Hurricane Michael

[JOhnH]

I haven't seen a thread about this yet. It is looking pretty bad. It is a Cat 4 now.

My sister and BIL built a new house on the water in Panama City and moved in two months ago. They will be at ground 0.

They have evacuated back to Atlanta so they will be safe, but I am worried about their new house. I may be spending some time bringing them supplies and helping them with the cleanup and inevitable repairs, even though their house was built to tough new codes. The closest airport to them is about a 45 minute drive (KECP) and that is with good roads, but IF/When I go to help I will take the truck because it can haul more and be more useful overall.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Well, to be fair ECP is 45 minutes from EVERYWHERE. Why in the world they built that airport there is a mystery to me. Other than the free land, of course.

Best wishes to all Panhandlers. We got a call from the airport folks in Destin asking what the design wind strength was of the new tower at DTS, because the tower guys were asking. I wanted to say, "tell them 75 and see what their reaction is." Alas, I did not.

For your sister and BIL, if the house is new construction, then it should be designed to 3-second over land gusts of 150 mph, which translates to middle of Cat 4. Also, it should be built on pilings to mitigate the storm surge, though the ground floor (not supposed to be living space) might be scrubbed clean. So, cautious optimism?

 

[mscard88]

St Joe Co probably had a lot to do with relocating the airport there. They own most of the vacant land around there. A lot of growth moving east from the Destin area so the new airport more centrally located perhaps?

@JOhnH hope your sis’s place withstands the storm. We have family in Ft Walton Beach and they’re gonna ride it out there. Shouldn’t be too bad hopefully, although the storm surge could be a problem.

 

[overdrive148]

I'll be getting the other side of it as a TS in NC. Gonna have to inspect these buildings all over again most likely...

 

[Warlock]

Going to be a long day and night for many...everyone stay safe...

 

[RyanB]

Have family in TPA so we’ve been keeping an eye on it too. Thinking of those in it’s direct path! Stay safe!

 

[JOhnH]

If anyone is interested in just where my sister and BIL built their new house, just look at the eye of Michael and there they are. Just across the water from Tyndall.

 

[frfly172]

Most of fla west coast,missed a bullet,some coastal flooding combined with high moon tides. Ksrq just some rain and high tides.

 

[wrbix]

Most of fla west coast,missed a bullet,some coastal flooding combined with high moon tides. Ksrq just some rain and high tides.

Some water on roads and a few homes and businesses in Cedar Key. Much less than Hermine.
They expect to open #4 Bridge in the AM.

 

[falconkidding]

Must have went further east than expected my buddies in pcola said some light rain and a breeze was all they got. In gulf shores we got nothing.

 

[JOhnH]

Must have went further east than expected my buddies in pcola said some light rain and a breeze was all they got. In gulf shores we got nothing.

They say the good news is that right before landfall, it shifted about 12 miles to the east of Panama City to a more lightly populated area. Problem is, my sister lives about 12 miles east of Panama City in a lightly populated area. We still don't know if her house still exists.

 

[FormerHangie]

They say the good news is that right before landfall, it shifted about 12 miles to the east of Panama City to a more lightly populated area. Problem is, my sister lives about 12 miles east of Panama City in a lightly populated area. We still don't know if her house still exists.

Mexico Beach got pounded. The only positive I can say is that the storm moved out quickly, so they should be able to get access soon.

 

[bflynn]

I have seen video. The storm surge was enormous. I suspect significant if not total damage to everything on the coast.