Hurricane Matthew is on its way
Mandatory evacuations are being called for between West Palm Beach and Daytona Beach.
As I watched the replay of the storm track from The Weather Channel, they weren't pulling any pud when they said "Get out."
image source: screen shot of The Weather Channel
It doesn't really matter if the hurricane makes landfall, the sheer size of it is going to cause significant storm surges, estimated to be anywhere between 6 to 8 feet, and high damaging winds, which is the primary concern.
Florida's topography
The highest point in Florida is only 345 feet above sea level and there isn't one spot in Florida further than 70 miles from any kind of sea water between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Florida also boasts about 200 natural springs and approximately 30,000 lakes and ponds. That's a lot of water! There are also about 4500 islands that surround Florida, most notably the Florida Keys.
Coming from Upstate New York, I was used to hitting bedrock or granite. Not so in Florida! The peninsula is primarily on a bed of limestone and we have sandy soil. When I've watered my garden, I notice how the water pools on the surface and eventually seeps into the sand. This poses a big problem when there is torrential rains.
Expect major flooding in some areas and a good possibility of new sink holes developing.
Category Hurricanes
There are five categories for hurricanes; their strength primarily based on sustained winds.
Category 1 Sustained winds of 74-95 mph or 119-153 km/hr.
Category 2 Sustained winds 96-110 mph or 154-177 km/hr
Category 3 Sustained winds 111-130 mph or 178-209 km/hr
Category 4 Sustained winds 131-155 mph or 210-249 km/hr
Category 5 Sustained winds greater than 155 mph or greater than 249 km/hr
Now, if you've ever been in sustained winds, like riding a motorcycle at 60 mph, you know that hitting a bug kind of stings. Imagine then being hit with flying debris at 100 mph or falling trees and limbs. It can be devastating to people, animals and structures.
Notably, 10.4% of housing structures are manufactured homes/mobile homes in the state of Florida. And if you've ever lived in or visited one, you know there isn't a lot of structure to the box.
The National Guard has been activated
Gov. Rick Scott has activated the National Guard to help with preparations against the coming storm, and has closed government offices in 28 counties, citing that his "number one priority is saving lives." He is also encouraging people to stock up on at least 3 days worth of food, water and batteries if they do not intend to evacuate. But he also sternly warns that staying on the east coast puts you and your family at grave risk.
So far Hurricane Matthew has claimed 11 lives between Haiti and Cuba.
Knock wood. I'll be okay
I live on the west coast of Florida very near the second highest point in Florida. While we're already feeling the wind coming from the east, and we do expect some rain, we are preparing to lose electricity at some point Thursday night going into Friday.
I've got some bottled water and cold cuts to last a few days if necessary. But worst-case scenario, I'm willing my Steemit account to my kids...all 1000 SP of it. :P Anyways... If you don't see me for a few days, this might be the reason!
Please send prayers and positive thoughts to those on the east coast who may be affected by this storm.
One last thing
In times of crises and devastation, price gouging and charity scams pop out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Don't be fooled by them. Florida state law prohibits substantial price increases on essential items like food, gas and water during a state of emergency. If you suspect price gouging, here is the number to the Florida Attorney General's office: 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (866-966-7226).
Citations:
http://www.wtae.com/weather/Hurricane-categories-1-5-explained/459114
http://www.city-data.com/states/Florida-Topography.html
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hou_per_of_hou_uni_tha_are_mob_hom-housing-percent-units-mobile-homes
Your comments, upvotes and shares are always appreciated. Thank you.
For older content, visit my Steemit blog page
Request your own verification badge @ Steem.chat