Hurricane Dorian Has Florida Residents Ramping up, and These Photos Prove It
As Hurricane Dorian bears down on the south-east, Florida residents are hunkering down for what [...]
Message in the Sand
Yo #HurricaneDorian, I've sent you a short message. That's right. From me, to you. pic.twitter.com/FIk9zxWWOr
— VSW (@ChampionMyzter) August 31, 2019
On Saturday afternoon, one beach-goer shared their message to Hurricane Dorian written in the sand. They had traced the words "GO AWAY DORIAN!!!" into the shoreline, perhaps hoping to deter the storm with strong words. As funny as this attempt was, it does not seem to have impacted the projections just yet.
prevnextSandbags
Thank you to our Jeep Unit for delivering sandbags to elderly and disabled citizens who needed help preparing for #HurricaneDorian! #WeAreInThisTogether pic.twitter.com/MPR1koNba9
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) August 31, 2019
The police in Pasco, Florida organized help for the elderly and disable in their community on Saturday afternoon to make sure everyone was prepare for the storm. A small squadron of Jeep Wranglers delivered sandbags to local homes, hopefully ensuring that homes will be secure and flood-free.
prevnextFlight Path
Not hard to find #HurricaneDorian on the Flightradar24 app. #Dorian pic.twitter.com/efe70Qj8vo
— Donna Burkhart (@donna_burkhart) August 31, 2019
One air traffic expert shared a humorous look at the flight traffic over the weekend, revealing the impact Hurricane Dorian has already had on travelers. Though it did not show the storm itself, the flight app had a clear circular gap where planes were skirting around Dorian.
prevnextFireworks
News: Hurricane Dorian likely to reach category 4 before it hits South Florida
Floridians: pic.twitter.com/UAhhyy5fOO
— Flauriane🇭🇹🦋 (@__sweetnflo) August 31, 2019
In the face of disaster, people find different ways to cope, and for some Floridians, it did not actually look that different from celebrating. As the storm closed in, one user shared a clip of fireworks going off in their neighborhood, with people apparently trying th blow off steam before the water came in.
prevnextSnack Time
Preparations for #HurricaneDorian now done pic.twitter.com/fPRZ2rFuw3
— 𝓝𝓮𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓷 (@steffscully) August 30, 2019
As always with natural disasters, Floridians knew that there was a strong chance stores would be closed and supplies would be limited. Many people posted proud photos of their stashes, though these varied widely from household to household, and showed off their alcohol provisions, expecting to wait out the storm in style.
Mom waking up to noises:
Me in the kitchen eating all the #HurricaneDorian snacks at 3am: pic.twitter.com/8DyVmSuzBs
— Angel Vargas (@Angel_zcr7) August 31, 2019
Meanwhile, a whole genre of meme rose up around the fact that some people were too impatient to wait for the storm once they had all those groceries in the house. This was exacerbated by the storm's slow pace, which baffled meteorologists.
prevnextAbandoned Public Places
Good thing we made a FastPass 😂 #HurricaneDorian pic.twitter.com/hsMUgaemS2
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) August 31, 2019
Over the weekend, there were many eerie photos of public places left abandoned. This notably included Disney World and other theme parks as well as sports arenas, as people were not in the mood to pack into tight quarters given the forecast.
prevnextFlorida Residents, we’ve heard that several of you have left the east coast and headed to the west coast due to #HurricaneDorian. For those of you staying in Tampa Bay, we’d like to extend an invitation to enjoy a night of Rowdies soccer in the heart of downtown St. Pete! pic.twitter.com/hvILp1yVrI
— Tampa Bay Rowdies (@TampaBayRowdies) August 31, 2019
Strange Sights
You know the hurricane serious when Spongebob is evacuating. #HurricaneDorian pic.twitter.com/bDrlkwyvW3
— Matthew Kick (@MatthewKick) August 31, 2019
The storm brought some strange sights out into the open this weekend, especially on the road, where people were fleeing the coast if they could. One tweet showed a giant pineapple on the highway, joking that even Spongebob Squarepants was trying to get away from Hurricane Dorian.
prevnextGasoline
This is probably a bad idea.... 🤔 Lady fills buckets of gasoline in preparation for #HurricaneDorian. Hope she has a lid... pic.twitter.com/fFEImNurRl
— Brennan Prill ⚡︎ (@WxBrenn) August 30, 2019
The scramble to collect fuel while they could led some Floridians to desperate measures, including one woman who was pictured filling household buckets with gasoline.
Elsewhere, people were met with "sold out" signs on gas pumps as early as Friday, and many complained about price-gouging. There are laws in place to prevent this, but in the scramble of the storm, it can be hard for authorities to crack down.
prevnextShortages
No gas at all. No water that we can find. No propane left. No one on the streets and no boats in the marinas. It’s beginning to get real here on the ground in #ThePalmBeaches #Florida #HurricaneDorian 🌪😬🌪 pic.twitter.com/ReUvDxIWMH
— Dr Gina (@RealDrGina) August 30, 2019
Gas was not the only thing in short supply around Florida this weekend. Many people posted photos of empty grocery stories, empty pharmacies and empty restaurants. The whole community was battering down the hatches, and for some this was even more scary than the swirling grey lines on the weather report.
prevnextLatest Projection
JUST IN: Hurricane Dorian remains a major Category 4 storm, no longer expected to make landfall in Florida. https://t.co/YcziiAYRnu
-Winds up to 150 mph
— ABC News (@ABC) August 31, 2019
-Moving W at 8 mph
-May make landfall in North Carolina late next week pic.twitter.com/6eARUCOCOq
Lastly, it's worth looking at a GIF of the latest projections for Dorian's track along the south-eastern coast. Meteorologists now speculate that Dorian could side-step Florida all together, curving up to hit Georgia, South Carolina or even North Carolina. Along the way, it would undoubtedly bring stormy conditions and huge swells to these coastal communities, but the eye of the storm itself might not reach land until much farther north.
Along the way, the storm could lose strength as well. Some experts even hope to see it fall as low as a Category 2, giving the place where it lands a much better chance at weathering its effects.
Stay tuned for updates on Hurricane Dorian in the coming days.
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