"Hide from the wind, run from the water"

I walked in to my mother's room this morning, on lesson three of four from a local news cast's advice for hurricanes and what we've learned from Ian. 

Lesson three was don't compare all storms to each other because not all are equal. Irma in 2017 was to be bad with the storm surge, yet Ian was the worst. Plus, the 2022 hurricane season was pretty low in tropical activity, which hasn't been that low since 2014. 

Lesson four was what I took for the title of this post: Hide from the wind, run from the water. Which relates to lesson three of storm surges. National weather services / meteorologists / emergency management will say that in the event of a hurricane, it is more damaging in water than it is in the wind, solely due to the storm surging and flooding. Therefore, the wind won't kill you; the water will (live by the gun, die by the gun? Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?). 

Why won't the wind kill you? Because modern buildings (at least in the last decade or so) are built with specific reinforcement codes (laws / rules), so that 130+ mile per hour winds won't get blown over, but because we have window and doors and other areas that can have water leak in and retain the water, you can have flooding in your house before you know it. Unfortunately, this doesn't include manufactured /mobile homes, as they are typically the first thing to get flattened in the upper category wind storms (as I've noticed first hand). 

To quote a meteorology website:

"[I]n areas with modern building codes and construction, structures can withstand long duration strong winds. Even when structures are significantly damaged by debris or the wind itself, they continue to offer some shelter and protection from the wind. This is why people in the path of a tornado are advised not to jump in their car and drive away but rather to shelter in place in an interior room on the lowest floor. The roof can be ripped off a building and the exterior walls toppled, yet a tiny bathroom or closet often remains intact and offers a pocket of safety amidst the chaos.

Water is different. It rises inexorably, under doors and through windows. No room is safe. Entire neighborhoods are engulfed at once – there is no accessible safe haven once the water begins to rise. Storm surge water seethes with debris, from toxic waste to power lines to floating vehicles. And unlike the wind, which weakens quickly as a storm departs, storm surge and inland floodwaters can engulf a region for days to weeks. Those who don’t drown during the storm are often trapped without water or food until rescue personnel arrive, and when the impacted area is large and damage is extensive, rescue can be slow coming."

Considering in my community alone, we had houses that had roof shingles ripped off, but the houses themselves are still fully intact. Yet, we had a solid two feet (maybe 2½ - it was knee deep on most people) of water in the middle of the road for days after Ian went away. Other places had 4 feet or more, making people swim to safety. A couple my mother is good friends with, lost their house because they had 4 feet of water circling every inch inside the home and damaged everything it touched. 

There is something to be said about water if a common quote is "Turn around, don't drown". 

Mainly due to "A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks. It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into flood waters". (https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-turn-around-dont-drown)

I've heard that six inch rule for the last few storms and was amazed people still walked through the river called our road, especially since everyone would tell me when we first moved here "don't trust or go near standing water because of possible alligators. They can hide in just a foot of water". How many times have I seen alligators in my community? Plenty. How many times had I seen alligators in my previous job? Plenty. Besides, there are other things that go bump in the night that can hide in water. Snakes for example. Those slithering fools can swim pretty quick, for having no limbs. 

It's already 7:21 in the morning. I need to start getting ready for work, so I'm going to end it here. If you're wondering why I posted this, it's all because today marks exactly six months since Hurricane Ian!!

Stay safe

Cheers