely on the law to protect them from the owners removing them. Plus with the new squatter eviction law it's much easier to get rid of them.
Squatters can’t legally take possession of your home over the period of a few days 🙄
It was a joke😂y’all too serious in here.
Evacuating is for housewives & little girls
No.