Big wind pushes bus around

[Merlin]

Living in central Ohio, I never thought a hurricane would be a concern.  Last Sunday afternoon the remnants of hurricane "Ike" passed through here and a fluke of the combination of the upper jet stream lowering to add to the diminished hurricane caused the wind force to get really bad.  It was a sustained 75mph whipping thrashing "blow".  I started the bus to jockey it into what I consider a safe zone away from the drop footprint of all the tall trees.  As soon as I released the brakes, the bus started to move and it was in neutral.  The wind was hitting it at a 45 degree angle from the side.  Sort of like a sail boat catching good wind.  I don't think my wife believed a word of my wild tale, but I swear ... I never had to put the bus in "drive" to move it to the center of the parking lot.

Fortunately there was no damage to the bus from flying debris or falling trees.  We lost several big trees, however, and the property looks like a scene from an old WW1 movie.  Utility lines were down everywhere in central Ohio.  Cleanup crews will dominate the roadways for weeks. 

Merlin

[Len Silva]

I think this belongs in the fuel mileage thread.

[redbus]

Same for Southern Indiana. Looks like a war zone.

[Dreamscape]

Merlin,

I'm just glad that no one was hurt! A few trees down, no big deal, but the wind pushing your coach unassisted, that's a big deal.  

When I picked up our Eagle in Shelby Ohio in 2003 I saw some beautiful country. Bet it's a mess now.

Just glad you guys are OK, Ike was a big blow for sure. It's amazing the effect from hurricane Ike you had in Ohio.

Paul

[JackConrad]

Merlin,
   Glad to hear that your bus was not damaged.  Having gone through a few hurricanes and tropical storms, there is no way to explain the forces involved to someone that has not experienced them.  Hope they get your area cleaned up quickly.  
   I got a phone call from a fellow busnut friend in Ohio the other day during the storm ya'll had. He was telling me about the wind.  I told him he was welcome to come to Florida and stay at our place to get away from the Hurricane!  Jack

[Busted Knuckle]

Merlin,
   Glad to hear that your bus was not damaged.  Having gone through a few hurricanes and tropical storms, there is no way to explain the forces involved to someone that has not experienced them.  Hope they get your area cleaned up quickly.  
   I got a phone call from a fellow busnut friend in Ohio the other day during the storm ya'll had. He was telling me about the wind.  I told him he was welcome to come to Florida and stay at our place to get away from the Hurricane!  Jack

Too funny!   BK 

[Bob Gil]

I can remember back in the early 80's I was moving trailer up from Galveston to houston as one fo the big storms was coming in.  The compnay had some new trailer at the banana dosk they wanted moved to keep them from getting damaged.

As I was backing up to one a gust of wind blew the front of it about 4 foot to the side I had to pull up and back at it again.  I told the codriver that was the last one we were going to move!

Bob

[HB of CJ]

Wow...I can't imagine hurricane remnents getting that far North.  The weather is definitely changing.  Stock market toos. Of course, it is all Al Gore's fault. (that's meant as a joke)  You people survived a HURRICANE!  Cool!  Very brave too!

However, it could be worserer.  Doing research, I have found that the L.A. basin (CA) used to be a hurricane coast.  Yeah.  Seems the storms that now die West of Baja made it up the West coast, then turned East.  Wow! 

[buswarrior]

Ike blew through her Sunday, saw some 45 mph winds and a Ton of water.

Back in '54, Hurricane Hazel made it all the way up through Ohio, and was still a hurricane when it hit Toronto.

Timing was good, and the planning was put in place for the river valleys to be properly set aside for flood plains, various flood control structures put in place many miles up and down the rivers, and an extensive conservation park system put in place.

Won't be having the houses floating downriver like the old newspaper clippings show from those days, nor the firefighters killed trying to rescue the folks down on the flood plain.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[David Anderson]

Timing was good, and the planning was put in place for the river valleys to be properly set aside for flood plains, various flood control structures put in place many miles up and down the rivers, and an extensive conservation park system put in place.

Won't be having the houses floating downriver like the old newspaper clippings show from those days, nor the firefighters killed trying to rescue the folks down on the flood plain.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Unfortunately, our politicians don't have the courage to to set aside flood plains for flood control.  They force the Corps of Engineers to build levees, so developers can build right next to the water, then they break, then the cowardice politicians give out subsidies to the flooded homeowners to rebuild again and again and again and again.   Geeeesh, when will this madness stop?   Our children will inherit a country whose financial system is beyond bankrupt.  For what we are leaving our children, I don't think they have invented a word for it yet, it is so bad. 

David  (on my soapbox)