Hurricane ready ????
 

I hope I'm ready. After 2004 hurricane Charlie I decided to build a
shelter so I built this Quonset hut. It is heavy 18 gauge steel all
bolted together with the steel base plate that is held on the footing,
floor which is all poured at once with 1/2" anchor bolts 12"s long down
in the concrete. The rear wall has 3 shelves 4' wide of 3/4" plywood
and 2X6's to form a truss like structure to strengthen the rear wall. The
front wall and doors frames are all heavy to support the front wall. The
overhead door is hurricane rated with heavy cross bars. A 20' piece of
highway guard rail with 2 pins into the floor and 2 large bolts at the top
is placed against the center of the overhead door with a heavy wide cargo
strap from the door runners on each side, over the guard rail to pull the
guard rail tight against the door. My motor home is parked inside. There
are several generators, running water and toilet. If there is nothing else
left Tuesday I expect to see this building standing, hopefully. My main
concern is that most people left the area and no one gets hurt. G.M.

Re: Hurricane ready ????
 

G.M., your building looks to be very substantial. Please post pictures of it after the hurricane has passed through....Good luck to you....

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Here we are preparing for a major storm and you have to make me have garage envy. Not fair! :D dw

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G.M. I wish you luck! Sounds to me like that baby ain't goin' nowhere!!

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G.M.
I'm a Structural Engineer and I think you've done all you can do to protect your things. The Quonset shape is good and it appears that you have it anchored well. The worse thing that can happen in high winds is to loose doors or windows...the wind will pressurize the interior compounding the pressures the building is experiencing. That's one of the reasons roofs blow off. The most critical element of your building is the overhead door...all the wind loading is going to the two tracks and with a big door there's lots of load. It sounds like you've thought about all of this and have taken extra precautions. I'm crossing my fingers for you...please let us know how things turn out.

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A farm nearby has one that I used to pick up milk from and he told me it was guaranteed to 100mph winds. It still looks today as it did 40 years ago. Best of luck.

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pray that god likes your old fords

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I just moved after 20+ yrs from central Fl. There are times right now I just want to get in my truck and head down now to help friends prepare. Heck one friend was safe in LA and flew back yesterday just to do whatever he can.

I hope it'll just hit the everglades and not Miami (unfortunate for that wildlife area maybe it'll sling a few pythons out into the gulf). It'll slow way down once it hits land. But it'll still be a force for most of the state with all that comes with a hurricane.

I think that's a damn fine solid building that'll smile at the upcoming wind. The curved sides makes it aerodynamic! You got this!

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I put up the same thing in Maine. My concern was snow load. Hope everyone down there makes it through this ok....... Mark

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Good luck GM and God Bless all the people in the path

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Fingers crossed for you.

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Looks like Florida west coast will be hit hardest. Good luck to all Barners in the path of this storm.

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Between my house and my daughters house, we have done everything we can do to get ready. Now the wait and see what happens.

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Thanks Guys, Time of truth is nearing. G.M.

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GM,
Our hopes and prayers are for Irma to make an unpredicted turn west into the Gulf and not make a landfall. Ten years ago a hurricane was coming up the west coast and predicted to come into the Tampa area and it made a sharp turn into Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Tampa was spared but you folks in Punta Gorda took a heavy hit. I visited the area a month after and most buildings had a blue tarp for a roof. Skip's shop lost part of the roof. We have a winter home just north of Tampa and the shore is just across the road so right now it looks like it will be gone.
God Bless the folks still there.
John

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Be safe all you barners in Irma wake.

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G.M. hope it looks just like your picture 1 here following the storm, wish you and your family well, take care, be safe ............. cheers

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Best wishes, GM, to you and all others in its path.

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I hope your building is high enough above sea level. Looks like it will handle the wind.
Fingers crossed for you and Skip.

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GM come up and stay with us. I got a nice little house behind mine that you and your wife can use as long as you want it. Put that 32 you have in the hut plus your 39's also. I will pick you up at Pittsburgh Airport. Won't cost you a dime here. You can drive my 39 or what ever you want and we will go junk in every day. Anyway its my turn to treat you.

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Thanks for the offer but I'm in HoneyBrook, Pa. Until the 25th. G.M.

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We're in it too. Just about done here. Feeling okay now that I know the kids are pretty safe.

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OK GM The offer stills goes. I think of you quite often. I always think and enjoy the time we spent with you. We need to go on another Glidden tour again. That would be nice.

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Mike, are you leaving? What about Vic and Steve? I hope you all stay safe.

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I saw on Facebook that Vic has "hunkered down". Not my favorite saying, but I'm sure he can explain better. :)

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I have a condo on the top floor overlooking Charlotte harbor. the harbor
is 2 or 3 miles wide looking over to Port Charlotte. A few days ago I had
my son move the security camera from the front door and place it in the
sliding glass hurricane doors out to the porch overlooking the harbor. It
wasn't working but I just looked at it and there was a picture at 7:00 P.M.
It was getting a little dark but I could see the trees and white caps on the
water. If I don't lose power this should be interesting. G.M.

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GM Wish you and your family all the best, Your building looks as if it is well designed and built, Where are your cars ? We have been and are watching Fox news Closely,
All the best from all of us in New Zealand.

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The cars are in 3 different garages 7 or 8 feet above sea level.
If we get 10 or 12 feet they will all be wet. I'm not there right
now but even if I was there is no place to move them. Maybe
I can buy them back from the insurance company for parts??
G.M.

Re: Hurricane ready ????
 

you all stay safe over there.

GB

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Hi Gene. We are staying and have everything ready. I will be glad when this is over. Best wishes to all the other Barners.

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Steve, I wish you, GM, Vic all the rest the best down there. Stay safe! We are in Ohio at the present time. Looks like our home in Lakeland is in for a tough time though. Pat

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I just happened to think that the city of Punta Gorda contracted me
to design and build a 250 foot pier out into the harbor at Gilcrest Park
about 20 years ago. Hurricane Charlie took out all the piers except
the one I built. The telephone poles are sunk 21 feet into the ground
under the water. I also made a bunch of SS clips and brackets to hold
the beams together. The deck is 5 feet above normal high tide. This
keeps the water below from pounding up on the bottom of the deck.
The hand railing also acts as a stiffener. Charlie didn't do any damage
to it. Over the next 24 hours we will see how it stands up under Irma.
We may see some pictures on the news from the pier. G.M.

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Most of the Snow Birds are up North this time of the year. Pat if after the storm over, Barb and I can come down and help you if you need us. I have a Motor Home so let me know. I am glad you are up north.

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My brother lives in Lakeland Pat. I sure hope he survives this as they are staying put. They couldn't get out if they wanted to as there is a massive traffic jam headed north.
He has two collectable vettes in a secure trailer there, doubt they will make it but sure hope that I am wrong.
I also have a brother in Leesburg Va hospital. Have not heard anything about that area .

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So far just alot of rain and wind, almost like a hurricane outside.

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Thoughts are with you and all effected, thats a damn big storm.. Hope everyone makes it through ok..

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Just seen the hammering the Keys and Miami has received, on TV... heartbreaking stuff. Disappointing to see some "scrote" with an armful of Adidas shoe boxes, caught in the act of looting. You are always going to get those who have no quarms about profitting from the misery of others....absolute low-lifes

GB

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In sharp contrast to the civilized way the people of Japan handled the magnitude 9 earthquake and Tsunami back in 2011 - No looting, no lawlessness....

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The information received so far is no damage discovered yet. House looks
OK and electric is on. Condo is OK and other houses look good. I own some
commercial buildings around town and haven't heard from any of them. I
rent one building to Dunkin Donuts, can't contact them. Tried other DD stores
and non of them answer the phone. Could all be to busy selling donuts or
they don't have donuts or electric. All of the donuts are made at one location
out near my Quonset hut and they probly didn't have help to make them, they
start about 4:00 P.M. the day before and have about 8 large trucks that deliver
them early the next morning. It will all get sorted out shortly but at least it don't
seem like I have any problems. From the reports I got we had very little rain and
the wind wasn't that bad. No back surge yet even though the water went out and
the harbor and canals were low. The highest tide was just to the top of the sea
wall behind my house. G.M.

Re: Hurricane ready ????
 

Hey GM, glad to hear that your initial reports sound about as good as they can be! I wish the very best for all those in Florida who have had damage to their homes, lives, jobs, etc.. IRMA was one big ugly event for so many . . . will be days, weeks, months and years before many recover (some not at all).