TS Storm/Hurricane Isaac

[Onestep]

No worries mon.
That's why we do what we do.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/234710.shtml?tswindloop?#contents

[Echo2]

You are correct.

[Twitchy]

Hello guys,

It does appear I will be taking a near direct hit if this storm keeps its current track, it will be hovering a couple miles off shore of my area... Should be arriving right around the time I get out of school... YAY! /sarcasm

Here are some pictures and projected track:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0912W5_NL+gif/204427W5_NL_sm.gif

http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/custom/tropical/trackmap_storm2.jpg

http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/custom/tropical/ir_enhanced_storm2_1.jpg

[bacpacker]

You be safe down there Twitchy. You don't need to be showing off the new EMT stuff just yet.

Anyone notice that track looks like it may go right over Tampa? What are the odds of a hurricane hitting a presidential convention?

[Twitchy]

You be safe down there Twitchy. You don't need to be showing off the new EMT stuff just yet.

Anyone notice that track looks like it may go right over Tampa? What are the odds of a hurricane hitting a presidential convention?

If it hits me, it will hit tampa... the track has it skirting us and continuing north...

[Evolver]

Yup! :)

[Twitchy]

Guess we will see in the end!

[Willie51]

Folks in the Florida panhandle need to be very elert!! In the business I'm in, we have to watch these very closely. My tracking shows it skirting the west coast and moving westerly & north towards Apalachicola/Panama City. No one knows for sure but God, but this one bothers me with the warm gulf waters ahead of it. Hopefully, the mountains in Haiti and Cuba will break it up a bit.

[ladyhk13]

Wow, when I lived down there we just boarded everything up, stocked up on food, water, ice and booze and threw a hurricane party in someone's house and rode it out. Everyone pretty much already had lots of candles, everything ya needed to bbq with for afterwards, knew to throw all the lawn furnature in the pool, cross your fingers and pray for the best since there was nothing much ya could do until it was over anyway. Back in those days we were always looking for a reason to throw a party.

[Willie51]

Wow, when I lived down there we just boarded everything up, stocked up on food, water, ice and booze and threw a hurricane party in someone's house and rode it out. Everyone pretty much already had lots of candles, everything ya needed to bbq with for afterwards, knew to throw all the lawn furnature in the pool, cross your fingers and pray for the best since there was nothing much ya could do until it was over anyway. Back in those days we were always looking for a reason to throw a party.

HA! That's what we still do for 1s and 2s. :rolleyes:

[Twitchy]

You be safe down there Twitchy. You don't need to be showing off the new EMT stuff just yet.

Anyone notice that track looks like it may go right over Tampa? What are the odds of a hurricane hitting a presidential convention?

What software do you use for tracking?

[ladyhk13]

HA! That's what we still do for 1s and 2s. :rolleyes:

Only 1s and 2s??? I guess all of us hardcore Floridians moved out of the state and there isn't anyone left to carry on the tradition! ;)

[Willie51]

The storms in 2005 & 2006 just wore us out!! So, we now have a new tradition...it's called "hurricane vacation". We just pack a few essentials and go somewhere where the hurricane doesn't go...and that's where we party. It's called "getting older and wiser". :cool:

[bacpacker]

What software do you use for tracking?

These sites are mstly what I tend to watch.

hthttp://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tp://

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/?index_region=at

I use Wunderground as my main Wx tracker. I really like the wundermap for the radar.

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/Track.aspx

And here is one I just found. It looks worth checking out, but who knows.

http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/tracking.asp

Check them out and see what works best for you. I've been thru many Wx sites over the years looking for good, near real time radars and finally hit on Wunderground. But it seems most all of them have a decent feature or two.

[Willie51]

BP, all you mentioned are good ones and as accurate as any. And I agree, Weatherunderground is the best free one. I use Stormpulse, but it is expensive if you have to buy it.

[Twitchy]

BP, all you mentioned are good ones and as accurate as any. And I agree, Weatherunderground is the best free one. I use Stormpulse, but it is expensive if you have to buy it.

You manage ot get Stormpulse free?

[bacpacker]

Willie, I am crashing for tonight. 4:30 is gonna come early. But we gotta talk sometime. I am interested in this Stormpulse your talking about.

Later

[piranha2]

Twitchy, they think that it will come to you rather than us right coasters. Let me know if you need to run, come this way. Cat 1 won't be a big deal, but neither was Andrew until he got just offshore of Miami. Stay alert, but play it cool.

[Willie51]

You manage ot get Stormpulse free?

I wish it were free. It's now $279 per year for single subscription. If I'm working with companies that have it, I get to use it for free. If I'm not, then I use Weather Underground (I hate that name by the way).

[Willie51]

Twitchy & BP,

Check out this site. BP, since you're a ham, you may already be there. http://www.hwn.org/

You can also use Stormpulse here, but not the full pay version.

[The Stig]

Well kids looks like I'm gonna get my first taste of a Hurricane this year after all.

I'm so happy I could shit.

[bacpacker]

I hadn't saw that site before Willie, Thanks. Looks like a pretty comprehensive site.

[The Stig]

As of this morning it looks like she's tracking towards Mobile which means a lot of Florida will get a lot of rain as it moves into/up the Gulf and the panhandle over towards my way will get the brunt of it. If it does make landfall in Mobile we'll take a decent hit as we're only 60 miles west.

Am going to fill up my reserve gas tanks tonight, Mrs Stig is heading to Lowes for last minute supplies today and we'll have to hunker down and wait to see what it does if it follows the current track. My understanding is once it enters the Gulf of Mexico its very likely to pick up steam and go from Tropical Storm to Cat 1.

FWIW If it does rumble through my area I'm hoping to keep notes/diary of the event so I can create a thread here. I was thinking something like some discussion of prepping my house before hand, posting what happened during and then the aftermath here. Perhaps that would be interesting. Then our old hands in Florida can get a laugh at a Yankee's first go with a storm anyway!

Correction: just looked at the latest models and it appears it may hook back eastward after entering the Gulf and track more towards Tallahassee which means we'll still get some grief but more like rain. I'm guessing in that case the Ants in the western coast of Florida would get some issues given the overall size of the storm.

[Grumpy Old Man]

At least you guys get some warning. Earthquakes just sneak up on you.

[Sniper-T]

Take some pics if you can Stig. during, and after. see the aftermath

[Willie51]

Still got a long way to go, but this storm is huge (size of Texas) and right now carrying 12 to 15 inches of rain with it. The panhandle can't take much more rain since it's been flooding there all summer practically. We were leaving this afternoon headed to Panama City for the weekend to see the kids. We just called it....gonna hunker down in southeast coastal Florida. Stig, be careful. A Cat 1 is not fun, but this one has potential to be a Cat 2, possibly a Cat 3. It will hit open gulf waters which are 90 degrees in temp once it leaves the Keys area. Remember that Hurricane Andrew was only a TS up until 36 hours out of Miami and btw, yesterday was the 20 year anniversary of Andrew. I worked that storm and still have never seen anything like it to date.

[The Stig]

Still got a long way to go, but this storm is huge (size of Texas) and right now carrying 12 to 15 inches of rain with it. The panhandle can't take much more rain since it's been flooding there all summer practically. We were leaving this afternoon headed to Panama City for the weekend to see the kids. We just called it....gonna hunker down in southeast coastal Florida. Stig, be careful. A Cat 1 is not fun, but this one has potential to be a Cat 2, possibly a Cat 3. It will hit open gulf waters which are 90 degrees in temp once it leaves the Keys area. Remember that Hurricane Andrew was only a TS up until 36 hours out of Miami and btw, yesterday was the 20 year anniversary of Andrew. I worked that storm and still have never seen anything like it to date.

That's what really has me worried Willie. Once she hits the Gulf it's full steam ahead from what I understand so we're taking precautions seriously.

I don't know if I'm excited to face the challenge or dreading dealing with it but either way this will be....well...par for the course for August.

[piranha2]

Congrats Stig. You may get deflowered. Least it ain't a cat 3 or worse. Hang tough, be ready, you will be fine.

[Willie51]

That's what really has me worried Willie. Once she hits the Gulf it's full steam ahead from what I understand so we're taking precautions seriously.

I don't know if I'm excited to face the challenge or dreading dealing with it but either way this will be....well...par for the course for August.

At least you're on the better side of the storm. You don't want to be on the right hand side if you can help it.

[Twitchy]

At least you're on the better side of the storm. You don't want to be on the right hand side if you can help it.

Which is why we always get hammered :/

[Willie51]

Which is why we always get hammered :/

Very true Twitchy. Your location is most always on the right hand side. :(

[JustAPrepper]

At least you're on the better side of the storm. You don't want to be on the right hand side if you can help it.

North East Quadrant is always the worst. Aside from the Eye-Wall this area holds the second strongest winds. Us East Coasters should fare pretty well even though it's a large storm, 1,000 miles across last I heard.

Doesn't mean to let our guard down. He still could be a heavy rain maker. If you're in a flood prone area be aware. And since we're so far out from the initial bands we will have the potential of tornadoes.

And what was that storm several years back that was supposed to head up the gulf and took that sudden turn due East straight through the West Coast and all the way through Central Florida? Was that Ivan in 2004? It was tracking a little too north-easterly for me so I didn't get much but the rest of Central Florida all the way through Daytona area where he exited in to the Atlantic got totally hammered. That storm is the perfect example of why we need to be prepared. It took EVERYONE by surprise. Mother Nature has her own course. The media can post all the spaghetti models they want but if Mother Nature wants to turn a storm sideways, she will.

[JustAPrepper]

Well kids looks like I'm gonna get my first taste of a Hurricane this year after all.

I'm so happy I could shit.

I couldn't resist.

I've had this button since my 30th birthday. I'm now 46. I wear this button Every Single Year on my birthday...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/MISC%20SHTF%20PHOTOS/82db8125.jpg

Hang in there Stig. You'll survive. Most Cat 1's are nothing more than Mother Nature passing gas. Stay alert of the situation and you guys will be fine. :cool:

[The Stig]

It looks like the forecast models are showing it to land further west towards Pensacola.

Of course, it still a long way out and once she hit's the Gulf all bets are off. But every mile further west it lands is better for me (sorry Florida ants).

[IDTANDY]

I'm in Panama City,now........Will be weathering the storm out on the homestead,been away for 18 mo's,good to be home one more trip to Tx. then back for good.

[bacpacker]

Be careful there ID.

[Willie51]

I'm in Panama City,now........Will be weathering the storm out on the homestead,been away for 18 mo's,good to be home one more trip to Tx. then back for good.

Glad you made it, buddy. Stay safe and hope to see you up there around Labor Day weekend. Just talked to my son and they are going to ride it out there close to ya, unless it's a Cat 3.

[IDTANDY]

Thanks,It's wait and see.......Weathered many storms here.

[The Stig]

I didn't realize we had ants in the panhandle area. Starting to look like it's headed back more towards you than me. Stay safe and hunker down!

[The Stig]

Any of our ants in southern Florida seeing any wind/rain yet?

Wife filled up her truck with gas a picked up a couple extra packages of batteries and OFF with Deet. Pretty much already have everything we'll need. Gonna start putting the outdoor stuff in the garage tomorrow after church so that is out of the way in the event we do have to put up the shutters and really hunker down. More models show it curving eastward towards Panama City/Tallahassee before coming ashore but there are still two pesky ones that show it heading towards my back yard (plus who knows what happens once it's in the Gulf).

Also noticed the forecasts are showing it going to Cat2 now. It wasn't showing that this morning.

[IDTANDY]

Got all preps ready will ride it out here,Im 14 mi north of Panama City.

[The Stig]

Also, I just realized I need to judge the timing on putting up the hurricane shutters pretty well.

Don't want to do it too soon. Don't want to wait too long and then try to be doing it in heavy winds. Some of the panels are quite long.

[The Stig]

All day the models showed it drifting back towards Panama City/Tallahassee before coming ashore, now there's quite a few showing a westward drift back towards Mobile. Some are now even starting to show landfall as far west as New Orleans.

Still way too early to tell but not comforting.

Tonight we're putting screens in the all the windows so we can open them post storm for air. Mrs Stig filled up her truck and got some last minute items at the store. We discussed where we're going to place the mid-storm items like first aide, flashlights, batteries, weather radio, etc and also planned for what we'll do with the cats/dog.

After church tomorrow we'll clean all the yard junk like flower planters, bird feeders, etc and bring them into the garage. I'll begin filling the emergency water containers and begin organizing the hurricane shutters. Depending on what the models are showing in the morning I may also begin hanging them since I've not done it yet and don't want to be fiddling with 112" aluminum panels near windows in gusty winds.

Beyond that all of our pre-planning is paying off since we don't really need to scramble for anything. I'm sure we'll think of something last second but right now we're just slowly chipping away at getting ready for our first time at the rodeo.

That said, I won't lie. I'm anxious for this. I'd like to pretend I was a smooth, pipe-laying mofo but I'm just not sure what to expect which generates anxiety. That said, part of my job pre/during/post storm will be the calm leader for the benefit of Mrs and LtL Stig. Fortunately, the next few days I'll probably be so busy that I won't have time to stew. For me, the worst "fear of the unknown" is what it will be like during the storm. Sitting there for 8 hours listening to the wind howl, shit slamming into the house and waiting for the roof to blow off sounds like a shitty night to me.

Anyway, just "keeping it real". Like I said, part of my job is to reassure them all is well even if I'm shitting my pants. I'll keep them safe, keep my head down and Charlie Mike.

[The Stig]

Got all preps ready will ride it out here,Im 14 mi north of Panama City.

What sort of things have you done today to get ready?

[bacpacker]

We'll keep all you folks down that way in our prayers. There is a bunch of you down that way, although it sounds like not all of you are in the danger zone per say. I'm sure you are all as ready as you can be. Just keep your heads down and stay as safe as possible.

[Twitchy]

Hey Stig, This thing is trending to be further east so far, it was originally predicted to go over central cuba instead of just grazing it... This presents the issue of It being stronger than anticipated now... Schools are closed down here on monday, tuesday is in limbo depending on where it is...

- - - Updated - - -


Hello guys,

It does appear I will be taking a near direct hit if this storm keeps its current track, it will be hovering a couple miles off shore of my area... Should be arriving right around the time I get out of school... YAY! /sarcasm

Here are some pictures and projected track:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0912W5_NL+gif/204427W5_NL_sm.gif

http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/custom/tropical/trackmap_storm2.jpg

http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/custom/tropical/ir_enhanced_storm2_1.jpg


Wow, it does appear the first post images are updated with the myfoxhurricane site... So it is updated tracks every 15 minutes I believe!

[IDTANDY]

Brought everything in that could blow away,food, ice and fuel.ran generators

[piranha2]

You ants in the targeted areas be safe. Check supplies and double check. Best of luck.

[TroubleShooter]

Well ......My wife is dropping my daughter off outside Enterprise Alabama for her school...........Hopefully no worse than a severe ThunderStorm inland..

[Willie51]

All day the models showed it drifting back towards Panama City/Tallahassee before coming ashore, now there's quite a few showing a westward drift back towards Mobile. Some are now even starting to show landfall as far west as New Orleans.

Still way too early to tell but not comforting.

Tonight we're putting screens in the all the windows so we can open them post storm for air. Mrs Stig filled up her truck and got some last minute items at the store. We discussed where we're going to place the mid-storm items like first aide, flashlights, batteries, weather radio, etc and also planned for what we'll do with the cats/dog.

After church tomorrow we'll clean all the yard junk like flower planters, bird feeders, etc and bring them into the garage. I'll begin filling the emergency water containers and begin organizing the hurricane shutters. Depending on what the models are showing in the morning I may also begin hanging them since I've not done it yet and don't want to be fiddling with 112" aluminum panels near windows in gusty winds.

Beyond that all of our pre-planning is paying off since we don't really need to scramble for anything. I'm sure we'll think of something last second but right now we're just slowly chipping away at getting ready for our first time at the rodeo.

That said, I won't lie. I'm anxious for this. I'd like to pretend I was a smooth, pipe-laying mofo but I'm just not sure what to expect which generates anxiety. That said, part of my job pre/during/post storm will be the calm leader for the benefit of Mrs and LtL Stig. Fortunately, the next few days I'll probably be so busy that I won't have time to stew. For me, the worst "fear of the unknown" is what it will be like during the storm. Sitting there for 8 hours listening to the wind howl, shit slamming into the house and waiting for the roof to blow off sounds like a shitty night to me.

Anyway, just "keeping it real". Like I said, part of my job is to reassure them all is well even if I'm shitting my pants. I'll keep them safe, keep my head down and Charlie Mike.

Stig, looks you did a great job getting ready. Anxiety is part of it and is very normal. I've rode out several including Ivan in our beach house in the panhandle and my blood pressure was crazy. :mad: Anxiety and loosing power was the worst part.

[ladyhk13]

All day the models showed it drifting back towards Panama City/Tallahassee before coming ashore, now there's quite a few showing a westward drift back towards Mobile. Some are now even starting to show landfall as far west as New Orleans.

Still way too early to tell but not comforting.

Tonight we're putting screens in the all the windows so we can open them post storm for air. Mrs Stig filled up her truck and got some last minute items at the store. We discussed where we're going to place the mid-storm items like first aide, flashlights, batteries, weather radio, etc and also planned for what we'll do with the cats/dog.

After church tomorrow we'll clean all the yard junk like flower planters, bird feeders, etc and bring them into the garage. I'll begin filling the emergency water containers and begin organizing the hurricane shutters. Depending on what the models are showing in the morning I may also begin hanging them since I've not done it yet and don't want to be fiddling with 112" aluminum panels near windows in gusty winds.

Beyond that all of our pre-planning is paying off since we don't really need to scramble for anything. I'm sure we'll think of something last second but right now we're just slowly chipping away at getting ready for our first time at the rodeo.

That said, I won't lie. I'm anxious for this. I'd like to pretend I was a smooth, pipe-laying mofo but I'm just not sure what to expect which generates anxiety. That said, part of my job pre/during/post storm will be the calm leader for the benefit of Mrs and LtL Stig. Fortunately, the next few days I'll probably be so busy that I won't have time to stew. For me, the worst "fear of the unknown" is what it will be like during the storm. Sitting there for 8 hours listening to the wind howl, shit slamming into the house and waiting for the roof to blow off sounds like a shitty night to me.

Anyway, just "keeping it real". Like I said, part of my job is to reassure them all is well even if I'm shitting my pants. I'll keep them safe, keep my head down and Charlie Mike.

Looks like they are starting evacs in New Orleans. Having said that, it looks like it's still only going to be a Cat 2 which is really a mild storm in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully your roof shingles are nice and tight and there are no trees that can be uprooted and knocked down onto your home. That is what I would be most worried about. You will almost for sure lose power, but if your utilities are underground you may get lucky and be ok depending on the rest of the grid in your area.
When my son was little and we had hurricanes I would make it a "camping" trip inside for him when it was time for bed. I would pull his mattress into the hallway and he had his own flashlight. Does Lil' Stig have battery operated toys? If you are using your propane lights and have enough of them you can make your house almost as light as if you had not lost power so some of the fear would be cut down - it would make things seem more normal, just using different types of lighting.
I would buy lots of ice if you can and fill every chest you have, if you can't get ice anymore and have an ice maker in your freezer I would start making it like crazy. If you are out of power for a few days and it's hot down there you may not be able to buy it and you will want it not for only cold drinks or put foods into but as it melts you will get ice water (I would keep at least one chest with pure ice).
How close are you to the coast?

[The Stig]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-26_18-18-01_890.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-26_18-18-20_140.jpg

Spent the day hanging the hurricane panels. Took a while but I was also bringing in the outside stuff and other side chores. They went up pretty easily and still let in a good amount of light. Better yet, there's a small gap on the side where I can see out which will keep me from going bonkers in the middle of the storm. Even if this thing hangs a sharp left and destroys Houston it was a good exercise to install them and figure out how much time it takes. Now, if I can find a way to tighten the wing-nuts with my cordless-drill.

Talked with the neighbors who gave us some good last minute tips. They are good people. They were hanging plywood today.

It was funny to see cars driving by and slowing down while people gawked. I got the impression we were being mocked but frankly I could give a shit. I'd rather have it done than be running around at the last minute.

Time to eat some dinner and clean up. More later.

[The Stig]

How close are you to the coast?

Thanks for the advice. LtL Stig does have her own flashlight and we're going to do the whole "camping" thing with her too. I'll even help her pack a small backpack to hold some dolls, toys and other comfort things.

We're about 30 miles inland so no issues with storm surge, just all the joys of wind, rain and tornadoes.

[ladyhk13]

That's good...storm surge does huge damage. Love your storm shutters! Are they prefab ones or did you make them yourself? Who cares what the gawkers think. Wshtf they are going to be the ones ass out because they won't have a clue what to do. Tell them to "take a picture" they might need it someday. Ok, childish I know. forget that part. I have no idea what we would do here since we have sooooooooooo many windows and of course they are all custom sizes and the house is brick so there isn't any drilling to the outside and there sure won't be any drilling into the beautiful trim on the inside either. When the tornados come through we just close the curtains (which most are heavy suede so somewhat protective) and hope for the best.
I think the window situation will have to be addressed in the next house however - not only for the storm reason.
Well keep us updated as long as you can. Good luck and God bless.

[piranha2]

Stig, looks like you are ready. Good for you. Shit like this is why we get ready. Best of luck, my brother.

[bacpacker]

Stig, sounds to me like you have your shit pretty squared away. Those shutters look great and should hold up really well. Are the anchors in the house and then you do the wing nuts to hold them on? Good luck and keep us posted as time permits. You guys are in our prayers.

Lady, I agree that it would be a PIA to do shutters here. One thing we did mostly was stick with 2 width's of windows. Although our kitchen has 4 larger side by side by side windows. They would suck to try and cover. If we get to build again, that house will be so different in many regards.

[The Stig]

Stig, sounds to me like you have your shit pretty squared away. Those shutters look great and should hold up really well. Are the anchors in the house and then you do the wing nuts to hold them on? Good luck and keep us posted as time permits. You guys are in our prayers.
.

Yep. There's a C-shaped track mounted into the structure above the window. The corrugated aluminum panel slides into the c-channel at the top and is then wing-nutted down at the bottom. The very long panels (the big windows in the top picture for example) have a support brace and another set of studs/wingunts about 1/2 way up to make it really stable.

They are pre-done. The company that installed them had them cut to length ahead of time and did all the instal. All I have to do is pull them out of the garage and install them.

I'm guessing next time I'll be able to get them up in a couple hours instead how long it took today.

[bacpacker]

Good deal, those sound like some well built stuff. Two hours to install ain't bad.

[ladyhk13]

Are you planning on using these for a shtf scenario for home security as well? The reason I ask is because you say they are connected by wingnuts on the outside of the house and I was wondering how you could stop an intruder from just unscrewing them? If they aren't going to be used for any kind of security then it wouldn't be an issue but I didn't know if when you had them made if they were to be dual purpose. But they are totally awesome looking for storms!

[Willie51]

Stig, they do make a bit for your drill or screw gun for the wing nuts. I think Sears carries them, but can't remember for sure.

[ladyhk13]

Willie you guys wet down there?

[ak474u]

Stig, they do make a bit for your drill or screw gun for the wing nuts. I think Sears carries them, but can't remember for sure.


I notched a piece of 3/8" steel tubing for the ears to fit in, and mount it in the drill. Works pretty good, used it to put together all kinds of crap, mostly my inept buddies' BBQ grills. Lol

[The Stig]

Are you planning on using these for a shtf scenario for home security as well?

Not really for the reason you detailed. Unless it was just general rioting or something. But beyond that they really don't offer much protection while limiting vision.


Stig, they do make a bit for your drill or screw gun for the wing nuts. I think Sears carries them, but can't remember for sure.

That would be awesome. That would greatly speed install.

[Sniper-T]

Why bother with the wingnuts at all? just use regular nuts, you'r set with your drill, and worst case scenario, you can zip them on/off with a ratchet.

look awesome though, I'm thinking they wouldn't stop a bullet, but if the tracking and everything is sound, they could be replaced with some steel plates?

[The Stig]

Why bother with the wingnuts at all? just use regular nuts, you'r set with your drill, and worst case scenario, you can zip them on/off with a ratchet.

look awesome though, I'm thinking they wouldn't stop a bullet, but if the tracking and everything is sound, they could be replaced with some steel plates?

Not a bad thought. Start the nut by hand and then zap it with the nut driver/cordless drill.

No way they'd stop a bullet. The tracks are all aluminum so I don't think they'd support the incredible weight of steel plates either. Further, even if you could put up steel plates you'd still have 50 to 60% of the structure of the house exposed and their ain't no way my vinyl siding is stopping a round.

No these aluminum panels are good for wind driven SHTF events, but that's about it.

[Willie51]

Willie you guys wet down there?

Very wet, gusty winds, and lots and lots of thunder storms.

[piranha2]

Same here - worse than yesterday, but not too bad, all things considered.

[ladyhk13]

Oh how I miss those days. We don't get too much of that up here. Had we stayed in Fl one more week we would have been in the thick of things. Darn. Would have been a great time to take dh to Venice Beach to collect sharks teeth.

[Taz Baby]

Venice Beach is very nice and I will collect some teeth for you Lady if I make it there next month. We will be in that area in Sept. Maybe by then the hurricane will be gone, stay gone and no more come up until we leave.

[IDTANDY]

Outer bands starting to move in,looks like we'll be out of the ne quadrent when it makes land fall.
All you ants futher west take care and hunker down

[4suchatimeasthis]

My baby sister and her husband live on a boat in Pensacola, and I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. He is from Phoenix, and she grew up like me, in northern Wisconsin. She did just text me a few minutes ago that they are evacuating the boat, but no word where they are going to. Sheesh....they are sweet kids, but they are 22 & 23 and green as grass, and not enough common sense between them to fill a teaspoon. The whole thing makes me twitchy....I will feel a whole lot better when I know they are out of harms way.

[IDTANDY]

If they are evacuating on the boat there are plenty of safe harbors in the surrounding Bayous.
They're in my prayers.

[The Stig]

Outer bands starting to move in,looks like we'll be out of the ne quadrent when it makes land fall.
All you ants futher west take care and hunker down

Yep, wind is picking up considerably here just north of Gulfport. Still beautifully sunny and warm (oddly humidity seems down) but the wind is noticeable.

[The Stig]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_12-06-51_8.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_12-06-31_219.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_12-07-19_503.jpg

Here are some more pictures of Casa Del Stig buttoned up and ready for action. Much like the back the long panels on the front are supported in three places and tied down with wing-nuts on the middle and bottom row. Usually the gravel in front of our house is filled with various potted plants, which are all now in my garage. The lights on the front porch (first picture) usually hang much lower so I used a carbiner clip to greatly shorten their chains and prevent them from bashing into the side of the house.

I'm guessing the four pine trees in the middle picture are not long for this world given what everybody's told me about them. I'm also guessing that the loose grove of trees in the last picture will be considerably thinner when this is all said and done. Mostly I'm just throwing this up to catch some before/after pics.

I had to make a last minute run to the hardware store for an electrical plug. Need to modify an extension cord to have two male ends for generator duty. Mrs Stig is on way home from work and will top off her truck (again :/ ) and pick up a shitpile of ice if she can find it.

Tonight we'll tape up the windows from the inside and inflate the air mattresses. Also, we'll help LtL Stig pick out her backpack full of stuff for the "camping trip to Mommies Closet". I've got just a couple more panel to hang.

Last thing I have to check is to make sure the chimney vent is open.

Other than that I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be.

[Sniper-T]

Couple things...

1. you should look for one of these: http://www.air-n-water.com/ice-maker.htm

Then you can have all the ice you need. I take mine on a week long fish derby every spring, and it keeps 20+ guys supplied with drinking ice each evening, and during the day it fills coolers. I picked mine up on sale for $100. (pictured top left)

2. what's with the chimney damper thing? Lazy-man's way of cleaning the fireplace?

[4suchatimeasthis]

No wonder Baby Sister was so vague in her text about where they were headed. She just called and asked if they could come here! They are securing the boat, loading up the essentials/irreplaceables and heading this direction, they figure they can be here in 7-8 hrs. Her husband is a Marine, and they said the base is shutting down tomorrow, so he is cleared to get outta dodge. She said they plan to leave tonight and she can be here tomorrow morning before I have the coffee made! I know, I know, they have more common sense than I gave them credit for, and I couldn't be happier!

[The Stig]

what's with the chimney damper thing? Lazy-man's way of cleaning the fireplace?

Neighbor suggested it to allow air pressure in house to equalize should their be rapid changes. Somewhat like opening your windows slightly for a tornado.

[The Stig]

http://i.imwx.com/images/maps/tropical/map_tropinfo09_ltst_5nhato_enus_600x405.jpg

[Twitchy]

Nice place Stig!

MY step father managed to leave up to your area as well stig, jackson area... It seems that it followed him apparently...

[Taz Baby]

Got family in P,cola area anduse to live there once. Also have family in every where that thing is headed. But everyone knows what to do, due to living in that hurricane area. Prayers will go out for everyone on this thing.

[The Stig]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_16-27-18_573.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_16-27-13_872.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-27_16-28-07_921.jpg

Just some more pictures of the backyard for before/after views later on.

Wasn't sure if LiL Stigs swingset would go flying or not so I tied it down. We'll see if that makes a lick of difference. I also took the little plastic slide off the right-hand side of it. That thing is so flimsy I'm pretty sure a strong fart would blow it off.

On the plus side, all those trees in the backyard make for a decent wind break. On the negative side that also creates a shitpile of missile fodder for impacting Casa Del Stig.

The shepherds hook with the bird feeder (foreground of last picture, red) will come down last minute was we (1) are goofy about feeding the birds and (B) use that to anchor the dogs lead for when she goes outside.

[Willie51]

We've been hammered here in s.e. Florida. Isaac has planted a system right over us from West Palm to Vero since last night and it will not go away. We've been under a tornado warning (not watch) most of the morning. There is flooding down in Wellington and the news reported some homes damaged in Vero. We're doing okay other than constant thunder storms and flooding rain. We've had 14" in the past 24 hours. We should have left and went to Panama City as planned...I think the weather there is nicer and has some sunshine which we have not seen in several days. :cool:


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/gmex/flash-wv.html

[ladyhk13]

I used to live in Vero...got hit with a hurricane around 95 (?) but the big damage hit Titusville. Was really freaky when the eye went right over top of us. All of a sudden all was quiet..no rain, no wind..no nothing....could look straight up and see stars. Great little town back then.

[Evolver]

Lite rain all night and all day here in Brevard County FL. (Central East Coast). My guess is 6''-10'' of water.

[ladyhk13]

Think Stig might get the brunt of it. Have you built the arc yet?

[Twitchy]

Lots of wind and not so much rain, kept the temps down which was nice... It was not bad at all for Central Florida (West Coast)... Isaac was a whole lot of nuthin!

[IDTANDY]

All quiet in the Panhandle,more to come tomorrow.

[piranha2]

Good luck again, for you folks in the path. The event is over with here. Final tally is 11 inches of rain. May have missed a little, because the gauge was running over yesterday.

[Onestep]

Make sure you keep one window cracked to help equalize the pressure inside the house Stig. The chimney may be enough though.
The lighter humidity is due to the storm sucking all the moisture to it.

[helomech]

Looks like it is going to hit my old home town. That is exactly why I left there 6 years ago. I was born and raised in Terrebonne Parish, Montegut/Houma area.

[The Stig]

The storm is still a disorganized mess of a Tropical Storm. That said, the real issue might be that it's slowed to a crawl and might park on top of us subjecting us to 20+ inches of rain and tropical storm force winds for as much as 18 hours. Wouldn't that be awesome. :/

The wind has picked up considerably from yesterday and it's just now started to rain for the first time.

Gonna start working and see how far I can get into the day before the power goes out. I'm guessing I'll make it till at least lunch time. From there it's a crap shoot.

[helomech]

They are showing up to 25' storm surges. The levee where I used to live is only 8 feet.

[Willie51]

SUNSHINE finally!!! Thanks God. :) I think I'll go fishing. :cool:

[The Stig]

Well the wind is really starting to pick up. Gusting a lot more into the lower 30mph range with it steady at 18-20ish. We've got our first real band of rain heading our way within in the next hour or so.

Was supposed to be rocking and rolling early this morning but there was an injection of dry air from some other front that is disrupting things (in a good way). Conditions are likely to start deteriorating rapidly from now into the evening when it's supposed to get really bad.

[Sniper-T]

batten down the hatches, and birdfeeders

[piranha2]

Hunker down and hang on Stig. Keep us informed when possible.

[carolinasurvivalist]

http://img.tapatalk.com/6219e6aa-213d-dc57.jpg

Little rainy here

[Twitchy]

http://img.tapatalk.com/6219e6aa-213d-dc57.jpg

Little rainy here

Just a tad... It sunny and windy here, just the way I like it! well, atleast what I can tolerate the summer in :P

[bacpacker]

Stig let us know if we can do anything after this moves thru.

[eagle326]

Stig let us know if we can do anything after this moves thru.

As B.P. said. And that goes for all you other Ants caught in the storm. Be safe as ya'll in our thoughts.

[ak474u]

Wow, kayaking down the street. Hoping it turns oust well for everybody. I'm going on a quickly vacation this weekend to the area where the storm is gonna be once it gets inland, so that may be a wash no pun intended.

[ladyhk13]

Looks like the rain will be dumping about 20" in some places. It will probably hit inland all the way up to us (rain) later in the week for a few days. Lots of southern states are going to be affected.

[bacpacker]

Our local Wx guy showed a map tonight that showed most of the storm running up thru Arkansas and into the upper midwest. It didn't look like E tn would get any more than occasional showers.

[ladyhk13]

I don't think these guys know what they are doing. The one I saw a little while ago and the radar on NOAA showed rain coming up through central AL and southern TN.

[izzyscout21]

you're all wrong........I'm controlling the storm with my MASS device......COBRA!!!!

http://www.hisstank.com/gi-joe-news/attach/4/1/7/2/7/gijoe-mass-_1239302114.jpg

[ladyhk13]

Boy is Stig going to be mad at you when his place gets flooded! You are in so much trouble!!!!

[izzyscout21]

Boy is Stig going to be mad at you when his place gets flooded! You are in so much trouble!!!!

good.................good............

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb58377/wikiality/images/b/ba/Cobra_commander.jpg

[Twitchy]

good.................good............

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb58377/wikiality/images/b/ba/Cobra_commander.jpg

Izzy, do you just have a collection of awesome images lurking on your computer?

[izzyscout21]

i try to.

[bacpacker]

It appears so!

[ak474u]

I thought GW had the weather machine that homes in on black neighborhoods? Turns out its Cobra/izzy.

[izzyscout21]

I thought GW had the weather machine that homes in on black neighborhoods? Turns out its Cobra/izzy.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k230/r3plikazt47/CobraCommander.jpg

[Taz Baby]

Izzy, do you just have a collection of awesome images lurking on your computer?

Umm maybe thats really him playing dress up? Just kidding izzy

[izzyscout21]

Umm maybe thats really him playing dress up? Just kidding izzy


you just never know.............

[ak474u]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k230/r3plikazt47/CobraCommander.jpg

My new iPad wallpaper. Awesome, I get to replace the thumbs up guy with "Congratulations you haven't done anything stupid in 5 minutes"

[izzyscout21]

glad I can be of assistance

looks like I did it again............oops.......

http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/cd/cd2bc46d_thread-derail-1953.jpg

[IDTANDY]

Storm passed ,I'm told this has been some of the best weather thay've had here for a while,go figure,little bit of rain and some wind.Most docks are under with high tide alittle flooding from the surge.

[Willie51]

Storm passed ,I'm told this has been some of the best weather thay've had here for a while,go figure,little bit of rain and some wind.Most docks are under with high tide alittle flooding from the surge.

IDTANDY, that's what our son says too....."best weather in 5 weeks". He's been texting me pictures all day around the lake. Sunshine and beautiful. I'm jealous.

[The Stig]

Quick update for everybody while there's some power.

Spent the night in the walk-in closets last night. Very windy and rainy but it seemed to come in waves instead of constant blasts. Power went off during the night.

Storm drifted west so we're in the outer-bands so instant of constant wind/rain we're treated to squalls. One minute it will be 15-20mph constant, the next second it will be 45+ mph wind with heavy rain. Tornadoes kicking up too.

So far so good but this is supposed to go on all day so it's gonna get old fast.

Will keep y'all updated as I can.

Also, ask Izzy about his GI Joe underroo's

ETA: Our masterbath is quite large and has two walk in closets. We can actually set up a pretty functioning command center in there with several interior rooms and room for small mattresses. The mattresses (small twins) actually fit in the closet so you can sleep. It's cramped but doo-able. Mrs Stig set up snacks, med kits, etc in there so it's pretty self sustaining. Even have the cats in their carriers in the shower and the dog slept with me in my closet (Mrs Stig and LiL Stig in her closet).

[helomech]

Eye is right on top of my home town. All of my family is doing good, winds over 70mph for them. No reports of flooding, but no one is really getting out right now. So glad I moved away from the coast.

[eagle326]

Glad you all are doing okay. Keep us advised of you situation if possible.

[bacpacker]

Glad to hear you are all doing ok at this point.

[piranha2]

Good to hear. Hang on and keep us updated.

[Twitchy]

helo, status on your family? Last update i heard was 600,000+ w/out power in the southern Louisiana area, and they were considering breaching a levy to relieve pressure because one was already washed over...

[Willie51]

My contact in New Orleans is riding it out as they did not get out in time due to work. They have been without power and telephone since last night. He can get texts however. He just texted me and said, "very windy, lots of rain, no power, no phone, but okay".

[The Stig]

Been an interesting day.

Been mostly gusty winds and heavy rain for almost all day. Between 1pm and 3pm CST was the most dangerous with tornadoes and gusting winds over 55mph. For the past hour or so it's also been a torrential downpour with 20ish mph winds. Hardest rain of the whole event.

No known damage to Casa Del Stig as yet. Am starting to get a little water coming down the inside of the chimney. Once the wind dies down I'll pop up into the attic to inspect it closer. I just traded texts with the neighbor who has the same chimney arrangement and he's getting the same.

For safety's sake, since they're still be squalls coming through tonight we're going to bunk out in the closets again.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-29_09-20-34_51.jpg

That's the selection of snacks, supplies, the first-aid kit (green lid, plastic container in the sink) and the trauma bag on the bathroom sink. That's in the event we're sequestered to the bathroom for the duration. Fortunately, it's not come to that. To the far right is LiL Stigs DVD movie player in a black case, and to the far left are some "analog" games to keep her occupied.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-29_09-20-52_734.jpg

Kinda hard to see but the pink couch is LiL Stigs makeshift bed and the maroon air-mattress with green blanket is Mrs Stigs. The mattress fits horizontally across the back of the closet and allows you to fully lay down. Should things be really bad, the closet door can be shut to provide more protection against flying debris.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-29_09-22-00_961.jpg

That's my closet. You can see the green mattress, blanket and pillows horizontally across the back of the closet (being guarded by Clifford). The brown blanket to the left is for our dog. She slept curled up with me.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee427/ltlabner/2012-08-29_09-24-35_312.jpg

In between the closets is our shower (tiled, to the right of the picture). That's where the cats slept (in their carriers) with the curtain pulled. You can see the door to my closet in the center of the picture. To the far left is Mrs Stig's bathtub which is currently filled with water. Surprisingly, the stopper has held in most of the water since yesterday night when we filled it.

[bacpacker]

Glad to hear you guys made it thru in one piece. Looks like you all were set up well. How did your little girl handle the storms? Did the noise get to her?

You all did good!

[Taz Baby]

Thanks for updating all of your ant family as we do worry about you guys. Nice to know everyone are ok so far. Prayers go out for everyone's safety. should be one more night and then it will be gone for the most part. Stig looks like you are ready for anything.

[eagle326]

Stig ; You've done a helluva job keeping all safe thru the storm. Good forward planning.

[The Stig]

So it appears I spoke too soon. Shortly after that post I heard Mrs Stig yelling. The roof is leaking like mad where the chimney goes through the roof and the ridge vent. FML

Just spent and hour in the attic pulling out wet insulation and drilling drain holes in the drywall so the water would drip through and into buckets.

Guess I'll be calling the insurance guy as soon as this is over.

:/

[4suchatimeasthis]

I hope your chimney/roof leak is the worst of it! Everything else looks very impressive, hope you guys don't run into any more problems.

[helomech]

helo, status on your family? Last update i heard was 600,000+ w/out power in the southern Louisiana area, and they were considering breaching a levy to relieve pressure because one was already washed over...

All without power, talked to them about 2 hours ago (hard to get through) lower eye wall was just starting to hit. Levee behind the house I used to live in is about to go over (it happens everytime).

Thanks

[ladyhk13]

Thank God that's all it is. At least you still have your roof, no broken windows or walls. You have Mrs. and Lil Stig...Life is good. Take som pics of Lil Stig and ya'll to put in her 'photo' album for her future memories since this is her first hurricane. :)

[Onestep]

Glad all are ok Stig. Hopefully the leak repair won't be too drastic.
It's amazing what winds and rain of these proportions will do to a structure. They WILL find the weakest link.
We always keep a 100' roll of plastic sheeting & rolls of duct tape just for these situations.
You done good bud.

[Sniper-T]

Did the rain come in down the chimney or around it?

a couple gallons (or caulking tubes) of roofing tar might be worth adding to your stockpile

Assuming it is safe to go up on the roof, most products can be applied directly onto wet shingles.

[The Stig]

Did the rain come in down the chimney or around it?

a couple gallons (or caulking tubes) of roofing tar might be worth adding to your stockpile

Assuming it is safe to go up on the roof, most products can be applied directly onto wet shingles.

Very small amount came in through the chimney.

Most came in around it, I suspect from piss-poor flashing and caulk.

I have the roof tar in caulk tubes but sadly that portion of the roof is very, very steep. I'm not going up there with wet shingles and high winds.

That said, once it dries out either I'll shimmy up there, or have someone do it.

Also need the ridge vents evaluated. I'm seriously considering eliminating them, adding a turbine style and possibly going over to a metal roof. That's a big ass expense but would be more solid in the long run IMO.

[bacpacker]

Stig I will email details of ours, but do some digging befor doing a turbine vent metal roof thing. Ours didn't go well last year.

[Sniper-T]

X2 on the whirley bird thingee. a buddy is a roofer, and those things should've been banned in the 70's. He brings all the ones they rip off over for shooting at

[The Stig]

So it sounds like the turbines suck then. How about metal roofs in general?

[Sniper-T]

They are hugely popular up here. If I had the cash, I would've gone with one when I redid my roof a couple years ago.

One thing to note though is to check the fine print. typically a metal roof needs to have the screws tightened on a regular basis (yearly), if you do not, you will void the warranty

[Willie51]

So it sounds like the turbines suck then. How about metal roofs in general?

I've built several houses with all metal roofs. A "standing seam" metal roof is the best and cost a little more than standard screw down metal roof. With a standing seam, you don't have to tighten screws or replace screw seals. I've worked storms where the entire roof system was on the ground, but the metal roof was still all intact. The moral of the story is, if you can afford a metal roof and plan to live there for awhile, do it.

Turbine vents will not hold up in bad storms, thus becoming funnels for rain.

[The Stig]

AAR

All in all, for our first "tropical event" I'd say we got off pretty lucky with some minor drywall damage from a roof leak. The storm drifted west a good 50-60 miles at the last minute which saved us from a more direct hit. So while I wouldn't say we've ridden out our first hurricane, we've gotten a good taste and had a not-so dry run at it.

In no particular order:

On Sunday afternoon Isaac was supposed to be a Cat2 headed for Gulfport. I made the decision to put up the hurricane window panels. While I'm sure some locals sneered at us, they can have a hot cup of go-fuck-themselves as that took a huge weight off my shoulders even though the storm wasn't as bad as it could have been. Making the decision when/if to put them up will be a matter of timing and luck but in the future I'm going to error on the side of putting them up and not needing them.

The bathroom "safe room" concept worked very well. While we didn't have to stay in it, we could at least get some sleep and were ready if the storm warranted holing up there. It was also nice to lay down in relative safety and rest. It was a pain to drag the clothes out to make room but it was worth it. Mrs Stig also found a trash-bags worth of clothes she could live without in the process of putting them back in. Unless the storm is very bad we won't put the cats in their carriers again, rather just let them be loose in the bathroom. Being in the carriers was too stressful and the constant meowing didn't aide restful sleep.

Having a stash flashlights, weather radio, batteries, first aide kit in the kitchen seemed to be a good idea but the power was never really off long enough to utilize it. Same with gassing up the vehicles, filling up the spare fuel and water cans. Glad we had it and didn't need it.

I have a 40 to 50 foot oak tree about 10' from the house and it hangs over LiL Stigs bedroom. I'm not sure why I haven't cut it down before. That will be remedied in short order.

I went to use the cordless screwdriver to loosen the bolts to the garage braces but it was dead. It appears the spare battery was dead too. Lesson learned. That would have sucked to discover in the midst of the storm.

Kids get bored fast. Since we had power *most* of the time we had movies and TV to keep her occupied. Even with that, by Wednesday afternoon she was totally nuts and asking when she and mommy could "go somewhere". Had we not had power a longer period of time it would have been unbearable.

The roof leak was obviously a fail. I should have had it inspected before hand which may/may not have made a difference. None-the-less I'm glad we discovered the issue in a somewhat minor storm instead of a fullblown Cat3. Being in the attic with winds gusting into the 40mph range was unnerving enough.

I have a Coleman LED headlamp thing. That light is money. Get one. Get several. When I was dangling in the attic the ability to light up the wood looking for leaks, without using my hands, was fantastic.

I realized Tuesday night that my plan to back-feed the house with a generator was going to be an epic fail. I had the generator, fuel, had test started it and even had a house to back-feed. I sorta forgot an electric cord with two male ends. Fortunately my neighbor was feeling generous and made both he and I one out of heavy cable and two male ends.

One very positive spot was my neighbor. We like them very much anyway but this was a bit of a "bonding" moment for us. They were great sharing information and what to expect with the dumb yankees. It was not condescending in any way and very comforting. I loaned him my table saw to cut the plywood for his windows, he made me the electric cord. I like that very much and appreciated the kindness (he's always a great guy but to take 30 minutes Tuesday night before the storm to talk us through what to expect, when he had a wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids to deal with was very cool).

I was going to take "after" pictures to compare to the before I posted earlier but honestly there's not much to show. I have a lot of twigs, very small branches and bunches of oak leaves all over the yard (which will easily be mowed) but other than that there's really no difference.

So there you go. Sure I'll think of something else but for now there's the scoop from a Hurricane Virgin. Hopefully there's something in there that is either helpful, interesting or entertaining.

All the other ants who were impacted by the storm.....any lessons learned for you?

[The Stig]

All without power, talked to them about 2 hours ago (hard to get through) lower eye wall was just starting to hit. Levee behind the house I used to live in is about to go over (it happens everytime).

Thanks

How is your family Helo?

[helomech]

How is your family Helo?

All doing good, my dad is still without power. My brother and mom both have power. Thanks for asking, so glad you and your family are doing good. The damage sucks, hope they fix it for you fast.

[Sniper-T]

Glad everyone made it through safe and sound.

Can you explain to lil' Stig that this may happen again, and get her input as to what she would want to help pass the time? What does she do on a normal day (series of days)?

Preppers may always be looked down on, or sneered at by others... but only up until the time that it pays off. Had Isaac decided to park over your neighbourhood, and bash you for a while, I think all those neighbours who sneered at your window coverings would have been lined up asking where you got them!

[bacpacker]

Glad things are ok with your folks Helo. Lots of worried people down that way.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Glad your folks are OK Helo. That gives me hope for my buddy in NOLA. I still haven't heard from him, so he may still be at his BOL.

[The Stig]

Can you explain to lil' Stig that this may happen again, and get her input as to what she would want to help pass the time? What does she do on a normal day (series of days)?


Not a bad idea other than given that LtL Stig is 4 she's probably going to request flying fairy pixie dust or a live action circus.

Her daily routine usually involves a lot of swimming, going to parks and other various outdoor activities. We're gonna have to put our thinking caps on for this one I think.

[Sniper-T]

^
Shouldn't have drilled drain holes in the attic!
lol

[4suchatimeasthis]

Hey Stig, how about taking lil Stig to ToysRus or equivalent, and letting her pick out a toy that she is only allowed to play with during a hurricane-indoor camping session? I have three little girls, and we have special toys that are only for the 16+ hr road trip to grandmas, etc. Etch-a-sketch, leapfrog stuff, the like. Something interactive is good, or whatever, whatever she likes.

[Stormfeather]

Stig, glad to hear it worked out all good for ya man. Been keeping track on this thread, but not really adding to it since Ive got family all down in the area. All of mine came thru with semi-flying colors, mostly wet.

Izzy, on a side note, I just talked to our mutual friend who just came up for a visit, hes making some good scratch doing relief work if you are looking to make a few extra $$$. Hes having a hard run of it since he finished up what he came up here for. Should touch base with him just for GP & make sure hes GTG.

[helomech]

Glad your folks are OK Helo. That gives me hope for my buddy in NOLA. I still haven't heard from him, so he may still be at his BOL.

I am sure he is fine, the storm was that bad. Mostly a huge rain event.

[Sniper-T]

Oh...Helo... I missed your post(s) I'm glad to hear your peeps all made out ok too! Grumps, I'm sure yours are good too!

[izzyscout21]

Not a bad idea other than given that LtL Stig is 4 she's probably going to request flying fairy pixie dust or a live action circus.

....................http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1RU8YJtS1OY/TEW48Jjun2I/AAAAAAAABlY/RsElkPlcoTM/s400/image_6_abby1.jpg


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