Forecast: Expect 3 to 5 major hurricanes
 

Just a heads up for ones in these states.


BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - With tens of thousands of victims from last season's record hurricane damage still homeless, residents along the East and Gulf Coasts were warned Monday to expect another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with three to five major hurricanes predicted between June 1 and Nov. 30.

In its 2005 forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms between June 1 and Nov. 30, with seven to nine of those becoming hurricanes.

"Three to five could become major hurricanes," NOAA Director Conrad Lautenbacher said in a statement released with the forecast. Major storms are those packing winds in excess of 111 mph.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7872376/

NOAA has also issued a space weather warning

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2437.htm

Oh great, something else to worry about.:cool:

Looks like more bad math from the media.

"NOAA said the outlook reflects "an expected continuation of above-average activity that began in 1995." Since then, all but two Atlantic hurricane seasons were above-normal. "

Above average maybe - If you use 1965 - 1995 hurricane seasons as your base line. The problem is, hurricanes come in 30 year cycles and we are moving out of a slow cycle and into an active one.

Who has numbers on Florida or eastern US coastal population growth in the last 40 years??

I had heard that we (FL) are in the beginning of a 30 year cycle and that we will see this type of activity for the next 10 or so years. I got sick and tired of hauling around plywood last year. To be honest I'm getting too damn old to deal with a 4 X 8 sheet of 3/4" plywood on my own. My wife has a bad back so she can only offer encouragement to get the house buttoned up. This year and after hearing the weather guys. I decided on storm panels that are 165 mph, .050 aluminum with Lexan inserts. Dade / Broward code. Easy storage, easy install (2 hrs). 5K installed. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Just hope they get the job done before the first blow.

Now if I could just get off grid power. I have heard thre are fuel cell units out there that can get you off grid permanently. Anybody got any info on that?

Gives me something to do all summer. Its like camping.

More to the point - WTF do they keep moving there? Like the yahoos that build on hillsides in CA with a history of burning and sliding. Then they ***** and whine and moan when their houses burn up and slide down the mountain.

Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do that!

I think every location has it's dangers. Volcanoes in the PNW, Yellowstone supercaldera, quakes in CA, Tornadoes in the midwest, Canes in Fl.,Floods....on and on. It's just a matter of how high the risk is.

I always liked the look of the geodesic dome houses... are they popular in FL at all? From what I've read, they can withstand a ridiculous amount of wind.

Quote:
"Possible impacts from such a geomagnetic storm include widespread power system voltage control problems; some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage."

Great. How will this affect my CDI box?

That would make too much sense to build one of those here. Nobody builds house that actually make sense here.

Everyone points their fingers at Florida. The Texas- Florida Panhandle gets hit often. North / South Carolina get hit a lot too. Long Island got hit by one of the most deadliest hurricanes in History in the 20's. We used to joke down here in Florida that we just make 'em and ship 'em out.

Unfortunatly this last year was a doozie. Sort of a wake up call for all of us. I will be ready by the end of June. Ready for whatever this season brings short of a killer Cat 5 then nothing will be left. But, with the Bahamas due east of use they tend to come apart sightly and weaken.

Fingers crossed.....

As far as house construction. Look to Japan for a lesson. They get hit with typhoons all the time. Talking to some friends there, the safest place is to be home. Their houses are built like bunkers, not pretty at all but safe as hell when a typhoon hits. Thet usually miss a day or so of work then get back to business.

We have a LOT of our power grids above ground here. I marvel at all the advances technology has made ans we use 100+ year old technology to deliver power to homes still.

Someday the power / phone companies will wake up and go underground with everything.

Until then I will have my trusty generators in place and ready to serve.

EXACTLY. I NEVER have, and never will understand those types. I have always said " Boy, those are some beautiful homes with beautiful views on those mountain sides, being held up by sticks, to bad Id NEVER own one".

Will all the years of mud slides, earthquakes, and fires, people still dont get it.

You have to look at the frequency of these events. Fires and slides are a yearly phenom in California, yet every year when they occur, the hapless yuppies you see on the TV news have this dumbstruck look on their faces, like they can't believe this is happening. I could understand the confoundment if it was Godzilla and Mothra terrorizing downtown Witchita, but c'mon, where have these people been all their lives that they're suprised by this?

:D :D I suppose it's only a matter of time..............

Wichita though, not that everybody cares, it's in Kansas.;)

Check out http://www.homepower.com

You can download the most recent issue for free once you've registered; many links to power systems (such as battery backup) in the advertisements. I'm not sure what you mean about a fuel cell. You can buy generators that integrate with your home system. They kick in once the grid goes down. They are powered by propane or natural gas. You could go off gride with solar but it is not cheap.

After Hurricane Isabel (struck two days before my wedding) I bought a gas generator. Haven't used it yet...I figured once I bought it the power will never go out again...

And those with diesel engines will rule the world :)

I guess I'm one of those yahoos who will be pulling into Florida with a trailer with all my worldly possessions in a U-Haul in the middle of hurricane season. :) Should I bring a generator with me?

Besides, it couldn't be worse than Iniki and I lived through that.

yes bring a generator. bring plywood as well.