Hurricane/Tropical Storm school question

I live where we worry more about tornadoes than hurricanes/tropical storms. I have seen school dismissed early to get the kids home safely if the storms were forecast to be a certain severity and coming through during the afternoon when buses would be on the road.

I think that on the coast with that storm potential if the forecasters say it will be bad and it not happening very frequently in that area, I would err on the side of caution and keep my kids home, just in case even if school wasn't cancelled.

Hope it doesn't get too bad out there!

We are in Florida.

Our schools will close if there are projected winds of 45 mph or greater. Our specific area has a lot of bridges and they "close" (which doesn't mean you can't cross, they just REALLY do not recommend it) at winds of 45 mph or higher, and they can't have kids stranded on one side of the bridge or the other. Emergency crews are also pulled off the road once the winds hit 45. Additionally, schools may actually close a day or two ahead of time of the storm depending on the projected strength, as many are used for shelters and need time to prepare.

I have experienced days when schools were closed and the forecast was off and we had sunny skies, other times, not so much.

Yes, typically for even a Cat 1 storm, they will close or in the very least delay. We live in Ga on the outskirts of the Atlanta area and we've had school close for hurricanes before. It's not just rain but high winds, hail, tornadoes, etc that can come from these storms. If you're in an area that isn't used this, I would imagine they'd be extra cautious. At least you'd think. Kind of like here in the south when it snows. We aren't prepared for it so things shut down.

I would say yes just because hurricanes are SO unpredictable. Especially when your area is not really used to them.

Yes they are closed (Houston). The problem with a hurricane is that until it makes landfall, there is always a chance it can change course. Even a small wobble can change where it decides to come ashore. You want to pay attention to the 'cone of uncertainty" and if you are in it you should prepare and remain aware. Doesn't mean you will get a direct hit, but could deal with strong winds and possible street flooding.

I know you said you weren't planning to go anywhere, but I'd make sure you have enough medicines, groceries, water and batteries to last a 2-3 days.   That's more for any possible aftermath of area flooding or loss of electricity.  Here the shelves would be empty of all milk, bread and water in very short order.  

Thinking of California. We’ve been through this twice since I’ve been teaching/had kids in school. **GypsyGirl** gave you good advice.

I’d add that areas that suffer a direct hit may be out of school for quite a while.

I forgot gassing up the vehicles.

When I last lived on the coast we had a huge gas tank for the farm tractors so gas for the car was there.

More good suggestions from librarylady .   Additionally, don't forget to have supplies/meds for any pets you might have.  Oh, and a manual can opener!  A more comprehensive list is here.

I just checked the latest update on Hilary at NOAA and currently it predicts a tropical storm for Southern California.  But every storm is different and even a tropical storm can bring serious damage.  Just ask Houstonians about Tropical Storm Alison on June 5, 2001.   It dropped up to 40" of rain and caused $5 billion in damages.  Fortunately most of them aren't that bad, but it pays to always be prepared.  

Here in Santa Barbara, if we get copious amounts of rain, we have to deal with flooding that closes roads and highways. We had to miss several days last year because of flooding. We also worry about mudslides.

I once had the misfortune of being on vacation in Florida during a tropical storm. It was a couple days of really high winds, issues of tornadoes popping up on the mainland (we were on Sanibel Island), power outages, some flooding, lots of beach erosion. It was interesting for us and we felt safe, but we thought it was kind of a big deal. My daughter is stationed at Camp Pendleton, so I am feeling some extra concern with this one.

That is good to know. I’ve visited twice since she moved out there. It’s so beautiful. I hope there will not be major problems for California. 

My kids lost months of school to Hurricane Florence. Ended up a blessing in disguise because they learned remote school before Covid but it really messed things up. Damaged areas can take months/YEARS to get back on track while the media’s long moved on!

🤞🏻😬 hoping for the best for all in the path!

I forgot that we put boards or plywood over the windows so that the windows would not be blown out or debris blown into the home.