Hurricane Irma

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by paiceman

Bob:

Tell your buddy when the eye is overhead, if it passes over him, to go outside - noise but usually not a breath or air, no wind at all and again usually bright blue sky. I've experienced a number, Camille the most amazing as it was dead of night and we looked up to see bright stars in the sky, but then the back wall hit us with winds in the opposite direction.

Bud

Hi

He's been through a number of hurricanes both in Florida and in Texas. His big concern is the last part. Winds from every direction are a bit hard to fully prepare for. There is no "safe downwind side" to anything.

Bob

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

10 hours drive time and 400 miles later. Atlanta Motor Speedway*

Attachment 294290

* there are a number of rigs in the full hookup sites paying $20 per night. We are staying one night so are in the non-hookup location. Alone. I'm the only cheap bastard I guess.

Cheap or not, you escaped! Congrats, my friend.

Figure 5 hours to Helen from where you are. Remember, you still have to deal with Atlanta traffic which is a bleeping nightmare. Best time to travel is in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. AVOID pulling thru downtown at all costs. Either take I-75 to I-285 to I-85 north (best route from where you are right now), or take I-75 to I-285 to I-75 north to I-575 (longer and lots of road construction that way right now).

Good luck and let us know when you are safely there.

Jim

[Mollysdad]

The latest track has irma going a bit more inland. I have the truck gassed up. Things you cannot buy in Tampa: Water, Bread, gas cans. Several stations are out of gas. I found one with no lines, but it was busy.
I took a picture because I couldn't believe it, the bread aisle at WalMart last night.
Storm still 1000 miles away.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Cheap or not, you escaped! Congrats, my friend.

Figure 5 hours to Helen from where you are. Remember, you still have to deal with Atlanta traffic which is a bleeping nightmare. Best time to travel is in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. AVOID pulling thru downtown at all costs. Either take I-75 to I-285 to I-85 north (best route from where you are right now), or take I-75 to I-285 to I-75 north to I-575 (longer and lots of road construction that way right now).

Good luck and let us know when you are safely there.

Jim

Thanks so much! I've been looking for the best route. Actually checked traffic a few times today just to see if there was a good time. There wasn't.

I'm thinking of waiting until Saturday. Would that help?

[StreaminGuy]

We can offer hospitality and no charge courtesy parking with 15 amp power / water / possibly sewer hook up to our clean out. We also have a spare bedroom w/ full size bed, private bath by that bedroom.
PM me if interested. Cumming, GA. 1 hour north of Atlanta, 1 hour, 15 minutes South of Helen / Top of Georgia. I'm working from home Friday and home all weekend. I have a grill and I'm not afraid to use it. Stopover or stay. If coming through Atlanta going to Top of Georgia in Helen, it's 3 miles out of the way to our place.
PM me if interested.
Thanks, G

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Latest news seems to be that the track is drifting west again. I'd say it's by no means definite which side of the state the storm will run up ....

Bob

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Latest news seems to be that the track is drifting west again. I'd say it's by no means definite which side of the state the storm will run up ....

Given the diameter of the storm, I'd say that regardless of which side of the state the eye is on, west, middle, or east, the storm will run up the whole state— or at least the whole state east of Tallahassee.

[DMP54]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

The latest track has irma going a bit more inland. I have the truck gassed up. Things you cannot buy in Tampa: Water, Bread, gas cans. Several stations are out of gas. I found one with no lines, but it was busy.
I took a picture because I couldn't believe it, the bread aisle at WalMart last night.
Storm still 1000 miles away.

Glad you posted that pic- I tried to describe to my family what our Walmart looked like yesterday, and the only word I could come up with was "apocalyptic". They still aren't sure of the track, but local news is predicting a Cat 2 by the time it gets to Jax.- with a turn toward Georgia west of Lake City (I-75).

St.Augustine is being evacuated at 6AM tomorrow morning. We'll be hanging on tight. Gas trucks have been going south, traffic north. A royal mess.

[Al and Missy]

Our evacuation is supposed to become mandatory at 3PM. We will leave in an hour or so after loading the truck. First stop, Jacksonville. Probable final destination, Fleetwood, NC, near Boone. Who knows how long it will take. Have a blue highways Plan B in case of (probable) congestion on interstates.

SC and Georgia Governors already have their people evacuating. You'd think (hope, maybe) that the Governors could get together and stagger evacuations so that those north of us wouldn't clog the highways, but it happened with Matthew and looks to be happening again. Maybe SC will contraflow I-26 this time. They didn't last year.

It isn't rocket science, after all.

Al

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Have a blue highways Plan B in case of (probable) congestion on interstates.

Anyone who has ever watched action/adventure movies knows that Plan A never works! Save yourself some time and trouble by discarding Plan A before you try it, and make Plan B your first plan.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by StreaminGuy

We can offer hospitality and no charge courtesy parking with 15 amp power / water / possibly sewer hook up to our clean out. We also have a spare bedroom w/ full size bed, private bath by that bedroom.
PM me if interested. Cumming, GA. 1 hour north of Atlanta, 1 hour, 15 minutes South of Helen / Top of Georgia. I'm working from home Friday and home all weekend. I have a grill and I'm not afraid to use it. Stopover or stay. If coming through Atlanta going to Top of Georgia in Helen, it's 3 miles out of the way to our place.
PM me if interested.
Thanks, G

Sounds great. Thanks for the offer. Not sure we are staying around here though. The storm seems to have followed us. Might have to head west????

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

Thanks so much! I've been looking for the best route. Actually checked traffic a few times today just to see if there was a good time. There wasn't.

I'm thinking of waiting until Saturday. Would that help?

Saturday is normally better. The Georgia coastline has been ordered evacuated, so all those folks will be headed this way as well. I-16 will be northbound in all lanes for a few days.

Just looking at the Weather Channel, looks pretty certain that this thing is headed to Georgia after Florida. Lots of wind and rain. Not nearly as bad as South Florida, but an unusual event for sure.

Be safe everybody.

Jim

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

We will leave in an hour or so after loading the truck. First stop, Jacksonville. Probable final destination, Fleetwood, NC, near Boone. Who knows how long it will take. Have a blue highways Plan B in case of (probable) congestion on interstates.

Based on my drive yesterday the interstates are more congested (mostly accidents not volume) but have gas. The blue highways had plenty of closed gas stations.

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

Sounds great. Thanks for the offer. Not sure we are staying around here though. The storm seems to have followed us. Might have to head west????

I-75 North to I-285 West to I-20 West. I hear east Texas is nice this time of year. Once you get to I-20, it's only about a 12 hour drive.

Jim

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Our evacuation is supposed to become mandatory at 3PM. We will leave in an hour or so after loading the truck. First stop, Jacksonville. Probable final destination, Fleetwood, NC, near Boone. Who knows how long it will take. Have a blue highways Plan B in case of (probable) congestion on interstates.

SC and Georgia Governors already have their people evacuating. You'd think (hope, maybe) that the Governors could get together and stagger evacuations so that those north of us wouldn't clog the highways, but it happened with Matthew and looks to be happening again. Maybe SC will contraflow I-26 this time. They didn't last year.

It isn't rocket science, after all.

Al

Counter flow on paper looks like it would work, I always thought so myself. But, this week I was "informed" by some LEO's that in fact it usually is a disaster for two reasons. First, rescue workers, so on and so forth are going in the opposite direction, as I am to rescue dogs from shelters. So if you see a Sliver F350 heading into the weather, it's likely to be me. Second, at some point the counter flow ends and according to cops it is a total and absolute nightmare. The guys I talked to say they've tried stagger merge points one merge point etc and it still starts a quick back up that does not end. They have also, or so they say, computer tested it and same results. Now, what they could try is like they do around Boston during rush hours is use ALL lanes in one direction including the emergency lane. Those who break down must get off onto the grass. Helps a bit up there.

Good luck all and be safe.

Bud

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

I'm thinking of waiting until Saturday. Would that help?

When it comes to hurricane evacuation, leading the herd is better than following the herd, because those on the tail end are most likely to encounter shortages of things they really need to buy en route.

But following the herd is still less stressful than being in the middle of the herd!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by paiceman

Counter flow on paper looks like it would work

When New Orleans tried contra-flow for Katrina, the chokepoints where the traffic lanes had to merge together were a nightmare. Instead of merging the left counter-flowing lane into the right lane, and merging the left normal-flowing lane into the right lane, and then bringing the single counter-flowing lane across the median into the newly-vacant left normal-flow lane, it was pretty much every driver for himself, with two counter-flowing lanes trying to merge into the left normal-flowing lane all at once, and the left normal-flowing lane trying to get out of their way by cutting off the drivers in the right lane all in the same place, with the net result that traffic in all 4 lanes slowed to a walking pace or less.

Also, those people headed north in the southbound lanes were more likely to run out of fuel and other needed supplies, because all of the on-ramps that would have been off-ramps in contra-flow were closed; once you were in a contra-flow lane, you were there for the duration, no exit, whether you had everything you needed or not. Only those lucky enough to end up in a normal flow lane had the option to get off the highway and stop for fuel, beverages, potty breaks, whatever, and then get back on.

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

When New Orleans tried contra-flow for Katrina, the chokepoints where the traffic lanes had to merge together were a nightmare. Instead of merging the left counter-flowing lane into the right lane, and merging the left normal-flowing lane into the right lane, and then bringing the single counter-flowing lane across the median into the newly-vacant left normal-flow lane, it was pretty much every driver for himself, with two counter-flowing lanes trying to merge into the left normal-flowing lane all at once, and the left normal-flowing lane trying to get out of their way by cutting off the drivers in the right lane all in the same place, with the net result that traffic in all 4 lanes slowed to a walking pace or less.

Also, those people headed north in the southbound lanes were more likely to run out of fuel and other needed supplies, because all of the on-ramps that would have been off-ramps in contra-flow were closed; once you were in a contra-flow lane, you were there for the duration, no exit, whether you had everything you needed or not. Only those lucky enough to end up in a normal flow lane had the option to get off the highway and stop for fuel, beverages, potty breaks, whatever, and then get back on.

I just communicated with friends in "line" on I 95 now and prior this AM to friends who left and went up I 75 on Tuesday. Both reported same, limited fuel and neither could even exit at rest areas as they were so full and vehicles waiting to get into the rest area. I think if I were leaving I'd have left already, but I certainly would not wait any longer than now. But, then I am heading into it, so I would not take my advice.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

I-75 North to I-285 West to I-20 West. I hear east Texas is nice this time of year. Once you get to I-20, it's only about a 12 hour drive.

Jim

Hi

12 hours gets you to Pennsylvania .... come on up !!!

Not quite sure that either is "needed" to get away from even this monster of a storm. Heading west looks like a quicker way out of the path than heading north. It's going to get wet and windy up into Virginia. The next storm in line appears to be staying away from the mainland in the models so dodging it is not (yet) part of the math.

Bob

[DMP54]

Ok, Mollysdad, if you're in Zone A, get out now. We have room in Jacksonville if you can make it