Entries Tagged 'Hurricane Evacuation' ↓

West Palm Beach, Florida — As Tropical Storm Ernesto churns its way through Cuba and heads into the Florida Straits the most recent forecast path puts South Florida directly in his way.

If you live in South Florida it seems like NOW is a good time to take evasive action with a safe retreat to a less windy and waterlogged part of the world.

Whether you have a Hurricane plan or not - it’s almost time to make your final go/no-go decision. For many of us - getting out of dodge by leaving town is an excellent option. If you are looking for a good option for travel arrangements you may want to become familiar with the new travel site called Kayak.

See, and you thought I was going to suggest a boat as part of your Hurricane evacuation plan.

Kayak.com is different from popular travel sites like Orbitz or Expedia in that it isn’t a site where you actually book travel.

Kayak lets you see travel deals from hundreds of travel web sites

Wait, we’re not sending you on a wild goose chase. Instead, Kayak lets you compare travel alternatives from hundreds of travel sites and find the best price and amenities for your trip. Given that flights and alternative modes of transport out of Florida are already booking up, you are going to want to have the greatest possible choice when booking your travel. That’s why you may want to try Kayak.

Here at abigwind we conducted a sample search on Kayak.com for a flight tomorrow morning (Tuesday August 29, 2006) from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta - returning Saturday. Our best price was a fare of $329 on Spirit Air. If I had visited 3 or 4 other travel booking sites I could have arrived at the same price, just not as fast, and in Hurricane evacuations, time is critical. Another point to consider when trying to evacuate from the path of a Hurricane is when you book your travel. As far as availability goes, booking now, rather than later, will certainly increase your chances of getting out of town. The alternative is a very long drive and long lines at the gas station. Unless of course, you’re looking to make 20 or so new friends, in which case the gas station socials are waiting for you to join in!

If you do end up using Kayak for your Hurricane evacuation travel plans please let us know how it goes by commenting here or visiting our Hurricane Protection news and information community at http://www.abigwind.com .

Good luck Hurricane Country!

Due to the increasing threat of Hurricane Ernesto - visitors (tourists) of the Florida Keys were ordered to leave the island chain starting at 1 p.m. today, Sunday - August 27th. Other important evacuations:

All tourists that are in the Keys must leave and anyone with immediate plans to travel to the Keys should postpone their trip. Additionally, all travel trailers and recreational vehicles (RVs) are ordered to leave the Keys immediately.

If you are a tourist - you need to heed the order and get out early as the Keys are right under the South Florida mainland, which will soon be under a similar watch or warning, meaning that hotels tend to book up quickly. Hurricane supplies will be increasingly scarce and gas lines long. The last thing that you want to do is find yourself spending your vacation at a hurricane shelter. If you have never traveled to the Keys, you may not realize that the Keys are a very narrow island chain (i.e. surrounded by water). It is unsafe to be here when a Hurricane is threatening. Standard protocol is that if there is a Hurricane Watch posted, all tourists are ordered to leave the islands. This evacuation order may come before a watch is even issued as there is only one main road into and out of the Keys.

There will be a steady stream of vehicles making their way up U.S. 1 to safer ground. Key West International Airport should remain operational through Monday night, according to Monroe County Airports Director Peter Horton. You may want to consider getting a Hurricane Friend - read about that here.

I am surprised how little information about the evacuation on the web there is for tourists. I visited the Keysnews.com, Key West City web site, the Monroe County Web site, and finally hit the jackpot at the Keys Tourist web site. I am not sure how many tourists would have thought to go to the Tourist site - but kudos to them for providing the information.

Here are particularly useful FAQs about a Keys evacuation from the Keys Tourist Website:

I’m in the Keys and there’s an order to evacuate, but I don’t have a car. How do I leave?

There are several options. Check with the front office or hotel concierge to see if there are any rental cars or flights available from Key West International Airport. A number of ground transportation shuttle services operate between Key West and Miami and Fort Lauderdale International Airports. Typically, Greyhound Bus Lines adds extra buses to accommodate vacationers leaving the Keys. The TDC surveys transportation companies to determine what is available, and passes that information via advisories to accommodations facilities and posts it on the TDC Web site.

Where can I go?

Local tourism officials realize that an unexpected vacation interruption is a hardship on visitors. The tourism council works cooperatively with other Florida destinations that typically set up special hotlines to provide hotel availability and rates. These numbers are published in advisories sent to properties and posted on the Keys Web site.

What about lodging refunds?

Each property has its own refund policy. The Lodging Association of the Florida Keys & Key West urges their members to provide refunds of unused nights as soon as local officials issue a visitor evacuation order. The majority of Keys properties subscribe to this standard. Prior to making a reservation, it is prudent for the visitor to have a clear understanding about a particular lodging facility’s refund policies in the event of a hurricane threat. Several travel insurance plans are available from companies that can provide additional fiscal protection. Expedia.com has a “Hassle-Free Hurricane Promise” for travelers that book vacations on their web site. If the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane watch or warning for any destination, Expedia will waive associated Expedia.com cancellation fees; advocate with their travel partners to waive their fees and help find new travel options.

How come during an evacuation, visitors are asked to leave while residents can stay? And why do tourists have to leave so early?

Visitors are asked to leave the Keys during any category storm while residents are mandated to leave during a severe hurricane of Category 3 or higher. The early egress of visitors is for their own safety. Officials want visitors to have plenty of time to get out of harm’s way as well as to not impede the movement of Keys citizens in the event of a resident evacuation. Also, because of the Keys’ unique nature as a chain of islands, with one highway in and out, the region requires more time to evacuate than other coastal areas. And emergency officials must react earlier to avoid impacting possible evacuations of other South Florida communities.

In the event a hurricane does impact the Keys, there is high likelihood of power outages, temporarily impassable roads and airports that will be temporarily out of service. Most, if not all, hotels will be closed and visitor facilities will not be operational. At that point, the top priority for government and business owners is to restore facilities so the Keys can once again provide full-service vacation opportunities.

Historically, a hurricane only impacts the Keys once in four to five evacuations because the forecast error track rate (the projected path of the storm) is so great at the time of the evacuation order. As hurricane forecasting advances, that rate should decrease and hopefully diminish unnecessary evacuations.

When can we resume our vacation to the Keys?

This varies and depends on several factors. If only a visitor evacuation has been ordered and the storm misses the Keys, visitors often can begin returning the day after the threat passes. If both visitor and resident evacuation orders have been issued, and the storm misses the Keys, it might take a few days for visitor facilities to reopen. If the storm impacts the Keys, visitors can begin returning after electricity, road access and other infrastructure are restored. Check the Florida Keys Web site at www.fla-keys.com for the latest information concerning the status of the Keys as well as the lodging facility where you wish to stay.

Additional Resources:

Created by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, a special hurricane visitor safety PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) brochure is available for visitors. The brochure educates and provides information resources for Keys visitors in the event the region is threatened by a tropical cyclone during their stay. It is available by clicking on the “Prepared in Paradise” picture at the top of the page at www.fla-keys.com/hurricaneseason.htm.

Keys Visitor Assistance Line: 1-800-771-KEYS

Monroe County Situation Report: www.monroecounty-fl.gov

National Hurricane Center Web site: www.nhc.noaa.gov

Key West Weather: weather.gov/keywest

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office: www.keysso.net

If you are a local and have any other tips - please leave us a comment below.

What a difference a night can make. Mr. Wind and I went out for a wonderful dinner last night and we awoke this morning to Hurricane Ernesto’s 5-day path changing shape. It now resembles a boomerang and is threatening us here in Florida, possibly as a category 3 (Winds 111-130 mph) by Thursday.

According to the experts, the computer models now unanimously predict that a strong low pressure will pull Hurricane Ernesto across Florida, and then send it out to sea. As of now, exactly where Hurricane Ernesto will make landfall in Florida is hard to pinpoint this far in advance. Meteorologists are suggesting that everywhere from Miami to Pensacola is at risk.

According to the 11am Advisory:

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH…120 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ERNESTO IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST TODAY AND TONIGHT…AND ERNESTO COULD BECOME A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE BEFORE IT REACHES THE COAST OF CUBA.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES…30 KM…FROM THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 90 MILES…150 KM.

Haiti and Cuba however are of immediate concern as they going to receive a hard blow from Hurricane Ernesto. It is entering into over 90 degree waters and will most likely slam into Cuba as a cat 2. According to Jeff Masters:

The eye of Ernesto will pass just south of or over the southwestern tip of Haiti today, pounding that impoverished nation with hurricane force winds and rains of up to 20 inches. I expect the death toll will be in the hundreds.

Haiti is an impoverished Caribbean nation that is 90% deforested. The deforestation is what makes Haiti vulnerability to deadly flooding and mudslides. The AP reports:

In Haiti, emergency officials went on local radio to warn people living in flimsy shantytowns on the southern coast to seek shelter in schools and churches. The hurricane center said life-threatening flash floods and mud slides were possible.

“These people could be in great danger,'’ said Adel Nazaire, a coordinator with Haiti’s civil protection agency.

“Flooding is the biggest concern because a lot of residents live along the rivers and the sea.'’

The latest projected path brings Hurricane Ernesto directly over Key West and the Lower Keys and very close to South Florida by Tuesday. Watches and warnings are likely to be posted on the Florida Keys today. Evacuation orders will most likely be announced by officials in the Keys soon.

Ultimate landfall looks to be around St. Petersburg and Tampa by early Thursday. But KEEP in mind - when a hurricane is still so many days out - the cone always moves and the path can change drastically. Each forecast has brought the projected track closer to South Florida and our area now sits squarely within the three-day cone.

Floridians still have time to remain alert and must get prepared. Now is the time to ensure that your hurricane plan and disaster supply kits are in place. Be sure to look through A Big Wind’s archives for information about plywood shutters; generators; garage door protection; hurricane plans; current outlook and more.

Hurricane Friends has a novel concept that might just fit into your evacuation plan this year. For $9.95, the Lakeland, Florida firm’s Web site promises to pair you or your family with prescreened volunteers willing to open their homes to evacuees before a big storm. After a nasty bout with Hurricane Charley last year Joe Shaffer made up his mind to never ride out a storm again. Now he’s signed up on Hurricane Friends as both a host house and as a potential evacuee.

The Sun-Sentinel wrote, “The idea appealed to him. With three kids, a cat and a dog, the Bartow resident said heading to a government shelter isn’t realistic and his family can’t afford a long hotel stay. And, unlike nonprofit sites that simply list contact information, Shaffer liked the mandatory criminal background check.”

“I would rather go to my family, but they are all either out in Nevada or up in Ohio and that’s a long way to go,'’ Shaffer said. “It seems like a good idea. I’m kind of a quiet person, but I have a personal interest here. We hope it catches on.'’