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Preparing for Isabel? 67

Posted by Cliff from the testing-your-disaster-plans dept.
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?"
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Preparing for Isabel? More

Preparing for Isabel?

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  • Virginia_s_? (Score:2, Funny)

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

    • West Virginia might be inland, but the projected storm track [weather.com] 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.

      • Some cynical part of me thinks it's nature's payback time at the white house.

        Although, NOAA has a lot [noaa.gov] of nice pictures, what I'd really like to see is a real-time vector analysis of the wind on the coast.

  • Make sure your offsite backup is up to date...
  • RUN AWAY!!!!!!

  • Due date is off (Score:4, Informative)

    by Harik ( 4023 ) <Harik@chaos.ao.net> on Monday September 15, 2003 @05:29PM (#6968108)
    ... 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.

  • Screw the hardware! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Protect yourself! Dead sysadmins can't fix anything.
  • Probably not have time to log in to /. and read and post messages about it if I'm someplace that's really gonna get blasted.

    Other than that, if I'm in a decent, sturdy building that's not low-lying and could get flooded - check my backups. And then make one more set just in case.

    Oh yeah, and make a set of backups and check that they're good.

    Arrange for somebody to shut everything down if it gets really bad or the power or connectivity goes ( which it probably will ).

    Oh and while I'm thinking ab
    • you might want to arrange the backups to be moved to a safe location too.

      and buy some batteries for that gba.
    • The winds have droped so it is now only a CAT 3. If you are lucky it might weaken even more.
      1 There really is not such things as a decent, Sturgy building when are are talking about a cat 4 or 5 and you are any where on the coast.
      2. Check to see if you are in a flood plain.
      3. Offsite staff and backups.
      4. Have a hurrican plan and use it. If you do not have a plan and this storm passes you by consider this a warning. Make a plan and practice it.
      Good luck to those in the path and I hope it turns east and heads
      • Sounds like the worst of all possible worlds to me.

        Do you really believe that God and evolution are both extant?

        If so, I'd like to understand how you can believe that.

        Respectfully,
        Anomaly (tom_cooper at bigfoot dot com)

  • Take backup twice a day and send out to remote location if you are in the path:

    Projected Path [noaa.gov]

  • Full disaster plan (Score:5, Interesting)

    by karrde ( 853 ) on Monday September 15, 2003 @05:35PM (#6968161) Homepage Journal
    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.

  • Living directly in its path.... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by FreeLinux ( 555387 ) on Monday September 15, 2003 @05:40PM (#6968232)
    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.
  • It's expected to grind somewhere into the U.S. East Coast sometime this evening.

    Uh, no? Every single report I've read says it won't strike the US until Thursday. Today is Monday. You do the math.

  • But after you make double copies of backups of your system, verify the UPS and backup generators work,

    make sure

    you can get to a safe place to wait out the storm.

    [Back in `86 when Gloria rode up the east coast, I stayed at work, mainly because it was one of those concrete edifices that would stand through winds a lot higher than my apartment building.

    Bring plenty of bottled water, battery-powered radios, cell phone, books to read, munchies, blankets and a pillow.

  • yawn (Score:1)

    by Zanek ( 546281 )
    I'm preparing by watching movies and coding my butt off.

  • I wonder about companies in Ontario and Quebec... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Dark Nexus ( 172808 ) on Monday September 15, 2003 @06:00PM (#6968511)
    ...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 [ec.gc.ca].
    • Big slug of warm, wet air, lots of rain; that's all Isabel will be if it gets that far inland. While it may flood some basements and ruin some farmers' crops, it's not going to be able to pack the triple whammy of rain, high winds and storm surges that makes a hurricane a threat on and near coastlines.

      • Re:I don't (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Dark Nexus ( 172808 )
        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 wat
        • Your link says more or less the same thing twice: "Most of the destruction was a result of flooding from over 200 millimetres of rain in less than 24 hours." Nothing about reformation of the eye, nothing about huricane-force winds, nothing about storm surges e.g. bringing the lake up into the city. (The low pressures in a hurricane can pull water up by 3 feet or so, and winds can push that up and in further.)

          The damage wouldn't be as bad here as it will be in North Carolina...

          I've lived through storms w

          • Re:I still don't (Score:2, Interesting)

            by Dark Nexus ( 172808 )
            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 su

            • While the continued designation of the storm as a hurricane while it was over Ontario could have been an error, I'll grant you the point. (A storm surge alone wouldn't do it; any high wind on a shallow lake would be sufficient to create one.)
  • Yeah, kinda dorky, but...

    What if the USA were to detonate one of their biggest nuclear bombs in the eye of this hurricane (or in its wall)?

    What are the comparative energies here? Would a nuclear blast have any effect on a hurricane?

    Then again, could it make it worse? I remember reading about a theory that large meteorite impacts in the ocean could trigger "hypercanes" (think really brutal hurricane) due to the superheating that would occur.
    • Well, whatever it did to the wind patterns, they'd now be carrying radioactive materials with them.

      It could probably kill millions of people. And from slow melty-like diseases, not incineration.
      • Well, duh! ;-)

        The possible human effects weren't part of the question - they should be pretty damn obvious. I for one am curious about something like this. Exactly what kind of power does a category 5 hurricane pack? Has anyone ever tried to quantify something like that, or is it just too damn big and random to even warrant a guess?

    • Re:What if? (Score:5, Informative)

      by von Moltke ( 224011 ) <wmkrug@gma[ ]com ['il.' in gap]> on Monday September 15, 2003 @07:02PM (#6969121) Homepage

      Would a nuclear blast have any effect on a hurricane?

      No [noaa.gov]

      • Thanks! That was a perfect link. (Someone give that man a mod point!) From the link:

        A fully developed hurricane can release heat energy at a rate of 5 to 20x1013 watts and converts less than 10% of the heat into the mechanical energy of the wind. The heat release is equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding every 20 minutes. According to the 1993 World Almanac, the entire human race used energy at a rate of 1013 watts in 1990, a rate less than 20% of the power of a hurricane.

        That is quite st
  • I live in Norfolk, VA and it looks like Isabel [noaa.gov] 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 [panix.com] (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 [newpointcomfort.com] 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.
  • I live pretty far inland (Raleigh, NC region), though we are in the storm's path. I hear it got pretty bad ten years ago (was that Hugo? I lived in Cleveland/Akron, OH at the time) even in this area though. Bad storms. Power outages. Trees falling on houses and cars, and even big objects getting lifted up and thrown on top of other big objects.

    Not much I can do about the heavy objects, but it's always humid so I always do what I can to keep electronics cool and dry.

    It's common sense, I think, to keep some

  • 1st, get the cat in. Seriously. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Unknown Poltroon ( 31628 ) * <unknown_poltroon1sp@myahoo.com> on Monday September 15, 2003 @06:55PM (#6969059)
    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.
  • stocking up on beer!

  • Hurricane Recipe (Score:3, Funny)

    by computerlady ( 707043 ) on Monday September 15, 2003 @07:08PM (#6969163) Journal
    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.

  • I, for one, am going to pile the DLT backups and the mail server into the Navigator and drive to Cape Hatteras for some surf and turf!


  • 1. Bend Over
    2. Place Head Between Legs
    3. Pucker Up
    4. ???????
    5. Profit!!! (If you survive).

  • We're in the Marion, Mass. and being barely above sea level, we're already preparing. Hell, the storm surge would flood our office if it was 15 feet or greater I'd hazard.

    Hurricane Bob came through here years ago, but even at a Category 2, that didn't stop it from taking dozens of large boats out of the harbor and sticking them 500-800 feet away in the field of a private school. Skycranes were rented at over $1000/hr to pull them out, and boatyards were pulling $300/hr for emergency boat rescues during t
  • ...but nevertheless very cool:

    Pictures:
    GEOS [nasa.gov]
    Space Station: one [nasa.gov] and two [nasa.gov].

    Pretty awesome.

    S

  • I live on the East Coast. we are expecting to have it come around thursday. YAY!! But our weather men up here are stupid! They say "its going to rain on the weekends but NOOO! It was as sunny as hell. With all this new technology we have i'm surprised we don't have laser that shoots at it to make it go the other way. Of course not.
  • having been through two hurricanes, Andrew in '92, and Fran in '97, I have a feel for what kind of damage they can cause. You've got several ??'s tho. One, are you just managing your office infrastructure? Are you having to keep a website and server up?

    If you're just dealing w/ your office data and infrastructure:
    make sure you have backups
    make sure you have a backup source of power for anything critical
    move everything to an enclosed room w/ NO windows
    turn off the power before you get hit. When transf

  • Having lived in SC during Hugo, and Florida during Andrew, Here are a couple of other suggested items to have on hand if you need to ride out the storm:

    1) Gasoline - without power, there won't be any way to buy gas for your car, boat, or ....
    2) Generator - a small one will suffice to keep your fridge running, a fan blowing, and a light on.
    3) Solar hot water bag - great for heating water during the day so you can get a warm shower at night. Of course, this assumes you will have...
    4) Water. Fill the tub fo
  • I wonder what RedHat [slashdot.org] is planning on doing differently for this hurricane?
  • ... it looks like buying an umbrella for your notebook computer should be enough.

    Category 5? Humph.

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