Hurricane Irma

[WAJAS]

Stay safe everyone!

Does anybody know what Disney and Universals safety protocol is for storms like this?

Stay in your rooms. If possible they'll bring you to a central safer location. The parks will be closed during the worst parts of the storm. The hurricane should be just a Cat 3 of low 4 when it hits Orlando, so all modern buildings will be safe.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Woe to those who own homes there. It can be a devastating headache. I did 2004 with a brand new property and I was new to Florida. It was a horror show.

Andrew was south Florida. Worst for central/Orlando was Charlie in 2004. Didn't help that three more minor storms followed on its heels. Took down a ton of trees at Disney, did a lot of damage to the surrounding area. I was in Deland at the time, about 45 minutes east of the Mouse, went without power for almost 6 weeks, but I knew of people who went 3 months.

Yeah I believe Charlie was the worst at least since the theme parks have been around. I got to be one of the first to go out and inspect the damage at Disney. It was really amazing to see and equally amazing to see how quickly they took care of it all.

Charley was the first real storm to directly hit Orlando since Donna... in 1960. That was a long break

the scary thing about this one is that Charlie was only category 1.... yet it created so much damage.
if this gets to central FL with anything bigger than cat 2, who knows what kind of damages there can be.

i remember near downtown orlando, charlie took down power cables and everything. you couldnt drive out in some streets because of the cables and branches

 

[quinnmac000]

I want to advise people to also look out for Jose which is coming in hot right behind Irma. Even if Irma isn't bad...if Jose picks up as well and doesn't stay the expected course, it may be a lot harder supply wise. Make sure you are using your supplies wisely and be prepared for whats to come.

 

[Disneyhead]

The British Virgin Islands are getting absolutely hammered right now. I was there in April and was stunned at the abject poverty. Most of the houses were little more than plywood shanties. I don't pray, but I'm praying for those people.

 

[Andysol]

Looking better and better for Orlando as things progress. Florida looks like it will get missed completely due to abnormally low pressure in the Atlantic. Good news as it puts them on the "easier" west side. Still tropical storm force winds though possible. Bad news for the Carolinas as both major models have a concensus with the eye headed straight for them.

More important that it's path is it's speed. Its way more important that this thing just weaken vs where it hits...

 

[OLSinFLA]

Looking better and better for Orlando as things progress. Florida looks like it will get missed completely due to abnormally low pressure in the Atlantic. Good news as it puts them on the "easier" west side. Still tropical storm force winds though possible. Bad news for the Carolinas as both major models have a concensus with the eye headed straight for them.

More important that it's path is it's speed. Its way more important that this thing just weaken vs where it hits...

Remember the storm is 400 miles across. Even on the current track we'd still get significant hurricane force winds.

 

[Nick]

I want to advise people to also look out for Jose which is coming in hot right behind Irma. Even if Irma isn't bad...if Jose picks up as well and doesn't stay the expected course, it may be a lot harder supply wise. Make sure you are using your supplies wisely and be prepared for whats to come.

It's looking like Jose is just going to sort of spin off into the Atlantic right now so hopefully it won't be of much disturbance to anyone accept maybe a few islands.

 

[Brian G.]

Looking better and better for Orlando as things progress. Florida looks like it will get missed completely due to abnormally low pressure in the Atlantic. Good news as it puts them on the "easier" west side. Still tropical storm force winds though possible. Bad news for the Carolinas as both major models have a concensus with the eye headed straight for them.

More important that it's path is it's speed. Its way more important that this thing just weaken vs where it hits...

Remember the storm is 400 miles across. Even on the current track we'd still get significant hurricane force winds.

^ Exactly.

This storm is a lot bigger than Matthew. If it follows same track, central Florida will feel the impact a lot more than what it had last year. Remember, Orlando was spared due to the little jog to the East. That little shift can make all the difference. Prepare for worst, hope for best.

 

[Nick]

^ Exactly.

This storm is a lot bigger than Matthew. If it follows same track, central Florida will feel the impact a lot more than what it had last year. Remember, Orlando was spared due to the little jog the East. Just a little shift can make all the difference. Prepare for worst, hope for best.

Yep, definitely bigger than Matthew.

As to how this could affect something like HHN real quick... since this is going to come through on Monday or so, at most I would think the employee preview would get cancelled. There should be enough time between when the Hurricane impacts and on Friday when the event is planned to start.

 

[Porkchop]

Looking better and better for Orlando as things progress. Florida looks like it will get missed completely due to abnormally low pressure in the Atlantic. Good news as it puts them on the "easier" west side. Still tropical storm force winds though possible. Bad news for the Carolinas as both major models have a concensus with the eye headed straight for them.

More important that it's path is it's speed. Its way more important that this thing just weaken vs where it hits...

Yeah I got in-laws and step daughter coming to Charlotte to stay with us from Boca..........annnnnnnnd its gunna hit us now.

Weeeeee


All seriousness, hope we get rain and wind nothing too crazy, but we are certainly not as prepared to handle any kind of tropical disturbance like Florida is. Stay safe everyone.

 

[Steve K]

Our trip is scheduled for next Tuesday 9/12 - our first day might see potential disruptions, but after the first day I'm hoping the rest of the week would be okay? Travel TO Orlando might be a challenge on Tuesday - hoping that grocery stores and gas stations will be recovering by then? Is it too soon to panic?

 

[Brian G.]

Our trip is scheduled for next Tuesday 9/12 - our first day might see potential disruptions, but after the first day I'm hoping the rest of the week would be okay? Travel TO Orlando might be a challenge on Tuesday - hoping that grocery stores and gas stations will be recovering by then? Is it too soon to panic?

Barring some change - they expect Tuesday to be "Mostly Cloudy". It's still too early to say what impact, or damage, the storm may have to affect everything else, but you will be safe by the time you get here.

 

[snayberry]

So we should have a clearer idea tomorrow on how much Irma will hit Florida? Are things looking good right now? Trying to look at a few different models.

 

[Mad Dog]

Our trip is scheduled for next Tuesday 9/12 - our first day might see potential disruptions, but after the first day I'm hoping the rest of the week would be okay? Travel TO Orlando might be a challenge on Tuesday - hoping that grocery stores and gas stations will be recovering by then? Is it too soon to panic?

Welcome to the IU Forum. Hope your travel turns out OK. :thumbsup:

 

[Brian G.]

So we should have a clearer idea tomorrow on how much Irma will hit Florida? Are things looking good right now? Trying to look at a few different models.

Yes, by tomorrow we should.

I don't know if "good" is the right term, as I don't want to portray a sense of being clear from any threat. I think "less dangerous" is a better term for now. But again, it's a prediction.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Yes, by tomorrow we should.

I don't know if "good" is the right term, as I don't want to portray a sense of being clear from any threat. I think "less dangerous" is a better term for now. But again, it's a prediction.

Pain in the ass storm vs life threatening winds and floods.

 

[Nick]

At any rate, it's looking that the storm will be heading to the East Coast of Florida more than anything, which means there will be much less intense winds than if it were to come in from Tampa and over.

That's not to say the rain won't be intense for a bit, but it's looking like the worst case scenario is being avoided.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

My guess is that whatever happens it will still be more impactful than Matthew.

 

[Nick]

My guess is that whatever happens it will still be more impactful than Matthew.

Well Matthew hit land as a Cat 3 and by the time it made it to Orlando, it had virtually fizzled out for the most part. Irma hit today as a 5 and is projected to hit Miami as a 4. Even if it slows down a bit by the time it will get here, it will still be significantly stronger than Matthew imo.

 

[xraydiation]

i have a reservation booked for 9/8-9/12
contemplating to cancel but being told it's a $200 cancellation fee
don't want to get stuck in the hotel for half the trip if irma does close the parks
the uncertainty is stressful