tracer Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 seems like some on the eastern seaboard may already be plotting their huge success at scarfing up cool fossils that will be exposed and/or washed up by the hurricane. and that's a good thing, however... too many people think in terms of that old saying "the early bird gets the worm" and not enough people think in terms of the newer saying "the second mouse gets the cheese". a major hurricane always seems to kill a fair number of people and make some others go missing. the storm surge near the coast can be quite unsurvivable. below is a photo demonstrating why. a large metal boat, very heavy, had been sunk and resting on the floor of the gulf off the coast for some time. the hurricane storm surge picked it up from that location and carried it inland and dropped it. note that you cannot see the gulf in the background, which is the direction the boat came from. try to imagine the momentum and power necessary to achieve this. yes, there will probably be cool fossils, but you don't want to be anywhere near a coastline until after the storm is past and the storm surge is over with and gone... p.s. - sometimes the fossils might be hard to find... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yes let's not have a first annual Forum Darwin Awards....however at times i must admit that quest for discovery is at war with self preservation instincts...in the end having a kid at home helps me tip the scale toward safety. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilForKids Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yes let's not have a first annual Forum Darwin Awards....however at times i must admit that quest for discovery is at war with self preservation instincts...in the end having a kid at home helps me tip the scale toward safety. Well said words from a man considering going over a waterfall in the quest for fossils. If only my teeth are so prized a million years from now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Unfortunately, not all will heed the advice already given, and will attempt to plunder the cliffs in search of Mega fossils. I must admit, the allure is strong and even I have to fight of the temptation to drive right down there and check out the cliffs. Fortunately, I have witnessed massive cliff collapses, and am quite blessed to have narrowly avoided a few others. What helps me know is that not only do I have a family/kids to think about, but from a fossil collection standpoint, I have been blessed with being able to find almost everything there is to find along the cliffs, and then some. So, what will one more Meg, or some other shark tooth do for me, not much. I know folks have already been down to the cliffs this week after the earthquake and news of some cliffs collapsing. Don't know if they found anything, and don't really care. Considering that we're still having aftershocks (4.2 earlier this morning), I'm more focused on picking up my repaired generator tonight after work, getting batteries and other items prepared to ride out Irene this weekend. We're only expecting rain/thunder storms and wind gusts which could knock out power if tree limbs come down. Since we're on the topic of hurricanes, one thing I will never understand is why some folks refuse to evacuate from their homes when the order to evacuate has been given. What kind of reasoning goes through their heads saying "we're going to stand our ground and stay right here in our house of 30 years". By the time any such hurricane gets up our way in MD it's usually reduced to just a bad storm with possible Tropical Storm conditions. The folks though that are right in the bulls-eye in the Carolinas or Outer-banks though risk getting their homes blown off their stilted foundations, massive flooding, loss of life. I would gladly pack up my family, dogs, a few precious belongings (fossil collection included), and drive as far as needed to be safe and dry. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Long in the tooth Posted August 25, 2011 New Members Share Posted August 25, 2011 Along the Calvert cliffs there are trees at the top of cliffs at the edge ready to come down in strong winds pulling some of the cliffs with them.Also the storm tides can wash out the base of the cliffs leaving a precipitous overhang that could cave in at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) I did my best shark teeth beach collecting at Fernandina Beach (American Beach) down in FL right after Irene in 1999. It was the ideal situation: they finished the beach replenishment works just a couple of weeks before and the weaked Irene passed not very far from the coast the day before. A LOT of beautiful teeth :D :Bananasaur: and a lot of horrible :thumbsd: :thumbsd: :thumbsd: gnats. But, as told often by Mark Renz, there is always something guarding the treasure :goodjob: Edited August 25, 2011 by Nandomas Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Excellent advice Tracer. I hope everyone pays attention to it and I hope everyone affected by or living in the region affected by it survives unharmed with minamal damages to property , including myself. I have to work 12 hr. night shifts when the Huricane is supposed to hit. Good luck everyone. Bobby "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webby Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Ahhhhhh. Hurricanes also seem to bring up the ghost captains of the sunken vessels!!! MEGS on da REG! http://coastalfossiladventures.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 although things can change, the threat to some from this storm is extraordinary - nothing like what they've seen before. i am hopeful that it loses intensity or shifts east, but if it doesn't, some are going to be shocked at the results. i sure hope i'm wrong on this one, but sheesh...it doesn't look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 although things can change, the threat to some from this storm is extraordinary - nothing like what they've seen before. i am hopeful that it loses intensity or shifts east, but if it doesn't, some are going to be shocked at the results. I agree. This will be tough.... The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 She's in the Gulf Stream, east of Miami right now, and will be over that hot water all the way to the Outer Banks and beyond; I expect she'll intensify... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 again, to try to understand the power a bit... this was a parking lot with concrete, brick, pavers, etc. it was not on the beach. there were high dunes in front of it. storm surge carried all of the beach way inland and destroyed masonry, concrete, asphalt, etc. it doesn't just break up wooden stuff. water is heavy and incompressible. there are already ten-foot waves near south carolina. the storm surge that did the above damage was perhaps 14 feet high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 ok, one more thing and then i'll shut up on this issue - if you live anywhere on the eastern seaboard, read this ==> link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Thanks for all the warnings, Tracer. This weekend is a good time to reflect on past adventures and to plan new ones, not a weekend for collecting along the east coast. I can hardly believe it's been 20 years since hurricane Bob hit us here in New England. There are a lot of people hereabouts who've never experienced a direct hit from a hurricane, even one that will probably lose some of it's might by the time it reaches here. Thanks for the reminder. For those of you in the Carolinas and up the coast, it looks like it could be an experience to remember. We all need such experiences, but I hope you all (or y'all) come out safely on the other side of it. Batten down the hatches. Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrow Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 (edited) If the plane with the "stinger" looking thing behind the tail is flying over, you're definately in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if your lucky, a few days later you might catch a glimpse of the President in his helicopter Marine One. Edited August 26, 2011 by darrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdevey Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 ok, one more thing and then i'll shut up on this issue - if you live anywhere on the eastern seaboard, read this ==> link "When it rains it pours" be safe everyone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Oh Oh... this Irene is going to be very big be careful out there http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/article/hurricane-irene-major-northeast-threats_2011-08-23 Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 this link is one of the main places i go to for hurricane info ==> link some will hear that the storm has weakened and is now a category 2. it has weakened by only 5 mph and may regain that. just a couple more points for anyone dealing with this thing. try to listen to news and radio and get all info you can regarding shelters, food and water distribution areas, etc. now before communications are lost. confusion is a major issue after a storm. resist the urge to go out looking around after the storm. many of those who do end up with shredded tires from debris and there are no gas stations or garages open. speaking of debris, many people immediately get out and start working hard in a manner they haven't in years trying to chainsaw up trees, etc. medical care may be difficult to get to, so don't get hurt or get heat exhaustion, etc. there will be lots of boards with nails for people to step on. try to avoid areas with lots of people, because behavior deteriorates rapidly when there is no infrastructure and everyone knows it. save your gasoline if you can. it takes forever to get places when all traffic control is out and everyone is out looking for gas/water/ice/food/etc. chain your generator to something and don't have it where the fumes from it can get in your house. people drive around at night stealing generators they find by hearing them running. depending on where you're located, plan on dealing with an abnormal situation for weeks. or longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Take care there... please. http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I was heading to Calvert cliffs tonight, but we've put off of the big fossiling expedition till Tuesday. Having three kids in the car with you definately dampens your sense of adventure, but quadruples your "eyes on the ground" Everyone can tell this is serious because Tracer has stopped joking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 well just have an alternate fossiling plan away from the coast if you get stopped by the national guard. it was quite a while before i could visit the coast after the last big storm here because they were only allowing property owners in the area due to looting. as far as me not joking, if you think life on the edge at a bare subsistence level with not a chance anywhere or even a weensey little hope of charging your iphone for weeks isn't beyond terrifying, then you just haven't yet lived the dream. it's like...omg, it's like the 70s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkbiteinc Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I was going to go checkout the cliffs this week, just to see the damage from the earthquake but it didn't work out for me. I am spending tonight to "batten down the hatches" at my place and my parent's place. I plan to make it to the cliffs on Wednesday. No matter post-storm or not, the cliffs can and will colapse. It is amazing to look up and see 1/2 of an enormous tree root system dangling in thin air. Everyone be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Good site for tracking.-My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Good site for tracking.-My link Thanks for that link W. I like the feature of being able to turn ON/OFF the different map features. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I have lived in coastal NC for most of my life. I have been through 20 or so hurricanes, some direct hits some not. Bertha, Fran and Floyd were the 3 worst that I can remember; i was very young when Donna came through. Don't take these things lightly;y. Even days and weeks after the storm there can be dangerous conditions along waters edge and cliffs. It's going to be a rough night and day , so everyone in Irene's path stay safe and use your head. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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