Put gas in your Car and go buy Toilet Paper!

South end
 

Why should the South end be more worried??

I would agree with you, but a small radio absolutely comes in handy. A weather radio is even better.
If you have to go to your car to access the radio, it's an inconvenience, hot and dark in the garage.
We invested in many long life, rechargable lanterns. Excellent decision.
My husband bought a neat gadget for the cars cigarette lighter to charge our cell phones without the motor running.

We lived on the NC coast our entire life, so I must say that ALL of the responses have been V VERY informed and wise.

Most people that we've known do not underestimate the need for preparedness, but many don't want to talk about it, I guess.

We lived through many, many hurricanes that had direct landfall on us, as Cat 1-3, but nothing like Ian, and we pray that we never do.

A lot of folks left the NC coast and went 4 hours inland with Hugo, but that storm skipped right over the coast, with barely a nudge and battered the heck out of Charlotte with downed power lines, trees and flooding.
Many peoples cars were flooded because they were parked in hotel parking lots.
Most 'transplants' don't have family inland and their evacuation plans are the best they can come up with, which include riding out a storm at a hotel/motel.
Good Luck to us all, as we enjoy life, but stay vigilent during hurricane season.

Don't forget long shelf life pkgs. sardines, tuna, salmon. Crackers. Wine.

Irma
 

I was at Pine Hills for IRMA cat 5 2017 and gathered stats at that time to write what happened. The IRMA NWS wind peak was Leesburg 43 g 69 Spanish Spring 36 g 54 and 10-12 inches of rain – careful of Village – News they have some hyped numbers. It filled almost to the top all the retention ponds and flooded a few of the golf cart tunnels and The Villages overflow is to flood the golf courses some were underwater for 2 weeks. They run the sprinklers by the streets non stop to get the water out of the ponds-lakes.

We did not get roof or house damage (some houses lost a few shingles) but some BIG live oak trees knocked over due to the roots not being deep enough. Did not lose water in the villages & lost Leesburg power 19 hours Seco never lost it. Many areas around us lost both and some did not get power back for 7 days. Everything was closed for a day or two.

A few days before Irma the stores were empty of water, ice, bread, D type batteries but stores had pallets of water a day or so before it hit but no D batteries. Stores always had lots of AA batteries (I bought special lights that take AA after that). Before Irma gas stations ran out every day at some point, sporadic so 1 station had gas or a line 2 blocks long but another would only have a couple cars. (Get full tank & keep it days before it gets to you.) Tuesday night on 4 lane 301 we saw a 1 or 2 mile line at a gas station with 4 police cars with lights letting them take 1 lane and no gas at the end of Wednesday. Wednesday we took our niece to Orlando airport at 330am and the turnpike was a continuous line of cars probably still is today. LINES of cars leaving or returning empty gas stations before and a day or so after – after IRMA some cars sitting in the gas station until whenever they open no gas in the car to go anywhere.

The news HYPED it constantly and scared people (kept saying we'd get 75-95 wind then were saying 115mph gusts). People tried to leave a couple days before in huge lines and we heard many ended up in shelters further north because of no rooms in hotels or no gas to go further but lots of people stayed with someone they knew further inland. People on the coast that will be hit swarm inland and buy up everything a day or so before it hits.

My neighbor is a Florida guy and has been through 15 hurricanes. His advice is don’t watch the news/weather they hype it all and overplay the effects. We were Supposed to have wind 85-90 and our Villages houses are built to a 2004 hurricane standard of a little over 100 but hurricanes spin off tornados from the top right side so that is the real Villages danger.

Hurricane prep.
 

When we first came we had no experience with hurricanes. We did everything suggested, filled bathtub with water, taped up windows & doors, had emergency supply of food, bottled water, filled up car with gas, stored photos & documents in the dishwasher (It's waterproof) & got ready to leave. Checked with neighbors & found they all just stay put & don't do anything. Although we were prepared, we didn't need a thing. Power never went out as it's mostly underground, no flooding & the interstate was at a standstill. Not saying don't do any of this but for us it was unnecessary panic. Now we just make sure we have dry food for a few days, that's all.

It’s called bashing, some take advantage of every opportunity.

I haven’t read all the comments but I suggest you get a Weather Alert Radio with battery backup. Your Village Public Safety station will program it with the necessary warnings.

IMHO the biggest potential is not flooding, assuming you live on the west side of 441/27. The biggest potential problem is tree branches. Unless you have an older roof, more than 12-15, you should be okay.

After 22 years in TV, I worry most about tornadoes being created on the edge of the storm. Hence the recommendation for a weather alert radio. After the ground hog day tornado, in 2005?, the VHA championed getter a weather alert transmitter tower installed that covered the area. The VHA paid for it with donations. It was installed and operational within about 6 months. 👍😊

In case you want to know how high you are above sea level, here is a topographical map of the villages. Zoom in and find your location.

The Villages topographic map, elevation, terrain

My iphone sitting on a table says 80ft which agrees fairly well with 21m from the map.

There are a lot of people that have been bashing the new southern villages since they were started in early 2017. Some of them persist mostly out of jealousy. It's great down here, more relaxing atmosphere than up north and they sell 10 to 11 new homes every day south of 44. Pay no attention to them, I'm actually shocked that they would bring jealousy into a serious post such as this. You'll most likely see a few bashing replies to this LOL.

why?

It was during Irma about 5 years ago. It flooded near the golf cart bridge. I don't think anyone had sandbags and don't know if they would have helped.
Definitely need food that does not need refrigeration or cooking, I use battery operated candles. Some solar lights may help and a battery operated radio or weather radio.

I am not certain jealousy is the issue. I hope you can understand those who have lived in the Villages for quite sometime are "in the know" about things a newbie will not understand. Experience is a great teacher. The person who posted that remark is probably rolling his eyes at you, as well. Perhaps, he truly knows something about the south location you do not!

Be careful when you cast aside anyone on this forum. The man you make fun of today may be the only one who has the correct answers for you tomorrow. And, remember, even though we live in the same metro, our circumstances are much different. I, for one, am not jealous of the newbies, their homes, or their area. Get angry if you want but all I see is more of "the exact same" at a much, much, higher cost.

I get it! It's not always about money! So, we don't need to argue this one out. Time changes everything and there is nothing we can do about it. Just saying, we each have different perspectives. To understand one another, we have to accept our circumstances are different.

If you want to know about the south you ask someone who lives here. Fenney was started over 6 years ago and I have been here since the beginning, have seen it all and lived it all. There is no reason for anyone to continue bashing the south and they really should take a look in some of their own back yards if they want to find something to bash.

Nah , they are just bashing. It’s the same old song.

Sorry, you feel people are bashing you. I think Fenney is one of the most beautiful Villages. Love all the trees and the entrance is gorgeous! Love your home and enjoy! It's not a competition but a choice. People may love your choice or feel theirs is better. It doesn't matter! At the end of the day, all that matters is that you are happy.

Never heard of that, but guess if you live in an area that is less then 50 feet above sea level, it may be a reasonable question to ask. Our location is ~140 feet above sea level, thus the real concern would be groceries, meds and electric. Even these don't cut it if the electric is out and you can't get water because the pumping stations are down.

I've read some, not all responses so forgive me if this is a duplicate.

If you have old photos and are staying for a storm put them in a bag, you may want to wrap them up with towels to protect them. Include your name and contact information in the bag. Or, place them in your empty dishwasher or dryer. Same goes if you have a few small sentimental breakable items.

When we lived in SE FL after Hurricane Francis we were without power for 14 long, hot days. We had dogs and a cat. We still had the storm shutters on the windows and sliders after the storm, so all of us slept outside on the lanai. We made a makeshift bed out of the patio furniture cushions. We slept on the lanai with our pets. We were sleeping and it was about 4 am. I heard looters walking in the empty woods next to us, crunching the leaves as they walked and were talking. But it blended in with my dreams. One of our dogs made the most evil sounding guttural noise. Whoever they were stopped in their tracks, stopped talking and never made another peep. She didn't sound like a dog but like a wild animal and the way the noise traveled it was hard to tell where she was.

I was concerned about the heat and our pets being indoors while we were out. I called our vet and he suggested taking a wet towel and putting it on our dog's backs. We had a generator that we were able to use for the fridge and TV. We wet down the towels, put them in the freezer. We had a big cooler and ice. When the towels were cold we put them on our girls. This lasted about 4 hours. We had other towels in the freezer and rotated them.

We had big girls so we used bath towels. If you have smaller dogs, or cats you can use a hand towel or wash cloth. Our dog's left the towels on, our cat didn't tolerate it. Our vet told us that if our dog's became overheated to put their paws in cool (not cold, or freezing) water. This can quickly bring down a dog's body temperature.

This may seem a bit much but my husband even took down the blades of the ceiling fans on the lanai. They could fly off if the storm is bad enough and do a lot of damage.

Keep an eye out for any of your neighbors who may need a helping hand preparing.

Try to keep a full tank of gas during hurricane season. I try not to get to under half a tank.

Forget the basement.

TV is still in a safe area and underground power is a definite plus. Sandbags NO. There is good drainage in 99% of TV. Lived in S. Florida all my life. Different story there. Almost all new construction has laminate glass or shutters. No need for a radio. All cars still have radios in them. Not much to do in TV. Storms with 70 MPH winds should not cause structural damage to homes in TV.

Nice economical approach - thanks for the outline.

One option not mentioned - If u have a natural gas line coming into ur home you can tap that for “unlimited” generator power.

HuhExcellent point. However cost is always a point at 10-15,000.00 for a whole home generators, natural gas powered you may be over prepared in the risk to convenience scale. A hurricane if it impacts you, will probably be a once in a lifetime event.

Either way anyone who has a generator, who addresses fuel supply, will be way ahead of his/her neighbor who bought a case of canned food, a few candles and filled their bathtub with water.

The Villages is where people evacuate TO. Being locate inland and The Villages water management system (south of 466) we should not have a problem with flooding. Having said that, tornadoes can cause lots of damage such as the tornado that hit the Mallory Square area back in 2007. I didn't live here back then but have heard some horror stories.

During Irma, the villages that had flooding problems were north of 466. South of 466 the water management system that was put into place was upgraded from the system that is north of 466. This system, from what I have read about on this site and also watched a presentation by the designer of our water management system, will funnel off an awful lot of storm water. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful water management system in place.

That is the design of the water management system. Better to have the golf courses flood than our homes.

I believe location does have something to do with the severity of hurricanes we experience in the central part of the state. A hurricane can come on shore a cat 5 and will peter out buy the time it gets to the central part of the state. Once a hurricane goes over land mass, it loses energy.

I will never understand the need to purchase bottled water to prepare for a hurricane. I have plenty of receptacles in our home that I can fill with water from the tap before the storm arrives. I have never purchased bottled water for emergencies. I actually like the taste of our fridge filtered water than most bottled water too, Fuji is the exception.

Not always. I have seen twice a hurricane hitting shore in Tampa but more powerful in Orlando. Many people who once evacuated from Tampa to Orlando, now have reconsidered. They drive north along the coast instead of inland hoping to avoid the hurricane path completely.

My concern with the Villages is that it is only one hour away from Orlando. One hook turn, and a disastrous hurricane can be at our doorstep. Will it happen? I don't know! Anyone's guess!
Having been through more than a dozen hurricanes, I would not be surprised! Hurricanes are extremely unpredictable!

Is it possible the roofs that were torn off were from the 2007 tornado?

As you said, hurricanes are unpredictable but usually, a hurricane loses energy when it travels over land mass. I don't get all that apprehensive when there is a hurricane staring us down. I feel safer here than on the coast.

Agree with you on the standard whole house gens that folks typically install. My next door neighbor spent $22k to have one installed a year ago.

I don’t see the value in that option.

I like the option you outlined.

However - I’m currently focused on this configuration:

20-25k watt gen that runs on both gasoline and natural gas (we already have a natural gas line in place) approx $1,200-1,400.

Easy start for a 5ton hvac system approx $400.

Switch for the breaker box approx $100 - pigtail receptacle approx $300 - pigtail wire approx $200.

I can DIY everything except the natural gas connection - haven’t priced this yet.

I have a separate but attached building that I can run the gen from (pipe the exhaust to the outside) which my neighbors will appreciate.

For somewhere around $3k I will be able to power everything in my house all at the same time including hvac. That’s all lights plus receptacles - 2 fridges - deep freeze - hvac…but won’t be able to do laundry with the air on. Not even an issue.

Yes - I’ll have to roll out the gen - connect the gas - plug the pig in - switch the power source in the breaker box - start the gen.

Those who have the whole house $15-20k gen setup do nothing when the power goes off. That type of system is automatic.

I don’t mind spending 30 to 60 minutes doing setup to save $18k.

My one daughter told me to fill the bathtub with water. The other daughter said to hunker in the tub with a mattress over me. Based on their advice, I would not have survived the hurricane, because I would have drowned in my own bathtub...

And after that storm and Hurricanes Jeanne and Wilma almost everyone bought generators which sat for years and were useless thereafter due to gummed up carburetors.

Smart daughters...................it's not a messy death (like a gun) to clean up in their new house.

Funny and funnier. LOL.