Patterico's Pontifications

9/5/2017

Irma

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:48 pm



This thing looks ugly.

Not sure I’d stay in southern Florida if I lived there right now.

120 Responses to “Irma”

  1. we can’t evacuate silly we have to sit in the soup complacently and then later we can do cajun navy on it with many happy feels

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  2. narciso and kishnevi are down there. And I have relatives in Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa.

    nk (9651fb)

  3. 185 mph winds right now, that’s nasty.

    The great hurricane drought of the past decade is going out like a lion.

    harkin (90be6e)

  4. No I’m more nirthward, I have a sensible congressman, but it looks like the beserker machine fro that trek episode.

    narciso (d1f714)

  5. Mind-blowing in scope, scale and form. 185 mph winds…

    Mr. Donald, better triple-check that Mar-A-Lago flood insurance policy.

    “Somebody’s gonna have a hurricane… Yeah, nice thick clouds, good east-west slope… She’s gonna be a big beast.” – Astronaut Clayton Stone [James Franciscus] ‘Marooned’ 1969

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  6. Wilma was actually scaled up to category 6,

    narciso (d1f714)

  7. I’d leave ASAP. Have friends there that I’m inviting up to NJ for the duration. Hope they take me up on the offer.

    NJRob (7f4bec)

  8. @4…but it looks like the beserker machine from that trek episode.

    Meh. Now that you mention it– it does.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  9. that HEB article this morning made me cry like a little girl then my friend T called and wanted to talk about it

    i merchandised HEB for a couple months one year all across Texas when i was little it was very special

    i guess Florida has Publix

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  10. there’s no way we can evacuate that many people plus the roads are actually clever flood control mechanisms

    everyone needs to sit tight

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  11. Mariano’s is a cheap imitation of Publix, but they look like they could handle it with the same level of competency. I’d worry about the remnant Winn Dixies…those will get torn up and they’ll give you attitude but not much relief.

    urbanleftbehind (847a06)

  12. drudge has a spirograph them things are so cool

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  13. Mariano’s

    if I’m to be honest with you

    has garbage produce

    you can’t go in there knowing what you want and grab it

    you can just go and get what’s edible-looking and then make do

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  14. but they had a piano guy today playing a somewhat over-fancy arrangement of Lee Greenwood’s America ditty

    it made me think of Ann Althouse as I desperately hunted for serviceable produce

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  15. …that’s life with a northern chain grocer, unless you do one of those old Italian/Greek/Armo outfits in the suburbs like Tony’s, Caputos, Pete’s Fresh or Lewis Produce, but gee, you might actually luck into a butcher job (the true Jackie Robinson moment at an ethnic grocer) at one of them exactly 6 months from now…

    urbanleftbehind (847a06)

  16. So is that sedanos, down in south Florida.

    narciso (d1f714)

  17. i actually have a Tony’s not too far but i never been

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  18. As long as it aint a Bravo, its all good with me, Narciso.

    urbanleftbehind (847a06)

  19. We have to make do sometimes,

    narciso (d1f714)

  20. Perhaps that Disney film with tony Perkins suggests itself:
    https://mobile.twitter.com/RyanMaue/media/grid?idx=0

    narciso (d1f714)

  21. That map could also serve as a divine strike if one notes where the eye is headed…as Narciso leaves suddenly, slamming the door shut and the gun chest is empty.

    urbanleftbehind (847a06)

  22. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone it looks like the equivalent of the Haiti quake.

    narciso (d1f714)

  23. personally i’d evacuate the eff out of florida and go check out stone mountain before the taliban blow it up

    but i was born in houston

    so the compulsion is strong in me to sit in the soup and laugh haughtily in the face of nature’s wrath while i wait for a haphazard rescue to be organized

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  24. check this out though

    which is to say

    stay on the effing trail

    what’s wrong with people

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  25. Irma is far away from Florida, and may not get there actually. But it is now heading west. And its a very big hurricane. Because they don’t get too much warning I it should head to Florida – 2-3 days maximum – they are adopting a worse case scenario because the planning, or at east the stocking up of supplies, takes longer. If it does hit Florida, it could take any track whatsoever, east, west middle. I saw on TV, four, five or six tracks, covering all of South Florida. But who says it would go south to north?

    They were talking about Irma a week ago!

    About Harvey, I heard in the middle of last week:

    If we get any rain on Sunday, it could be the remnants of Harvey. It was. It hasn’t rained all that much but it’s been mostly cloudy. No moon. The storm is moving slowly It was reported at 6:45 EDT to be raining heavily in New Jersey, and maybe (earlier?) Baltimore, but so far there is nothing in Brooklyn.

    The National Hurricane Center stopped tracking Harvey after it had downgraded it to or below a tropical depression. It was then crossing Tennessee Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. Last week.

    Sammy Finkelman (035e74)

  26. I’m glad I live in Canada sometimes. Cold, but 185 mph winds? Yow. 40 below hardly counts. We can plan for that, and do, but 185 mph? No.

    Best wishes to all those in the storm’s path.

    Fred Z (05d938)

  27. They say no hurricane has hit Florida since Wilma, in 2005.

    Sammy Finkelman (035e74)

  28. it’s raining in Baltimore 50 miles east
    where you should be no one’s around

    i need a phone call

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  29. I hope it misses but plan for the worst. Evacuate if you can.

    DRJ (15874d)

  30. Let’s hope it misses, or maybe parks over Cuba.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  31. GTFO of the Keys. Now. There is little chance the hurricane will not completely overwhelm part, or all of them. I would not be surprised if portions of the causeway are lost to the sea.

    As of now, it appears from Marathon on east that utter devastation is near-guaranteed. Remember, it is the NorthEast quadrant that takes the biggest blow from a hurricane. It would not take much movement for Homestead (on the main peninsula) to get creamed again.

    If I were the governor, I would have the National Guard down there already to enforce order and “discourage” looters. I’d also have ships on stand-by to evacuate those troops come Friday night.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  32. @31. =Haiku!= Gesundheit!

    There’s a famed ‘inside space’ tale regarding a space shuttle astronaut (an old Cold Warrior and shall remain nameless) who, on a certain leg of an orbit passing over Cuba, was using the shuttle toilet, requested a countdown– when told they were over Havana– squeezed off a ‘doocie.’

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  33. with a storm this large and unprecedented there’s nothing you can do

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  34. Came back from St Martin on Saturday.
    Wish them my best.

    Neo (d1c681)

  35. Did you do the jet blast thing?

    urbanleftbehind (3c62b6)

  36. I live on the Gulf in SW Florida on the water. I’m well acquainted with hirricanes and for the last 3 days I’ve been making the usual preparations, and keeping my options open. The General rule is hide from the wind, and run from the water.

    The problem is by the time the hurricane’s path becomes knowable – It’s too late to evacuate. The roads are jammed, gasoline supplies disappear, and no rooms are available for hundreds of miles. Catch 22.

    The smart move would be to leave today, however the latest computer models predict an early dog-leg turn to the right and a northern progress up the Atlantic Coast with the eye and it’s 185 mph winds slightly off-shore. (Likely feeding on the warm waters of the Gulf Stream)

    If the predictions prove accurate, any heavy weather coming my way will arrive from the East and NE which will push water away from the Gulf Coast, and save my home.

    So, I’m waiting to see another card. I know it’s risky, but I’ve been through many a hurricane, I know what to do, but this one has me spooked.

    ropelight (db9e35)

  37. I happen to live on the Space Coast of Florida. (Think south of Kennedy Space Center.)

    People started prepping for this hurricane days ago in my area. Right now the shelves are bare in almost all stores. No bread, canned goods, water, etc. The same goes for plywood and batteries. There are none left in the area.

    People are driving like nuts on the road, but that is rather normal. In the stores, people are polite and understanding. In my travels to finish up getting supplies last night, I only saw one person that was even remotely rude. Not too bad for watching people in 3 stores for several hours.

    The current track has Irma heading straight up the center of the state and hitting the Orlando area as a Cat 3 hurricane. In other words, there really is no where in the state to run to. You can’t evacuate the whole state. The Keys have evacuation orders now.

    The good news is that the models are showing Irma shifting to the east and maybe off the coast. That would be so good if that happened.

    It’s hunker down and take the punch time.

    gitarcarver (0e8c2b)

  38. Ropelight,

    So, I’m waiting to see another card. I know it’s risky, but I’ve been through many a hurricane, I know what to do, but this one has me spooked.

    I know exactly what you mean. Stay safe mon ami.

    gitarcarver (0e8c2b)

  39. Did you do the jet blast thing?

    lady died there a couple months ago

    On 13 July 2017, a 57-year-old woman from New Zealand was holding on the fence at runway ten. A Departing Boeing 737 was lined up on that runway. As the 737 departed the jet blast threw the woman backwards either hitting the asphalt on the ground or a concrete wall. She died as a result of a fatal head injury. This was the first fatality at the airport from “riding the fence”. Riding the fence is where people hang on to a chain-link fence at the end of the runway 10 as an aircraft departs, attempting to withstand jet blast.

    jet blast thing is no good

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  40. Here’s a thought for those in Irma’s path who are short on water: Buy a plastic 55 gallon drum (used at Rural King $19.95) clean it out and fill it with tap water, (add a little bleach to prevent organic growth).

    At the recommended level of one gallon per person – per day, that’s enough supply to see a family of 5 through the worst days.

    ropelight (db9e35)

  41. also don’t forget you can drain your water heater in a pinch but the best place to store water is in northern Georgia

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  42. My dad did that (draining the wh) once, HF.

    felipe (b5e0f4)

  43. No matter where you live you should have water stored in advance. Many natural catastrophes arrive without an announcement.

    Ben burn (b3d5ab)

  44. Don’t look now, but Ben is talking to hisself on another thread. He might come this way, though.

    felipe (b5e0f4)

  45. Sooner than expected.

    felipe (b5e0f4)

  46. happy, I remember helping my father scrub out the bath tub to store water in preperation for Hurricane Hazel. It’s a better option than the hot water heater.

    Atfter killing over 400 in Haiti, Hazel came ashore in mid October of ’54 at the border between Georgia and South Carolina, turned North, rolled over Washington DC, and continued on up to Toronto.

    Along the mid Atlantic, Hazel is the one old timers use as the benchmark for comparison with all subsequent storms.

    ropelight (db9e35)

  47. Act of God events means insurance don’t pay.

    Ben burn (b3d5ab)

  48. yes yes the bathtub’s good too unless your turtles decide to ride out the storm there

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  49. amazon turdlord jeffy bezos and his wapo fake news propaganda sluts are very petty

    there’s a lot of people besides president trump getting hit by Irma’s incontinent galumphing

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  50. Miami-Dade holds off on Irma evacuation orders — for now

    does becoming mayor of a coastal city make you stooptarded or is it the other way around

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  51. I am in Miami, but all of Florida is a cluster within a hurricane.

    May I come stay with happy??

    😎

    Roxy (11db1c)

  52. yes yes plenty of room and i’ll make mashed potatoes

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  53. Made your day.

    Sometimes levity is the greatest cure for severe stress.

    Potatoes???

    Roxy (11db1c)

  54. yes it’s my new thing!

    ok so take one whole onion and cut it up and cook that in some olive oil til it starts to char just a bit

    then i season the onion with say 2 tspn garlic powder

    maybe a little less than 1 tspn salt

    and a tspn of black pepper

    drop the heat and then let that simmer for like 5 minutes while you practice your stirring

    so we’re a good 15 minutes into this already

    ok what i do next is take a vegetable like squash or even green beans or one time i used cauliflower stem

    chop that up – and throw in some greens if you have any – mustard, collard, kale

    and now we’re gonna slow-cook that

    put the lid on and stir every 10 minutes or so – with something like green beans you’re gonna need to add some water or mirin at some point

    now with traditional slow-cooked vegetables you stop while everything’s sorta still recognizable

    but for this you go well past that – cook everything down to where it’s maybe a fourth to a third of the volume you started with – this can be 90-120 minutes

    then you take a potato or two and chop that up and boil it til done – throw that in the collander and then combine the potatoes and the vegetables in your mixing bowl

    everything’s so soft if you have a hand-masher you can knock this out in no time – but you have to add a half pint more or less of cream while you do this

    and bam just like that you’re done!

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  55. oh – and this is kinda by the by

    but i always finish the vegetables with one spoonful of sour cream

    not sure this makes a huge difference

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  56. Yes, happy, we have a lot in common.

    I would probably be a Trumpette if i could afford silk stockings. Sans the designer fillers, of course.

    Albeit, I hate that word, I’m a simple girl. I was thinking blanched green beans, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper,

    And a hand full of basil leaves. To go with the fresh caught Fl lobster in my freezer. Can you make risotto??

    Alas, I love this blog! Carry on, all!

    Roxy (11db1c)

  57. that sounds really good i hate i haven’t had any fresh basil all summer

    i’ve always felt i didn’t have the patience for risotto but maybe it’s time to circle back on that

    this idea’s always kinda interested me – lots of different interpretations – some sweet, some savory

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  58. Peeking in. I am pretty well prepared, except bread, which everyone is grabbing as quickly as possible. But if need be, I’ll live on Special K and Rice Krispies.

    As Ropelight and others noted, evacuation means getting caught in traffic and guessing where the storm goes. So I will stsy put and see how my house does in the wind. If everyone is truly lucky, the storm will turn early and skirt the Bahamas. But at this point the entire state of Florida will probably experience at least tropical storm winds. I expect to be without power for at least a couple of days, so expect radio silence from me for a few days at least. An email to my nickname here @ yahoo will reach me eventually.

    kishnevi (682c47)

  59. I was thinking of going up to Georgia, but they expect the storm by Tuesday,so well havevto go to a shelter.

    narciso (d1f714)

  60. Good luck, kishnevi. Do you have a manual can opener? If not, here’s a simple trick for opening cans.

    nk (9651fb)

  61. i’m not happy about this reverse-evacuation plan where instead of heading northward and embracing an early autumn adventure you actively stay put while what we here at pikaweather like to call a GODDAMN CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE is sauntering towards you with a bit of sass in her step

    when i explored florida i took mostly a lot of curvy back roads straight up the middle – after making a mistake of taking that highway from Jacksonville to St. Augustine anyways

    beautiful country

    would be a great place to retire i think

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  62. that man just put me some can knowledge and showed me how I’m a open my cans if my can-openers go astray or they get to where they’re unreliable

    or maybe i have to go on the run with my cans

    that’s empowering and I don’t think I’m likely to ever forget this

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  63. Thanks, nk. I have one, but never use it. My Crohn’s makes most stuff in cans off limits, even canned tuna. I could do canned chicken but they don’t seem to have kosher canned chicken.

    HF–by the time it gets here it will be a Cat 4, not a Cat 5. Still strong as %$”$@. But there is still a chance it turns early and goes east of the Bahamas. Not a big chance, but still a chance.

    kishnevi (682c47)

  64. ok well that’s still scary stay well

    wear a bike helmet

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  65. Still strong as %$”$@

    I bet you are, Kishnevi. But I have a truck, a canoe, and a chainsaw. If you need a helping hand don’t be embarrassed to ask. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to turn to you.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  66. This is the moment we cry over our light beers.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  67. Thanks, Steve. But when I said still strong, I meant Irma, not me. I’m a 148 pound weakling.

    kishnevi (3734a9)

  68. Ease stay safe guys and ladies. This is a big one and we can only hope she makes a sharp turn to stay off the coast. Do whatever is necessary to be back healthy and hearty.

    NJRob (9bca63)

  69. The 11 PM track on Sept 6 now has the Sunday 8 PM location as over my house – as a Cat 4 hurricane.

    Crap.

    gitarcarver (0e8c2b)

  70. Muslim, Christian, Hindu, I don’t care. Just get out of the way. I say this as a guy who spent a significant amount of his career doing hurricane/typhoon/cyclone avoidance.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  71. Scientologists don’t listen to him it’s a trick

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  72. In the Atlantic/Caribbean it’s called a hurricane. In the Pacific it’s called a typhoon. In the Indian Ocean it’s called a cyclone. Wherever you are it’s called bad news. Get away. I rode out a typhoon on the the Carl Vinson because my sh***head admiral thought we could cross the “T.” It’s no fun.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  73. Crossing the T or capping the T is a classic naval warfare tactic used from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, in which a line of warships crosses in front of a line of enemy ships, allowing the crossing line to bring all their guns to bear while receiving fire from only the forward guns of the enemy.

    good heavens can you imagine them trying this kind of fancy maneuver today

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  74. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Cobra

    This was certainly the greatest unanswered loss the USN suffered in WWII. Three destroyers, 800 men, and over 100 aircraft.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  75. Yeah but you have to be able to do it, Mr. Feets.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  76. ok from now on if you skip steering practice you have to bake everybody cookies

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  77. If you screw it up, you should have to bake cookies and say, I screwed it up. Have some cookies.

    Ask about my opinion on the 428 Cobra Jet.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  78. I looked at teh recent comments at upper far right of the site and decided I need to get up on Irma too… she must be somethin’!

    Colonel Haiku (6c3d91)

  79. And I ain’t ever gettin’ off… oh… wait…

    Colonel Haiku (6c3d91)

  80. kishnevi and everyone in the path of Irma,

    Please take care. I wish you the best.

    DRJ (15874d)

  81. Yes I can’t image how they thought this would be a good move.

    narciso (d1f714)

  82. We blame the shelter in place on incompetence of POC mayors, but what if that command is coming from “better areas” not wanting a repeat of Katrina refugee problems?

    urbanleftbehind (6e5c94)

  83. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked this hard.

    Nailed in tight, even over impact windows, so worried my kids that I’m staying.

    But I grew up in Alaska, spent 20 years as a Fed Ex courier, last 12 as a young widow, and

    told I have more moves than an entire football team, on the dance floor that is-

    .59 Need a raincheck on risotto, it takes a large pan, and I need the water tight dishwasher

    to store valuables in. And Ocala is a great place to retire. Prayers for Florida!

    I’m off to take a shower, so that I can meet Irma-

    Roxy (11db1c)

  84. ooh that’s smart about the dishwasher

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  85. Strong Earthquake Hits Off Mexico’s Coast – The New York Times

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/world/americas/mexico-earthquake.html

    8.1 mag.

    Whadda month. What time can we expect the asteroid?

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  86. Well, here I sit in the projected eye of Irma’s fury, and serve me right as the weathermen warned. I have a place to run East of I-75 but I’m leaving the accumulated possessions of a lifetime to the uncertain caprice of wind and water.

    I’ve collected up the essentials, or at least the ones that’ll fit in my car. Wish me luck, looks like I’m going to need it.

    PS: I’ll provide on-the-ground updates on storm conditions as long as the cell phone towers remain in service.

    ropelight (cceaad)

  87. gogogo god bless you there’s still room for good luck to happen all up in it

    i hope you saw Roxy’s trick about throwing valuables in the dishwasher

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  88. (up at #85)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  89. personally i think they should have called for evacuation earlier than they did, but overall Flroida seems to have its ducks in a row way better than them higgledy-piddledy Texas ducks was

    Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a press conference Saturdaythat shelters are open in every county in the state. There are 260 shelters currently open, the governor said, and state officials anticipate that 70 more will be open on Saturday. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is keeping a running county-by-county list of open shelters.

    what glitches there are seem to mostly be in Miami, which may prove fortunate

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  90. higgledy-*piggledy* Texas ducks i mean

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  91. hrm i guess the treelessness of haiti is at least a little overstated

    this lil spot looks like it’s quite lovely most days

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  92. Do you think that if President Trump, The Donald, invited Rush Limbaugh to Fifth Avenue and shot him, he would get good press and his supporters would still support him?

    nk (9651fb)

  93. i think Mr. Rush (not a fan personally) is being grossly misinterpreted by fake news propaganda slut Shehab Khan

    “So there is a desire to advance this climate change agenda, and hurricanes are one of the fastest and best ways to do it. You can accomplish a lot just by creating fear and panic. You don’t need a hurricane to hit anywhere,” Mr Limbaugh said on his show.

    “All you need is to create the fear and panic accompanied by talk that climate change is causing hurricanes to become more frequent and bigger and more dangerous, and you create the panic, and it’s mission accomplished, agenda advanced.”

    this is 100% true scoring a rating of 5 truth pickles from pikachufactcheck.org

    and propaganda slut Shehab Khan doesn’t adduce any other quotes what back up his assertions

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  94. Recall the skydragon worshipers used Katrina a the pretext for clean envy inclydng getting rid of the incandescent light bulb.

    narciso (d1f714)

  95. Ropelight, you’ll be comforted to know a lot of people on my side decided your side of the state, and mid-state were the best places to evacuate to. So now they will get the brunt of the storm…. stay safe.

    You too, Narciso…it sounds like Irma will still be a hurricane when it goes by you.

    kishnevi (abbfd8)

  96. So it would appear knish.

    narciso (d1f714)

  97. This guy is officially the greatest sign-language signer on the planet.

    Also, check out this crazy reverse tidal surge in the Bahamas. The ocean (here) is … missing. Unfortunately that means there’s enough water for two oceans somewhere else …

    Dave (445e97)

  98. That happens a lot in that area. The water is very shallow to begin with. It’s probably more due to the tide from an almost full moon than to Irma.

    nk (9651fb)

  99. Why is Florida called the peninsula state?

    Answered by The WikiAnswers® Community

    Florida is actually called the Sunshine State, not the Peninsula State. However, the state of Florida is a peninsula, which is a body of land surrounded on three sides by water.

    internet!

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  100. Did you know…

    …that Canada is known as the “Maple Leaf State”?

    Dave (445e97)

  101. Hey, Michigan is the Two Peninsula State!

    kishnevi (8f5d8c)

  102. seems to correlate with per capita income with a few outliers like Alaska

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  103. New Hampshire as the Prude State?

    kishnevi (704a68)

  104. NH is #5 in per capita income

    it also stands with West Virginia, Maine and Vermont as being among the least racially diverse states

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  105. Hurricane Irma powered ashore on the north coast of Cuba Friday night as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds, marking Cuba’s first Category 5 landfall since 1924.

    this may end up being the key plot point if Cuba took Irma down a peg or two before it hits Florida

    it’s the only good news we’ve had so far

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  106. Irma wobbling NW, eye now pounding Keys. Heavy rain bands moving thru Naples with periods of calm in between. I’m making a quick visit to my endangered home this AM. More when I get back.

    ropelight (cceaad)

  107. seems to correlate with per capita income with a few outliers like Alaska

    Colleges and universities with low standards?

    nk (9651fb)

  108. that seems like such a narrow demo to influence the overall number

    btw looks like max wind speed dropped to 120 from 130 in the latest update, and she’s kicked he forward momentum up to 12 mph

    if she can make landfall a ways south of tampa that would be for the best i guess

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  109. *her* forward momentum i mean

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  110. According to Florida Power & Light, it will be weeks, not days, before electricity is fully restored because of the damage being done by Hurricane Irma. Spokesman Rob Gould said Sunday that an estimated 3.4 million homes and businesses will lose power once the worst of Irma reaches the Florida mainland. He expects thousands of miles (kilometers) of poles and lines will need to be replaced, particularly on the Gulf coast. As of Sunday afternoon, about 1.5 million customers were without power.

    He said 17,000 restoration workers from as far away as California and Massachusetts are already stationed around the state, but it will take time to rebuild the system. The utility covers much of the state, including most cities on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast south of Tampa. It does not cover Tampa and St. Petersburg, two major cities in Irma’s forecast path.

    Florida’s response has been extremely impressive so far

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  111. this troubling nonsense is troubling

    China, the world’s biggest car market, plans to ban the production and sale of diesel and petrol cars and vans.

    there’s simply no way Florida could have accomplished its remarkable evacuation using electric cars and many of them would be completely useless for weeks into the aftermath

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  112. here this has bearing on a previous discussion what we had here:

    As hurricane needs swell, some suggest steering clear of Red Cross. Why?

    USA TODAY – Sep 9, 2017

    As Hurricane Irma swirled toward Florida’s southern coast, the American Red Cross continued to be dogged on social media by people suggesting that donations intended to help victims of the storm send their money elsewhere.

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  113. Hopefully not premature to celebrate, but no reports of fatalities in Florida and Irma is now downgraded to “only” a tropical storm.

    Well-done, Sunshine-Staters…

    Dave (445e97)

  114. We talked to the family in Tampa, late yesterday, and they were optimistically bunkered down and prepared. The cousins on the seashore had “evacuated” to the uncle’s house by Route 41 North of USF. We’ll be checking with them, but if USF is ok, they should be ok.

    nk (dbc370)

  115. 116. There were a few fatalities in Florida, in car accidents in which the storm was a factor, according to what’s in the New York Post.

    In Marathon, in the Florida Keys, a man lost control of a pickup truck while hauling a generator through high winds on Saturday, and smashed into a tree. Two cars driven by law enforcement officials driving through the rain in Hardee Counnty, southeast of Tampa, collided together head on on Sunday morning, and both drivers were killed.. One vwhicle, driven by a female sheriff’s deputy, had left a hurricane shelter for supplies, and the other one was being driven by a corrections officer headed for work.

    Also, another person died, apparently of unrelated batural causes, in a classrroom at Marathon High School in the Florida Keys, where he had taken shelter overnight Saturday. They had no place to take the body, so they emptied the room and sealed it off.

    Sammy Finkelman (8a673f)

  116. 95. And Paul Krugman implies Rush was a hypocrite and misleading people because he left his home in Palm Beach County after the broadcast.

    He couldn’t work without electricity, which could easily be knocked out, and he had a better place to go! Not because he believed his life was in danger if he stayed.

    Sammy Finkelman (8a673f)

  117. There was also a man who was killed before the storm: he fell off a ladder while putting up shutters.

    kishnevi (ec71b1)


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