Should we ride out Hurricane Irene in the bus?

[oldmansax]

 Looks like we are going to be hard hit here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland by Irene. Since we are already in the process of moving (gettin' out of the socialist state of MD..... whole 'nother subject), we have things scattered between three different places. Our aim this week has been to get things out of the low lands of Dorchester County to higher ground in De.

Question is, has anyone ever rode out a hurricane in a bus? If so, what was your experience? Would you do it again?

We can leave the shore but I would rather work up to the last minute securing things. We still have a lot to do!   

TOM

[busguy01]

Been there, done that, ain't doing it again!
Port St Lucie, fl in a cat 1. VERY scary and see no reason to repete. You have a bus - it moves - ask yourself "is there ANY reason to be in a danger area?" If the answer is anything other that NO then please check in with your closest mental health person!
Take the warnings seriously or you may be with out a bus or worse. Mine is an 40,000 pound Eagle in a cat 1 storm and got damaged about $4K worth -- and it could have been much worse. Get the heck out of there - even 50 miles can make a world of difference.
JimH

[AndyG]

I doubt that your bus will blow over but you had better make sure that it is on HIGH ground!!!  Do what busguy says and drive it to safety.

[Scott & Heather]

We're following this closely as well. We're in eastern Hamburg, PA and have a concert scheduled for Dover, DE this weekend. Likely, the concert will be cancelled, but east of Hamburg, we're directly in the "extreme" weather potential area. We're currently parked in the woods, and though I like the thought of being sheltered from the wind, I don't relish the thought of some of these old trees coming down on us. So we're thinking of moving into an open parking lot snuggled up next to a large brick and cinder-block building. We'll choose the south side since winds should be strongest out of the north-east. We're probably riding it out in our coach...if you're on the eastern sea-board of MD, you'll get it even worse. More power to you...we're taking this seriously.

[bevans6]

Here is the latest update that I get:

Irene is over northwestern Bahamas this AM and will pass well offshore the coast of Florida tonight and early Friday. Irene currently a Category 3 hurricane and will soon reach Category 4 strength. The hurricane is expected to make landfall over the Outer Banks Saturday afternoon or evening as a strong Category 3 or Category 4 storm. The outermost rain bands of Irene will reach the eastern Carolinas Friday. Tropical moisture from Irene interacting with a front could also lead to locally heavy rain across northeastern North Carolina and neighboring Virginia Friday. Flooding concerns will arise throughout easternmost North Carolina as Irene unleashes a total of 4 to 6 inches of rain, with localized amounts to 10 inches, this weekend. After the Outer Banks, Irene will take a path tracking west into New England and closer to New York City. Expected landfall on Long Island and again in Connecticut as a Category 1 hurricane late Sunday or Sunday evening, accompanied by damaging winds and a flooding storm surge. Torrential rainfall will arrive much sooner and overspread the mid-Atlantic prior to the New England landfall, threatening to cause widespread flooding problems. Irene is located about 65 miles east-northeast of Nassau, and about 670 miles south of Cape Hatteras North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, and is tracking northwest at 13 mph. A hurricane warning is in effect for central, and northwestern Bahamas. Irene is large with hurricane force winds extending outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical force winds extending outward up to 255 miles. Storm surge near center of Irene from 7 to 11 feet accompanied by large waves. Rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches expected in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

[Len Silva]

If you wait too long, you may not be able to get out because the evacuation routes will be totally blocked by the thousands of others who waited until the last minute.

In your position, I would do the best I could to secure everything and then head west at least 24 hours before anticipated landfall.

This may well be the worst storm to hit the eastern seaboard in many years, and there are going to be a lot of people who have never experienced anything like it or who have lost their fear of these things.  They will try to rife it out, then panic and try to leave at the last minute.

From the Eastern Shore, you have only three roads out and two of them are bridges that may be closed.

Don't wait.

[wal1809]

I have been in more than my share of hurricanes.  I am forced to stay here at work and ride them out when they come in.  I can't think of any one good reason to stay.  Really not one good reason.  Just remember it is not "That the wind is blowing 100 mph"  it is "What the wind is blowing at 100 MPH".

[buswarrior]

Ditto wal1809.

As much as I love a good storm,

It's the crap being blown around that is the danger.

The coach can withstand the weather just fine, after all, it  experiences 100 mph winds whenever you drive into a 30-40 mph headwind at highway speeds.

However...

Flying debris is the killer, and the glass smasher, not the rain.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[white-eagle]

Tom, you and I have never met.  i think you should get out of the area and ride out the storm in a safer place.  then we can meet and share a cold one. 

[Van]

Not much time left, so use it wisely to do what you can to protect your property, structures, kill the utilities. but above all follow instructions from local authorities. Once a storm of this magnitude hits your area, it will be out of your hands to do any good there. Save what you can NOW! then save your self, please! I too would like to meet you one day. Be safe!

    Van

[boxcarOkie]

Not much time left, so use it wisely to do what you can to protect your property, structures, kill the utilities. but above all follow instructions from local authorities. Once a storm of this magnitude hits your area, it will be out of your hands to do any good there. Save what you can NOW! then save your self, please! I too would like to meet you one day. Be safe!

   Van

Always take the safe course.  Get outta town and soon if you feel you are in harms way.

Hey Van, you know the difference between a Tornado and a Hurricane?

Me neither.  

But someone is going to lose a trailer.

BCO

[luvrbus]

What a bunch of pansies I rode out Carla in the 60's in Houston run like hell Tom lol the hurricane is not the problem it is all the tornadoes they spawn you can ride out the wind and rain from a hurricane

good luck

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I went thru 5 typhoons, (hurricanes ) in Vietnam. In 4 of them we just caught the edges. The 5th one was dead center. All that was left of 27 helicopters was pieces. Saw an i beam in a hanger that was twisted, looked like somebody just grabbed it in their hands and gave it a quarter turn. Saw rain going by parallel to the ground that never hit the ground where i could see it. I would be leery of hiding behind a block building.....it may come down on you. Best advice i have seen is to get the heck out of Dodge and go as far as you can as soon as you can.  Don't under estimate these things. Good luck, hope you all are ok.

[eddiepotts]

When Rita came here they said by a certain time all the lanes would go contraflow and you would not have a choice in the direction you went. We spent 12hrs in the truck trying to get 83 miles to the lake house. The next day there was not a car on the road but no fuel either. The only valaro that had it would only sell you 5 gallons. People were stealing it out of your car on the highway. It was total chaos. You could not get help from anyone. The next day the roads were empty we could have ran back to the house if we wanted to. The storm turned and came strait over the lake house. The people that leave run in panic early. Then the roads clear. Do not get yourself stuck on an island but don't get caught up in the mayhem. Fill with diesel today because it could be a week or so with no power and fuel. Feel good knowing you can drive 700 miles if needed to get food and fuel if needed. To me the scary part of a hurricane is when people start getting scared and hungry. Keep the shot gun loaded you will be the only one with supplies and a restroom on the highway. It will not be easy for you to weave in and out of traffic to get away. Good luck and be safe.


PS: if you can get a 5 gal bucket of that rain we will take it.

[luvrbus]

You get 50 miles inland from the eye you are pretty safe that is about as far as ever took my family you get a bunch of rain so stay high 

good luck