I have to say, thank you for posting this. My fiance and I got stuck in Pensacola riding out the storm, and I'm glad to know (at least vaguely) what to expect. This'll be my first major hurricane. I was in Frances when I moved to Miami from Minnesota, but I caught the tail end pissy part of it.
If this is your first major hurricane and you are "stuck" in Pensacola... if/while you still have time be sure to have your hurricane kit ready. (you know, flashlights not candles, batteries, battery-powered radio(s) and/or tvs, some kind of mre's, lots of lots of bottled water, blankets, etc. If you have computers that have battery-power and wi-fi connections, fully charge and conserve the battery.. use sparingly once the power is out, etc.)
At the current rate, Dennis is not only a "major" hurricane, but a literal monster of a major hurricane, and anyone within about 40 miles of the eyewall for the first three hours or so of landfall is going to experience something I am quite sure they will never ever want to go through again as long as they live.
Additionally, the outer rainbands may become prolific tornado-producers. Tornadoes within hurricanes are often undetectable, even by radar.
We made it through alright. There really isn't much in the way of structural damage, but we've got trees/branches down everywhere, and we lost our power about an hour after the eyewall hit (we still don't have it back). I think we most definitely lucked out with this one, as everyone was thinking it was going to be Ivan all over again.
I'm sorry to read that you are still without power. That sucks- no way to put a positive "hurricane spin" on that one. However, like you wrote, you are very fortunate to have had Dennis weaken so considerably before and during landfall. And that is the better outcome, anyway.
Hope recovery goes well for you. Stay safe! This is possibly going to be a once in a hundred year season. Literally.
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If this is your first major hurricane and you are "stuck" in Pensacola... if/while you still have time be sure to have your hurricane kit ready. (you know, flashlights not candles, batteries, battery-powered radio(s) and/or tvs, some kind of mre's, lots of lots of bottled water, blankets, etc. If you have computers that have battery-power and wi-fi connections, fully charge and conserve the battery.. use sparingly once the power is out, etc.)
At the current rate, Dennis is not only a "major" hurricane, but a literal monster of a major hurricane, and anyone within about 40 miles of the eyewall for the first three hours or so of landfall is going to experience something I am quite sure they will never ever want to go through again as long as they live.
Additionally, the outer rainbands may become prolific tornado-producers. Tornadoes within hurricanes are often undetectable, even by radar.
Stay safe!
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Hope recovery goes well for you. Stay safe! This is possibly going to be a once in a hundred year season. Literally.
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