[tomwed]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

The odds of your house sustaining damage from lightning is not great- about 1 in 55,000 each year. Lightning rods may not be a guarantee of no damage. I find it interesting that most of The Villages properties where I am (rec centers, mail boxes, buildings at pools) do not have lightning rods. I recommend encouraging your neighbors to install a tall palm tree ;-)

Where did that statistic come from?

[Shimpy]

Before moving here we were hit with hurricane Wilma in Boynton Bch. Fla. It came ashore on the west coast of Florida around Naples, crossed the state to the east coast, 160 miles and gained strength before hitting us on the east coast in Boynton. It was so large that it was over the Gulf and the Atlantic at the same time. Being this far inland will save us from storm surge but don't count on it downgrading to a tropical storm. We're in the most narrow part of the peninsula of Fla.

[tuccillo]

Whether it gets downgraded to a tropical storm depends on what cat it is when it makes landfall. Regardless, it is all relative. Wind speeds will generally drop over land and that is important because the KE goes as the square of the wind speed.

Originally Posted by Shimpy

Before moving here we were hit with hurricane Wilma in Boynton Bch. Fla. It came ashore on the west coast of Florida around Naples, crossed the state to the east coast, 160 miles and gained strength before hitting us on the east coast in Boynton. It was so large that it was over the Gulf and the Atlantic at the same time. Being this far inland will save us from storm surge but don't count on it downgrading to a tropical storm. We're in the most narrow part of the peninsula of Fla.

[John_W]

In 1979 when I lived in Pensacola my mother-in-law living in Savannah was hit by a hurricane. Since they lived in a mobile home, we took off work and drove the 8 hours to Savannah. When we got there, they didn't have any damage but the power was off. We all went out to eat and then to a club to hear some music.

At the club I saw a TV and another hurricane was 250 miles due south of Pensacola headed north. The next morning I took off and drove back to Pensacola. What was odd, was when I got off the secondary roads from Georgia and onto I-10 at Tallahassee headed west. I had 200 miles to go, there was no traffic ahead or behind me, so I hit 90 mph and drove all the way to Pensacola at 90mph, I didn't pass one car or see one police car. However, on the eastbound side of I-10 when I got near Ft. Walton the road was bumper-to-bumper of cars leaving the area I was going.

I got back to my home just in time. We had a pool, so I brought in all the patio furniture. Got out some candles and a radio and went into the hallway and closed all the bedroom and bathroom doors. As soon as I did, the power went off. I was so tired from driving to Savannah and back, going out having a few drinks, I fell asleep right away and slept through the whole storm.

We didn't have a birdcage on the pool, in fact I never saw one in Pensacola, everyones fences their yard. However, because of a couple of pine trees, I spent the next day scooping up water logged pine cones from the bottom of the pool for about 4 hours.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

The wind associated with hurricanes generally drops once landfall is reached due to increased surface drag and other factors. The energy of the wind goes as the square of the wind speed so relatively small decreases in wind speed are significant. In other words, a 50 mph wind has one quarter the energy of a 100 mph wind. Being inland means we are at less risk from wind damage than coastal regions. We will also not experience storm surges. This does not mean you shouldn't be prepared as widespread damage is still possible. Tornadoes are sometimes spawned from hurricanes.

Hurricanes do not sneak up on us. The weather guessers will be all over the TV for several days before it arrives giving us incessant updates. Take advantage of this time to stock up on enough food and water to last all the occupants of your house for several days. And, if you have friends living in more vulnerable parts of the state, you might be hearing from someone who wants to relocate to your house to ride out the storm.

What if the electricity goes out for hours, days or even a week? Have some alternate lighting sources. Battery powered LED (light emitting diode) lights are a good choice. A battery operated radio will let you keep aware of the status of the storm and the recovery.

Do you have out-of-state relatives who might be panicking to know if you are alright? Even if both home phones and cell phones are out of service there will be amateur (ham) radio operators in the area who will participate in passing messages to relatives. Get more information from The Villages Amateur Radio Club. K4VRC - Villages Amateur Radio Club Their next meeting is June 18th at the Eisenhower Recreation Center (MacArthur/Arnold Room.)

If you are really concerned, leave the state. As I said, we get lots of warning about hurricanes. But go far enough away to not be in the track of the storm as it goes inland. Actually, inland areas of Florida are where coastal residents relocate to, not from.

Remember that we have never seen bad weather and flooding to compare with what has been going on in Texas and Oklahoma recently. And certainly we don't live in the "Tornado Alley" area of the United States.

Relax and enjoy retirement in a wonderful area for active people.

[Carl in Tampa]

For more information about how The Villages Amateur Radio Club is preparing and training for emergency communications for your benefit, read this:

Emergency Comm Team - K4VRC

[ntuccillo]

There are about 55k homes in The Villages and there appears to be about 1 lightning strike per year.

Originally Posted by tomwed

Where did that statistic come from?

[graciegirl]

An old thread.

Lightning does strike here and it does burn down homes.
Lightening Strike in Sable Chase

[daigo]

Oak Run about a month ago. Damaged a few homes.

[twoplanekid]

I am pleased that we don’t have gas lines in houses south of 466A to trigger a fire after a lightning strike.

[Lightning]

Originally Posted by billybye

Better yet - have your neighbor install a lightning rod - I would chip in if I could

There are many myths about lightning that cannot be supported by science or 200+ years of lightning experience. Lightning is random and highly UNPREDICTABLE.

A home was destroyed last year in Mira Mesa that was adjacent to a live oak that towered over the house. The tree lives but the homeowners were out of their home for six months during reconstruction.

Another myth is that if your next door neighbor has lightning rods they will be struck but your home will be spared. A few years ago a Sunset Ridge home was destroyed that had no lightning protection. The home next door and across the street were both protected by lightning rods but it afforded no protection for the home that was struck. And it did not have the highest profile roof on the street.

To learn more about lightning see University of Florida's Dr. Martin Uman's book, The Art and Science of Lightning Protection that can be found in The Villages Library on Belvedere Drive.

[Carla B]

Originally Posted by John_W

In 1979 when I lived in Pensacola my mother-in-law living in Savannah was hit by a hurricane. Since they lived in a mobile home, we took off work and drove the 8 hours to Savannah. When we got there, they didn't have any damage but the power was off. We all went out to eat and then to a club to hear some music.

At the club I saw a TV and another hurricane was 250 miles due south of Pensacola headed north. The next morning I took off and drove back to Pensacola. What was odd, was when I got off the secondary roads from Georgia and onto I-10 at Tallahassee headed west. I had 200 miles to go, there was no traffic ahead or behind me, so I hit 90 mph and drove all the way to Pensacola at 90mph, I didn't pass one car or see one police car. However, on the eastbound side of I-10 when I got near Ft. Walton the road was bumper-to-bumper of cars leaving the area I was going.

I got back to my home just in time. We had a pool, so I brought in all the patio furniture. Got out some candles and a radio and went into the hallway and closed all the bedroom and bathroom doors. As soon as I did, the power went off. I was so tired from driving to Savannah and back, going out having a few drinks, I fell asleep right away and slept through the whole storm.

We didn't have a birdcage on the pool, in fact I never saw one in Pensacola, everyones fences their yard. However, because of a couple of pine trees, I spent the next day scooping up water logged pine cones from the bottom of the pool for about 4 hours.

Loved your account of what happened to you. I could feel the angst as you drove from Savannah to Pensacola. Reminds me of the time I insisted we abandon our condo in the evacuation zone and go to the Marriott just before a hurricane hit near Boca Raton. We were on the 8th floor and the windows rattled incessantly and the transformers were popping like fireworks. The weatherman on the radio said "Now is the time to go to your safe room." When I tried to wake my husband up to move to the hall, he replied "Oh, Baloney" , rolled over and slept through the storm.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The last hurricane that did any damage in The Villages are was in 2004 and the damage was minor. The last tornado that we experienced was in 2007. Before that a tornado hadn't hit this area in over fifty years.

It is extremely rare that a hurricane will do much damage this far inland. Can it happen? Yes, of course. As Shimpy related a storm that is huge can cut across the entire state, but that usually happens in the southern part of the state.

The weather forecasters hurricane people will get everyone all riled up about hurricanes. They will have everyone running out and buy emergency supplies and weather radios. But, in fact, we have no had a damaging hurricane here in over ten years.

We went to the hurricane seminar a few years ago and listen to all the information. We put together a plastic box with water and canned goods and a few other supplies. We bought a weather radio which I unplugged after a few months. I was getting tired of being wakened at 3:00 am because the temperatures might drop below freezing.

I realized that the people at the hurricane seminar are there to sell hurricane related merchandise. They do it by scaring people over the dangers.

The reality is that although it's a good idea to be prepared, hurricanes in this area are extremely rare.

Tornadoes on the other hand are unpredictable and can pop up anywhere. Like I said, two in Massachusetts in the past two years. Who would think that?

[Doro22]

You are so right and sensible, Dr. W. I'm from S.Fl. And have been through many hurricanes. One should be prepared down there. Here, not so much.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

It appears that you're more likely to be caught in a tornado in Massachusetts and Vermont than you are here.

Tornado Watch Expires in Massachusetts, Vermont | NECN