Idalia or whoever she is

[rsmith]

Looks like it’s going to be a Major storm when it hits. We’ve been talking all summer about the extreme hot water in the gulf really spooling one up. In any event one of the problems on the west coast is there is nowhere for the surge to go that wall of water is being pushed up into a captive pocket. Surge maps are already showing almost the entire coast getting major surge impact. Good luck again over there.

[Pascal]

This is a weird season… we rarely see storms forming that far south coming straight north at this time of the year, august / September is usually Cale Verde season which has been very quiet so far.

Idalia… sounds like an onion minus the V… I guess they re running out of names and have to dig names out of some third world country phone boom .

For a while it looked like it wasn’t going to intensify much but now the intensity forecast could be on the low side. Most systems coming into the gulf west of Key West have a history of rapid intensification… Ian and Charlie for instance.

[rwaldrop13]

Whatever else you want to say about it, the Admiral and I are sitting here in our dirt house behind the Edison-Ford estate in Ft Myers, discussing the fact that this year's "I-storm" is about a month early but still painful after Ian destroyed our 54' EDMY. That being said, we have a 7500W genny, 40 gals of bottled water, full tank in the truck... We're as prepared as we can be. The Admiral's employment with Lee Health means we can't evacuate as they're a zero-tolerance for absenteeism related to weather, despite the fact that it forces us to stay put in the face of the storm. Last year we watched Ian roar up the Caloosahatchie River from the marina hotel - and shatter our marina, crush our boat, and erase everything we owned. I just hope the "cone" is accurate this time. I'd rather not have to put the generator to the test.

04-22-2023 10_14_56 AM_W First St, Fort Myers, 33901, FL, United States.jpg

[madhatter1]

How did everyone make out? We are safe in Labelle. Heard from friends at home highest water in Madeira beach ever but only by 6" or so. But that also means that house that never flooded did so this storm.

Hope all are safe and no lost Hatteras's.

[Pascal]

Cedar Cay peaked at 10.6 above MLLW earlier and is going down. Apalachicola is at 4’ above MLLW and rising with the tide

Steinahatchee must have gotten clobbered, I saw a picture of the water front with water up to the roofs

[hat4349]

I've evacuated from St. Petersburg waterfront to my daughter's home in Tampa. A catamaran had anchored in front o my place, I hope they realized that was not safe anchorage and moved. I saw a bunch of boats being towed east on I-4 and FL 618. I'm hoping everyone made it through the storm, material things are replaceable, humans are not.

[Captain Ralph]

I saw a picture of the water front with water up to the roofs

Dock houses I believe.

It's on Alma Ga and still a Cat 1.

Were in Satsuma (32189). In-between the bands mostly. Still wind gust past 45kts.

[Briankinley2004]

I finally got caught up enough to sit down and read the forum. Although the eye passed well North of us we received about a 6 1/2' surge here in Hernando Beach. I had the Hatteras pulled out into the canal a bit with 2 storm anchors forward and two aft. Multiple lines tied to the seawall and pilings on the landward side. Other than some scratched paint on my fuel vent I don't see any obvious damage to her. The house on the other hand got about an inch of water inside which did not stay long. The peak surge was somewhere around noon and when I got to the house at 7PM there were only a couple of puddles in some low areas of the floor. The dogs beds were wet but many of the shoes in the closet were dry and none of the furniture legs were swollen. There was no visible water mark or debris in the house. Thursday I got some dehumidifiers and fans going and thought I had it beat other than the bedroom floor, which buckled in a couple small places. Sunday afternoon that smell hit me when I came in. It is a smell that most all flooded houses I have dried out had. I got my meter and began to pin the drywall. Sure enough it was wet to about 8". The interior as well as exterior walls. The insulation is closed cell foam so it didn't absorb water but the drywall must have sucked it up either from the slab baseboards. So yesterday was spent cutting out the drywall and calling the insurance company. At least our furniture didn't get harmed but the bathroom vanities (particle board) are now swelling up and will have to go. The wife wanted to remodel the bathrooms so I guess she will finally get her wish. Lots of neighbors have damage while those on stilt homes only got their shops and garages damaged. It has been 30 years since water got in this house (No Name Storm). Hopefully it will be 30 more but my luck isn't that good.