Tropical Storm Fay Preparations

[javabean]

We're here at MGV and tropical storm Fay is on the move. We've never been away from home during something like this. What precautions and preparations should we take? Since this is developing into a TS or Category 1 storm I don't think we need to leave here and head for home, but I don't want to just stand on the balcony waiting to head out to our next dinner reservation either. The young staff that man the front desk aren't going to be much help. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Deb

 

[kjd]

The latest hurricane advisory that we got here from Collier County emergency management was to expect the storm to be in here on Tuesday morning. They have issued a voluntary evacuation for mobile homes and coastal residences west of US 41. Right now it's just a tropical storm warning (under 74 mph winds). As it moves into the Bay of Florida it could pick up intensity due to the warm water and become a hurricane. It's predicted to make landfall somewhere north of Ft Myers. That would put it on a track to be near Orlando.

Orlando is a place where a lot of coastal Floridians go when there is a stronger hurricane. It's considered inland. However, the last major storm stripped the stucco off of the downtown Marriott. The right side of the storm receives the highest winds.

This one so far is not a major hurricane so I would stay put and ride it out. There will probably be a lot of rain and it will only last for a day. It will probably be a non-event in Orlando but it's wise to monitor the storm and take some precaution. I would fill up your car and get some bottled water. You could be without electricity for a period of time.

 

[littlestar]

I, too, think you should just stay put and ride it out. We were in Orlando during Hurricane Jeanne. I think it was a Category 3 when it hit the coast and maybe a 2 when it crossed Orlando.

The Disney resorts were on lock-down. We were at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and we talked to numerous families from the Florida coast that were staying at the lodge to ride out the storm. We had family staying over at Marriott Grande Vista and their patio door leaked water during the night from the blowing winds, but that was it. Everybody just stayed in until the news said it was okay to be out and about again. Grande Vista actually moved my family the next day to a dryer room so they could suck up the water in their old room.

There were buckets in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge catching certain areas that were leaking water and they had cloths around the doors to stop water from entering. We had perfect weather the rest of the week.

 

[richardm]

Fay overblown a bit by the media!

Try and relax as much as possible! Yank out the kids playstation- grab a good book- and relax inside for the day! Even though all the theme parks are open- it will be a very wet day and they will probably close early tonight.. (Good news if you have teens that don't mind the rain and you have a multi-day pass - there shouldn't be much in the way of lines today for the best rides!)... If you simply itching to take a walk- head over to the Mall at Millennium and buy some overpriced products! Head into the nearby Ikea store if you are more budget-minded.. Young kids will probably like that better anyway...

You should expect strong winds and buckets of rain from 8pm until morning.. There will probably be some tornado warnings- but those happen pretty often when there is a storm in Florida.. This one looks like it will just last quite a bit longer than most.. You'll probably say a few extra prayers tonight when the wind starts gusting..

If you are a glutton for punishment- you'll spend the day listening to the "doom and gloom" of the local media.. The local stations haven't had any luck with getting storms yet this year- so they've been kind of starved for action and have kind of jumped at the opportunity to use all those fancy trucks and rain gear! Sorry for the drama! The high ratings they get from a storm look really good when they are pitching advertisers for commercial time (if they aren't savvy enough to cross-reference the ratings with the local events at the time...)..