Hurricane Ian's destruction

[NoCreativity]

5 days in advance is a bit of a stretch. Yes, the cone of uncertainty passed over the area, but even like a day before it was thought that this storm's primary damage would be farther north, and not as strong as it ended up being as this really strengthened in the final hours before landfall.

These forecast cones hit these areas enough that a lot of people can't just leave every time they get into the warned area. Not everyone can afford to pack up their stuff, their kids, their animals, etc, drive hundreds of miles away and pay hundreds per night on hotel rooms. So for a lot of people it really, effectively, is having to make a short-term decision within the last 24 hours on whether to bail.

Well, they had plenty of notice so I don't feel sorry for able bodied people who decided to stick it out.
They've been warning people for a week now. I'm sorry but if I have a Cateorgy 5 as big as the entire state bearing down on me I'm not sticking around to find out if it ends up being 150 or 120mph winds.

 

[CY88CE11]

Or as 90% of Iowans seem to call it, Derechio.

I have a friend that keeps saying derekko.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

Looks a lot like what Andrew did to Homestead 30 years ago.

 

[enisthemenace]

Now this one is eye opening for sure. Look at the beach erosion too. Wow.

 

[BCClone]

Now this one is eye opening for sure. Look at the beach erosion too. Wow.

Set it back about 80 years also. Before there was color in the world.

 

[isufbcurt]

Turns out my friend had to get a helicopter ride to get out of her neighborhood

 

[3TrueFans]

Turns out my friend had to get a helicopter ride to get out of her neighborhood

Fun!

 

[isufbcurt]

Fun!

Her snap video was funny because they had her dog locked up in a crate

 

[enisthemenace]

I keep getting updates from a buddy and it sounds like hell on earth.

 

[MeanDean]

A Tornado popping up in Iowa after they've had watches all day isn't quite the same as a Category 5 hurricane they've told you about 5 days in advance.

Right. A tornado warning takes 30 minutes out of your life to scurry to the basement. And costs you nothing. A hurricane evacuation can be a week and cost you lodging and loss of work etc.

So the decision to do the smart thing is far more disruptive to your life in a hurricane situation than a tornado. And after you've evacuated 'for no reason' when they've been wrong in the past just causes a person to second guess the cost and disruption to your life to do that.

I'm definitely NOT arguing for staying when ordered to evacuate. I'm just comparing the same human nature we have here to downplay tornado warnings when you are directed to go to your basement versus their human nature to not want to go through the cost, time and effort when many times the hurricane goes elsewhere or peters out.

 

[Cydkar]

I've got a friend in Tampa. He says his home is up away from where the flooding will be and that his house is as prepared as it can be for the storm. He also warned people to not get too wrapped up in the hype of the national media. While these storms are no laughing matter, the around the clock coverage they show to the rest of the nation is way over the top.

Aged

 

[cydsho]

 

[enisthemenace]

Unreal

 

[cstrunk]

I get the whole "uncertainty of the cone" thing. But when you have 12-24+ hours to get out when a strengthening Cat 3/4/5 hurricane is headed in your general direction... Driving a few hours to get out of the way doesn't seem so bad. Life >>> death. I get that sometimes there's traffic/weather/financial/other considerations that may prevent it... But most of the time, you can get out.

And I know there's "some" people who can't get out easily. Elderly. Disabled. People who can't afford it. But anyone in a $500k+ beach/waterfront home surely the means to get out... And I guarantee you that most properties near the water are worth that or MUCH more these days.

I think a lot of it is still ignorance and personal accountability. Just my opinion. My heart still goes out to those affected. Obviously a huge natural disaster.

 

[davegilbertson]

I take no joy in any of this...damage or loss of life, but Fort Myers and Outer Banks were both tourism clients of mine, been to both multiple times.

Both amazing, beautiful locations. But something always struck me asoff about building anything of value on a tiny cape, surrounded by ocean.

Or as in OBX, literally on the beach on stilts.

 

[Jer]

I take no joy in any of this...damage or loss of life, but Fort Myers and Outer Banks were both tourism clients of mine, been to both multiple times.

Both amazing, beautiful locations. But something always struck me asoff about building anything of value on a tiny cape, surrounded by ocean.

Or as in OBX, literally on the beach on stilts.

I’ve always understood the desire to be as close to the beach and water as possible. But, if you have to build your house on stilts, you’re not building in a safe location.

 

[NorthCyd]

Man, the devastation in the Ft. Myers area and south of there is staggering. Fewer people are affected than if it had hit Tampa Bay metro, but the Cape Coral-Ft. Myers Metro is large. Bigger than the Des Moines metro. A lot of peoples lives are forever changed because if this.

 

[mdk2isu]

I get the whole "uncertainty of the cone" thing. But when you have 12-24+ hours to get out when a strengthening Cat 3/4/5 hurricane is headed in your general direction... Driving a few hours to get out of the way doesn't seem so bad. Life >>> death. I get that sometimes there's traffic/weather/financial/other considerations that may prevent it... But most of the time, you can get out.

And I know there's "some" people who can't get out easily. Elderly. Disabled. People who can't afford it. But anyone in a $500k+ beach/waterfront home surely the means to get out... And I guarantee you that most properties near the water are worth that or MUCH more these days.

I think a lot of it is still ignorance and personal accountability. Just my opinion. My heart still goes out to those affected. Obviously a huge natural disaster.

It took 3 hours to drive from Tampa to Orlando on Monday. As of Tuesday morning it was still projected to hit the Tampa area. It was only later into Tuesday afternoon and evening that the path drifted farther south.

What you are saying is the people in Fort Meyers, initially projected not to get hit, get in their cars and drive somewhere in the last few hours, at night, before the storm hits.

There is a pretty good chance some of those people would have ended up stuck in their cars on some road somewhere trying to survive that storm. Give me the choice between being stuck in my house or stuck in my car to try surviving that and I’m choosing the house 100 out of 100 times.

 

[83cy]

Really sad, we have a condo in Naples lost a car and a boat but our home was spared very thankful. Beautiful areas just North of us totally destroyed. Ft Myers is basically gone!

 

[CycloneSpinning]

It took 3 hours to drive from Tampa to Orlando on Monday. As of Tuesday morning it was still projected to hit the Tampa area. It was only later into Tuesday afternoon and evening that the path drifted farther south.

What you are saying is the people in Fort Meyers, initially projected not to get hit, get in their cars and drive somewhere in the last few hours, at night, before the storm hits.

There is a pretty good chance some of those people would have ended up stuck in their cars on some road somewhere trying to survive that storm. Give me the choice between being stuck in my house or stuck in my car to try surviving that and I’m choosing the house 100 out of 100 times.

I will also point out that these evacuations displace a lot of people…and it can be hard to find a place to stay. We evacuated from Hilton Head about 5 years ago and ended up driving all the way to Nashville. There were no hotel rooms in Atlanta. It was 1 in the morning, and I-24 west of Chattanooga was as crowded as it would be at 1 in the afternoon. The odd thing was all of the cars were from SC, Georgia, and Florida. Crazy.