As many of you already know there is a nasty category 5 hurricane in the atlantic. I am a little concerned since only a few years ago Wrightsville Beach/ Wilmington NC was hit with an unheared of 3 in one season (Bertha, Bonnie, Fran). The frightening thing is that hurricanes tend to follow the path of previouse hurricanes, and the last hurricane to make landfall in the US was Fran. Fran nearly wiped our beach out. If I remember correctly Fran was a cat. 3. Last year we finished a multi-million dollar beach reneurishment project, included in that was the relocation of mason inlet at the north end of the island. The inlet moved dangerously close to a resort due to the massive erosion from all of the hurricanes and tropical storms.

A cat. 5 hurricane would devistate our beach as well as many lives. Not to mention the lives lost. Please say a prayer that Isabel not make landfall anywhere on the eastern seaboard but rather go back out to sea and dwendle to nothing.

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Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776

Being from the West Coast, I know nothing of hurricanes.

But regardless, it sounds like it could be dangerous and destructive, and I am wishing you all well.

We were hit by Hugo back in '89.
Keeping a close eye on this one.

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1993 190e 2.3
Spruce Green Metallic
62k original

TLJ told me it may hit Baltimore on Friday.

It definitely is hitting land. No one is sure quite where though, but it looks like the northeast. Right now it looks like Chesapeake Bay is the main target, after it brushes the eastern coast. Huge waves are to be expected, causing massive beach erosion.

The storm, as of this time is moving at 10 - 12 mph at 155 mph, it is a high category 4 hurricane, practically cat 5, as it just was not too long ago.

When it hits land, they are expecting it to be at least CAT 3 intensity. I don't have enough garage space for my Benz's!! What the heck do I do?

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Our prayers are with all who may be in the storms' path.

Andrew had a 15 foot tidal surge.

Make use of the better forecasting computers and get out if you are in its track.

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previously: 04 E55, 01 CLK55, 99 ML320

Some good advice here, if I may, I would like to offer my own advice as well.

Make provision for any pets. We keep a large plastic "kennel" ready to evacuate the cat with us to wherever we may go. (he's blind) It fits in the back of the car and he could live in there for a few days.

Get a plastic storage box and put inside all your favorite photos and all your important papers, take it with you if you evacuate.

If you are close to the landfall point, board up your house and/ or baton shut any shutters closed. Put towels around the bottom of any doors facing the direction of the storm. This will help to save your carpets or wooden floors from too much damage assuming that blowing in water and not flooding is the problem. There isn't much you can do about flooding other than to sandbag.

If you decide to stick it out, ket some cushions and move your car up against the garage door to stop the door being blown in. A lot of damage occurs when the roller type doors come out of their tracks causing vehicle and structural damage. This works, believe me.

If you can afford it, buy a generator. It beats being without any power for days or weeks and even if it won't run AC, it will run fans and lights.

Stock up on batteries for radios and flashlights etc. Go to the ATM and withdraw plenty of cash. Gas up as much as you can in the car and in cans. You will need the cans to run the generator and after a hurricane there isn't any gas because there isn't any power to make the gas pumps work.

If you are sticking it out, fill up some plastic cans with fresh water for drinking and buy what you can at the store in big bottles.

Who paid for this renourishment project?

What frosts me about the hurricane region is all the developers that built on shaky coastal land, the regional planners that allowed developers to build on these areas, and the people who bought these properties without having to shoulder the true costs of risk through insurance. Developers want to make their money and the regional planners want their take in the form of high taxes.

When a hurricane comes through, I'm sad for the loss of life, but only half sorry for some of the devastation. Coastal properties are rebuilt with something like 70% federal money, 20% regional money, and the rest from the owner and their insurance carrier. With local and federal governments footing the bill for these disasters, there's no disincentive to build on marginal land. In essence, the regular taxpayer is footing the bill (or risk) for rich folk to live on beachfront property.

The Atlantic shore has always been an everchanging landscape. Shores have been built and taken away during the Atlantic storms. At the turn of the century, whole towns have been destroyed by hurricanes, never to be built again. It is irresponsible for us to build on land so close to shore.

Sorry for the rant on such a sensitive subject - especially after the posts from all the well-wishers, but this is one of those things that really frosts me. It's not just the Atlantic coast, but also the West coast with its mudslides (isn't it interesting that whenever the media covers West coast mudslides, they usually feature huge expensive homes that have been recently built! They can only have been built on marginal, or leftover, land!), the dunes of lake Michigan, and some riverfront properties.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

Thanks to all for the replies and prayers. I have been through 6 of these things so far in my lifetime, they're not pretty. If its a cat. 3 or a weak 4, I'll stay if its a 5 im outta here. Oh yeah some one said above that its suppose to hit up north. The funny thing is every hurricane that I've been through was "suppose" to hit up north, thats just it they don't know where its gonna hit.

This morning on the Fox news channel one of the anchors said it looks like its gonna make landfall around the outer banks and continued by saying "poor outter banks they get hit with all these things." I sure wish some of these people would pay attention Wilmington/ WB has been hit by more of these things in the last 20 years than anywhere in the country. And half of the ones that have hit the OBX have hit here first, weakend, and then traveled north. Sorry for the rant, we can't even seem to get the credit for being hit by the most hurricanes.

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Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776

It will make its last stop up here in Toronto Canada which is an hour north of Buffalo NY. It will be considered a tropical storm and is to hit on Friday sometime. So far the track is the same.

It will consist of heavy rain and wind but not as bad as what the south will get.

We shall see and good luck everyone.

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

HAHA....Good advice !

__________________
Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776

who me?

__________________
99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

!!! NEWS ALERT !!!

People in Ontario and Quebec SHOULD take note that Hurricane Isabel is forecast to track over the region on Friday bringing intense rainfall and some strong winds. Although it is forecast to diminish below hurricane strength, this hurricane, turning into an extratropical storm is showing signs of following the same track as Hurricane Hazel did in 1954 that caused serious flooding and damage.

When I start seeing this all over our weather websites here than we start to get nervous....


Imagine what will happen to all the MB's although that is not as important.

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

W126,
Thank You!!


Ive been down at the beach helping a buddy move is Hobie Cat. The wind is starting to pick-up and looks as though some clouds are moving in! I'm gonna go take some pictures and I'll TRY to post them later.

__________________
Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776