There are a lot of pics but I will show you just 1. This is I-10.


54 Americans, and 127 total died from this one. I saw thick I beams twisted like a pretzel.

I was evacuated from my house close to the water. I stayed at my dad’s house about 20 miles north. We had winds in excess of 80 mph for 14 hours. They peaked unofficially at 138 sustained at the mill down the road before the gauge broke.

I was 120 miles inland near the MS/AL line at the time. The eye passed within 30 miles of us, and we had sustained winds of 60mph for about 4 hours. We had a few gusts in the 80mph range. Trees down everywhere. We were without power for 3 days.

This is the hurricane which tore up the Fort Pickens Campground near Pensacola? I'm thinking of visiting next month; hoping it is not overrun.

How did Pensacola itself fare? Is it built on substantial land? I recall a hilly area.

I remember. Evacuated to Tennessee. No damage here when we returned two days later. Did not even lose power.

We got it next year in 2005 with Katrina. Both Hwy 90 bridges out for two years. I can relate believe me.

"Crazy Ivan".
Lived in Navarre.

Without power for a week.

Question. Do any of you that live in Florida ever regret moving there because of the hurricanes that hit Florida? Are the pluses of living there greater than the negatives?

^^
Where do you live?

Chicago

Florida was fine until everyone moved there. When Orlando was a town of 50,000.......

quote:

Chicago

Thanks. My hometown is Chicago. Grew up in the city. I live on the Coast about ten miles from the beach. Being at ground zero of the worst disaster to hit the United States, it was very unpleasant for a long time afterwards. I have been here since 1978 having previously lived in Wisconsin, TN, Texas and Indiana.

I do not miss snow, ice, and the high crime. I enjoy the climate, the laidback lifestyle, the people, but not hurricanes. I would live in the Florida panhandle, but never in the rest of Florida.

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Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Question. Do any of you that live in Florida ever regret moving there because of the hurricanes that hit Florida? Are the pluses of living there greater than the negatives?

Basically no. I was born and raised here, moved away for a bit and came back. I have been in a few direct hits, and a bunch more nearby. Ivan was the only one that rattled me. I’m 51. If I had been hit by 4 or 5 ivans, maybe.

I was without power for 2 weeks but all of our family is here close by so you get by with teamwork.

I remember I-10 was closed both ways, Hwy 98 was gone both ways, and Hwy 29 was closed. We were isolated for about 3 days. If you didn’t prepare, you were in trouble. There were lines for weeks at schools where they were giving out MREs.

Meant to add, this is the first hurricane that I knew people that died. Maybe that’s why it’s a big deal to me.

A friend, her husband and her mother were trying to ride it out in Grande Lagoon Subdivision. Their house basically came apart around them and they tried to escape. They came out and lost track of the mother. She died.

I also know the family in this Video, the Lacours.
Storm stories

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Question. Do any of you that live in Florida ever regret moving there because of the hurricanes that hit Florida? Are the pluses of living there greater than the negatives?

In the Panhandle off and on since 1973.

Nearly a dozen major hurricanes and tropical storms.

No, and Hell yeah!


(But not to be dismissive of those who suffer loss. To those who lose folks, my utmost sympathy to them.)

Regret living here no. Was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1976, been here my entire life except for 6 months. Lost power for 21 days after Wilma in 2005. Lost power for 14 days after Irma......You just prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimmy123x,

We had to wait for Ivan to pass before we buried my mother at the Florida National Cemitary in Dunellon. She passed 15 years ago on 9/11.

I lived across the road, Gulf Beach highway, from Grande Lagoon. Nobody remembers Ivan because 9 months later Katrina hit. Ivan was the real deal. We didn’t have power for weeks, people died, everybody near me took damage, we would go up to the middle school and get bags of ice and MRE’s from the Guard. It sucked.

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Question. Do any of you that live in Florida ever regret moving there because of the hurricanes that hit Florida? Are the pluses of living there greater than the negatives?

No regrets, the Panhandle is great! Pluses? Freedom, low cost of living, beaches, sun, water, short winter.

I grew up in southern WI and have plenty of relatives in Chi-town - visited there monthly my entire childhood; my parents & brother still live in the burbs.

No way you could get me to live there and we only visit every 5-10 years.

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Originally posted by pedropcola:
I lived across the road, Gulf Beach highway, from Grande Lagoon. Nobody remembers Ivan because 9 months later Katrina hit. Ivan was the real deal. We didn’t have power for weeks, people died, everybody near me took damage, we would go up to the middle school and get bags of ice and MRE’s from the Guard. It sucked.

I drove through Dec 2004 on my way to Tampa from Kommiefornia. Stayed the night with family in Cantonment.

It still looked like a war zone three months later.

I was living in Jacksonville at the time. My ship had visited Pensacola in March of 2004, and it was devastating to see the damage when I drove through on my way to San Diego in January 2005. I'm a Panhandle native, and would live there now if I could, despite the hurricanes.

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Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I drove through Dec 2004 on my way to Tampa from Kommiefornia.

Looks like we were trading places! I did 2 tours in San Diego during my career. I liked it fine, but definitely would not want to live there now.