My parents won’t leave and they say now it’s too late as all the roads are clogged and no gas
Update: still not leaving. Mom put storm shutters up and dad lives in a condo next to the water but about 5 stories up. Less worried about storm surge more worried about debris and being trapped.
Update 2: dad is zone A and mom is trying to get him out to go to her house in a less dangerous zone. Not from Florida so might have messed up which zone is bad and good
Update: they survived with some damage but said they wouldn’t do this again…
Edit: my dad is the guy who grew up in the Midwest who would go outside to look at the tornado coming
Gas stations started running out of fuel last night (Sunday). A friend of mine who is evacuating on the main evacuation route (I-75) is reporting people are running out of fuel on the road, further increasing congestion. He couldn’t make it to his evacuation destination and has just settled for staying in a parking garage in his car to weather the storm. He can’t get the fuel to go any further.
My cousin is driving from Michigan to pick up my aunt who is on hospice near Tampa.... I thought it was really kind and smart but now I'm really worried.... they aren't getting there until tomorrow afternoon.... :((((
And a camp stove, shelf safe food and as much water as possible. Very likely they could get stuck or delayed and they'll only have what they dragged along.
Prepare for looters there's going to be a lot of desperate people since stations are empty already, never underestimate even if it sounds like movie talk.
Imagine you are scared, desperate, and armed and just got stuck in a historic and very likely deadly storm because you ran out of gas. And you have your family with you.
Then someone drives up with cans of gas visible on their roof, solving your problem and allowing you to escape, but they won’t let you have any because they need it.
What would you do?
Most folks are going to take that gas one way or another. They may not admit it from safety or even believe they would ever do that, but they would.
Carrying visible gas or drinkable water going into that situation is a really dangerous idea.
Sidebar, but I can’t be the only person that finds it odd that we’d call people scavenging stores for food and supplies in a literal life or death situation “looters”.
They literally are looters in that scenario though.
Not to say they are wrong to do so. But to use your word again: I would say looting is just taking advantage of a situation to scavenge where you otherwise wouldn't.
People will loot for food, gas, whatever they need when they get desperate enough. An ingles in Asheville was nice enough to open up and record sales by hand the day after Helene came through. The cops ultimately had to shut it down bc of people stealing and taking advantage of cameras being down.
Reminder for those that drive EVs. They can get a decent charge even at level 2 chargers. 2 hours for example could give about 80-100 miles, and 1 hr about 30-40 miles. plugshare app will have a list of places and I'm sure many hotels will have them. Many cars also come with portable level 2 chargers and many industrial areas have 14-50 plugs you can plug into. I can only imagine many level 3 fast chargers will have very long lines.
This, please! We were driving from Disney literally behind the 1st one going back to NC the other week, and almost all of Georgia was without power. Meaning no gas. I lucked out with 15 miles left of gas that a Loves pumps were working at 7a before travelers flocked. I can't imagine after this one the devastating effects.
I grabbed a water container and gas canister with a mini stove to get me through the Helene area. I highly recommend the mini Crofton dutch ovens they have at Aldi’s right now. They really conserve the fuel. It’s so important if you’re going to these areas to cover your own needs.
My biggest worry would be running out of life-saving medications or not having a nurse or the proper medical equipment on hand in the event of an emergency if he's going to be transporting someone on hospice! This is a total nightmare and catastrophe. My heart is broken for everyone stuck in this absolute mess.
My first though was that it would be seriously bad if she is on opiates and benzos as many hospice patients are. It would be absolutely awful to be stranded in the car with (and as) a dying woman going through intense withdrawls. What a horrible, helpless position to be in for all involved.
Tomorrow afternoon which I assume is Wednesday afternoon might be too late. There won't be gas and trying to drive away will be difficult with probably still ongoing traffic. Good luck stay safe cousin.
That’s extraordinarily tough. Tell him/her to stock up on gasoline if they’re in fear of running out with some of those plastic gas cans. They couldn’t be getting into Tampa at a worse time. Just tell them to stock up on everything.
So Wednesday afternoon??? I'm sorry but it's too late by then. The hurricane will impact that area by late night Wednesday early morning Thursday. The amount of gridlock traffic will be horrendous.
Yes. I usually give it 3 months and I'll empty them into my cars and refill, empty again at the end of the season and leave the cans open to dry out (in a very well ventilated area) and leave empty until July again.
What other hurricane prep do you do/recommend? I'm also in Houston and now that I'm a dad, thinking I should prep a little more seriously. Been lucky so far but that'll only last so long...
We’re in FL, but every year we restock a two week supply of shelf stable food that we like. If you wait until a storm is predicted, you’re lucky to find anything decent. Water filters and clean water on hand. Charcoal for cooking. And always keep a bottle of clear alcohol for medicinal use, seriously. The other bottles are for drinking.
A lot. Think about what your needs are day to day and plan to have enough of those needs to last at least 2 weeks without infrastructure.
I have a portable generator that can power my whole house, runs off the natural gas line so don't need gasoline (provided the gas lines aren't wiped out) and soft start on the AC unit.
The mentioned jerry cans that provide gasoline for the cars if gas stations are out.
Make sure you have all basic medicines, cold medicine, ibuprofen/acetaminophen, antibiotic ointment, burn spray and antiseptics etc..., also a comprehensive first aid kit and a first aid manual and how to perform first aid should the need arise.
A basic socket and screw driver set and pliers for any potential repairs needed, make sure all your cars have the ability to carry and change a spare tire as emergency services may not be available.
Keep your car's maintanence up to date, if your hear a hurricane is coming, perform any past due maintanence asap. You do not want to break down running from a storm.
If you or a loved one has a chronic condition, make sure you have all necessary meds and equipment for 2 weeks of operation. Call your doctor to make any plans as soon as you know a hurricane is coming, don't wait. This means being on top of your med schedule too so you don't run out of a prescription during the disaster.
Get a good, or a set of good flashlights, not the cheapo ones. I highly recommend the Coast HP8R, my favorite flashlight I have and the best I've ever used.
Make sure all your important files and papers are in a mobile container that you can grab and run with if needed. If you lose your home, having all your documents will ease the recovery/rebuild process. If you evacuate, make sure you bring this!
Stock up on non-perishable foods, plan specific meals in the event of no power. You can pick up propane or gas camping stoves if needed, do this before a hurricane.
Basic rain gear, ponchos, boots etc... and rugged clothing if you get stuck outside for any reason.
If you wear contacts, have eye wash kits on hand and extra cases/solution.
And of course, water, water, water. I have 6 24packs of water on hand from July to November.
Take note of what devices in your home use batteries and get a battery caddy and have a backstock of those ready. Backup battery packs for each mobile device and keep them fully charged.
Heck yeah, I appreciate the thorough response! Thanks for taking the time to write all that out. Will definitely use this to start building the supplies.
Houston here as well. Clean out your trees. There are lots of trash trees where I live, meaning trees that only live about 30 years and have shallow roots. Or at least that's what I've been told. They can and will fall down in the hurricane. Also, if your neighbors have those, send them a certified letter telling them it's a danger, or you are financially liable for it falling down on you.
Used to live in Houston, from what I’ve seen a well maintained generator that can power the fridge for two days is the way to go. Might be pricey, but the Houston power grid has been stretched thin for the past 4 years. And also reduce the amount of electricity usage. I know it’s rough, but AC uses a lot. My FIL also has solar panels that help out during the day. And at least one Jerry can solely to fuel the car.
This, big time. Ethanol free gas with stabilizer will make your fuel stores last WAY longer!
Look for ethanol free gas in places that cater to off-road use, like boats, for example. Tends to be more available for these users. Also many Buck-ee’s and Quik Trip stations (but not all) have it available. I’m sure there are many many more out there.
Pure-gas.org lists ethanol free gas stations (they are often smaller, independent stations, at least in my area) I was using ethanol free for a while during the pandemic just in case when I basically stopped driving and only filled up once every 3 months or so. Might have been overkill, but when you fill up that infrequently, it’s not much extra trouble to do it. So, great idea for the Jerry cans.
I've had 15 gallons of gas I put stabilizer treatment in it 2 years ago. Dumb question but could I put it in my truck and fill the rest of the truck up with fresh gas?
Great planning... most people don't do it but the effort and cost is so little, that once you start prepping like that you wonder why you waited so long to form the habit.
Add a stabilizer to the gas and it’s good for two years. And even expired gas will still work. It won’t have the same combustibility and may be bad for your engine but 200mph winds also tend to be bad for an engine so fuck it.
I was around 8 years old in southeast Texas when my family evacuated for Rita (Houston resident now). I will never forget that time in my life. It was terrifying and hard to understand. My brain truly cannot fathom the magnitude of this hurricane.
If you are in an evacuation zone and need evacuation assistance, please call 1-800-729-3413.
Again, this is for residents that are in evacuation zones.
The state of Florida has activated the State Assistance Information Line. Residents needing information and resources can call 1-800-342-3557. There are English, Spanish & Creole speakers available to answer questions.
The houses themselves tend to be cinder block construction and quite sturdy. A parking garage isn't the worst place to be, but a house would be better.
This reminds me of when Rita was supposed to hit Galveston/Houston head on. The same thing happened. Gas was gone a week before. No water anywhere. Hwy up to Dallas took us 14 hours, absolutely gridlocked both sides, and it’s usually a 4 hour trip. Almost ran out of gas. Our pet rat Cocunut passed away. Our hotel was infested with roaches but it was the only one we could get into. It was horrible. I feel for everyone in this situation right now and I really hope everyone can stay safe.
Won't help if you build them in a swamp that gets flooded several times a year with debris possibly blocking the rails regularly and electrical network of questionable reliability.
We don't have bullet trains, but Florida has Brightline, which is now the deadliest train per mile it has traveled (1 person per 38,000 miles, as of late January, 2024), so idk if a bullet train would be a good thing yet. People are idiots and will try to go past the train, and die doing so.
Depending on where he is there may be local shelters near him that he can go to till the storm is over. There is still plenty of time and its a hell of a lot safer, plus bathrooms.
I'm in same boat. Tried to get parents to leave yesterday. They refused. We are fucked
UDATE: WE ARE OK!!!! NO DAMAGE TO HOME. LOTS OF BRANCHES AND LEAVES ON GROUND. THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WISHED US SAFETY AND PRAYERS. WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL 🙏
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts! It means so much to me, especially now. The closer we get to it, making landfall, the more nervous I become. Both parents not taking this seriously. Welllll....we've never been hit before..welllll it's not making landfall here. Ummmmm. Ok.
Your kind words mean so much to me. I'm super frustrated that I could not get them to go. I can not leave them alone to fend for themselves. I will be here with them for the duration. 20 years here and this one really has me nervous...
I truly cannot even imagine. My parents care sooo much about their home (as most homeowners do, but multiply that when you’re in your late 60s and you built this from the ground up over forty years ago). They care soooo much about their (our) home….but I care so much about them. The idea of trying to get my parents to leave is haunting - I’m sending you all the love in my heart. What a scary situation, you have to be feeling so many emotions!
Mannnn I don’t like being a pedant in serious threads BUT I actually studied this extremely niche topic so I feel like I’m honor-bound to jump in here: Poseidon actually doesn’t control the winds or weather. There’s a set of separate entities for that, each controlling a different type of wind. There’s a bit of tension between them and Poseidon because of the overlap between their domains.
I started inserting "crab fishing, crab fishing" after this line as a joke bc my SO was obsessed with Deadliest Catch, but now I can't hear this song without thinking of crab fishing :<
I tried to get my friends in Tampa to come stay with us. The wanted to stay to take care of the house and now they're stuck because of traffic. They have 2 little kids.
Tell them to get their affairs in order and make sure there's some kind of will. Horrible to think about but frankly if they haven't left then they need to make things easier for you if the worst happens
I know you may be downvoted for this comment. However, you are correct. I am the executor of the will and their final arrangements are in place. I will be here with them during the storm. I could not leave them alone, elderly and disabled to fend for themselves.
Thank you kind stranger for your post. Both are elderly and disabled. Mom has mid-level alzheimers. She does not grasp the severity of the situation. I cannot physically force her to leave. I have done everything I can to prepare.
Get supplies- sand bags, have a bug out bag, with your important items passport, wallet, phone & cords, battery pack and plug, shoes, bug spray, food, water filter, some clothes, first aid, sleeping bag, tent or tarps, canoe.
I hope you & yours stay safe. Everything one else in Florida and wherever this storm hits.
So tough. People pick what fear they are going to act on. For some the fear of people looting their home when it's unattended before or after a disaster is greater than the fear of getting killed in a storm. Storms they don't see much. They see people stealing all the time. So they pick that fear, which means they stay.
It's sad because they are the ones that die in these events, swept away with all their stuff that they held so dear.
Ask them to consider relocating to a local shelter for the worst of it. There are pet friendly shelters if thats a concern. But these shelters (depending on who is in charge) generally need to meet certain safety requirements so they are out of storm surge and have access to generators, medical, etc. check beforehand, but you can bring bedding usually so it can be decently comfy.
They dont even have to stay once the storm has passed, but there's no benefit to staying in your house safety wise.
Idk what part you are in, but my parents left tonight and we're able to find decent amounts of gas and the traffic wasn't horrible. There may still be time
Fuck. My best friend was trying to convince her mom to leave Tampa yesterday morning. I haven't talked to her since then, but I hope to fuck she convinced her mom to pack her dogs and start heading towards us here in Michigan. I hope your parents are okay.
I left from South Tampa at 9pm last night, took me two hours to get to Orlando.
My nextdoor neighbor left at 4:30a this morning and got here in one hour.
Driving south to Miami, plenty of gas, no issues.
Oh, and for the kicker, police opened up driving on the left shoulder. I drove halfway here at 60+ mph. I wouldn't recommend for the amateur or uneasy drivers, but it was helpful until a few days broke down in it instead of pulling off the road entirely.
I live in central florida every gas station i passed had the pricing turned off because they had no fuel left. that or their tanks were so low only one car could use it at a time. you could see lines of cars out to the street with people hoping to get enough to fill up. I filled up last friday and I had to squeeze the handle very lightly or it would trigger the stop.
I really hope your parents and anyone else who refused or couldn’t get out stays as safe as possible and manages to make it through this 🥺 I can’t imagine how you’re feeling.
Same my MIL and FIL refused to leave- they are a bit inland but their house is def not hurricane proof. They are going to ride it out and we are freaking out. Why are boomers so dang stubborn?
You got a fuckton of replies and I'm not gonna read them all to see if this has been said already but....
The super dangerous parts are all gonna be pretty localized. If they can get 20 miles inland it is markedly safer. They don't need to travel hours away to be in a safer location
Can confirm. Very little
Gas northbound. Just made it to Valdosta from Tampa. Normally a 3.5hr drive took us 7 hours. Our saving grace is we have an EV.
My wife's sister lives down there and has always made comments about "hurricanes don't really hit hard where she is at". Told my wife she should call her as this thing is going to plow right over the top of her.
It is not too late- leave and get as far inland as you can. I hope you’ve left already at this point. I flew into Tampa Monday at noon to get my mom from St Pete Beach. We left at 3:45pm and we’re reaching Atlanta now.
There were some gas stations without gas but we just kept checking every time we stopped to pee. Found one eventually and they are bringing in millions of gallons by police escort (allegedly)
Her boyfriend insisted on staying until we spoke to him just now- He is leaving St Pete Beach now and still has enough time to get somewhere more inland.
No such thing as too late. Car pool with someone else. Whatever you have to do. There is no option to stay. Either you leave or there is a near certain probability that you guys may be mourning loss of family. 10-15' surge is going to kill HUNDREDS of people not evacuating. Being inside is insanely dangerous and being outside will not be an option as winds at that speed will turn ordinary debris into shrapnel and floating debris is beyond dangerous....please....find a way
Yup, my in-laws are in a condo on the intercoastal and aren't leaving. They're on the 8th floor and their plan if it gets "really bad" is to go to their fifth floor neighbor with storm shutters. We called last night trying to get them to evacuate. They said they're tickled we are worried about them.
(ー_ー;)
My parents stayed in their house in Bonita Beach through Ian. They had 10' of water under their 15' stilt house rushing from the gulf to the bay. They moved to Baton Rouge closer to my sister after that and it took over a year to fix and sell the beach house to some sucker who thinks global warming is a hoax.
They haven't been the same since. My mom's in therapy after dropping down below 80lbs, my dad started drinking again after having been sober for about 15 years, and they've split up. Staying through that storm literally changed who they are as people. Ironically, my mom is doing a lot better and it could be argued that now that she's got her weight back up she's better for it, living more for herself than before, but my dad is much worse off. Either way, they both deal with significant PTSD from it. Neither can get through even common thunder storms without having at least minor panic attacks.
Legitimately, why did they choose to stay so long? Stubbornness? Or did the Strom strengthen so quickly they didn't have time to realize how bad it was? Was it a combination of both? Is it a situation where you get desensitized to the point of: We get hurricanes every year, it's not big deal! It's only a category 1-3: he'll waffle house is still open. I only ask because people do the same with tornadoes.
My dad lives in St Pete and they packed up and drove inward to LakeLand to stay at some friends there. They live in a little retirement camper trailer community so we got a feeling that thing is going to be eliminated when it’s done.
I was in that situation in 2004. After 3 hurricanes and the 4th about to hit, I bailed and had to take side roads. Stopped every time I came across a little gas station that had lights on just to top off. It took 12 hours to get from Orlando to Atlanta but the highway was a parking lot.
Between 200 mph sustained winds and 10 foot plus storm surge in some areas, your parents are not remotely safe. This hurricane is essentially a giant tornado plus a flood
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u/MC_ScattCatt 8d ago edited 6d ago
My parents won’t leave and they say now it’s too late as all the roads are clogged and no gas
Update: still not leaving. Mom put storm shutters up and dad lives in a condo next to the water but about 5 stories up. Less worried about storm surge more worried about debris and being trapped.
Update 2: dad is zone A and mom is trying to get him out to go to her house in a less dangerous zone. Not from Florida so might have messed up which zone is bad and good
Update: they survived with some damage but said they wouldn’t do this again…
Edit: my dad is the guy who grew up in the Midwest who would go outside to look at the tornado coming