Hurricane, anyone??? Hey Tom...!

[Neal]

We’re supposed to get some of it to here.

I am grateful for whatever rain we receive, but I’m also hoping to get some new tortoise pens up in the cooler weather. Hopefully we’re not flooded out.

 

[SinLA]

@KarenSoCal - Well I’m sure the guy who built my enclosure could build a night box per Tom‘s directions, but then getting it to you would be another thing. Here is what I did (for a 5” Russian so YMMV) when I planned on having a heated night box for Fezzik but in the end I decided it was easier to just bring him in at night. The heat was attracting crickets, but nonetheless this is what I did:

http://www.asldoghouses.com/doghouse-products/dp-hunter-doghouse.html (I think they have a cat version that is the same size I’m not really sure the difference). You can sometimes find these on super sale online I think I got mine for around 75 or $80. These are legit insulated dog houses. The absolute only ones I was ever able to find. All the others that claim to be insulated are really just “weatherproofed“ with tarpaper or something but not actually insulated. It’s lightweight and easy to take the top off.

it also comes with a hole for putting in a heating element and a little plug to keep the water out. fezzik taught himself to go in and out through the door and he only weighs about a pound so it’s definitely usable From that regard.

Then the second thing I did was create a barrier so he only had access to really the front half of it which I filled with substrate. The back half is where I put a chicken coop heating element, you just have to be careful to get one small enough that it fits the inside dimensions with the top on. The one I got was: 16.55"L x 12.6"W x 5.51"H. And you need to make a barrier so he doesn’t get to the heater. I used brick garden edging and bakers racks to make a wall - with the caveat that Fezzik is not a climber or all that curious.

See the photo I have For how I set it up. It did legit hold his heat very well, but as I said it also attracted crickets which I didn’t wanna deal with in the end…

 

[TammyJ]

@KarenSoCal - Well I’m sure the guy who built my enclosure could build a night box per Tom‘s directions, but then getting it to you would be another thing. Here is what I did (for a 5” Russian so YMMV) when I planned on having a heated night box for Fezzik but in the end I decided it was easier to just bring him in at night. The heat was attracting crickets, but nonetheless this is what I did:

http://www.asldoghouses.com/doghouse-products/dp-hunter-doghouse.html (I think they have a cat version that is the same size I’m not really sure the difference). You can sometimes find these on super sale online I think I got mine for around 75 or $80. These are legit insulated dog houses. The absolute only ones I was ever able to find. All the others that claim to be insulated are really just “weatherproofed“ with tarpaper or something but not actually insulated. It’s lightweight and easy to take the top off.

it also comes with a hole for putting in a heating element and a little plug to keep the water out. fezzik taught himself to go in and out through the door and he only weighs about a pound so it’s definitely usable From that regard.

Then the second thing I did was create a barrier so he only had access to really the front half of it which I filled with substrate. The back half is where I put a chicken coop heating element, you just have to be careful to get one small enough that it fits the inside dimensions with the top on. The one I got was: 16.55"L x 12.6"W x 5.51"H. And you need to make a barrier so he doesn’t get to the heater. I used brick garden edging and bakers racks to make a wall - with the caveat that Fezzik is not a climber or all that curious.

See the photo I have For how I set it up. It did legit hold his heat very well, but as I said it also attracted crickets which I didn’t wanna deal with in the end…

Hmmmm. Very nice, but can it withstand a hurricane? Better be safe and bring everyone inside the human house.

 

[SinLA]

Hmmmm. Very nice, but can it withstand a hurricane? Better be safe and bring everyone inside the human house.

Oh no we got off track on that (tho it is in an enclosed wooden structure in my case) but a hurricane has never happened here and I would bring inside no matter what

 

[TammyJ]

Hmmmm. Very nice, but can it withstand a hurricane? Better be safe and bring everyone inside the human house.

Tammy. How devious can you get? Just tell them to get back to the topic, ok??! Be direct.

 

[TammyJ]

I so enjoy hurricane watching, as long as they are not coming my way! Something I have noticed is that people look at the news regarding where the centre is, not remembering that it's much bigger than that, and the rain and wind will get to you way before the centre, and that will hinder or totally stop your belated preparations! Been there done that. Big time. If you are in doubt, prepare.

 

[Cathie G]

Some of my family are in death valley and that's supposed to be where it hits as a category 4.

 

[TammyJ]

Some of my family are in death valley and that's supposed to be where it hits as a category 4.

No way will it be a Cat 4!!! Just some possible severe flooding.

 

[TammyJ]

Death Valley. 🤔 I think they should change that name. Really. About time. I mean, well, I live near to a place called Mosquito Valley.

 

[TammyJ]

Death Valley. 🤔 I think they should change that name. Really. About time. I mean, well, I live near to a place called Mosquito Valley.

Tammy. You are now going off topic on your own thread.

 

[EricW]

It's not the winds you should be concerned with it's the amount of rainfall. It will be a tropical storm when it reaches you not a hurricane with high winds. Something is coming to California and Nevada that hasn't happened since the 1930s. We had a tropical storm named Lee that showed up in here September 2011 that dropped 12 inches of rain in 24 hours. It washed out many roads, bridges and crossways.that took over a year to repair some of them. Good Luck to everyone affected by Hilary.

Sometimes tropical storms are worse than hurricanes. The ratings are based on wind speed alone, but the real damaging factors in most cases is much more than the wind. The speed of the storm, amount of rain, tornado spinoff, etc. I been through a few storms, I think what will help LA is the larger rainfall predictions fall in a watershed headed for the Gulf of California. If it went to the Pacific, it would be bad news.

Also depends on what gets damaged. A power plant flooded in Hurricane Ike, took out power for some for a month. But in Hurricane Harvey, it was more rain but not where the same power plant was, so it didn't flood. I forgot what storm impacted the water treatment plant and thus no water. So another challenge is just the sheer size of the storm and the luck or unlucky location of the storm bands, etc. It may spin off a tornado that takes out the main transfer line, but at your house, got only an inch of rain and mild winds.

 

[TammyJ]

Yes. And it's sometimes what people do and their decisions that cause harm and casualties, and not the storm itself.

 

[TammyJ]

Way back in 1988 we had Gilbert, a beast of a hurricane. We lived across the street from the ocean in Montego Bay. I told the fisher folks on the beach to come stay with us in our solid concrete house. We all watched from an open window as their small wood and zinc sheet houses on the beach blew to bits and away.

 

[EricW]

Hurricane Katrina and Rita both didn't hit Houston. We still ran out of gas and grocery stores were empty due to evacuations. Hurricane Ida didn't hit Houston but we lost power for 7 hours in the heat of the summer during the day due to damage in Louisiana. The damage/impacts are wide spread. That is what makes these storms painful. The news doesn't help with over exaggeration though. I think some of the dumb choices people make is due to the media putting too much emotion and exaggeration into these things and not enough sound advice, seriousness, and facts. I've seen them talk about the 1 percent path outside the cone and tell folks to prep and evacuate, that is irresponsible.

 

[Len B]

This is a very sad thought I just had, along with all the other potential dangers that are about to hit millions of families and individuals for the first time out west that don't ever get large amounts of rain is flood insurance. Why would they have it? Wishing the best for everyone in the path of Hilary.

 

[Tom]

I've been monitoring the situation. Right now we are supposed to see peak wind speeds of 23 miles per hour with peak gusts of 40 miles per hour. We get wind worse than that regularly throughout the year.

Rain fall totals are estimated to be between 4 and 8 inches for my area. That is a lot, and very very unusual for this time of year, but certainly not catastrophic. On heavy rain years we will see 20-24 inches for the season, like this last winter. On light rain years we might only see 2-3 inches of rain for the whole year. 4-8 inches of rain in one day will be a heck of a lot, but I'm hoping it won't cause severe damage and flooding. Time will tell.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Some of my family are in death valley and that's supposed to be where it hits as a category 4.

I don't think anyone on the west coast has any idea what a force a category 4 storm is....
Hopefully they'll never have to experience that

 

[Cathie G]

I don't think anyone on the west coast has any idea what a force a category 4 storm is....
Hopefully they'll never have to experience that

Yes. Flooding would be really bad where it's supposed to hit. Thankfully it was downgraded this morning to a tropical storm. Thank God 🙏 but it's still a lot of rain. So I'll be sending hopes and prayers for California. They go through a lot of weather problems on top of major earthquakes. But I also saw on the Saturday morning news yesterday a young lady came up with a little cube. You place it on your floor and it sounds an alarm and also to your phone that you're in an earthquake...🤧 I think she came up with it especially for Californians. She may have even been a Californian 😄 I can't remember. It's no wonder they think like they do. 🤗🙏

 

[Cathie G]

Death Valley. 🤔 I think they should change that name. Really. About time. I mean, well, I live near to a place called Mosquito Valley.

Yes and they'll have to because my grandson lives there now 😉😜geesh it's just a desert. It has living critters. I'll put a bug in his ear to accomplish that.🤗

 

[SinLA]

Well - California does NOT like to be outdone, so we got to have an earthquake on top of our Hurricane. We'll take a bow now. Thankyouverymuch

Not sure if we have any members here near Ojai where it was centered. Not a big one, but definitely noticeable