Florida Hurricanes?

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pojoe12

First you need to understand that despite what been written above me, in the past 15 years we had ONE summer with any hurricane activity. People will lead you to believe that they hit Florida every year but that is not true. South Florida is much more in the target than Central Florida and anyone living along the Gulf of Mexico, even South and North Carolina seem to be in as great a danger now.

You will still have to consider that living here you MAY be hit but it's like saying don't go anywhere in a car because there are traffic accidents every year.

Only those closest to the beach or on the barrier islands are evacuated, not those living inland. Mobile homes parks are evacuated for obvious reasons also both inland and near the beach.

Think of the positive, no for sure snow or ice storms like the north sees EVERY year!!

michelle

well if your going to be living in or around Orlando Orlando is in Central Fla so you wont be that close to the beach

Kane81

Now it depends on what you consider "close" to the beach! How far of a drive...one hour? Less? more?

Duane T

Two the four 2004 hurricanes that hit central florida criss-crossed over Orlando. Be aware Insurance will be high for Hurricane coverage.

No one can precisely say any more Hurricanes will hit Orlando, but you are in Florida, so of course you're going to eventually have to deal with No Electicity,

Good Luck.

Justin

If your in Florida, your risking your self with hurricanes. Hurricanes affect and threaten areas like Orlando even if its in the middle of the state. I live 5 mins from the beach in the gulf coast, south of tampa. I risk storm surge and wind damage but living near or even in Orlando, you still risk the dangers of the wind. The good thing is that you won`t have to worry about the storm surge.

redgator40

Don't worry about the hurricanes. its no way to live. i've lived here all my life and 2004 was the worst. i live in orlando and its only an hour from the east coast. just keep in mind our home prices are still thru the roof, property taxes are insane and our insurance situation is a mess. but i wouldn't live anywhere else!

Chyna9

Sorry but Hurricanes are very unpredictable in Florida. Hurricanes can go in any direction @ any time. Durimg Hurricane season you should be sure to be very aware and prepared for the worst. I am not trying to scare you, I just want make sure you understand the reality of hurricanes.

Maria T

I been in Florida for 5 years. I like someone said before, it isn't really that great. Hurricanes are everywhere, and rain almost everyday throughout the summer. Orlando is overpopulated, pretty much like any other major city in Florida. I wouldn't be wise to get a house on the beach. Homeowners insurance is through the roofs. Disney will get old real soon... there is so much traffic. It will get annoying! Did you see the news a few years ago.. there was like 3 hurricanes in one summer in 2004. I would stay away from the beach, you can always drive and save tons on insurance and cost of house repairments, such as major roof damage, flooding and everything else that comes with it. When it does hit.. be prepared. Good luck!
Good luck!

itchianna

As a coastal resident is impossible to not be evacuated. Living in Hurricane riden areas is just a risk you take. The entire Gulf, and Atlantic Coast is at risk every year.

m!ke m

Okay, more fun advice from a Florida native-trying-to-escape.
It all really depends where in-or-around-Orlando you're going to move.
From Orlando, the closest beach is Cocoa Beach. At about 35-45 minutes away (depending on how fast you're driving) it's not too complicated a drive. A little boring, yeah, but not too complicated. Of course, if you're looking for a less crowded beach, or more crowded beach, it all varies. You can pass along the website http://cocoabeachnow.com/ to your Mom. I can't even tell you how many hours I've spent bumming around inside Ron Jon's Surf Shop. It's really an iconic destination, and a landmark. So that will be fun for you.
Now onto the dangerous lifethreatening stuff! Woo!
Hurricanes.
A hurrican is an especially scary thing to think about now, in the wake of the Katrina Fiasco, and especially active seasons as of late. You're smart to be concerned, and even smarter to look into them.
Dealing with a hurricane in Orlando is probably the BEST possible place in Central Florida to deal with them, for a few reasons.
1) Relatively high ground for the Central Florida area. You might get flooding, but you're going to be hardpressed to get it up to your hips or anything. We're just too flat and smack dab in the middle. Storm surges don't really reach in this far.
2)Greater Orlando isn't all that rural, suburbia prevails and that tends to mean great emergency response coverage. There are going to be fire departments, police stations, high schools (for the ever-lovely Red Cross shelters when things get a little hairy) and good outlets for communication.
3) We get hurricanes almost every year! Doesn't sound like a plus at first, does it? But really it is, there are evacuation and emergency drills, and then there are REAL evacuations and emergencies. Both of those things get efficiency and state officials up and going pretty quickly. We're pros at these things.

In fact, most coastal and rural areas evacuate here to Orlando, and the hotels and motels fill up before the shelters.

Tragedies and unforseen issues aside, the average Central Floridian will tell you the worst part of a hurricane is the sometimes days long rain and wind which keeps you trapped in doors, along with the inherent heat of summer time (90+ degrees!) and power outages it adds up to a real bummer of a summer sometimes.

In summary, my best advice is to stick the "Central Florida" area. Specifically, Orange County (Orlando), Seminole County (Altamonte Springs), or Lake County (Clermont, Eustis).

When you're packing, consider bringing along a little gas generator, some extra-big coolers, a grill, and weather radio. Heck, just take a look at this Hurricane Preparedness Guide, http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/hurr.pdf

And just like the front of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy says: DON'T PANIC!

Steven H

SIMPLE ANSWER:::
Okay if you are going to live anywhere in the Orlando Metro area epically in Orange county you wont have to worry about living near any beaches because there are no beaches near Orlando. You wont have to evacuate your home unless it is a mobile home. At some point you are going to be hit by a Hurricane, as long as you have a good strong house and hurricane shutters your home should survive anything from a Cat3 and lower the CAT4-5 are rare storms but do hit every now and than.
Hurricanes are dangerous no matter how far you are from the beach, the water is the most dangerous part but the winds do alot of damage too. Being inland in Orlando is safer than on the coast but it is still dangerous.
Orlando is right in the middle of the lighting capital of the world too, there is also the threat of tornado's in the Orlando area unlike many of the coastal areas of Florida where any Tornado stronger than a F1 is very uncommon.
Just make sure when you do move to Florida that you have windstorm insurance and flood insurance. And get shutters for the house, it will decrease the price of insurance and could save the house.

Arbiter of Intelligence

Most of the previous answers have been absolutely lame and pathetic. This is most likely because Florida is replete with ignorant fools that move here from other places. I, however, am an ignorant fool lucky enough to be born and raised in Florida.

First, a major point. If you are anywhere in Florida your are more like 3,000 miles from Disney Land than "minutes away". Disney World is quite a bit closer....

Metropolitan Orlando is about 100 miles (perhaps less) from Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast. 60 miles or so from Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach both of which are on the Atlantic Ocean. And 45 miles or so from Cocoa Beach also on the Atlantic. Drive time will vary dramatically depending on the time of day, time of year, and where you live. As a general rule: Orange County is closer to Cocoa Beach while Seminole County is closer to Daytona and New Smyrna Beach. Many people are starting to move into in Lake County which puts you about as far from any of the beaches possible and still be considered metro Orlando. It is probably safe to say that you're going to be at least an hour drive from the closest beach no matter where you live.

Hurricanes - loosely defined as when the wind speed is greater than the air temperature during the summer months. Tropical weather - everything from Depressions to Hurricanes - are a concern in everywhere in Florida. Your family needs to be prepared for a serious storm but preparedness is not the same as "living in fear". The central part of the state is relatively safe. It's true that we had 3 major storms roll through Orlando in 2004 but that was the first time in 40 years that the area suffered major hurricane damage. If you are in Orange, Lake, or Seminole Counties then your hurricane risk is pretty low. Mandatory evacuations are mostly unheard of (unless you are in a trailer park). Regardless of where you live in Orange or Seminole you will be about an hour from the beach and quite safe from tropical weather.

persephane2003

your gonna get hurricanes, and fires everywere in Florida, you cant really avoid it. I live about 15mins from the beach in melbourne, ive never been evacuated for a hurricane, but ive only been here for 3yrs. I guess if your trying to stay safe go towrads more orlando, or around there.

P.S. Florida is not that exiting. Its pretty much boring, lots of old people, who do nothing but complain about kids having fun.

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