Enthusiast III
Member III
16986
You didn't say what kind of a rig you have for SHTF escapes. That would have a lot to do with what I would do.
Pathfinder I
Member III
16986
Your story bring back some fond memories of my childhood. We lived pretty remotely in a gorge location with only one way in. There were only 3 people who lived there year round. I remember a time we got snowed in with 6 foot drifts and 30" of snow on the ground. After a month we ran short on food so me and my step father drove out of the 3 miles of dirt road to the highway in that 30" snow covered road no one was crazy enough to drive on. (new cars couldnt do it anyway) What allowed us to get out other than shoveling snow for the three miles was mom's trusty 31 Model A Ford coupe. It had tall thin tires and spoked wheels that didn't get snow build up and the car was high so most of the snow was under us as we inched our way out to the highway. It took about 3 hours to drive push and shovel out way out. We made it home a lot easier because we had a path. The funny thing was that when the car wouldn't go forward we would drive backwards when we could find an area to turn around. That old model A was like a buzz saw in reverse and grind it's way up the hills foot by foot. I wouldn't take anything for the memory of those days of poverty, hardship and family welfare.
Pathfinder I
Wow, that is a great story. I can’t image. These days 3 inches of snow grinds things to a halt. I’m also laughing that that model A in reverse becomes a front wheel drive with pizza cutters once turned it around. No surprise it cut through the snow.
Enthusiast III
Some background: I have lived through all hurricanes that have passed through Florida over the last 24 years. I was just a kid but I remember riding out all the 2004 hurricanes at home cause of where we were located inland. Since then I have moved a town over in a house that is now all block. Our safe spot is a 10 acre piece of land with a house, barns, and shelter with generators, easy access to well water, near fresh water streams that feed into the St Johns river and plenty of wild hogs. The area on that land where the structures are located is cleared of any trees that could fall near them but is surrounded by all sides of trees to protect the structures from wind. My girlfriend drives either her little VW Passat, her father's Ford Ranger 4x4 or his F350 dually 4x4. We have plenty of options.
Enthusiast III
Thank you for helping with the power. It does suck not having power for 2 weeks. Florida get lucky compared to other states.
Enthusiast III
You get the worst of it. I couldn't image driving in snow and ice, white rain is bad enough. I am in the same boat as you being on call. I work for a county government and my whole facility is on call. Snow seems like one giant headache when it closes down roads.
Pathfinder I
I'd say hurricanes are cake as they travel up over land and dissipate, but on water and close to shore they are brutal with the water surge. I was diving in the Gulf when Andrew hit in '93 and it totally wrecked offshore oil platforms. Some of the smaller wellheads in 40-60 feet of water were bent down into the mud. These are 36" casings about 2" wall thickness with smaller casings cemented inside...the storm surge bend that like a soda straw. The south coast is very wet so the big oaks grow very shallow root balls since they dont have to have huge tap roots to find water. The high winds topple these trees over all the time and thats 90% of the power outtages. I've been thru a bunch of hurricanes and left for two of them and I would say it was more dangerous leaving. Traffic halts for hours at a time and it is total chaos. People are panicking and going nuts and with bumper to bumper traffic stalled out, you can get trapped easily. I always ride out the storms after that and stay put, even after the worse has passed. After the storm is bad because people that weren't prepared are now out driving over down power lines and acting stupid because they are out of power and supplies and nothing is open. I get the whole SHTF movement and "bugging out" and all that mess, but I logically can't see very many cases where being out mobile is better than being hunkered down at home in a familiar environment with tools and supplies in my back shop. I also have a metal fab shop engineered to 165 mph wind rating...I'll go hang in there if a really big one hits. Even without the high wind rated shop, I'd still stay because most of time there is little damage to anything other than downed trees, so if you leave, youre house might be fine, but you can't return to it for a while, but if you stayed, you fire up the genny and go on about business.
Member III
8300
Cat 5? That must be pics of Andrew? That one was a "cake" alright...a cake made out of C-4! All the building codes along the Gulf were changed because of that storm...insane damage. OK, one like that I would probably "bug out".The hurricanes are cake comments are very subjective. Depends entirely on the strength of the hurricane. Just saying, a Cat 5 hurricane is not cake, it's deadly
Enthusiast III
I agree a hurricane is not a piece of cake but it also depends on where you are at and how well your shelter is protected. The images you are showing are from mobile homes. Most homes I've seen in Florida are either full block or block frame with wood now. The only shelters that are not well protected are apartments what are made of wood on the 2nd floor up and mobile homes. The older block homes are the best to stay in. First priory in preparing for a hurricane is where a person seeks shelter.The hurricanes are cake comments are very subjective. Depends entirely on the strength of the hurricane. Just saying, a Cat 5 hurricane is not cake, it's deadly
Member III
8300
