Stay Safe Florida Scoopers

[The Sultan]

Get  cargo planes there, mobilize all airline carriers, and fly as many people out of there as possible. 

So your idea is to have people drive to the airport, have a bunch of airlines fly in and take passengers somewhere? And then return them at some point?

And if you would do a modicum of research, they need at least 24 hours to prepare due to flooding, etc. because they are in Zone A right next to the water.

[Uncle Rico]

So your idea is to have people drive to the airport, have a bunch of airlines fly in and take passengers somewhere? And then return them at some point?

And if you would do a modicum of research, they need at least 24 hours to prepare due to flooding, etc. because they are in Zone A right next to the water.

Sadly, the woke Biden administration is flying illegals out first and giving them $15,000 stipends and barricading white communities from leaving and shooting down planes and helicopters with relief supplies

[MuggsyB]

So your idea is to have people drive to the airport, have a bunch of airlines fly in and take passengers somewhere? And then return them at some point?

And if you would do a modicum of research, they need at least 24 hours to prepare due to flooding, etc. because they are in Zone A right next to the water.

I don't know if there's time.  I was just thinking out loud.  But right now they can fly people out of there. 

[cheebs09]

Biden shut it down according to Newsmax

I heard Taylor Swift requested the shutdown to gas up one of her jets.

[tower912]

I heard Taylor Swift requested the shutdown to gas up one of her CAT'S jets.

Fify

[pbiflyer]

They can open the southbound lanes of I-75 to northbound traffic.

Florida doesn't do that. They open the emergency lanes instead. 1-2 extra north bound lanes.
Allegedly they did a study to show that the resources to provide contra flow is not worth the benefit. Also, it then impedes things like fuel trucks and such from getting into the area.

BTW, I-4 is wide open until you get to Disney area, then use one of the two toll roads around Orlando to avoid that traffic.
I-75 south to Miami/FLL is wide open.  Veteran's Parkway north will get you past most of the I-75 north slow down.

Hopefully, all the folks in the Villages have safely stored their scrunchies for the post hurricane celebration......

[Jockey]

Sadly, the woke Biden administration is flying illegals out first and giving them $15,000 stipends and barricading white communities from leaving and shooting down planes and helicopters with relief supplies

Hopefully they are flying the illegals to areas that need more Dem votes.

[Goose]

A high school friend of mine that lives in Fort Myers had his flight to MKE cancelled at the last minute. He drove to Miami this morning and riding things out there. He has lived in SW FL for decades and this is the first time he has left his home well in advance of the storm. He definitely is taking Milton seriously.

[tower912]

Best friend from high school resides in Cape Coral.  Currently in Vegas presenting at a conference.   Talk about fortuitous timing.

[Warriors4ever]

Just found out cousin and her husband are heading from Venice to Fort Lauderdale.  She badly broke her ankle a few weeks ago while in Amsterdam so its a bit tricky, as she isn't mobile.

[pbiflyer]

Kids have left Orlando. While there is a ton of hotel rooms there, they both reported major gas shortages. I assume the stations between Tampa and Orlando are similar.

[reinko]

Mom and sister are headed to a hurricane shelter, has anyone ever to been to one?

How are they managed, generally safe?  They are just unfortunately out of options right now, half a tank of gas, and aren't confident they can inland and north enough, and still secure a place to stay.

[JWags85]

A good friend just drove from Tampa Bay to Orlando today in preparation for their flight out tomorrow morning. All of the tolls were open and the emergency lanes were open to allow for more traffic flow. It still took them 3 hours (!!) to make that short trip.

BTW, I-4 is wide open until you get to Disney area, then use one of the two toll roads around Orlando to avoid that traffic.

We just made the drive yesterday.  I-4 being wide open isn't true at all.  Took us about 5 hours, but that included a bathroom stop and a moronic Waze detour, so probably more like 4:20-4:30. Bout 90 min to get from St Pete through Tampa, but then there were varying stages of gridlock all down I-4 through the central part of the state.  I don't think we went over 50 for more than a mile or two until we got to the outskirts of Orlando.

One of my wife's friends left late last night and looked like it was gonna be 2 hours, but ended up being closer to 3 even at that time.  My parents are heading up today from their place in the shadow of the Skyway.  Theyve spent sandbagged and tarped up the best they could.  Got what they could to the second/main floor and put stuff in the main floor on wood risers.  The majority of their first floor is garage, but they just converted a chunk of it to another lounge/TV area in the last month, great timing 

And speaking on contraflow, on the trip, saw a least a half a dozen police escorted caravans of sand/supplies/emergency stuff headed towards Tampa.  Gas stations were mixed.  Saw one near Polk City that was out of gas, but most everything else Ive seen here in Orlando has been fine, plus saw a couple fuel tankers filling stations as well.

[tower912]

Blessings, one and all.

[pbiflyer]

Mom and sister are headed to a hurricane shelter, has anyone ever to been to one?

How are they managed, generally safe?  They are just unfortunately out of options right now, half a tank of gas, and aren't confident they can inland and north enough, and still secure a place to stay.

As a general rule, they provide a roof. Maybe a cot. Bring everything else. That should be the plan. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

We just made the drive yesterday.  I-4 being wide open isn't true at all.  Took us about 5 hours, but that included a bathroom stop and a moronic Waze detour, so probably more like 4:20-4:30. Bout 90 min to get from St Pete through Tampa, but then there were varying stages of gridlock all down I-4 through the central part of the state.  I don't think we went over 50 for more than a mile or two until we got to the outskirts of Orlando.

One of my wife's friends left late last night and looked like it was gonna be 2 hours, but ended up being closer to 3 even at that time.  My parents are heading up today from their place in the shadow of the Skyway.  Theyve spent sandbagged and tarped up the best they could.  Got what they could to the second/main floor and put stuff in the main floor on wood risers.  The majority of their first floor is garage, but they just converted a chunk of it to another lounge/TV area in the last month, great timing 

And speaking on contraflow, on the trip, saw a least a half a dozen police escorted caravans of sand/supplies/emergency stuff headed towards Tampa.  Gas stations were mixed.  Saw one near Polk City that was out of gas, but most everything else Ive seen here in Orlando has been fine, plus saw a couple fuel tankers filling stations as well.

There is nothing else like being sent into the middle of a Waze Maze.

[JWags85]

There is nothing else like being sent into the middle of a Waze Maze.

I personally hate Waze, too many times its tried to do ridiculous routes to get back to a highway when local roads are the same if not faster.  But my wife loves it, and given the stress of yesterday, I decided to go with it.

Took us off the highway on city roads in Tampa, but zipped through and cut 15 min off the projected time.  Nice.  Then again, a bit out, saved like 5 min, ok.  Then about 55 miles out from Orlando, it shows another alternate route.  Figure its some county highways that are clear.  Get off the highway, start to go, zoom out to see its sending us basically 8-9 miles east of the highway to then double back...to avoid like a half mile of I-4.  I lost my cool for the first time in that infernal drive.

[TallTitan34]

Was just looking at the projected path and zoomed in to my in-laws place in Bradenton.  The projected path line is literally six blocks north of them.

[The Sultan]

Was just looking at the projected path and zoomed in to my in-laws place in Bradenton.  The projected path line is literally six blocks north of them.

At least the eye is calm.

[MU82]

My first cousin and his wife have a beautiful place near downtown St. Pete. They bugged out a few days ago and are hunkering down near Jacksonville.

I hope their place survives. More importantly, I hope all folks down there can get somewhere safe.

[jesmu84]

At what point do "once in a lifetime" level storms/damage happen so often that it's considered the new normal? And at what point do we try and understand why that's the new normal?

[Jockey]

At what point do "once in a lifetime" level storms/damage happen so often that it's considered the new normal? And at what point do we try and understand why that's the new normal?

I think we are already there. And people who believe in science already know why.

The Muggsy a roqqets and 4evers of the world will never understand.

[Uncle Rico]

I think we are already there. And people who believe in science already know why.

The Muggsy a roqqets and 4evers of the world will never understand.

That's not fair to Muggsy.

[JWags85]

At what point do "once in a lifetime" level storms/damage happen so often that it's considered the new normal? And at what point do we try and understand why that's the new normal?

Speaking only from Tampa/St Pete perspective, I think it's too early to call it new normal. I have a couple neighbors/friends down here who are locals who never saw flooding like Helene.  But otherwise, they said the hurricane was nothing that unusual until then. And a hurricane starting in the gulf and slamming straight east into middle of Gulf Coast Florida is super rare. If this happens next year, maybe it's a different story.

I don't think Ian and Milton are the same situation, but YMMV

[Jay Bee]

How do we feel about the folks that have decided to "tough it out"?