Hurricane Milton check-in thread October 9, 2024 1:50 PM Subscribe
Many MeFites are in the track of this beast, and there's a post on the Blue to share info. I thought we could use a space to check-in and keep each other company, share best wishes, worries, hopes and suggestions for staying safe.
Just to start off with some good news, Milton turned north a bit earlier than expected so the worst of it missed Yucatán entirely. The north shore saw some major storm surges and there was one building collapse, but there were no reported injuries.
We are all hoping it goes so easy on our Floridan cousins.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:45 PM on October 9 [20 favorites]
We are all hoping it goes so easy on our Floridan cousins.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:45 PM on October 9 [20 favorites]
Sigh. Posting in one of these again. We evacuated to FLL. 15 miles north and I'm pretty sure we have nothing to go home to. So now.... Someone else's dream is getting destroyed. We're safe and OK. And very very weary/exhausted.
posted by chasles at 6:07 PM on October 9 [17 favorites]
posted by chasles at 6:07 PM on October 9 [17 favorites]
Can't imagine what that feels like chasles, but glad you are at least safe.
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:01 PM on October 9 [2 favorites]
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:01 PM on October 9 [2 favorites]
So sorry, chasles. This is a horrendous storm. Again.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:14 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 4:14 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]
Evacuated from Orlando to Parkland. I’m acknowledging my privilege and also the fact that the storm not jogging south and hitting us here was NOT good news for so many others. Tell Me No Lies, I’m so glad you missed the brunt of it. We’ve been deeply worried about everyone in that area.
Chasels, I’m not too far from you if you want someone to listen, treat you to a hot beverage, administer a hug if you want. I’ll be memailing you.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 4:31 AM on October 10 [7 favorites]
Chasels, I’m not too far from you if you want someone to listen, treat you to a hot beverage, administer a hug if you want. I’ll be memailing you.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 4:31 AM on October 10 [7 favorites]
I'm in Palm Beach County here, I came through with no damage. We did lose power from 9 PM to 6 AM but it could have been a lot worse. There were absolute boatloads of huge tornadoes all around including one that went through about 5 miles from me.
posted by Daily Alice at 4:45 AM on October 10 [9 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 4:45 AM on October 10 [9 favorites]
Oh man. Somehow we came thru with minimal damage. No power, drinking water sewer, and all roads impassable in st Pete so we have to stay away but our home remains. I think definitively that the anxiety of the last 3 weeks has absolutely shortened my life.
posted by chasles at 6:00 AM on October 10 [49 favorites]
posted by chasles at 6:00 AM on October 10 [49 favorites]
Oh, chasles, I am so glad you have a home to go home to, whenever you can get there.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:35 AM on October 10 [8 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:35 AM on October 10 [8 favorites]
Just came back home to St. Pete. We went a little north to get out of the worst of it. Our house is a miracle of 1950’s engineering and is in great shape. I’m so grateful because two days ago I was trying to steel myself for potentially losing our home. I’m so sorry for those who lost theirs.
posted by batbat at 6:36 PM on October 10 [29 favorites]
posted by batbat at 6:36 PM on October 10 [29 favorites]
Hey batbat. Glad your home is OK too. Thanks for checking in on us!!
posted by chasles at 9:29 PM on October 10 [6 favorites]
posted by chasles at 9:29 PM on October 10 [6 favorites]
[knocking on all of the wood in my immediate area]
Our folks seem to be coming out okay so far.
Are there folks from the MeFi Florida contingent who haven't checked in yet?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:22 AM on October 11 [4 favorites]
Our folks seem to be coming out okay so far.
Are there folks from the MeFi Florida contingent who haven't checked in yet?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:22 AM on October 11 [4 favorites]
Yeah, the day after Helene, things didn't seem as bad because we hadn't yet heard from all the places that were so completely devastated they didn't have any communications. It's hard to know what the real outcome of Milton is yet. Hope all our folks are safe out there.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:34 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 5:34 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
We’re back in St. Pete after evacuating about 90 miles north to Citrus County with two cats, one snake, one child, and a grandmother with Alzheimer’s (one less-known aspect of evacuations is that they always evacuate nursing homes and other care-giving facilities first, so in addition to all of the other things you have to deal with, you’re now a full-time caregiver).
We’re ok—our house was built in 1938 and its only flaws revolve around shoddy / incompetent renovations, roofing, and additions since then. We lost a couple of shingles, and are currently investigating whether they’re mission-critical shingles or what. A tree or two down and an easily-repaired fence panel. By some freak of fate, our house is one of the first in the area to get power back after storms (our block has it; the houses across the way are still dark). Still a boil-water notice, but we’re sitting pretty, all things considered.
Some stray observations:
-Wind damage is just damage. You can fix it with lumber and drywall and determination. Water damage is fucking catastrophic. Mold and gunk and god knows what starts to set into water-damaged drywall in, like, a day. It smells like death and you basically have to rip out all of the walls of your house. Water gets into appliances and outlets and your whole wiring system is shot. Some friends of ours closer to the water had 3.5 feet of surge in their house during Helene and they lost everything. Everything.
-Bearing in mind all of the above, the mere fact that Milton struck across the Skyway and not in, say, Clearwater, means the difference between a lot of wind damage (bad, but not unsurvivable) and the whole Tampa Bay region basically being rendered uninhabitable for months. Sarasota saw that surge instead, so my thoughts are with them.
-These two hurricanes have, nonetheless, changed the face of our home forever. Whole neighborhoods are going to have to be demolished and replaced—and what’s going to replace them? Probably not those same quirky, charming houses that got washed out during Helene. More likely huge, generic, multimillion-dollar mansions that will drive out any of the ordinary folk who made living here worthwhile to begin with. Or nothing; home insurance is going to be impossible for anyone to afford from now on.
-The most precious resources during a hurricane are not food and water (it’s been heartening to see all the folks in our neighborhood distributing supplies / holding impromptu barbecues as they cook all the perishables in their fridges / freezers), but GAS and ICE. Nobody can go anywhere and nothing is cool.
posted by lorddimwit at 5:03 AM on October 12 [24 favorites]
We’re ok—our house was built in 1938 and its only flaws revolve around shoddy / incompetent renovations, roofing, and additions since then. We lost a couple of shingles, and are currently investigating whether they’re mission-critical shingles or what. A tree or two down and an easily-repaired fence panel. By some freak of fate, our house is one of the first in the area to get power back after storms (our block has it; the houses across the way are still dark). Still a boil-water notice, but we’re sitting pretty, all things considered.
Some stray observations:
-Wind damage is just damage. You can fix it with lumber and drywall and determination. Water damage is fucking catastrophic. Mold and gunk and god knows what starts to set into water-damaged drywall in, like, a day. It smells like death and you basically have to rip out all of the walls of your house. Water gets into appliances and outlets and your whole wiring system is shot. Some friends of ours closer to the water had 3.5 feet of surge in their house during Helene and they lost everything. Everything.
-Bearing in mind all of the above, the mere fact that Milton struck across the Skyway and not in, say, Clearwater, means the difference between a lot of wind damage (bad, but not unsurvivable) and the whole Tampa Bay region basically being rendered uninhabitable for months. Sarasota saw that surge instead, so my thoughts are with them.
-These two hurricanes have, nonetheless, changed the face of our home forever. Whole neighborhoods are going to have to be demolished and replaced—and what’s going to replace them? Probably not those same quirky, charming houses that got washed out during Helene. More likely huge, generic, multimillion-dollar mansions that will drive out any of the ordinary folk who made living here worthwhile to begin with. Or nothing; home insurance is going to be impossible for anyone to afford from now on.
-The most precious resources during a hurricane are not food and water (it’s been heartening to see all the folks in our neighborhood distributing supplies / holding impromptu barbecues as they cook all the perishables in their fridges / freezers), but GAS and ICE. Nobody can go anywhere and nothing is cool.
posted by lorddimwit at 5:03 AM on October 12 [24 favorites]
We’re ok. I feel weird reporting in bc we had an exhausting amount of debris and crap, and a four day power outage, but that’s it. Basically nothing. But yeah Wednesday night was long and scary. In the aftermath it was nothing. But the “-math” gave me some contemplation.
posted by toodleydoodley at 2:29 PM on October 17 [1 favorite]
posted by toodleydoodley at 2:29 PM on October 17 [1 favorite]
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Hopefully everyone who needed to evacuate was able to. Evacuation is a privilege - not everyone gets to do it even if they want to, due to finances or transportation problems or complex family situations, etc. I hope wherever you are in Florida, you are able to find someplace safe for you and your loved ones!
posted by invincible summer at 1:58 PM on October 9 [8 favorites]