With the impending doom that Flo is supposed to bring to the Carolinas we are looking at potentially evacuating. I know Bburg and Roanoke are still tracking to get a lot of rain however doubt an evac order would be given for the mountains.
I had thoughts of heading that way if they evac where I live currently (south of Raleigh) but wasn't sure what peoples thoughts were especially if there hasn't been a call on the game and if hotels may be all booked up. But would love to have an excuse to get to Blacksurg.
Any thoughts on what's going on locally in Blacksburg or the weather thoughts from eshiben5 would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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So generally speaking, mountain torrential rain can be as damaging as coastal torrential rain. Think of the mountains as a massive funnel, that pushes rain runoff to the same areas. If Blacksburg and the surrounding areas get 10-15" of rain, as some are forecasting, it will be devastating in some areas around creeks, streams, and rivers.
That being said, rent a cabin, up on a hill, with a generator, satellite tv, and plenty of food and you can ride it out in style.
Based on the other thread, I believe the best summary would be that the latest model has the storm pushing more East so Blacksburg does not appear to be in the thick of it. That being said Eshiben has said he doesn't trust that model at this time and he will have more updates coming later today.
TLDR:
I lived in coastal area my whole life here in south texas where we've been hit by hurricanes and tropical storms often. Most important thing is to just be prepared with food and water and to make sure you're in an area that's not in a flood zone or directly on the coast from the surge and winds . Go inland somewhere that's not a flood zone and just be prepared with food and water . Be Safe Hokie nation!
Dad is in Zone A in Virginia, so he's planning to stay in my brother's apartment in Blacksburg for a few days. He was planning to go for the football game this weekend, but this way he'll be going a bit earlier than expected and might not have a game to watch.
We're in Zone A also, but not on a historically flood prone property, so we're staying. We have a generator that'll take care of basic water, fridge, TV and lighting needs, and we can't drink our water here anyway, so had just filled up our jugs and bottles. There is no doubt in my mind that I'd rather deal with a foot of rain here at my house than I would have in my Giles County home. That would've run us clean outta the holler and probably hurt our 155 yr old farmhouse. I hope the conditions allow the game, but I have no doubt that someone, somewhere is going to get clobbered and clobbered hard by this storm.
As if we needed reminding after the sheriff's calls, Food Lion is closing tomorrow at noon, not to reopen until the mandatory evacuation order is lifted.
Damn straight Giles county is a fortress
If they close schools in Charlotte, that's where I'm headed. Mostly because we were already going anyway for the game and my father in law is more prepared for a power outage than we are.
Yeah not sure if we'll be ordered to evacuate or not. I'm in the military so if they evacuate post I have to leave but appreciate the info.
NW Raleigh here....gonna ride this one out. Sitting on top of a hill, got water, head lamp, and books...I am trying not to think of the three year old who also lives with us who is going to go nuts if the power goes out.
I would recommend preparing some low-tech entertainment options now, while you still have time. Additionally, might be a good idea to grab a solar-powered charger (such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017GQ7OEA/), even if only for emergency use.
Why not just say bourbon?
I don't think children can bourbon, ...legally anyway.
iPad is charged and that headlamp i bought will probably never be used for myself.
A single iPad charge isn't going to cut it if the power is out for an extended period of time. I know you aren't on the coast, but I lived in Hampton during Isabel and we were without power for 10 days, and this storm looks like it'll hit about the same spot but with much higher winds and much more rain.
Is this a recommendation, or just the first example that popped up on an Amazon search? I've been thinking of buying one of those for backpacking, so I can use GPS all day without worrying about batteries...
I spent about 5-10 minutes looking through a couple Amazon searches, and that looked like the best deal I could find. Not exactly a "recommendation" for that specific one over any other.
Or something like a portable battery. Get one that's at least 10000mAh, which would give a solid 2-3 full charges for a standard smartphone.
Just go to Amazon, and search in the Cell Phone Batteries and Battery Packs category. Buy it and pay the $4 for next day shipping, and plug it in overnight. There are some big ones (16750mAh) for under $40. And if it goes out, you can plug it in your car to charge up again overnight, while you keep your fully charged cellphone by your side.
I think everybody with a smartphone/tablet should have one of these.
Probably don't want to charge it off your car battery too much without letting the car recharge its own battery occasionally. Just thinking back to my last hurricane experience with missing power for 10 days.
However, I doubt the Raleigh area would lose power for so long, so you'd probably be ok for this storm with just a battery pack or two.
I will add that if you go for a battery, Anker is a very well-regarded brand for them these days.
I'm also in NW Raleigh. I'm still thinking about leaving town and going North, but will probably just ride it out here.
Only family I have north are in VA and are in the regions where flooding looks like it could be an issue. I've been through Fran, Flloyd, Isabel, etc....So long as this one doesn't pull a Hazel, I am feeling fine.
NE Columbia....at first my parents were evacuating here but the new Euro models show this thing dumping across SC and NC. My parents evac orders were redacted, now I'm buying some stuff to get through a day or so. I'm fine as far as my house and everything even a ton of rain won't flood me the issue is SC roads collect all of the water and it stays there.
Priorities
But seriously, stay safe out there. This was the first summer in years I didn't visit that stretch of coast (in particular, Holden Beach). Those are some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet, on some great beaches.
Was planning to bail out of shenandoah valley and head to Orlando, but new track looks like it won't be much here after all. Struggling to determine if I should cancel the Orlando hotel I just booked yesterday or just roll out now and not worry about what happens in the valley.
I think it all depends on where you live. If you're nowhere close to a river, and not on the side of or at the bottom of a hill (landslide risk), you might be ok.
Also keep in mind that any forecasts more than 72 hours are subject to drastic changes, so if possible hang onto your reservation for another day or two, and be ready to pack up and leave if it starts looking worse.
I am in the woods and on the side of a mountain. I was more concerned about Trees Falling and getting stuck with 3 kids under the Age of 7 with no power for an extended period of time. With location of creeks around me, would be difficult to get out once the flooding starts.
Also, worried about driving south once the thing hits, don't want to get caught in the outer fringes of it going down.
This thing isn't supposed to make landfall until the wee hours of Thursday morning, at the earliest:
You should be fine to leave tomorrow and easily beat out the storm, so keep an eye on the forecast and be prepared to change your plans accordingly.
We left Myrtle Beach this morning, and will be spending the week with friends in Greensboro instead of at the beach as our floors get refinished. Absolutely no traffic leaving the area, and it felt like a ghost town last night. It was easier to buy gas and water on Ocean Boulevard than it is in Raleigh.
I'm evacuating some of the beer from the brewery and putting it into refrigeration at my house, for safe keeping.
I'd rather put it in my belly.
Not my belly, nor yours can accept all this amount of beer without an interim storage place, while the ingestion takes place.
Beer
My dad (in Newport News) called me (just outside Raleigh) to see what our plans were for the hurricane. I think that's the first time that's ever happened, and it felt strange.
We still don't know how our area is gonna be affected as far as flooding. From what I understand from my wife, everything was good two years ago during Matthew (I was in DC when it came through). But from other things I understand, Florence ain't Matthew by a long shot.
VA is my first choice, but if it's not gonna be much better up there than here and if it's gonna be considerably bad here, we might have to head southwest somewhere.
I'm expecting VA to get hit just about as bad as during Isabel in 2003. Current track has it hitting only about 30-50 mi further south, but as a Category 4 instead of a Category 2, so Virginia east of 95 still isn't a great option.
They've already closed all the schools in Hampton Roads (AFAIK), so that's what gives me pause.
Welp, with the new track maybe that's changed a bit. It keeps jumping further and further south, there's a chance it won't really affect VA at all. Maybe an inch or two of rain.
But then again it could turn back to the north and become a shitstorm. So, stay tuned.
Well I'm near the top of Pantops Mtn & close to an assisted living community, so should (in theory) be all right.
Virginia's Emergency Mgt website has crashed (yet again, shocker) & STILL is not back up.
I live in Beaufort, SC and our evac order just got rescinded...aaaand we just got back into the fringe of the cone as of 2pm
I'm headed from the Outer Banks to Chesapeake
I will be canceling our two night reservation at the Radford Best Western (no jokes please) so they'll have at least one double room available Friday and Saturday.
If anyone needs to evac and wants to head up to State College PA I got a few rooms. Bring your air mattress I'm between guest room remodel at the moment.
Can I just come hang out anyway? I no longer have a football game to go to this weekend.
Wasknick gonna go make a Buuuuuuuuussssssccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh commercial.
I don't know where any donkeys are but I know where the PSU dairy cows are - the ones that make the milk for the ice cream at the creamery. We could tip them if you like, it's right near the stadium. We're playing the State of Kent University this weekend, probably in 50 degree rain. Should be fun.