Is Miami ready for a Cat 4???

[lapfog_1]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0908W5_sm2+gif/203113W_sm.gif

[KaryninMiami]

1. Is anyone ever ready for a cat 4? We here in Miami are very nervous

it does indeed look pretty terrifying.

[malaise]

13. I'm really worried for my people in Miami

this does look serious. The good news is there is still time for Ike to weaken and change direction.

[kdmorris]

2. It could still go out to sea

Please...

Don't need that around here. Haiti and Cuba need it even less (especially Haiti). This is really shredding my nerves.

[lapfog_1]

4. Let's all hope so... I don't think we need a 2008 NOLA.

But for anyone there, I would start making preps now.

[kdmorris]

8. Already did

When it looked possible that Hanna might come here. Have water, food, batteries, flashlights (I always have flashlights and batteries), etc.

I subscribe to the school of "it's way better to be prepared and have your neighbors think you are stupid than to not be prepared and prove it".

[MercutioATC]

10. Gee, maybe we should have a Preparedness Forum here at DU...

...just a thought..

:P

[Speck Tater]

3. Weather Underground show it backing off to cat 2 or 3 long before landfall.

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200809.html

[kdmorris]

6. Yes, it is supposed to weaken some

The issue is that, because this is a relatively compact storm and the water in the Bahamas is so warm, that between that last dot and the coast of Florida (IF..still a BIG IF), it could easily get back to CAT4 or CAT5 status, especially since there isn't supposed to be any shear there when it approaches, unlike Hanna who got her ass kicked by shear.

[arcos]

9. But there's a chance it won't...

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0908T_sm2+gif/203113P_sm.gif

[alfredo]

11. Here's the 5 day. Still a long way off, so don't take as gospel.

[dysfunctional press]

15. yesterday, wunderground didn't show it getting anywhere near a cat4, either...

see how well they called that one.

[rsmith6621]

5. Cape Canavral...Titusville, Orlando....

Ocala......Gainsville have something to worry about more then Miami

[nonconformist]

7. This looks scary for Miami

[Lifetimedem]

12. I have family in West Palm beach

that I am concerned about

[Catherine Vincent]

14. Off topic but....can one of those large cruise ships go through a Cat 4?

Or will the winds flip it over?

[lapfog_1]

16. Any ship could get into trouble with a big storm

Generally speaking the operators keep on top of any forecasts and direct their ships away from any danger (not to mention discomfort for the passengers).

However if one did get stuck in the path of a Hurricane (even a more minor one), the open ocean is always preferable... and there would always be a chance of major damage and possibly even a loss of the ship. Fortunately, they have many options even then for avoiding loss of life.

[Catherine Vincent]

17. Thanks for replying. I always wondered about that.

I know that the operators cruise around hurricanes. I just thought about one that popped up all of a sudden while the cruise ship was in the ocean and too late to get out of the way. I was on a cruise a couple of years ago and it was a very large one (in fact it was the Conquest out of NOLA-4000 passengers). It was a terrible thunderstorm that we floated into that scared the crap out of me. I went to my cabin, took a nap. Luckily, by the time I woke up the sun was out. So I was very happy and not scared anymore. :-)

[KaryninMiami]

18. Trust me- cruise ships steer far away from hurricanes

and they change course completely if there's any chance of one nearby. It's not like they show up without any notice- these storms are charted from the minute they begin. Here in Florida, we're watching storms far earlier then most of the country- so you can imagine that the cruise ships are even more attuned.