Hurricane Flossie

[Bear Bear]

Hurricane Flossie is heading our way. I've been tracking the storm ever since it had been upgraded to a Category 4. After the latest update from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, I decided to get my butt to Walmart to buy supplies. I'm glad I went. There were a ton of people hovering around the supply section that was already set up. A local news crew was interviewing people and getting shots of the supply stuff. I'm glad I hoarded the water as soon as I got there. Within the span of 10 minutes, an entire pallet of water was gone.

As of right now, the hurricane has been downgraded to a Cat 4, but is expected to sustain it's strength until Wednesday...which is when it should by passing my island.

This morning, the eye was expected to pass 100 miles south of the Big Island. The latest up date says it has changed to 85 miles. I'm no weather expert, but I'm assuming that means it is shifting north. The Big Island is already at "Hurricane Watch" status and the mayor of that island has already declaired a state of emergency. People are getting ready, and so am I.

It's a little scary, since the Katrina tragedy. I am especially paranoid because we are in Hawaii. Should something happen, people will panic, supplies will be low, and help will take a while to get here.

Most of the time, hurricanes that are in our area dissipate quite quickly, but this one is stubborn.

 

[piggiesinpa]

Wow, well I hope it trails off and avoids you. I don't know how in the world Hawaii would plan to evacuate an entire island, they would have to pass out plane tickets or something. Keep us posted. Good luck.

 

[MotaroRIP]

I heard about that on the news, and thought about you... hopefully you're alright.

 

[Bear Bear]

Update!

The Hurricane is now a Cat3 and will be hitting the Big Island tomorrow afternoon. They are saying it has the potential to be extremely dangerous if it shifts even 1 degree to the north. They are on "warning" status and are preparing for the worst. Current winds in the hurricane are 121mph with gusts up to 150mph.

As if that isn't dramatic enough, the Big Island had 5.4 magnitude earthquake last night!

I'm pretty sure we have enough water, but we're waiting a bit before we go hoarding the food. I did pick up some stuff today, however. I think we have all the other necessities.

I have read the emergency disaster page on this website, but am a little unsure about one thing....the vitamin C tablets for the piggies. Is this like a vitamin for humans? I have a 1000mg vitamin that has:

Vit C: 1000mg
Bio-Rose blend: 36mg
Rosehips (Rosa canina)
Lemon Bioflavonoids
Hesperidin
Rutin
Other Ingredients:
Cellulose
Guar Gum
Magnesium Stearate
Silicon Dioxide
Micro-cellulose coating

Wow. I just realized how much crap is in this thing. Probably not a good idea. Are pure Vit C drops available in health food stores? I'm kind of in a time crunch, due to the hurricane coming. I expect stores to be open tomorrow, but I'm not really sure what time they will be open to since a lot of businesses will start boarding up.

 

[TX_2_Pigs]

I thought about you Bear Bear when I heard of the earthquake. Still no word on deaths/injuries/damages last I heard but it sounds like at the moment all is well with you and your piggies.

I'd love to visit Hawaii some day.

 

[luvmyzoocrew]

oh BearBear i have been thinking of you since i heard about the hurricane. hope you get through it ok. Keep us posted , if you can , and let us know you are all ok.

 

[Bear Bear]

Thank you!

About the earthquake...it happened in the southern portion of the island and there was some structural damage, but thankfully they aren't reporting any deaths or injuries. The volcano has been really active the past few months. I guess our biggest concern when an earthquake happens is not the earthquake itself, but rather the chance of there being a tsunami.

Everything is okay so far, but everyone is still trying to prepare. I'm worried about my husband's parent's house. They have been doing construction to add a second story and their roof is currently almsot non-existant and covered in tarps. My husband has been helping to secure and cover whatever they can with boards and such. I just hope the house doesn't suffer from water damage, as the ceiling leaks.

I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[VoodooJoint]

If all you have is the Vit C with all that stuff in it it will do in case you need it as a last resort.

I'm glad you took the time to read the disaster thread. Having dealt with Katrina I know that the info I put in that thread is priceless and it pays to be prepared for the worst. So many people that stayed behind found themselves woefully ill-prepared.

Good luck. Stay safe and let us know how you are as soon as you are able.

Since it came up and others may not have read it I'm putting the disaster prep thread link here https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/about-guinea-pigs/19136-disasters-evacuations-animals.html

 

[jilovecavies]

I've been thinking about you, Bear Bear, and so have House and Wilson! I'm glad you have supplies-that's really the only thing you can do. I don't think I'd give piggies that Vit. C tablet...I don't think even I would take it . But seriously, I know health stores sell vit. C tablets and liquid that you can use. I have Oxbow Vit. C tablets on hand, but I can't imagine you being able to get those.

You're a great mama, and things will work out. Good luck, Bear Bear! Definitely keep us updated and let us know if there's anything we can do!

 

[Bear Bear]

I use these vitamin tablets only when I feel a cold coming on, other than that, I'm vitamin free. That's probably not something I should be proud about, but I really hate swallowing pills the size of a small fish.

I probably won't need to use the tablets, but in case I do I was wondering how long I should wait before my piggies would need it? My veggies can usually last 3-4 days when they are refrigerated. I'm not sure how long I can keep things cold, but I plan on buying my normal amount today. Should my veggies go bad and I am unable to get more, how long should I wait before I give them the Vitamin C?

VJ- I really want to thank you for that thread. My family and I have been using the links and advice to prepare. Better safe than sorry. Katrina was terrible, but I'm glad you pulled through and are doing well.

I will definitely keep updating.

 

[Susan613]

Its a good thing to be prepared. I live in South Florida, so I know how you are feeling. About two years ago we really got hit hard with Hurricane Wilma. It caught a lot of people by surprise. We get threats every year, but it usually goes up north or down more south at the last minute and we would get wind and rain, but nothing really sever. Enough time goes by and you start to not to think so seriously about it. When Wilma hit, we got a lot of wind and then it started to pick up and got really windy and we were looking out the windows at people's roofs flying down the street. We had a shed in the backyard, which we should have took apart, but didn't and it had all of our Chirstmas decorations in it. The wind blew the shed down and everything in it went flying. After Wilma left, we walked around the neighborhood and saw Santa up in a tree. The whole neighborhood was decorated for Christmas. We had no electricity for two weeks and gas stations were closed for about a week. I learned my lesson to be prepared. You never know which way these storms are going to go. There are actually two or three storms out in the Atlantic now.
Good Luck and stay safe!

 

[Piggersrule]

I wish you the best of luck and stay safe, keep us updated on the wether conditions.

 

[Bear Bear]

I jsut wanted to thank everyone for your concern and good wishes.

As you may or may not have heard, Hurricane Flossie went from a Cat3 to a tropical storm within the span of 24 hours. The tradewinds ripped her apart and mad sure she stayed south of our islands...

...but then yesterday, we were on a tsunami watch because of the large earthquake in Peru (it was cancelled 4 hours later). It just never stops! I really hope that's the last of it, as I am just burnt out. Hehe!

(On a side note: both my piggies have FINALLY started to enjoy their bell peppers. They are rather expensive (about $2.60 a piece) and my piggers didn't want to touch them with a 10ft pole (they've been going to waste). I find it strange, however, that BOTH of them decided to devour it last night...since they are seperated. I am now convinced that they are planning world domination.)

 

[VoodooJoint]

My heart was thumping when I heard about the Peruvian Earthquake/tsunami warning for Hawaii. Hope all stays calm.

Now send of that good luck my way. Hurricane Dean is heading towards us. It's too soon to tell what will happen but it doesn't look like he's going to take that northward turn like we hoped. It looks like he's got his eye on coming into the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[Bear Bear]

Oh I definitely wish you luck! I'll send our tradewinds your way...my piggies and I will start blowing and fanning.

GO AWAY, DEAN!!

 

[piggly wiggly]

I hope it passes you by. Everyone in an area known for hurricanes should build their houses in the shape of an igloo, than the winds can't catch on anything, and will blow around the house. Just a though from a current igloo inhabitor

 

[TwoOfaKind]

(( Hugs )) Stay Safe !! I'm in Houston, Tx, so we dealt a great deal with the aftermath of Katrina, it's just now that things are pretty much back to normal here. Then shortly after Katrina, Rita hit us here. So I know how stressful of a situation natural disaster's are. I think the worst part is that they are almost always completely unpredictable - nobody can really predict, and anything could happen (like when Rita hit us, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was supposed to be, yet when Katrina hit, it was worse then they thought it would be)

I will be sending you good vibes, and wishing that all passes over smoothly

:cheerful:

 

[VoodooJoint]

I hope it passes you by. Everyone in an area known for hurricanes should build their houses in the shape of an igloo, than the winds can't catch on anything, and will blow around the house. Just a though from a current igloo inhabitor

That won't stop the floodwaters, which is what destroyed New Orleans after Katrina. Nor would it have stopped the 4 trees that landed on my house. Even if all the houses were igloo shaped all you'd have was soggy, moldy, crushed igloos.

 

[piggly wiggly]

That is true. We don't have hurricanes or tornados, so I have never experienced it luckily. Sorry, I thought hurricanes was mostly bad wind and tore roofs off and stuff, maybe that is the tornado. I hope everyone stays safe with the upcoming weather.