More Hurricane fun - Page 3

Smiffy16 · 08-09-2004, 20:05

Glad your both OK.......best a luck for IVAN if it's on its way....hope not though.

JohnW · 09-09-2004, 11:07

Holy crap, here is the latest on Ivan. I don't know how much more of this Florida can stand. There are still nearly a million people without power from Frances.

pendy · 09-09-2004, 11:43

John W - is somebody trying to tell you something here?

JohnW · 09-09-2004, 14:28

I'll be OK Pendy, the Devil looks after his own!

WillowTheWhisp · 09-09-2004, 21:29

I've just seen a report on TV of the damage already done by this hurricane. It looks horrendous.

mez · 09-09-2004, 21:35

well jw & basf i hope you both weather the storm so to speak, youve both had enough this past month, hope all goes well for all of you over there //

Bazf · 09-09-2004, 22:08

Thanks for all your thoughts folks and the reason I've been off line nothing to do with hurricanes....... my hard drive died

and went to the place where all old hard drives go,

being cheap I ordered one on line and when it arrived the package was soaking wet so I had to go and buy one from Walmart(ASDA) and that seems to work

. Moral of the story cheap gits never prosper but they should.

JohnW · 10-09-2004, 10:48

Hi Bazf,

Glad to see that you are OK. Are you bracing yourself for Ivan? This looks as if it could be the worst this year so far. My God we are having more than our fair share of crap at the moment.

Keep your head under the covers.

JohnW · 10-09-2004, 10:52

Here is todays chart re Ivan for those who find it interesting. Bazf and I look to be specifically targeted on this occassion. Mind you, these charts change slightly every day and only become accurate as the hurricane draws near. Lets hope they've got this totally wrong and the damn thing goes and visits King Neptune out in the Atlantic.

janet · 10-09-2004, 12:03

Batten down the hatches JohnW and Bazf. Keep safe.

Bazf · 10-09-2004, 16:03

We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Atlantic Ocean and or the Gulf and making two basic meteorological points.

(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in Florida. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one." Based on our insurance industry experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1: Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2: Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3: Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween. Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Florida.

We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and
(2) It is located in Wisconsin

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is! that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

Hurricane-proof windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

Hurricane Proofing your property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc... You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don! 't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE:

If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Florida," you live in a low-lying area). The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major! r storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES:

If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Florida tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:>

23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

Bleach. (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for, but it's traditional, so GET some!)

A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)

A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Andrew; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.)

$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man! with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck, and remember: Its great living in Paradise

WillowTheWhisp · 10-09-2004, 16:34

It's good to see you can have a sense of humour about it. I can't imagine what it must be like living through such storms. I had enough with my experience in a caravan with attached wind generator this summer. During the night it felt like we were going to take off.

pendy · 10-09-2004, 16:39

Bazf - with a sense of humour like yours, you have to be hurricane proof!

Seriously, both you and John W, try to stay safe - sounds stupid, but what else can one say? We will be waiting for news from both of you. Be sensible, lads, come home to Accy.

Tealeaf · 10-09-2004, 16:43

I've just been looking at the NASA satelite pictures....IVAN IS A MONSTER!!!!

lettie · 10-09-2004, 17:49

Well done Bazf and John W on maintaining a sense of humour. Stay safe and let us know that you are ok..