Markme123 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Hurricane warning for N. Carolina coast Alex, first named storm of season, nears Outer Banks The Associated Press Updated: 9:41 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2004 CHARLESTON, S.C. - A hurricane warning was issued for the North Carolina coast Monday as Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, made its way closer to the Outer Banks. Alex had maximum sustained winds near 65 mph as of 8 p.m. and was expected to grow into a hurricane in the next 24 hours. The warning was issued for the North Carolina coast from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet. The storm was centered about 130 miles south of Wilmington, N.C. Tropical-storm-force winds extended out 105 miles from the storm center — expected to pass near the North Carolina Outer Banks on Tuesday — and the storm was moving toward the northeast at nearly 9 mph. Officials recommended Hatteras Island residents stay off the road Tuesday as gusts reach hurricane force. “We expect gale-force winds most of the day,” Dare County, N.C., spokeswoman Dorothy Toolan said. Larry Shaffer of State College, Pa., vacationing at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., wasn’t going to let brisk winds and rain drive away his family. “We’ve got the whole family here, including the kids and grandkids,” said Shaffer, 63. “If it rains, the girls will go shopping and the rest of us will go out to eat.” Although swimmers were warned to beware of strong currents, surfers tried their luck with the storm swell. “It’s been fun,” said 20-year-old Matt Stuhr after surfing at Ocean Isle Beach. “I caught some pretty good rides this morning.” Alex started as a tropical depression Saturday and spun in place off the South Carolina coast most of Sunday. By midday Monday it began moving parallel to the coast of the Carolinas. Only two hurricane seasons on record have a first tropical depression forming later than July 31. But forecasters said a late start has no bearing on hurricane activity. Boaters around Charleston were warned to be on the lookout for waterspouts. The storm brought scattered showers along the coast as rain bands spun onshore. I live on the west coast and have never experienced a hurricane in my life which I guess adds to my interest in hurricanes, but anyways, I'm curious to know if anyone here has any hurricane season stories (good or bad). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted August 3, 2004 I can tell you about a tornado or two.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 If it's just making Hurricane status when it hits, I wouldn't worry too badly about it. While I escaped Hugo when I was a kid, since we've lived in SC I've been through a few storms passing through. I think the worst thing I've seen happen in my area was we lost our power for a few days. Which sucked. The Ice Storm a couple years ago was worse than any Hurricane I've been through. Mind, I'm not downplaying Hurricanes. Hugo destroyed my grandma's trailer (though, prise God, my Aunt's trailer right next door, which was housing most of the family, was more or less unharmed). But Hugo was what? Category 5? If she's just making Cat. 1 when she gets to you, batten down the hatches to be safe and take a nap. Just not in a room under a big tree or anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cran Da Maniac 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Hugo wasn't that bad up here, tho I'm in Central NC so it probably lost a lot of steam when it hit us. It was more or less just a big rain storm when it got to us. Tho I'm sure if I lived closer to the coast it would have done a lot of damage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Hey, SP. I was in Augusta, but you can only imagine what the storm did to James Island and Folly Beach. I slept on the trip back home, woke up when we got onto James Island and didn't even recognize where I lived. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted August 3, 2004 I'm trying like hell to find a tornado worthy of pointing a shotgun at for a photograph. I want a series of me aiming a gun at natural disasters, like I'm going to stop them by shooting them. My want list: 1. Nearby Tornado 2. Tidal Wave 3. Forest Fire Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Good luck with the tidal wave one, unless you're way above ground doing it. Point a gun at a volcanic eruption. That'd look even cooler. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BX 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Point a gun at the sun at sunset. YEAH@! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Hey, SP. I was in Augusta, but you can only imagine what the storm did to James Island and Folly Beach. I slept on the trip back home, woke up when we got onto James Island and didn't even recognize where I lived. Yeah, I'm exceptionally glad that we lived in mid-Georgia when Hugo came through. I was a little kid back then and it would have likely scared the crap out of me. The damage it did to the SC coast was just amazingly dreadful. My grandmother's trailer was ripped to shreds. I vaguely remember visiting right after the Storm and her toilet being in the nearby field or something like that. Cranda: Yeah, NC got lucky with Hugo. Charleston and the Islands of SC just got wrecked. When I think of Hugo hitting that area of SC, it makes me think of the Enterprise ramming into the Scimitar in Star Trek: Nemesis. Just obscene destruction on impact. Agent: When I was a kid, Twister made me want to be a Storm Chaser. If you ever get one of those shots, I want one. Because that would be awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2004 I was only six when Hugo hit here in Charlotte, but I still have the most vivid dreams about it to this day. I just wish I hadn't been living in a 50 year old house with a sagging foundation at the time. Scariest thing that ever happened to me besides the driveby robbery and the "Willy the Whale" incident. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricMM 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Damned global warming... Worst hurricane story? Lost power last year for like 8 days. Sucked. All we did after dark was drink...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IllustriousOne 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 I lived in West Ashley when Hugo hit. The worst we got of Hugo was that we lost half a shingle, our swingset got knocked down, and we lost power. And in kind of an ironic story, we had a red dixie cup sitting on our porch ledge. When we came back, it was still on the porch, just not on the ledge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 I'm glad no hurricanes have come up here in years (since 1991), because LI would get PWNED by a hurricane. Bob wasn't too bad (my only memory of it was having the power go out while I stood in the hall with a package of Keebler's Candy Chip Deluxe). I heard Gloria was pretty bad, though. I was only a few months old at the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BX 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 My family was traveling around the country in a converted schoolbus at the time, and we were camped out in Charleston. Well, Hugo comes along, and we fucking bolted with the bus. We had started building a house, but when we came back, the fucking site was completely flooded, and no sign of the house. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Hurricane Isabel hit pretty hard here last September, but it was mostly just a lot of rain and some strong, but not blow you over strong, winds. Didn't even lose power like a lot of people did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Good luck with the tidal wave one, unless you're way above ground doing it. Point a gun at a volcanic eruption. That'd look even cooler. A slow moving lava flow is actually what I'd want with that. The tornado's just a matter of time. SP, anyone with the time can go storm chasing..all you need is something fast, and a storm. It's a really dangerous good time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Sucked. All we did after dark was drink...... So how was that any different? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stephen Joseph 0 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Last year we caught the remnants of one here. It rained. The city was shut down, due to rain. Pretty lame Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
