[jayhanig]

Well, it looks like Hurricane Earl may be coming to visit me on the NC coast. I have a pretty good shot at it missing me and hitting a little further north but there are never any guarantees. My inclination is to stay put and ride the storm out. I know that most people who've done that have ended up regretting their decision, but that's been with the full brunt of the storm. Topsail Beach is only about 65 miles north of the SC border.



Here's the complications/considerations:



I have a car, truck, motorcycle, utility trailer, boat and boat trailer to move/park/store. The elevation on my lot is only 7-11 feet, depending on who you believe. The house itself is built on pilings so if we get water, it'll only come into the garage. We've had water inside twice in the last 25 years; both times about chest deep. I don't really expect it inside with this storm.



To further complicate things, I have a woodshop set up downstairs in the room that runs behind the garage. Big tools... 18" bandsaw, tablesaw, 8" jointer, etc. A lot of heavy things that won't do well in salt water. I can't move them upstairs as they are too heavy/bulky/probably won't fit through the door, etc.



I could put the boat in the garage; it will fit with the trailer with space to spare. The boat is a 17 footer and the garage is about 28 feet from front to back. Vertically, it has a 10 foot ceiling. I don't know what a boat would do to the underside of my house if it floated off its trailer inside there. Leaving the drain plug out so it doesn't float off will drown the engine (it's an I/O). Bury some anchor points out in the yard and let it sit out there?



I could rent a storage space on the mainland for my bike, I guess. I can ride it or pull it. Pulling it makes more sense since I'm alone.



Ah, hell... I'm rambling. I don't know what I'm going to end up doing. I need to come up with a plan for this storm and also one for a big storm that actually threatens flooding.

 

[bandit]

Well, it looks like Hurricane Earl may be coming to visit me on the NC coast. I have a pretty good shot at it missing me and hitting a little further north but there are never any guarantees. My inclination is to stay put and ride the storm out. I know that most people who've done that have ended up regretting their decision, but that's been with the full brunt of the storm. Topsail Beach is only about 65 miles north of the SC border.



Here's the complications/considerations:



I have a car, truck, motorcycle, utility trailer, boat and boat trailer to move/park/store. The elevation on my lot is only 7-11 feet, depending on who you believe. The house itself is built on pilings so if we get water, it'll only come into the garage. We've had water inside twice in the last 25 years; both times about chest deep. I don't really expect it inside with this storm.



To further complicate things, I have a woodshop set up downstairs in the room that runs behind the garage. Big tools... 18" bandsaw, tablesaw, 8" jointer, etc. A lot of heavy things that won't do well in salt water. I can't move them upstairs as they are too heavy/bulky/probably won't fit through the door, etc.



I could put the boat in the garage; it will fit with the trailer with space to spare. The boat is a 17 footer and the garage is about 28 feet from front to back. Vertically, it has a 10 foot ceiling. I don't know what a boat would do to the underside of my house if it floated off its trailer inside there. Leaving the drain plug out so it doesn't float off will drown the engine (it's an I/O). Bury some anchor points out in the yard and let it sit out there?



I could rent a storage space on the mainland for my bike, I guess. I can ride it or pull it. Pulling it makes more sense since I'm alone.



Ah, hell... I'm rambling. I don't know what I'm going to end up doing. I need to come up with a plan for this storm and also one for a big storm that actually threatens flooding.

with a bit of luck it,l only clip the seaboard and you,l be ok.

its just been upgraded.so i hope alls well this week jay

 

[Gene McCall]

Jay, I guess a lot depends on how good your insurance is. If I were you I would find an inland storage facility, like a you store business load the bike and maybe pull the boat and store them there. Depending on how heavy your tools really are and if you have strong rafters in that area you could get some block & tackle and suspend them as high as you can get them & hope for the best. Since you are going to ride it out where are you going to leave your car/truck, if you have time perhaps you could park them on higher ground and walk back home. Chances are if you receive much damage you won't be able to drive right after the storm passes anyway. Just my 2¢.

Gene

 

[nolavox]

As Katrina approached five years ago, I took a load of digital photos of things like serial #s, valuables, and other stuff... I hung my bike from the rafters in the garage with a chain hoist as mentioned above. Katrina and fixing stuff afterward beat me up pretty good... the bike was unharmed

I stressed so much and stayed awake too long prepping for Hurricane Gustave a couple years ago that I became dangerously fatigued and damm near killed myself falling asleep at the wheel... On a rural Rd. After stopping at a red light, I woke up in the ditch across the street...



My priorities are less "material" as a result of these two bitch storms. I'm not seeing much to encourage me to believe Earl will be easy on the NC coast...





Good Luck, Take care of the important stuff. Yourself and Family, Friends, Neighbors, pets etc... Be Safe !



Jeff







added- I would sink my boat to the gunnels outdoors for sure

 

[jayhanig]

I'm not seeing much to encourage me to believe Earl will be easy on the NC coast...



added- I would sink my boat to the gunnels outdoors for sure

I just looked at the national Hurricane Center's latest projected track and saw potentially good news.

If you look at the southern part of North Carolina, Topsail Beach is about halfway between the border with SC and where the hurricane is supposed to brush land. I may do alright yet.



As for the boat, I've got a boat repair shop on the mainland who has offered to let me keep my boat there. Alternately, i may put it in the garage since we don't look like we're going to flood.



Burying the boat to the gunnels isn't a good option for me. The boat is an inboard/outboard. If I bury it, the engine is going to be toast. The boat guy assures me with that heavy ass engine in there, my boat isn't coming off the trailer. I'll rachet it down with some heavy duty strapping if it comes to leaving it outdoors at the boat shop.

 

[Phil in Vermont]

Well, it looks like Hurricane Earl may be coming to visit me on the NC coast. I have a pretty good shot at it missing me and hitting a little further north but there are never any guarantees. My inclination is to stay put and ride the storm out. I know that most people who've done that have ended up regretting their decision, but that's been with the full brunt of the storm. Topsail Beach is only about 65 miles north of the SC border.



Here's the complications/considerations:



I have a car, truck, motorcycle, utility trailer, boat and boat trailer to move/park/store. The elevation on my lot is only 7-11 feet, depending on who you believe. The house itself is built on pilings so if we get water, it'll only come into the garage. We've had water inside twice in the last 25 years; both times about chest deep. I don't really expect it inside with this storm.



To further complicate things, I have a woodshop set up downstairs in the room that runs behind the garage. Big tools... 18" bandsaw, tablesaw, 8" jointer, etc. A lot of heavy things that won't do well in salt water. I can't move them upstairs as they are too heavy/bulky/probably won't fit through the door, etc.



I could put the boat in the garage; it will fit with the trailer with space to spare. The boat is a 17 footer and the garage is about 28 feet from front to back. Vertically, it has a 10 foot ceiling. I don't know what a boat would do to the underside of my house if it floated off its trailer inside there. Leaving the drain plug out so it doesn't float off will drown the engine (it's an I/O). Bury some anchor points out in the yard and let it sit out there?



I could rent a storage space on the mainland for my bike, I guess. I can ride it or pull it. Pulling it makes more sense since I'm alone.



Ah, hell... I'm rambling. I don't know what I'm going to end up doing. I need to come up with a plan for this storm and also one for a big storm that actually threatens flooding.

Good Luck

 

[RevLee]

Glad to see that it is probably going to dodge you. Looks like I'm not so lucky. Supposed to be heading down to the Outer Banks (Kill Devils Hills) for vacation on Friday to our Timeshare. Not worried about our place, it's built to take it on, just concerned if we will be allowed on the island or not.

 

[jayhanig]

You would probably do well to delay your trip one day. This will probably be over for NC tomorrow sometime. I don't expect a lot of damage.

 

[RAGBrian]

Good luck to all the members on the eastern seaboard who will have to deal with this.



My buddy in Land O Lakes, FL has had to ride out some storms (near Tampa). He views the situation and does one of two things:



1. Books ahead a room at a motel somewhere in 'bama or Georgia that is off the beaten track and holes up there,



- or -



2. Buys lots of food, beer and fuel for the camp stove and waits it out.



All depends on the severity of the storm path. He has seen enough of them in FL to gauge his plan of action.

 

[RevLee]

Hopefully we will still get in some time on the coast this weekend. At least I'm not riding down there which was my original plan. Bike still not fully ready to go that far yet. Plus, if you have ever been through hurricane wind bands you know the LAST thing you want to be on is a bike in that.

 

[jayhanig]

Ah, this thing was much ado about nothing. We get more rain in the afternoon thunderstorms all summer long. I suppose I ought to be grateful but I would have liked to have gotten enough wind so I wouldn't feel like I wasted my time clearing the decks for action.

 

[Allan]

Ah, this thing was much ado about nothing. We get more rain in the afternoon thunderstorms all summer long. I suppose I ought to be grateful but I would have liked to have gotten enough wind so I wouldn't feel like I wasted my time clearing the decks for action.

Heading for me now, they expect it to hit Saturday morning, it is coming straight up the Bay of Fundy,,hopefully it will be weakened by the time it hits here,,

EDIT: Now they are saying it will make landfall on Nova Scotia and not come up the bay. Good for us, but not good for N.S.

 

[nolavox]

And then I read the storm went to nantucket... So I got on my bike and said...

it





Glad it was just a "drill" for y'all... hope we (ALL )make it to turkey day without any more storm stress.



J