My not so bright daughter has decided to stay in Baton Rouge.

[TNDemo]

Her boyfriend drove up from New Orleans yesterday (all day drive) and they were supposed to go to his sister's in TX. They decided to stay. I have talked to her for days about what she needs to be doing and she has done nothing. She is in a first floor apartment. I asked her what they would do when the water gets in her apartment. She says it has never gotten in there before (street floods a lot). I reminded her she has not been through a hurricane before. She said if it floods they will go to TX. I reminded her that at that point it would be flooded and trees down and it would be too late. Asked her if she had made any of the preparations I have talked to her about and it's like yada, yada, yada. For two people in their mid 20s I would think they would have more sense.

[histohoney]

1. The young have no since of Mortality

Why do you think WE had kids?
Seriously, I'll say a prayer for them, and hope to heck they get going for some supplies while they can. Or better yet head for the Lone Star State.

[JanMichael]

2. The twenty-somethings today

are emotionally comparable to the teenagers of our youth. weird, eh.

[GiovanniC]

6. Hey, I Resemble That Remark

n/t

[blitzen]

3. Baton Rouge is perfectly safe....

I live here...was here during Andrew in 91, which went right over Baton Rouge with 90 MPH winds. There's almost no chance that Ivan could be that strong in Baton Rouge. But even that was a relatively minor event in Baton Rouge--power out for several days but no injuries and no major flooding. Better to be at home in Baton Rouge than stuck on the massive traffic jam caused by those heading for TX (people who would be happy to stay here but who aren't lucky enough to have a place).

[JHB]

5. Andrew had rolled over Florida first...

...which cut its winds and didn't let it build as much of a storm surge. I agree Ivan doesn't appear (at this time) to be really dangerous to BR, but never get complacent about hurricaines.

[blitzen]

8. storm surge not an issue in BR....

we're way too far inland....I'm just trying to assure the poster that in this case BR is a good, safe place to be. Now, New Orleans is a whole different story.

[JHB]

10. You've just never met a sufficiently big storm surge

:evilgrin:

At any rate, hope you don't have any major problems. Good luck.

[JHB]

4. Some people are like that

They just can't grasp the situation until they experience it, and can't be bothered listening to people who DO grasp it.

Fortunately, it looks like she'll be on the west side of the storm, so the storm surge shouldn't be (as) much of a problem.

Unfortunately, I can see someone with you daughter's attitude getting the wrong message if she doesn't have too many problems: "Category 5? Aw, heck, Ivan was a cat 5 and hardly bothered us at all!"

[JVS]

7. Maybe someone in the second floor will let them in if the 1st floor floods

[no_hypocrisy]

9. I went through something similar in ca. 1986 with Hurricane Gloria.

My mother was on Long Island, right where the eye was supposed to pass within 18 hours. She called me to say her car was disabled because of a major hole in the gas tank. I figured that meant, "Come get me."

So I left work at 3:00 p.m., and I drove through two major rain storms, on the Long Island Expressway, 125 miles to get her.

When I arrived, she joyfully greeted me. "You're just in time for the Hurricane Party!" I thought she was joking. Nope. She meant it. She wasn't going to leave. She had a party to go to. I asked why she had called if she didn't want to be rescued. She replied that she was checking in.

I lost it. I had had a very difficult trip and she was willingly risking her life. I told her I was leaving in 30 minutes, with or without her in the passenger seat, probably a bit rudely.

She voluntarily joined me for the trip back. Another two bad rain storms and LOTS of evacuating traffic. Took us 4 (four) hours to do a two hour trip. She bitched about missing the party not only all the way back, but she even called the party when we got home so she could particate vicariously.

I don't regret my decision. I'd do it again, even knowing what I know now. I'm still shaking my head about what she was thinking on that day.

[JHB]

12. Where was she?

And how close to the shore? Sounds like she was pretty far our east. Was she in a beach house? or something right on the ocean?

I don't want to second-guess you, especially at this late date, but depending on where she was, you both may have been safer at the party than on the road on a stormy night.

Gloria was dangerous -- two people were killed -- but you also have to weigh the relative risks.

JHB
(who had Gloria's beady Eye right over him)

[no_hypocrisy]

14. Less than a mile from the ocean in Southampton. In a small Cape Cod.

The house was relatively undamaged after the storm, but she did lose the electricity for about a week. At the time, there was no way to know how much or how little damage she would face.

[JHB]

16. OK. In that case bailing was smarter than staying.

Places like that got washed to New England during the big one in the '30s. Fortunately Gloria hit at low tide. If it had been slower or stalled for a few hours...

Good move, and nertz to your Mom (or at least her judgement then).

[cmf]

11. She will be fine

unless the storm dramatically changes course. Even if the storm veered to the very western edge of it's projected path, BR would be ok, since it's on the western side of where it would hit. The eastern side is the more dangerous.

Edited to add that I'm not belittling your concern, but rather trying to give you some reassurance.

[LynneSin]

13. Hurricane eye looks to be heading east of Louisiana

THe winds circulating around the eye are usually the most damaging and that eye seems to be heading for Mobible/Biloxi area. She'll get lots of rain and maybe some first level flooding, but I doubt the home will blow away.

PLUS Baton Rouge isn't right there on the coast. Those coastal cities tend to get smacked around even more because hurricanes gain power over water and start to peter out hitting land. One of the reasons why Ivan has stayed so strong is because it hasn't hit and serious amounts of land in it's path - just a few small islands and even then it skimmed most of those. France was a borderline Cat5 hurricane - but all those islands in the bahama helped break it up a little bit and I think it hit at a border line Cat2/3.

Good Luck!!

[Radical Activist]

15. Old people worry too much

I guess that's what parents and grandparents are for. Things will be fine.