Tropical storm Fay

[Guro305]

Originally Posted by Rich Z

A category 1 is nothing to take lightly. Connie and I were in Daytona Beach when Charlie blew straight through there. I believe the center went right over top of us. On the twelfth floor of a hotel, you could feel the entire building rocking in the wind and the glass doors bowing in from the winds. Knocked the power out all over the place, and LOTS of car damage from blowing debris.

What?! Hell yeah it is. Consider it a paid day off of work. By the way Rich, Charley was a cat' 4, not 1.

[LS2POWA]

This outta be fun. Cat 1 hurricane like Guro said is pretty much a paid day off. Ive seen regular storms here in bradenton/sarasota area get constant wind gust of around 50-60mph and tons of rain. One of those days i had to drive over the skyway bridge(we were the last vehicle allowed over) so my dad could get to bayfront for neck surgery.

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by Guro305

What?! Hell yeah it is. Consider it a paid day off of work. By the way Rich, Charley was a cat' 4, not 1.

Not when it hit Daytona Beach. It was only a category 1 at that time.

[Shadow]

While a Cat1 is no Andrew, I've lived here all my life and either worked through, or after (rescue & relief) every major storm we've had one way or another. I went to S. Florida after Andrew and was in Polk county after Charlie and the other ones ripped through.

Even though the actual hurricane may be nothing more than a minor inconvenience (and as GURO said, a paid day off for many), it can still have immobilizing effects on a community.

If you'll recall the "no name storm" that blew into Pinellas County some years back caused a huge amount of damage along the waterfront.

As you mentioned, 50-60 mph winds are in many cases "routine" (there's that word again!) storms for Florida; however, they're still (iirc) tropical storm category.

Weaker structures can be damaged, power outages are normal, flooding and tornadoes are pretty routine.

The clean up , traffic problems, medical issues, and damage assessments can and do cause delays in emergency services.

After Charlie and the others, our PD was patrolling out in the county in the surrounding areas of our city. As I was driving down this one road with my alley lights and overheads on to let the people know that they still had LE protection in the area, I heard this voice yell out in the blackness coming from a garage of a damaged/powerless home.

I light it up and see the people sitting outside, a small generator powering a fan and radio.
I pull in to check on them and the owner comes up, shakes my hand, thanks me and says' you're the first cop I've seen in 3 days!!!! This was the 1st day we'd had time to really do any patrol after the storm. The 1st two days were damage assessments, manning food and water distribution points, actually handing out supplies and such. Afterward, we manned food/water lines during the day, and patrolled at night. 1 guy on patrol during the daytime.

I guess what I'm saying is let's not get too comfortable just because it's a low grade storm (and lets hope it stays that way!). They can still be dangerous and be prepared for the possibility of being inconvenienced and incommunicado for a few days.

[CHASZ51]

If the storm was to stall in the southwest gulf with some of the warmest water around then we could have a problem.

I dont see the storm stalling or getting stronger than 90mph, but you never know for sure with these kind of storms.

[85vette]

I worked on Sanibel Island after Charlie hit. I've never seen such destruction that wasn't man made. I directed emmergency crews, directed civilian traffic, and helped distribute ice, water, and food. I think all the residents were in shock for the first few days. Nothing was as it was. At the end of the first week they had power restored to about 30% of the island. Met a lot of other law enforcement officers from across the state. It was a humbling experience.

[C5Rick]

Where do we file the paperwork to get a paid day off?

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by 85vette

I worked on Sanibel Island after Charlie hit. I've never seen such destruction that wasn't man made. I directed emmergency crews, directed civilian traffic, and helped distribute ice, water, and food. I think all the residents were in shock for the first few days. Nothing was as it was. At the end of the first week they had power restored to about 30% of the island. Met a lot of other law enforcement officers from across the state. It was a humbling experience.

It's nice to see other LEO's, EMS/Fire Rescue and others come together to help total strangers

When I found the trip to S. Fla. after Andrew to be my most humbling experience.

Never want to see that again

[MADN3SS]

Here is the spaghetti model from WFLA channel 8 Tampa Bay. I had to take a picture of the screen because I couldn't find it online. Definitely a lot more models than I've ever seen.

[MADN3SS]

Originally Posted by C5Rick

Where do we file the paperwork to get a paid day off?

Come to work at the Post Office. We get a paid day off. No paperwork necessary.

On another note, I know someone getting married today (Sunday) in Key West. They better get hitched and haul ass!