The_Doc_Man is off the air

[georgedwilkinson]

(Not familiar with hurricane- can they suddenly turn up the heat all of sudden or is it more or less a sure thing once they lose steam?)

They can do almost anything when they have a fuel source (i.e. warm water like that in the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico). Once they hit land, there are few sources of fuel warm enough to sustain them and having to fight against trees, buildings, hills, mountains, etc. tends to wear them down.

One of the problems with hurricanes that go over Florida is that they get to the other side and bulk up again, ready to hit land somewhere else.

And, they can spawn tornadoes for a long time (several days) after they seem to have run out of steam, which can be dangerous after you think everything's calmed down.

 

[georgedwilkinson]

Perhaps, Colin, that's another reason why I continue to live where I live. I know what to expect. What's that old phrase? "Stay with the devil you know rather than a new one you don't know."

My family and I left Florida for Texas because of hurricanes. 4 hits in one year was just too much.

 

[Alisa]

If there were any mountains in the way, that would also disrupt the storm through a process whose name escapes me at the moment.

adiabatic cooling?

 

[Banana]

I did know that hurricane depends on warm water for its strength, and suppose my question was poorly worded- I was asking whether once a hurricane makes a landfall on the mainland, it's pretty much dead (e.g. can't reverse the course 180 degrees) with obvious exceptions for islands & panhandles & peninsula (which would be thought of as speed bumps.... sorry)

 

[Rich]

Anyway, the ordeal is almost over and we came out poorer but safer. I'll take that trade any time.

Poorer?

 

[oumahexi]

My Mondeo estate will do 400+ miles on a tankful.

Col

Our Range Rover (now a Tracka but with the RR 8l engine) will do 280 miles on a full tank (motor way travel)
The 3 Series BMW (2.6l) will do 360 miles on a full tank
My 5 Series BMW (6l) (God rest her soul) used to get 320 miles on a tank, when I was driving, 270 when the joiner was driving it.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Rich: Yes, poorer. I'm traveling on my own nickel right now, and getting either disaster insurance reimbursement or FEMA disaster travel assistance is a Byzantine maze. I have to go back to work, but my wife will be able to check with our insurance and with FEMA to see if any assistance is available. Otherwise, the motel fees are out-of-pocket. Still, I'll trade dollars for keeping my family safe anytime.

We were overjoyed this morning. We have heard from my stepson, who cannot go to his own home quite yet. (No power, so his 22-month-old can't stay there.) They tell us that our house looks intact, the only problem being no cable. No cable, no ISP, so I'm going to rely on other computers for a while. No surprises, I guess. Cable is usually the first thing to go in our area. Oh, one other thing they warned us about - my little grandson finally "christened" our carpet for us. We were sort of waiting for that anyway, so we can breathe easier. The inevitable has happened. That's the ONLY water that has hit the carpet, so I guess we can live with that.

Speaking of "flooded carpets" - Despite some nervous moments, it appears that New Orleans itself and the area covered by the levee system remained mostly unflooded. The recently retired commandant of the Army Corp of Engineers in New Orleans was interviewed on CNN. He said that in his district, the city was ringed by over 300 linear miles of levees, and that none of them failed, though a few had minor (and very fixable) leaks. We had a little spot flooding in areas that flood when more than two toilets flush at once. (Just joking - we have a better sewer system than that.) So MAYBE I'll cut some slack for the Army Corp of Engineers for having done something positive after all after Katrina.

I have heard that anyone trying to go towards Baton Rouge from New Orleans will be re-routed off of the interstate highway. Some big power transmission towers have failed and their main feeder lines are all over the northbound roadway in places. Yecchh, that will be a mess to clean up.

Gotta scoot, the motel hellions want to play games again.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Alisa: That's the mechanism - adiabatic cooling. The same thing that makes one side of a tall mountain lush and green, the other side is a desert. All the rain condenses out when the air moves up the side of that mountain so what makes it to the other side is dry air, no moisture. And it of course affects the energy balance of that air, since condensation and precipitation strongly affect temperature.

 

[Alisa]

I know - you said you couldn't think of the word

 

[The_Doc_Man]

George: Leaving FL for TX is fine unless it was northern TX, in which case you moved closer to tornado alley. Or west TX where any rain you do get immediately forms a flash flood. Or southeast TX, which also gets hurricanes. Or central TX, which gets drought.

Not making fun of you, George. That was actually an oblique reference to Colin's question about why I would stay in an area prone to hurricanes. Where do you go when natural disasters and unpleasant conditions can find you anywhere?

 

[Alisa]

Where do you go when natural disasters and unpleasant conditions can find you anywhere?

Denver, Colorado - I think we are one of the least disaster prone areas in the entire country. No major earthquakes for over 100 years, no floods since they built the dam, no tornados unless you go out onto the plains, no hurricanes, no fires (in the city at least). The most common natural disaster here is a microburst, which is a really strong gust of wind that usually takes out a single tree. And another plus, we will not be directly impacted by sea level rise, whenever that may start to be significant.

 

[oumahexi]

Doc Man I think we are all glad to see you and your family are safe. Presumably everything held up fine for your step daughter?

It is a nightmare when you are faced with “unforeseen” bills, I hope you are able to get some reimbursement for that. No doubt your insurance premiums are huge to cover such problems? My insurance premiums recently went up because England have experienced flooding in the last two years! We’re a long way from England (phew!D) and our premiums went up, I’m dreading to think what this will do to yours 

Still, as you say, it’s only money and the main thing is that you guys are all safe. I think we have all pretty much held our breath for you and everyone else in your area.

 

[oumahexi]

Denver, Colorado - I think we are one of the least disaster prone areas in the entire country. No major earthquakes for over 100 years, no floods since they built the dam, no tornados unless you go out onto the plains, no hurricanes, no fires (in the city at least). The most common natural disaster here is a microburst, which is a really strong gust of wind that usually takes out a single tree. And another plus, we will not be directly impacted by sea level rise, whenever that may start to be significant.

OK, we're all coming over to your house Alisa

The closest we get to a natural disaster is our neighbours, but then looking at her there's little left that is "natural"

 

[georgedwilkinson]

Where do you go when natural disasters and unpleasant conditions can find you anywhere?

Exactly! I don't mind the occasional weather problem. In fact, I never evacuated while I lived in Florida (close with Charley but it turned right before we started out). But 4 hurricanes in one year is just too many. It took several years for Floridians to repair all the damage done that year (2004?). As far as I know, they're still working on it.

 

[Alisa]

OK, we're all coming over to your house Alisa

The closest we get to a natural disaster is our neighbours, but then looking at her there's little left that is "natural"

Any time Ouma

 

[Brianwarnock]

Denver, Colorado - I think we are one of the least disaster prone areas in the entire country. .

But difficult for those prone to breathlessness.

Brian

 

[Alisa]

But difficult for those prone to breathlessness.

Brian

True, for people with severe asthma or lung diseases it's not so great. For normal people, you are only "breathless" for a few days and then you adjust.

 

[MrsGorilla]

True, for people with severe asthma or lung diseases it's not so great. For normal people, you are only "breathless" for a few days and then you adjust.

I remember having problems for a couple of days up there and then I was fine. When I came back to Oklahoma it was like trying to breathe through a wet blanket for a day or two, hot and humid during the summer.

Still, do you guys get a lot of snow or have blizzards, anything like that?

We're getting the remains of what is now Tropical Depression Gustav, which means it's mostly like a thunderstorm with occasional strong bursts of wind. It will probably be rainy most of the day today and then it will blow over. Glad your house is OK Doc Man.

 

[oumahexi]

True, for people with severe asthma or lung diseases it's not so great. For normal people, you are only "breathless" for a few days and then you adjust.

How come? Is it something to do with altitude?

 

[Alisa]

I remember having problems for a couple of days up there and then I was fine. When I came back to Oklahoma it was like trying to breathe through a wet blanket for a day or two, hot and humid during the summer.

Still, do you guys get a lot of snow or have blizzards, anything like that?

We're getting the remains of what is now Tropical Depression Gustav, which means it's mostly like a thunderstorm with occasional strong bursts of wind. It will probably be rainy most of the day today and then it will blow over. Glad your house is OK Doc Man.

Except for the very occasional big snow storm, most of the snow falls up in the mountains. Usually when it snows down here, it melts within a day or two.