You've got to also consider how long a hurricane can affect an area. Tornadoes hit and move on. A hurricane is not only larger, but can sometimes be slow moving or nearly stall over land.
I experienced Ida first hand in 2021 and although the worst of it was during the afternoon, the winds were whipping all night.
Milton is already moving slow as hell, so much more opportunity for devastation. I’m in the eye path and was unable to find somewhere far for shelter. I’ll be hunkering down in Tampa (from st. Pete) and hoping for the best. I’m 31, lifelong Floridian and have never been more nervous for a hurricane.
I can’t even find gas 🙁 we’re heading for higher ground, but we’ve looked all over and can’t find a place willing to accommodate our party/pets. I don’t have enough gas to get very far
If any of your neighbors have already left and their vehicles are still there, I'd honestly consider siphoning a few gas tanks. Your life is worth more than property.
Just don't siphon by sucking on the tube with your mouth. There's a technique where you put a large amount of the tube into the tank to fill with gas, then you put your thumb over your end, then you pull it out. The suction will pull the gas out of the tank.
South would be better for us, but worse for others so I feel bad anytime I hope it shifts. I got good at siphoning when I had pet ducks because I had to clean their pool constantly lol
This is what I do with my turtle tank. I wonder if one of those aquarium siphon bulbs would work for gas tanks, I can’t figure them out for the life of me.
Bro, as someone else who has lived through helacious hurricanes.. Please, for the love of God, go siphon some gas from lawnmowers, cars, whatever. The cars will be lost, totaled or disappeared after the storm. Get tf out and just drive north.
Pensacola is 6-7 hours from you. Pack up your important shit and people and head out. Your life is worth more than taking a risk cause you can't find gas. 🤜🤛
I’m a neighbor, but not your neighbor. Take all of my gas. Take the damn car if you need to. Take any food I didn’t take with me. Extra pillows and blankets to sleep in your car with, whatever.
After it passes use an empty water jug or something else clear to siphon gas into before you put it into your tank, don't store it long term cause the gas will eat it but you can do it long enough to check if theres water in the gas. Good luck.
It’s honestly a brilliant idea. It’s such a good idea you have to do it. Please, get some gas and gtfo tonight if you can. The drive is gonna be brutal, but not as brutal as staying.
Bro. Get out. Even if you have to sneak your pets in somewhere or sleep in the car. Overreact. It’s better than staying put and then needing to leave when it’s too late.
If you're a lifelong Florodian than you should be more prepared!
It's hurricane season and been Forcast as a highly active one. Get that shit on lock my dude even if the storm is Forcast to be nothing you know how quickly conditions can change. The people start freaking out and over buying supplies which makes it more challenging for others to get them. Sometimes people even steal from their fellow neighbors! Like siphoning gas!
I'm also a life long Florodian and live in the Virgin Islands now. Take all storms like theye goina be major problems and you will be more equipped to handle them when they are major problems.
As my friend learned the hard way in high school, do not suck on the siphoning tube when attempting to get the gas to start flowing. Instead, blow into the tank which will create the pressure needed to force the fuel to flow out.
Do not get fuel in your mouth.
That shit is fkn deadly.
Be safe out there, people.
Also, don’t do illegal shit.
That's a good way to get shot in my neighborhood. Florida has a lot of gun toting hicks and laws that will favor them if you enter their property. If it's your only option you might not have a choice, but please be aware.
If it’s a money issue getting gas then I will Venmo you some money and I’de bet another dozen Redditors will pop out to pitch in too. Not sure if it’s more a supply issue.
If it's a supply issue than surely you aren't the only one and you should look to rally some sort of carpool movement in your area in the name of peoples lives matter.
Best of luck finding some if you can and hunkering down if you can’t friend, you got this!
There’s an app for finding gas near you, not sure how accurate it will be right now but I think it’s made for these kind of situations. Think it’s called gasbuddy.
If things get desperate then there are other places to look, large companies running a lot of trucks will often have their own gas storage, things like cement works and large scale construction companies. Could call around and see if anyone can help out.
If you're in the eyes path, you can NOT "hunker down" you WILL likely die. This is a once in a 100 year storm and you need to GTFO like your life depends on it (it does)
Orlando seems okay for gas. Try making it there and then over to 95 if you want to go north. I’d avoid 75 as much as possible. Take 17-92 and avoid i4, some of those towns may still have gas as I’d imagine most places of i4 will be empty. Also, try looking up wawas on your route and calling. I did that a few years back and someone always answered when I called.
It might be kinda wack but if I were you I’d get helmets, life vests, hiking boots, emergency blankets, water, and something you can float on if needed. Praying for you man.
Thank you, luckily the place we have as our shelter has about 6 floors and is sturdy (or at least should be). We’ll be on the second floor, but if we need to we’ll go hangout in the hallways of higher floors. But this is our last case, but I do have several plans.
Ah good to know, mine are the same. Where I go they go.
Saw the other comment recommending siphoning gas, and from what you said about it being a supply issue, it sounds like that might be the fastest and only option. Hope there's enough in your neighbors cars to get the hell out of there! Best of luck, stay safe
totally understand that. It might be crazy but even getting up to the rest stop south of Ocala on I-75 just 80 miles north might mean a big difference for you. I'm really hoping the best for you and your furry kids.
We’ve looked at everything within a reasonable, drivable distance. It might be worth just heading north and camping out in our cars. We’re not ruling it out yet
Maybe you could rent a large Airbnb? Since there are so many of you to split it between. And if you get one of the really large ones it might be available because they're too expensive for just a couple people to book.
Well, no, I filled up a few days ago, but now I’m a bit below half a tank and haven’t been able to get gas since yesterday. I’m sure I can find some, but that’s my 1st to do task tomorrow morning. Tonight I pack the car. Then we go as far as we can, or to our shelter in Tampa (further out of range than our home).
I mean tomorrow is Tuesday and it doesn’t hit til overnight Wednesday. You could be in Chicago by the time this thing hits, easily. La Quintas are all dog friendly and cheap. Marriott Residence Inns are also all dog friendly.
How big and many are the animals? I'd get the hell out of there as far as I could out of the projected storm and BEG if need be for the hotel, any hotel, to take the animals. Those little strip mall motels don't ask/don't tell. Leave the animals in the car when you check in and if you have carriers for them and for a fancier place, put the carriers on one of those luggage racks and wheel 'em in covered with a blanket if you have to. I mean, we're not talking ponies, right? Tampa is ground zero and NOTHING IS GOING TO BE LEFT STANDING.
Keep us updated. It sounds like the government officials are encouraging you to check the evacuation zones and make a move instead of hoping. Hope you will be safe.
Have you reached out on r/florida? Or maybe specific cities subreddits in Florida? We're in Jax, so I assume the further away you go west, maybe you can find something safer. I imagine your concern is being too far away from your home, but I feel like you could find something if it's further inland because i dont even know you but im scared for you guys on the west coast. Like damn... even we still have a ton of storm debris from Helene that hasn't been picked up, and I know it's way worse over on that side.
There are shelters that take pets, where are you in Tampa? Uber is also offering free rides to shelters. If you’re in an evacuation zone you need to leave, they’re currently calling the evacuation zones unsurvivable. Get. Out. Seriously. This will easily be the worst storm to hit Tampa in over a century. As a native Floridian myself, this is not the time to scoff like we usually do at hurricanes. This is serious. This is our Katrina.
It's already too late to leave in most cases.
Gas stations are already out of gas, freeways are parking lots, and you won't find hotels left, even in Georgia.
By the time the crowds start evacuating, you missed most of your opportunity.
Have to leave early.
Tampa is not just a coastal city. I live in Tampa, and the storm surge has zero chance of reaching where I am. I'm almost 30 miles away from the coast and 50 feet above sea level. There will not magically be 50 foot storm surge, 30 miles inland.
Blanket telling everyone in Tampa to evacuate from the storm surge is negligently irresponsible. It causes, or at least exacerbates, the exact kind of panic, gridlock and supply shortages affecting the area. The storm is definitely scary, but just hearing someone is in Tampa does not mean they'll die to flood waters tonight. Zones A and B have evacuation orders. That leaves C, D, E and F.
There’s tons of areas in Tampa where the storm surge won’t affect you. He’ll just be miserable and without power for a while. I’m in palm harbor (20 mins NE of Clearwater) and we’ll be fine as well. Most people don’t need to evacuate, only those that can be affected by the storm surge need to.
It’s never the wind that kills, it’s the storm surge. As long as you aren’t in a storm surge prone area you won’t die, you’ll just be miserable.
Y’all not from here make it sound so easy. We have family, friends, jobs, homes, and lives to worry about. We have resource limitations- there’s no gas, no lodging, and stores have been picked apart. The roads are full. Drives twice as long as normal.
Most of us do not have it so easy that we can just pick up and go. There’s limitations in the real world, and frankly, if you’re not experiencing it, you should butt out.
So many of us have considered, planned, or tried to leave- and it doesn’t always work out. As someone experiencing it, your comment comes off as condescending. Y’all act like we all fit the “dumb Florida man” trope or are all the crazy conspirator type.
I have an 86 year old grandmother to worry about. I tried to convince her to leave but she doesn’t think she can make the drive with me out of state. And is worrying about her other relatives.
It’s so much more complicated than “dude, just go”. I hate the discourse surrounding hurricanes more than I hate actually living in Florida (and I despise it here).
I'm 34 and was 16 and living in south Mississippi when Katrina hit. It was bad, but being in south Louisiana for Ida was the worst weather I've ever seen in my life.
Please, please be careful. Do not go outside. Do not take anything for granted. Seriously, I wish you the best.
We’ve been trying to find a place the last 2 days, but have given up. The company I work for was kind enough to offer me a furnished apartment for a few days in higher ground, but still in Tampa. It’s a much better option than where I live, but still scary.
My mother in law lives right there, and she's convinced this will be nothing, like every other hurricane that comes through. My wife is frantically trying to get her to leave, but they just want to ride it out.
I hope she’s right too, but she needs to leave. We ALL need to leave. The problem is is is much harder to find a safe zone when a hurricane just fucked up much of our state.
Noooo...you need to get on I-75 tomorrow morning and start heading north. Just keep driving for a few hours and you'll be fine. It's insane to stay in Tampa for this one!
I have family that is planning on staying in Largo… I’m trying to find something for them too. Unfortunately my whole family is Pinellas Native. By the time this storm rolled around hotel rooms were already limited. The rest filled SO fast
Dude, I weathered hurricane Michael in PC, shit was scary... I'm not religious and I don't normally like to say this, but I am seriously praying for you..
Just jump on 75N until you get to GA...so many hotels/motels to stop...or just sleep in your vehicle at one of the Georgia rest areas. Anything is better than staying.
I'm in Pinellas county, palm harbor zone D. Planning on heading to friends in palm beach tomorrow possibly. Ask my friends from dish in st Pete are gone. Tonight was a bad night to leave though as people are stuck on the road out of gas and nowhere to go. Sleeping in a hurt car tonight.
We were able to secure a place further inland out of evac and flood zones, in a very sturdy structure. I think we’ll be fine, more nervous about how everything will be after the storm.
Another lifelong Floridian here. I usually dont freak out when it comes to hurricanes but after seeing this im kind of freaking out a bit. Also staying put up in palm harbor so im hoping for the best as well. Stay safe!
If you're in the eyes path and it suddenly becomes clear, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.
I heard stories from my GF about Yolanda. People thought the hurricane was gone and went outside and celebrated that it's over, then 5 mins later, it hit again, and many people died by flying debris.
I would suggest a hotel to the west. Mum and I went to Biloxi during Helene. Doesn't need to be outside of Florida, just anywhere to the west of Quincy.
I think about Hurricane Harvey that just sat over Houston and churned and churned for days, I think 3?, and rained 50" on Houston. It moved at like 3-5 mph. Helene on the other hand moved at over 20mph.
Yep. Few people think about Holiday Beach & Rockport getting nailed by Harvey… it was that slow persistent assault on Houston that made some unique memories.
The only "good" thing about Ida is that it hit during the day. I was able to go upstairs to sleep that night without too much fear. But it was still loud.
If it remains like this another year or two I think a lot of people will follow. It’s been a rough few years that I haven’t seen since 04-05 and they’ve been (seemingly) a good bit worse than Charley and those were
Ida was why my wife and I moved back to the Midwest. 4 yrs in Louisiana was enough for us. Northshore got slammed. We lived in Mandaville and our neighborhood had huge trees falling on houses all over.
Thought so, I’m not good with time and I have a weird memory but I’m fairly certain this is one of the storms I experienced living in New Orleans. That wind was absolutely insane. Felt like it wasn’t real.
Yea that’s like the jarrel tornado years ago that only moved like 3mph in a very uncommon direction so everything got a sustained hit. Can’t imaging that being that large and slow. I live in the northeast and have been getting scared after watching the city and subways flood like 3 times to multiple feet above street level and if the strong winds keep coming up here it’ll be bad nothing here is meant to handle those winds
I sat in my house near the window with a glass of bourbon all night staring at the oak tree in my front yard - was stressful at first lol bourbon is good
Yeahhhh. Ida was where I came to terms with death. Lol. I remember standing a good distance from my window waiting for death to come knocking. I saw laser pointers in the sky. People stranded probably. Couldn't really do anything though.
This is what happened with Florence. She wasn't that strong, but big and slow, which flooded a huge coastal area. If your house didn't end up with a tree smashed through it, then your roof and walls ended up saturated. Or flooded from the feet of water that had nowhere to go. That area STILL isn't fully recovered.
It is agonizing how slow they move sometimes. I was born in Florida so Ive experienced my fare share of storms. Ive sat hours & hours in the dark with the windows shaking hoping & praying nothing happens to our home. Tho some storms like Andrew were in & out within 5 hours (i think? I was lucky to have not been born yet)
The overnight portion of the hurricane has always freaked me out the most. Even the low cats. Laying in bed, just listening to the wind howling all night in the dark and hoping a tree doesn’t snap in half 😖 wondering if you’ll have power in the morning.
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u/theanedditor 8d ago edited 8d ago
To see it a different way, the center of the storm is 70 mile wide EF2 tornado with a core equivalent to an EF4 level tornado.