Check in if you've been through a hurricane

[superpatriotman]

My first was Andrew in 1992 (and every one since)

-superpatriotman

[Xipe Totec]

1. Beulah - 1967. First of many, many. nt

[southmost]

93. beulah washed away alot houses down here,

Gilbert was another flooder and was the most intense Atlantic hurricane, I witnessed the aftermath in mexico, where it washed away many neighbourhoods, killing hundreds in flash floods, I really dread having storms in the gulf

[Kookaburra]

2. Hugo -- 1989

One was a gracious plenty for me.

[justabob]

16. Hugo

happened when I was in college. We were pretty far inland, but it rained a lot. Being dumb college kids we had a party, drinking hurricanes.

Otherwise, when I was a kid we had to flee South Padre Island ahead of Allen (I think was its name). We left a few hours ahead of the official evacuation, so the trip wasn't so bad. We did get to see the cool cloud arms during our drive to San Antonio where it also rained a lot after landfall.

On edit... I was only 10 but remembered Allen being a much less severe storm than it was. I just looked it up and it was so bad that they retired the name. It had weakened by the time it hit Texas but the surge and rain killed 290 people and did billions worth of damage.

[Kookaburra]

24. I had just graduated from college and was in my first apartment

We were relatively far inland too, but the track of the hurricane took it straight up through our city. And yes, my neighbors and I sat out under the eaves drinking hurricanes and listening the The Scorpions and REO. In retrospect, I realize that was a pretty stupid thing to do considering we could have been killed and all (but you can't tell a 22-year-old-know-it-all anything). The amount of damage was impressive -- National Guard was called and everything -- and I remember not having electricity for 2 weeks in the area of the apt complex I was living, but the other side of the complex had electricity within a couple of days. Everyone was helping everyone else out, letting us use their showers and ovens and even letting us stay over if we needed. It was a true community.

[justabob]

34. well, I am glad we weren't the only ones

tempting fate that weekend.

[rppper]

106. hugo survivor here too....

i had just got stationed at the charleston naval base 9 days earlier....they sent my wife and son to sit out the storm in a motel in columbia, but she still got the effects of the storm there....what really brought all of the destructive power home was going out to francis marion forest 7-8 months later and seeing miles and miles of trees still laid flat over by the winds....i'll never forget that storm....

i also rode through several on the boats i was attatched to as well as the 4 that went through central florida in '04...i am a storm magnet i guess...

[Skip Intro]

126. Hugo as well. Charleston area. Wild night.

I remember watching electric transformers blow in the distance, turning the skies a glowing blue for just a few seconds - very eerie. The wind was a steadily louder roar. Lights went out. Wasn't long before you could hear things being blown against the house. A frequent "snapping" sound - pine trees being snapped in two all around us. Some scared people inside our house that night. Me and my bro-in-law, though, were doing shots of Jack and shining flashlights through windows, into the pitch black night, trying to glimpse nature's chaos.

The following days and weeks without electricity or safe water from the tap were not fun.

And the biggest thing I noticed, aside from a ton of trees blown over and some real damage to buildings? There were no squirrels.

[kimbutgar]

3. Hurricane klaus while on vacation in Antigua

I thought the roof was come flying off the resort I was staying at.

[Aerows]

4. Katrina

Ground zero. It was horrible. No electricity for 5 weeks, no running water for 4 weeks. I don't know how in the hell we survived it.

[superpatriotman]

14. DU was with you the whole way

I remember the fury and anger of Members growing with every drip drop of news coming out of the aftermath. I wish there was a way to revisit some of those old posts.

Glad you're okay!

[justabob]

21. yes it was

Katrina was awful. I wasn't anywhere near it, besides doing volunteer stuff here because we got thousands of Katrina evacuees. I swear it was weeks of watching, worrying, raging, reading every post in every thread as the reality of it hit. Even typing this brings tear to my eyes remembering. Andrew was pretty effing horrible, but Katrina has to the worst all time, at least in my lifetime.

Those threads are still accessible if I am not mistaken, archived at DU2. I bet if you DU google Katrina pages and pages will turn up.

[antigone382]

41. I was on a mountain in Tennessee when Katrina rolled through...

Even after traveling hundreds of miles inland and making it up the Cumberland Plateau (which generally does a lot to weaken storms), it still downed trees, took out the power, and shook our poor little trailer all to heck. I can't imagine what it was like when it hit landfall.

I also remember the destruction in North Georgia when Opal came through, one of a few hurricanes that required hunkering down in our basement well after they had come inland.

[dixiegrrrrl]

56. ahh..Opal....the "surprise" hurricane.

I had gone to bed, in my mobile home, at 11 pm when they said Opal was likely to hit further away from where i was.
Woke at 9 am to find the yard flooded and my answering machine filled with friend's messages to get the hell out of the trailer I was renting.
Waded thru ankle deep water, and crossed over the Interstate to shelter in a friend's home.
Learned a HUGE lesson as I crossed the Interstate and saw all lanes filled with northbound cars, from Mobile and Pensacola and other parts of the Gulf, sitting..NOT moving. The evacuation had been too late and many many people were on the freeway during the storm.
Lost the mobile home, it had 8 trees on it when I got back 3 days later.
But that was in 1995, and FEMA was doggedly good at chasing down us refugees and giving us money.
They even filled out all the paperwork, I got a small check and used it as a downpayment on a solid brick house in a town further away from the Gulf., still live here today.

[barbtries]

57. in some ways

we were all hit by katrina. tears sprang to my eyes when i read your post. i am happy that you are well today.

[dixiegrrrrl]

61. My heart goes out to you.

I undertand the PTSD of hurricane survivors, and Katrina was much much worse than the one I was in.
But for years, when the wind blew, I would feel very anxious.
Cannot imagine the horrors of ground zero with Katrina.

[cbayer]

5. Katrina

[dixiegrrrrl]

63. awwww....sorry you had to experience that monster.

[cbayer]

65. Thanks, dixiegrrrrl.

I don't really speak of it and may never, but it haunts me.

[slackmaster]

6. Only a few post-tropical lows, and those were bad enough

I was in New York City in 1979 when the remnants of Hurricane David caused the most spectacular lightning display I've ever seen. I felt very lucky to have a rooftop view from a Columbia University residential building.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Many, since the early 50's.

More than I care to remember, actually.

There's nothing good about them.

[Mtndreamer]

8. Been through several.. never minimize them.

WEnt through quite a few in my life, in the 50's one came when I was about 7 and hit at night.. the whole house shook for about 12 hours, chimneys fell over the roof leaked like a seive.. we were without power for about 10 days, debris and trees down all over the place..

A very scary time for a little boy, and as an adult have seen a few more and they scare me as well..

[unc70]

82. Where we're you?

Sounds like my experience on southeastern NC.

[HooptieWagon]

9. I have surfed during two,

and was aboard a small sailboat during another. Haven't been directly under the eye, though.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. David and Hugo 1979 and 1989 San Juan PR. nt

[MgtPA]

11. Hurricane Donna (1960) was the first that I remember

But Agnes (1972) was the most memorable

[Nay]

36. Yep, Donna was my first as well. We lived in Redington Beach and had to evacuate inland. I've

been in every FL hurricane from 1950-1973, and then the last two hurricanes here in VA. (Irene and ....).

[SouthernLiberal]

87. Donna was my first as well.

I was very small. I mostly remember my mother being worried because my older brother's school was not letting the kids out early, so they could be home before the hurricane arrived.

I was living in NJ when Agnes came, but all she had left us was rain. Lots and lots and lots of rain. I recall that a little stream near by, that was usually just two or three feet wide, flooded over it's banks, until it spread over 150 feet to lap at my front steps. I don't know how far it spread on the other side, but I suspect less, because the land sloped upward much more steeply on that side.

[csziggy]

124. Same for me - I was 8 years old

My Mom was in Alabama where her mother was dying. Dad was home with the four of us girls - 14, 12, 8 and 4 years old. As the first part of the storm passed over, the windows on one side of the house started leaking and Dad was afraid they would blow in. When the eye passed over, he went out to the detached garage to get some wood to nail over the windows.

I remember him telling my oldest sister that if he didn't come back, DO NOT come looking for him. He told her to get us all into a closet and to stay there no matter what if he was not back before the wind started again. I was so scared that Dad would not get back safely.

[B Calm]

12. Rode out several of them in the Navy. Had

one captain take the ship 100 miles off course to ride one.

[hfojvt]

13. I believe we were in the edge of one in the 1970s in DC

The rain was unbelievable, and we were driving in it.

[Trailrider1951]

15. Alicia, Houston, August of 1983

I was living west of town, just east of the little town of Katy. The eye passed right over my house. That was some freaky shit when the wind and rain stopped for about 20 minutes, and then let loose again. We were without power for two days, two weeks in some places. I remember that it blew out a bunch of windows from the skyscrapers downtown. There was 6" of broken glass covering some of the streets. Even a Cat 1 is nothing to mess with.

[chieftain]

17. I have check marks against all items on my natural disaster bucket list.

1957- Ruskin Heights Tornado
1989- Hurricane Hugo
2004- Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne
2011- Hurricane Irene and DC Earthquake
2012- DC Derecho

I do not want to add to this list.

[nolabear]

18. Betsy and Camille, and by a whole bunch of relatives' proxy, Katrina.

It's a way of life, but Camille and Katrina are things you just can't fathom, much less prepare for.

I hope my little stretch ofthe coast is okay this time.

[NOLALady]

40. Hi Neighbor,

Stay safe!

[revolution breeze]

122. I understand the by proxy!

My ex MIL andFIL flew home from Seattle to NOLA the day before Katrina (thye had been visiting me). My mom, sister, and best friend (not to mention most of the people I went to high school with) were all here. I was at Naval Base Everett with a girl from Chalmette who was talking to her mom just before communication was lost. We were both glued to the television and internet grasping at every bit of news we could get. It was days of no sleep! Those phone calls from home when phone service was restored were like angels singing.

[spin]

19. I was on the outskirts of hurricane Charley in 2004. ...

http://www.mthurricane.com/hurricane_charley.htm

Charley was a strong Cat 4 hurricane but fortunately the most damaging winds were limited to a small area near the center. I was about 40 or 50 miles from the eye wall.

[BlueNinja]

20. I think back to 1995???

Either '95 or '96 since I've been in this bastion of democracy. lol

The worst I personally went through was Charley which was 2004. Couldn't get back on the island for over a week - talk about suck. Thankfully I'm no longer near the water although with the crappy way our house was built I might as well be as our little courtyard gets flooded every freaking time it rains. *sigh*

[MANative]

22. Three of them...

Gloria, Hugo, and Irene.

[OriginalGeek]

23. I've lived in Orlando for nearly 30 years

so I've seen at least some rain and wind from most every one that hit Florida during that time. Charley was the only one that actually inconvenienced me - no power for a week and change. But my in-laws live about 7 miles from us and they had power after the first day so we spent most of that week over there. My friend had a tree fall through his house and he's still rebuilding...I mean, he got the important stuff fixed right away to make the house livable but he does all the work himself and has been fixing little things ever since.


And as if letting them come to me wasn't enough, I drove into Hurricane Georges in 1998 because I had tickets to see Page and Plant in New Orleans..but fortunately that turned out to not be so bad. And the show was great.

[Pab Sungenis]

25. Been through many.

David and Frederick (1979), Gloria (1985), and Floyd (1999) were the big ones.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Got caught in the tailend of a typhoon on a LST.

They gave us empty coffee cans to barf in.

[quaker bill]

27. I now have 6 under my belt

Charley was the worst I have been through. The eye went over my house at Cat 2. We were lucky because the 6 large oaks around my house all fell into the street when they all, or any of them could easily have landed on the house. The rest were all Cat 1. I will sit here for another Cat 1, but will move to shelter before sitting out another Cat 2. Sitting there listening to large stuff bounce off the roof while the windows shook and some blew out. Not my cup o tea.

[ncgrits]

28. Fran, 1996. 8 months pregnant.

Nuf said.

[NCarolinawoman]

123. Fran for me, as well.

We lost 27 trees in our yard. Many huge pines just snapped in two. Amazingly, none hit our home.

Now if I had been pregnant, well that would have been difficult, to say the least. I still remember the heat and humidity the next day, and driving up to the fire department in Raleigh where they were handing out ice.

[treestar]

29. Only Irene, which was prepared for but turned out mild for us

This season so far looks benign. Only Gordon became a hurricane and was out in the middle of the ocean.

[Zalatix]

30. Been through one in California, but no one wanted to call it that.

I believe sustained speeds were that of a Cat-1 hurricane, not to mention the gusts. It was bad enough that you didn't even think of driving in it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2008_Western_North_American_storm_complex

Widespread hurricane-force wind gusts were reported across most western states with winds reaching speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h) or more. The highest reported wind gusts were 165 mph (260 km/h) in Tahoe City, California. Waves were reported as high as 37.7 feet (11.5 m) offshore from Washington State, and pressure fell to 28.30 inHg (958 millibars) - the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.

[RebelOne]

31. Been through more than I can count.

I am 73 years old. My parents moved to Miami in the late '40s, so I have seen my share of them. I now live in the Atlanta, GA area and am not safe from hurricanes and tornadoes.

[Katashi_itto]

32. I just moved to New Orleans....not yet...give it time...

[Major Nikon]

33. Hurricane Elena 1985

I've also done cleanup work via a volunteer organization I work with for both Hurricane Ike and Rita. So I didn't ride them out, but I was there within hours and lived through all the power outages, water and food shortages, etc.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

35. Erin made landfall and came through Oklahoma...

...and started to REFORM over the plains. It was the weirdest storm ever. I feel like I've been through at least a Cat 1 storm. It was crazy!

[NOLALady]

37. My first

Hurricane Flossy 1956. I think Hurricane Audrey, the following year was worse than Flossy.

Betsy, Camille and Katrina are the worst in my memory.

Hubby just came home with containers of gasoline for the generators, just in case. He said there were mobs of people at all of the stations.

[superpatriotman]

42. They're costly in damages

yet a boon to local economies (and a handful of big box retailers - Home Depot, etc.)

Disaster economy.

[KG]

38. Kate -85 - living n so. GA - no power for 19 hours.

then the quadfecta of 04 - Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. no major inconvenience from those...

[csziggy]

125. I forgot about Kate

The eye came right over us here in North Florida. we were in the middle of building a new barn - had the frame up and half the tin. No damage at all to it!

Our power was out nearly a week and even with our big water troughs we were running out of water for the horses and to take into the house to flush the toilets. I loaded a bunch of 55 gallon drums into the horse trailer, drove to a friend's where power had been restored, filled all the drums, drove home, siphoned water into the troughs, and saved one to get water at the house for the toilets.

The power came on right after I parked the trailer next to the house.

[TBF]

39. We evacuate - but yes we deal with the aftermath

when we return. Neighborhoods with empty store shelves and gas stations ... refrigerators that you have to re-stock after the power has been out a week or more etc ... even evacuating is work when you have to come home and clean up.

We've been in Texas since 2003 - Rita and Ike were the ones so far that we evacuated.

Now that our kids are older and we have 2 dogs we may well try to stay put.

[NightWatcher]

43. Ivan destroyed my ex-inlaws house. Gulf Breeze, FL

We were in "survival mode" living off MRE's and warm bottled water while biting flies feasted on us for three days till we found a place to move them into.

[flamingdem]

44. Havana a decade ago

It was very loud and roofs were blowing off - had a good time up all night waiting to evacuate at a little rum party.

[superpatriotman]

60. That's how they do it in the Keys, too

Get rowdy, and get fitshaced!

[flamingdem]

74. ha ha the Keys and Cuba

have a lot in common! Someday there will be a ferry again.

[Lugnut]

45. The first hurricane I remember was Hazel in 1954.

It was very frightening for a nine year old.

[nenagh]

127. Hi, I remember Hazel also.. My Dad drove the family to an auction for some reason...

Driving home in the dark, in torrents of rain, there was a low-lying bridge overflowing with water that we needed to cross..

My Dad gunned the car, water everywhere, got part way across the bridge when the car was pushed towards the edge..Mother screamed "John, we're going off the road" ...

The car damn near swam down the river.. but finally, thank God we gained traction and cleared the bridge and up the road to home..

There was extreme silence in the car... the floor of the car was very wet.. and I shall never forget it..

Now, I wonder why on earth he took a chance with the lives of the whole family.

I was about the same age as yourself ..

[Speck Tater]

46. Irene in NC in 2011.

My first visit to N.C. and what should greet me there? It was "interesting", but I'm glad I don't live where hurricanes can happen.

[no_hypocrisy]

47. Gloria. 1986 I think.

I drove furiously, trying to beat Gloria before she hit.

My mother was on the eastern tip of Long Island. She called me at work to tell me that her car had a hole in the gas tank and she couldn't drive. The eye of the hurricane was due to hit during the night where she was.

I jumped in the car, drove 2-1/2 hours out to rescue her. I got there and she was glad to see me but not for what I expected. She said, "You're in time for the Hurricane Party". I thought she was kidding. She wasn't.

I asked her why did she tell me about the gas tank and the hurricane, what was I supposed to think?

I lost my temper, yelled at her, and told her I was driving back to Jersey in 30 minutes and I didn't care whether she was in the passenger seat when I left. (No, I didn't mean it. I was trying reverse psychology.)

So yes, she joined me. We went through furious rain storms, backed up traffic, and it took us more than four hours to return to Jersey. I was afraid of driving due to the strong rain (going sideways). And yes, the eye did hit where she was, so I'm not sorry I did it.

[superpatriotman]

48. The responses versus views is pretty high?!

I guess DU is Hurricane Headquarters!

[applegrove]

49. Hurrican Juan in 2003

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Juan

[Posteritatis]

89. That one was a bit of a ride. Pretty sure it was aiming directly for my house. (nt)

[applegrove]

110. I actually went for a walk just before it hit landfall. I went to the Halifax waterfront.

Last edited Sat Aug 25, 2012, 09:55 PM - Edit history (1)

which wasn't where it was supposed to hit landfall but did. When it was blowing so hard it hurt when the rain hit me, I went for home. Found the cat inside my apartment begging me to get into the closet with him.

[Posteritatis]

116. I was on the other side of the harbour watching the town lose a good third of its trees

Actually had to be out in it briefly, which I'll put on my list of experiences I don't regret having but would very much rather not repeat.

[applegrove]

121. Yeah. I lived near the train station and walked around after Juan. Very old trees all uprooted.

Very sad.

[Kingofalldems]

50. 1954 ---Don't remember the name.

[11 Bravo]

66. If you were along the Eastern seaboard, it might have been Hazel.

[Kingofalldems]

76. That's it. DC area.

[crimson77]

51. Hurricane Gloria, I was 9 and had the time of my life.

Jumping off the fences trying to fly, fun stuff.

[MADem]

52. Hurricanes and tai-funs, by the score! nt

[fleur-de-lisa]

53. Betsy, Camille, Hugo, Irene . . .

and although I had moved north by the time Katrina hit, my parents and sister were heavily impacted by it. Couldn't even reach them for almost a week to make sure they were okay.

[nolabear]

136. Me too Fleur. It was unbelievable.

I still just can't think of any way to describe it.

[barbtries]

54. just barely

hanna in i think 2008 or 2009 flooded the lake near my apartment. i had a friend who lost everything to Ivan.

[BumRushDaShow]

55. Many Tropical Storms or remnants except Hurricane Cosme

in 1989 while on vacation in Acapulco. That was the one that started in the Pacific, crossed Mexico, and re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico -






after which, it eventually became the 1st named storm in the Gulf as Tropical Storm Allison (since back then, they distinguished the storms between Pacific vs Atlantic and didn't carry over the names) -



After that, they started keeping the name no matter the origin, if it continues on into a different ocean.

What was wild was that in Acapulco Bay, it was relatively protected (and about 50 or more ships had taken cover in the bay as it was approaching). And other than alot of rain, wind, and lightning (along with a power outage), we were unscathed. However on the other side of the hills that surround the bay, the flooding was horrible and something like 30 people died.

Do remember some pretty rough TS's (meteorological based on the winds by the time it reached here) - Agnes, Floyd, and last year's Irene.

[Ghost in the Machine]

58. Hurricane Andrew survivor here, too...

I lived in Florida City... and didn't evacuate.. It was a hell of a ride, a day I would love to forget, but never can.. still carry the scars from it..


Peace,

Ghost

[onestepforward]

59. Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008.

With Rita, we lost electricity for 4 days and it was terribly hot. Everyone in my neighborhood had some level of heat-related illness. The water in my 55 gallon fish tank got so hot that I lost fish.

After Ike, we lost electricity for 8 days, but it was much more bearable at the beginning due to a cool front. Toward the end, it got hot too.

It's amazing that such simple things, like ice, become so valuable.

[superpatriotman]

62. And it feels only a meal or two from mayhem?

That's how it seems here.

[onestepforward]

138. The mayhem was before the hurricaine

at the grocery stores where shelves were stripped bare of all non-perishable items.

After the hurricane, we all helped each other and were fairly patient. The heat was the greatest enemy.

[longship]

64. Hazel - 1954

My family was visiting NYC on vacation by car. I was 6 yrs old. All I remember was my father driving our 53 Ford at night and a whole lot of rain. We were on the way home and I don't remember where we were. My father was a very careful and competent driver. But I do remember that I was a bit frightened by it.

[sandyshoes17]

67. Same here

Andrew and on

[dixiegrrrrl]

68. I must share this, I think a few folks will relate...

When I moved to Ala 1986, people would "date" events by Hurricane Frederick..
"that was before Frederick"
"that happened a couple of years after Federick".
Frederick was a very frequent reference in conversation.

I was not experienced in hurricanes at the time (altho VERY expereinced with Pac. NW storms that got up 120 mile gusts)
Then Ivan hit in 2004, directly where I live now ( I was out of state and missed it)
and now down here conversations are marked as "before Ivan" and "after Ivan".
And people around here actually get mad if I am stupid enough to say " I was gone and missed it".

[NOLALady]

100. Yep.

Everyone here date events by before and after Katrina, or before and after "The" Storm.

[Poll_Blind]

69. All of 'em that hit southern Louisiana from '72->84.

I live in the northwest now. I try to explain to my 10 year old son what it's like to have your house flooded on a pretty much yearly basis with up to a foot or so of water. It's tough to get that concept across to someone who's never experienced it.

I grew up with people talking about Betsy. I just looked on YouTube and managed to find footage of Betsy's impact on Chalmette (where I lived):

PB

[mmonk]

70. Too many. I live in North Carolina and am 56 years old.

[steve2470]

71. been through every damn hurricane/tropical storm to pass Florida since 1958....

of course I only remember the ones since 1969 !

[tosh]

72. Kate, 1985, was the first of quite a few for me.

This Isaac is coming right to me!

[The River]

73. Too Many To Count

Hazel was my first. Donna & Agnes. Hugo damn near took out my newly constructed
dam. Isabel ruined my Outer Banks vacation. I missed Camile which ravaged
central VA, but rode out a few typhoons in the South China Sea during the same
time period. To add insult to a lack of injury, I was too close to ground zero
during last years Virgina earthquake!

I'm preparing to move and will probably end up in a soon-to-be discovered
meteor impact zone.

[superpatriotman]

77. I hear the desert is nice

Perhaps there.

[Brewinblue]

75. Andrew

in New Orleans, it just missed and west to Lafayette, LA.

[nclib]

78. Hurricane Fran in 1996.

Lost power for a week and lots of damage.

[jeff47]

118. +1

[unc70]

79. Carol 1953; Hazel 1954; Connie, Diane, Ionne 1955 ...

Before 1953, they did not use people names. They used call letters like Able and Dog.

I grew up on the south coast of NC where a lot of hurricanes come ashore. Have been through the eye of quite a few, including one that supposedly did not make landfall. Ha!

Hazel and Fran were probably the worst. The three on top of each other in 1955 were really bad, two in one week. Floyd flooded more homes and for longer than any storm except Katrina.

I think in 1955, we were without power two weeks, just got it restored when third storm took it out again for several more weeks. Rain totals 15-20 inches in each of three storms.

I started posting my forecast for Isaac early this morning.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021197895

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

80. Elena 1985, and Hazel 1954

Scary things.

[ewagner]

81. September 1960

Hurricane Donna in Florida. Winds were pretty noisy! Lost power and water for about a week...severe flooding along the ST John's River


Several near-misses..one in Jacksonville destroyed my grand-father's boat house.

Was in Maryland last year for TS Irene...lost power for 24 hours but no significant damage.

[Akoto]

83. I'm 27, lifelong Floridian, so quite a few. Lost the house I grew up in during Jeanne. n/t

[RKP5637]

84. Hurricane Donna, Hazel and Gloria. n/t

[mcar]

85. Andrew here

Scary experience.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

86. How about a typhoon?

Went through one of them when stationed on Okinawa and I was in the Navy.

[txwhitedove]

88. Katrina in Bay St. Louis, considered ground zero. She killed my truck, town, the bridge, so I had

to move back to Houston. My youngest daughter was living in Cameroon. She and son-in-law rented a big truck and rolled into The Bay armed for anything - they'd been watching all the horror videos on CNN. I actually work with people who think hurricanes aren't so bad. Try hours of screaming wind and rain, watching the trees bending more and more being stripped, falling on houses around you, the siding and roofs peeling off, then it suddenly gets somewhat quieter - but you see the water is not in the bay but rising in the yard at the top of the hill, to the house, over the cars.... Before that, we lived through Alicia in Galveston, but that was minor compared to Katrina. Then Ike in Houston was the last big one.

[DearHeart]

90. Hurricane Alicia 1983-Houston

[skip fox]

91. I've lived in southwestern Louisiana for 30 years. I've sat through all of them.

[QC]

92. Ivan and Dennis. n/t

[Are_grits_groceries]

94. Remember Hazel first in SC.

Then there were many of varying degrees until HUGO! After that, they all seem tiny even though I know they are very dangerous.

I don't remember a time without thinking about hurricanes during the season because Hazel is literally one of my first memories.

[ananda]

95. Been through several.

They're really horrible, but I fear tornadoes a lot more.

[NashvilleLefty]

96. I was in St. Croix when Marilyn hit.

Most people on the mainland don't remember it, but the headlines read "Marilyn HAMMERS Virgin Islands". According to Wikipedia "Hurricane Marilyn was the most powerful storm to hit the Virgin Islands since Hurricane Hugo of 1989."

The lasting impression I got was of the American tourists whining and crying afterwards, while the natives just shrugged it off, picked up their brooms, and started cleaning up.

[NutmegYankee]

97. Gloria, Bonnie, Isabel, Irene

Irene last year knocked out my power for 7 days.

[Incitatus]

98. a few

There was never serious damage to my homes, just the inconvenience of losing power for days.

[Care Acutely]

99. I got Hurricane Fran for my birthday in '96

Worst birthday present evah.


(taken on my birthday)

[malaise]

101. Gilbert 1988

Ivan 2004; Dean, and a few others

[DonCoquixote]

102. Frances, Ivan, Charley

And I hope we survive this one as well.

[Dawson Leery]

103. Gloria, September 1985.

[Throckmorton]

104. Every one to hit Connecticut since 1962.

Plus Andrew in Florida in 1992, wasn't very bad in Juno Beach.

[Sedona]

105. Andrew...1992, blew me all the way to Sedona, Arizona

before the next hurricane season started. I don't need to see that shit more than once.

[AsahinaKimi]

107. Never.. but would you take the 1989 Earthquake? no?

*sad face* That was traumatic enough for one life time.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

108. I was in a hurricane at sea

It was on the RMS Queen Mary sailing back to New York from Europe in the summer of 1966. A hurricane strayed far north that year and we sailed right into the heart of it off the east coast of the U.S. The sky was really ugly in the hours before we entered it, all black and orange. The Queen Mary was an enormous ship but it was tossed back and forth like a rowboat. You could hear the loud roar of the propellers as they came out of the water when a huge wave hit and at times the floor became nearly perpendicular and I thought we were going to capsize. The walls would creak loudly as if all the rivets would come undone. The ship stopped serving meals and everyone seemed to be confined to their cabins in bed, trying not to crash into the walls. It lasted for much of one day and the worst took several hours to get through. I believe that it was a hurricane named Becky but I'm not sure.

[Catherine Vincent]

114. That must have been frightening for you and the passengers

I guess back then cruise ships didn't proceed around hurricanes like they do now.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

139. Back then they weren't just cruise ships

They were as likely to have people on board trying to get to Europe or to America out of necessity, as to vacation. Not all people were thrilled with flying (like my mother). Ships crossing the Atlantic with passengers like the SS United Sates, SS France, RMS Queen Elizabeth, or Queen Mary had tight schedules and bookings months in advance from which they couldn't afford to deviate.

[Catherine Vincent]

109. I've been through 3 hurricanes (Carla, Alicia, Ike) & 1 tropical storm (Allison) that was horrible

The first hurricane was Carla even though I was a 9 month old baby. Next it was Hurricane Alicia in August 1983. Was without power for 11 effing days! The second was the most recent Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Had to put up a new roof and fencing and very costly for most SE Texas residences.

The one TS that was the worst I've seen was TS Allison in June 2001. I've seen flooding in this area often but this was the worst flooding I've ever witnessed. Just horrible.

[maddezmom]

111. only one with a direct hit - Ike

but between of preparing and hosting family due to others, I'd say I've been through my share.

[Cha]

112. Iniki 9/11/92 on

Kaua'i! First and only.. Boy, how we bonded!

"Iʻiniki meaning "strong and piercing wind&quot [1] was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi in recorded history. Forming on September 5 during the strong El Niño of 1991–1994, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during the 1992 season. It attained tropical storm status on September 8 and further intensified into a hurricane the next day. After turning to the north, Iniki struck the island of Kauaʻi on September 11 at peak intensity; according to a report[1] by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Iniki had sustained winds of 160 mph (257 km/h), which is a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the first hurricane to hit the state since Hurricane Iwa in the 1982 season, and the first major hurricane since Hurricane Dot in 1959. Iniki dissipated on September 13 about halfway between Hawaii and Alaska."

More..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Iniki

[greytdemocrat]

113. Yes

Hurricane Bertha, direct hit on St. Thomas.

Hurricane Charlie. Punta Gorda. I was in Sarasota.

Hurricane Ike. (Leftovers of it.)

[Honeycombe8]

115. More than one. I'm from La. nt

[revolution breeze]

117. Hurricanes Georges and Gustav

Family was here during Katrina, I came back a year later.

[revolution breeze]

120. Almost forgot Elena in 1985 n/t

[CK_John]

119. 2 big ones, 56 on a camping trip north of NYC (Caroline), and off Cape Hatteras in 59 on USS Boxer

[Systematic Chaos]

128. Hurricane, then Tropical Storn, then TD Alberto in the late spring of 1982, in Cape Coral, FL.

We spent the night the storm approached at the home of some good friends in town, and woke up the next morning to a light breeze with heavy, cloudy skies. It was a mean rain event for a day but otherwise a disappointment when you're a 12-year-old hoping to see the trees sway and the streets full of water for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Alberto_(1982)

[CreekDog]

129. Irene last year, though it didn't seem as severe as many west coast storms I've been through

in New Jersey.

[bottomofthehill]

130. Out of my house for 2 months after Hurricane Isabel

I have lived through many, but the worst for me was Isabel. I was in Northern VA, hardly prime hurricane location, but I ended up with the Potomac River in my front yard.

[VenusRising]

131. Hurricane Fran.

I was so hungover the next day.

[kentauros]

132. Alicia was my first

although my mother says Carla was. However, from what I've read, I don't think Houston got much of Carla (it hit Matagorda Island, way south of here.) I'd have to ask my father, seeing as how I wouldn't have been more than six months old at the time

In recent years, I sheltered in place for Ike, and I doubt I'll do that again, despite being high enough to not have flooding problems. It's the winds that are far scarier. There are some good videos on YouTube of the wind noise from Ike is you want to hear it. I don't anymore.

And though they aren't hurricanes, Tropical Storms can be deadly, thanks to torrential rainfall. I've survived two of the worst, TS Claudette and TS Allison. The latter was the first Tropical Storm to have its name retired due to the excessive flooding. TS Claudette is also know for the highest amount of rainfall in a 24-hour period (43" according to the NHC.)

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/

[jorno67]

133. Katrina and Rita

in Baton Rouge.

[virgdem]

134. I've survived several hurricanes and typhoons...

starting with Donna in 1960 and through several hurricanes and 6 typhoons while stationed in Guam (located in typhoon alley in the Western Pacific). None of them was any picnic to live through.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

135. Carla, Ike and TS Allison.

One shingle got rubbed off of our roof in Pasadena, due to a tree rubbing on it, in 1961. No power outages.

TS Allison was unbelieveable. I saw footage of Buffalo Bayou overflowing and flooding the basement of Channel 11, the CBS affiliate, live on TV.

Hurricane Ike, 2008, I was in my house in Houston. I stayed up all night, walked around with a flashlight, heard the wind and trees falling, and shook.

A large oak tree in my front yard fell, and landing between my house and the neighbor's house. It was directly in front of my house and fell at an angle and left an 8 foot hole. There was more wind than rain. The power was off for over a week. There was no ice available at the stores. I had a gas range so I could heat up water to have a sponge bath, at least. My refrigerator died from the power surges.

When Rita hit, it was going to the east, to make landfall at Orange, on the LA border, but the media whipped everyone into a frenzy, telling us it was going to make a direct hit on Houston. It did not. I did not get sucked into the panic. Most people got on the freeway stuck in traffic leaving town. Several people died from heatstroke and dehydration. I thought it was quite irresponsible for the Houston media to do that. Rita was a couple of weeks after Katrina in 2005.

I was in Fresno CA during Hurricane Alicia in August of 1983. I was there because a friend of mine's sister got married in Yosemite National Park. It was a beautiful place, but unfortunately my "friend" decided to scream and yell at me and after we got back to Fresno I moved into a motel, where I saw on CNN a fence blowing away at the corner of Westheimer and Waugh, where Mary's Bar is. That was just a couple of blocks from my apt. in Montrose.

I learned to not go on a trip with a woman whose family was terribly dysfunctional and all screamed and yelled at each other.

[kentauros]

137. I know everyone in Houston goes on and on about TS Allison

but I think that's because it happened to Houston more than the surrounding areas. TS Claudette dumped record amounts of water on the southern side of Houston and towns in Galveston County back in 1979. We lived in the Clear Lake area at the time, and I remember it well.

The rain went like this: three days of steady rain, nothing really heavy, yet never-ending, no gaps or stoppages. And then on the fourth day, full-on heavy downpour for 24 hours. It's no wonder Alvin recorded the highest rainfall ever reported in a 24-hour period (43" !!!) I don't know what we received, but would guess it was at least in the 30s.

Everything was flooded, including houses just down the street from where we lived, on a lake surrounded by Clear Creek. As it went over its banks, it flooded all the houses along Nassau Bay Lake's shores. Of course, it also flooded everything along its route, much like White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou did with TS Allison.

I've had a hard time finding images from that flood, but here's one of 45 S flooded at FM 518:





More information about TS Claudette: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/claudette1979.html

[Scuba]

140. Do typhoons count?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ora_(1972)

[raccoon]

141. Gracie, 1959. we lived about 45 miles inland, SC. Lost power for

three days. I was a kid but I remember well hearing the trees being uprooted.

Gracie tore down a lot of trees.

[Marrah_G]

142. Been through a few here in Eastern Mass

First one I remember by name was "Gloria".

[davidpdx]

143. I've been through two typhoons in South Korea with a third on the way...

Kompasu in 2010 was a Category 2 and Khanan a month ago that was a tropical storm. Currently Typhoon Boloven is headed toward Korea and could be a Category 2 or 3 at landfall.

[Thinkingabout]

144. I greeted Betsy, Hilda, Alisha, Allison and Ike, enough for me