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Preparing for Isabel?

Bonker asks: "Hurricane Isabel has been categorized as a Class 4 hurricane by the the National Hurricane Center. It's expected to grind somewhere into the U.S. East Coast sometime this evening. The Carolinas, Virginias, and even Maryland are in states of high tension. If you live in an area threatened by Isabel, what are you doing to protect your own or your company's data and computer hardware from Isabel?"

17 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Virginia_s_? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Somehow I kind of doubt that west virginia is really all that concerned.

  2. My Disaster Management Protocol by Dr.+Bent · · Score: 2, Funny

    RUN AWAY!!!!!!

  3. Due date is off by Harik · · Score: 3, Informative

    ... One, it's a cat3. Two, it won't hit the east coast till Thursday. So, I guess what I'm doing to prepare is taking an extra two days to get everything done right.

    1. Re:Due date is off by von+Moltke · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually no, the 5PM EST advisory downgraded it. Still, it was only 20 minutes after.

    2. Re:Due date is off by wildzeke · · Score: 2, Funny

      Cat 3 is fine for phone lines. But for networking you really should use Cat 5 (or Cat 6).

  4. Full disaster plan by karrde · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Location: Virginia Beach
    Backups: Check
    Backup Server: Check
    Natural Gas Generator: Check
    Backup Network paths to PA office: Check
    Private Company plane fueled and ready to go to PA office: Check

    And while this may sound tounge in cheek, I'm 100% serious.

  5. Yes, West Virginia, too ... by rebill · · Score: 2, Informative

    West Virginia might be inland, but the projected storm track puts the eye of the storm as far west as Charleston, WV.

    Category 3 over the ocean, Category 2 over North Carolina, Category 1 over Virginia, Tropical Depression (and tornados) over West Virginia.

    --

    Chivalry is not dead, it's just frequently misspelt. - M. Langley

  6. Living directly in its path.... by FreeLinux · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I am making plans for the safety of my family and home. The systems under my resposibility will be of little importance if this hurricane comes withing 200 miles of my home.

    Backup and contingency plans need to be made well in advance of a natural disaster. If you haven't made such plans already, it is likely too late for them now, at least for this event.

    But, the things you may come to realize, should you ever experience a major disaster, might surprise you. The first and most shocking thing is that there is no amount of planning or preparation that will withstand the likes of a major hurricane. The next not so surprising thing is that after such an event, people are generally more interested in the tangible aspects of life, internet and network type resources are of little or no importance for several days after such a catastrophy. Food, water, shelter suddenly become much more important and much harder to find. And the least surprising thing of all, that most people don't realize until after such a disaster is that people come first. Family and friends are of the greatest importance.

    So, if you don't already have backup and contingency plans in place for your network, you're too late for this one. If you do, then consider this a test of your plan and hope for the best. But, most importantly, forget the network. Get yourself and your family well out of the way of this beast and you will live to rebuild your home and the network another day.

  7. I wonder about companies in Ontario and Quebec... by Dark+Nexus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...and other areas that usually don't get hurricanes.

    As it stands, Isabel stands a good chance of blowing through to that far off the coast.

    Unlike most places that may get hit by Isabel, they won't be used to preparing for hurricanes, as Ontario has (supposedly) only ever had one hurricane ever.

    --
    Dark Nexus
    "Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."
  8. The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful... by omarius · · Score: 3, Informative

    I live in Norfolk, VA and it looks like Isabel is going to hit us dead on. The present NOAA trajectory guesses have the eye passing more or less right over my house, a few clicks west of downtown Norfolk.

    Checking on Weather.com today I was struck by some ironic use of advertising (note pink arrow).

    I've got plywood cut to board the windows unless we get some good news in the next couple of days. My main concern is evacuation... i.e., I don't wanna, but it's probably not in my best interest to refuse in the event of a mandatory evacuation like the one ordered today at Ocracoke Island, NC (there is concern there of the only road to the mainland washing out).

    The Great Storm of 1933 tracked very close to Isabel's path, and was a smaller storm. The '33 storm flooded downtown Norfolk quite badly, destroyed lots of buildings and piers on the coast, and destroyed many boats and ships. In my native Mathews, that storm deposited fishing boats in the woods and was responsible for separating New Point Comfort Lighthouse from the mainland (I also believe that it separated the Hole in the Wall Beach from the mainland as well).

    Wish us luck, and ask your diety or animistic spirit of choice to spare us from excess wrath.

  9. Re:Uhm... No? by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Funny

    hey give some slack, for once we non-subscribers get the news of the future!

    .

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  10. 1st, get the cat in. Seriously. by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wen we got hit by gloria back in 80? something, there was a dog in my neighborhood that died pinned to the side of the house and pelted with crap.
    ALso, if youre worried about the wind,cover the windows you can, and criscross the rest with tape. Wont save whe window, but will help stop shards of glass from cutting you into hamburger.
    Also, look in your yard, and anything you an pick up and carry, get it inside a structure. If YOU can pick it up, so can the huricane. THink trash can coming at you at 60 miles an hour.

    Also, WATER!!. Screw the food, but youll be thirsty in hours if you dont hve fresh water. Fill up the bathtub and all the sinks if you cant get containers of it. Batteris will be worth their weight in gold, as will be small battery radio.

    --
    All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
  11. Re:What if? by von+Moltke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Would a nuclear blast have any effect on a hurricane?

    No

  12. Hurricane Recipe by computerlady · · Score: 3, Funny
    This one is missing us here in South Louisiana, but we've had more than our share and I can offer some sound advice.

    1. You should already have your tech disaster plan in place and everyone drilled.

    2. If the local authorities advise you to evacuate, do so immediately. If your boss says you have to stay, resign.

    3. Before you evacuate, secure anything around your home or business that could fly around - chairs, toys, swings, signs,etc. Also, board your windows if possible.

    4. If you get stuck in the hurricane, or once you get to the evacuation location, mix up a blenderful of Pat O'Brien's Hurricanes.

    1 oz White rum

    1 oz Jamaican Rum

    1 oz Bacardi 151 proof rum

    3 oz Orange juice with pulp

    3 oz unsweetened Pineapple juice

    1/2 oz Grenadine

    Crushed Ice

    Combine all ingredients, mix well (shake or stir). Pour over crushed ice in Hurricane glass. Best enjoyed through small straw. Garnish with fruit wedge if desired. Serves 1.

    Make a lot of that - you can do the math to fill a pitcherful. By the time the storm hits, you'll all be three-sheets-to-the-wind and it will be the most exciting and fun weekend you've ever had. At least, that's how we do it down here.

    --
    computerlady - a brand new Slash-daughter - alone, but no longer invisible, in the /. world
  13. Re:1st, get the cat in. Seriously. by von+Moltke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Generally good ideas, but taping windows is totally useless.

  14. Re:I don't by Dark+Nexus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Did you READ the link that I was talking about?

    Hurricane Hazel (which followed the same path Isabel is predicted to take) hit Ontario AS A HURRICANE.

    Not a former hurricane - it was still classified as a hurricane when it blew into Ontario. A weaker hurricane than when it had made landfall from the Atlantic, but still a hurricane. Infact, the eye of the storm had previously dissipated as it travelled inland, but REFORMED while over Lake Ontario.

    As for storm surges, Hazel caused storm surges along the waterfront in Toronto off of lake Ontario.

    Obviously, (if Isabel repeats what Hazel did) it won't be be as strong coming off the Great Lakes as off the Atlantic, but it's not something to be shrugged off, especially with an area that hasn't seen a storm even HALF that strength in almost 50 years.

    Forecasters are warning of the possiblity of Isabel repeating Hazel's path. Your attitude that it's not worth worrying about is exactly what has me concerned, if we DO see a repeat of Hazel. The damage wouldn't be as bad here as it will be in North Carolina, but it could be bad enough for someplace unused to that scale of destruction.

    --
    Dark Nexus
    "Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."
  15. Re:I still don't by Dark+Nexus · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The fact that it was still officially a hurricane when it made landfall in Canada (or it wouldn't even be LISTED on that page) rather implies that it had an eye, hurricane force winds, and storm surges. Otherwise it wouldn't be a hurricane, would it? It would be a tropical storm or even tropical depression.

    Storm surges?

    Ruffman stresses that storm surges are not unique to oceans. They can also happen on the Great Lakes. "If you have a wind blowing hard the length of Lake Ontario, you can get a storm surge in the Hamilton and Burlington area. They're not common, but they certainly have occurred," he says. "In one case, at the east end of Lake Erie, there was a sudden rise in the water in an area where people were swimming that caused a number of deaths."


    Rise in the lake's water level?

    Hurricanes are less common than storm surges in Canada, but they do occur. 81 people died after Hurricane Hazel blew across Lake Ontario in 1954. According to Ruffman, "It had a very low pressure in the centre. So, as it went across the west end of the lake - let's say roughly from St. Catharines over to Toronto - essentially that end of the lake rose because of the low pressure. Then it blew onto the land and dumped huge amounts of rain on the west parts of Toronto." According to Natural Hazards of Canada: A Historical Mapping of Significant Natural Disasters, Hurricane Hazel induced the worst flooding in the Toronto area in 200 years and caused more than $1 billion damage.
    --
    Dark Nexus
    "Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."