A Safe and Comfortable Place To Live

Recently I was talking with a friend who lives down in Florida. He was griping about hurricanes and being at risk for them, living on the eastern coast of Florida. Then he said something:

"You're so lucky to live where you do, being all nice and safe up there in South Carolina with nothing to bother you!"

I was speechless for a minute. Then I told him to shut up, sit down, and listen to me. I then proceeded to lecture him about where I live, and how "safe" and "comfy" it is!

Temperature:



Being that we're a subtropical climate here in South Carolina, affords us to experience some rather large temperature swings. During the summer, it can get over 100 deg F. Living quite far from the coast, I don't get that nice "sea breeze" to help cool things off. While there are plenty of other places in the US that get temperatures quite a bit higher (places in the south west), being "subtropical" means there is something else that gets added to those hot temps: humidity.

The Gulf of Mexico sends warm, MOIST air up through the southeastern part of the US. We have summer days here where the temperature gets up to say, 101 deg F.......but with 80% humidity, making heat indexes of 115 deg F or more. Worse: because the air is saturated with moisture already, our bodies natural cooling system of having sweat evaporate off our skin, doesn't work too well.
Heat exhaustion or heat stroke are quite common here where I live, even for us natives who are suppose to be "used to it". You have to be careful, even with light activity during the heat of the day.

However, now comes winter. While the average temps during the day in winter tend to be above freezing, that doesn't stop us from having the temperatures here dip into the teens or even single digits during the night. While people up north might laugh at that, I invite y'all to come on down here and experience "The Swings", which is when we have temps soar into the high 80's or 90's during the day....and then scream down into the 20's or less that night...only to get hot again the next day.

Let's see how your body likes that. Most us down here end up with colds or the sniffles all during those times!

Snow



We don't get a lot of snow here where I live. Most I've ever seen in 8 inches. Not that big of a deal compared to other parts of the US, right?
Right.
But then, because we don't get snow that often, guess what happens when we do? We end up with some of the worst idiots on the roads that you have ever seen. There is NO snow clearing vehicles here (not really needed), and yet people who are not used to driving in snow, seem to feel a great need to go out and try to drive on these snow covered roads.....and then act all surprised when they have a wreck.
I know how to drive on snow just fine. But I don't get in my car during those times, because of all the others out there that have no idea how. They're a menace and a danger to all those around them!

Ice Storms



THESE are what we get more of here during the winter. Temperatures dip cold enough so that the surfaces things (trees, cars, roads, power lines, etc) are below freezing, and the rain that falls freezes on to it, building up a layer of ice.

The storms are very damaging, taking out trees and power lines. If you loose power, it could be for just a day, or, as in my case, up to a week or more.

Tornadoes



Most who think of tornadoes think of the Mid West, with super cell thunder storms producing EF4 and EF5 tornadoes that wipe whole cites from the map. That's "Tornado Ally" for you.
However, what a lot of people do not know is that I live in Dixie Alley
Dixie Alley, goes from the Mississippi Valley area and extends east into South Carolina. We do not get as many tornadoes on the average compared to Tornado Alley, but, Dixie Alley has more deaths from tornadoes than Tornado Alley.

There is a good reason for this: higher population density, so more chance for tornadoes to hit small towns or cities. Mobile homes are used a lot here. But what REALLY makes the tornadoes here dangerous is: You rarely see them coming. Due to the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, most of the tornadoes we get are "rain wrapped", meaning they are cloaked in heavy rains, so you do not see them easily. We also have a LOT of forests down here. Very tall pine, oak and hickory trees that block off the horizons. For most of us, if we're not paying attention to weather alerts, we won't know that there is a tornado on it's way until it actually hits.

That was the case with me back in 2006 when two EF2 tornadoes moved through here where I live. I was home with my son Josh, who was 4 at the time. I was not paying attention to the weather, other than it was very windy and rainy. I heard a shift in the wind, looked out the window and saw the 60 foot pine trees trying to lean over and stay that way. Then I heard it. It sounds like a roaring sound that gets louder and louder.
I live in a double wide mobile home. smart thing is to get out and lay in a ditch if you can. We didn't have time. I snatched my son, tossed him under my wife's computer desk, threw a blanket over him, then crouched in front of the desk, when the tornado hit.
We were lucky. It had not touched down yet. However, the entire house was shaking and shimming and I just knew the roof was going to come off.
Fortunately the only real damage my house took was some shingles missing, and one of my living room windows popped out. However, I had snapped pine trees and up rooted pine trees all over the place.

That was the 2nd time a tornado had passed through there. Waiting on a third one.

Hurricanes



As most of you should know, hurricanes are very dangerous. For most, it's the storm surge that kills most people. Living far enough away from the coast of South Carolina, I don't have to worry about storm surges. However, due to the size of hurricanes, I DO have to worry about the winds, micro bursts and tornadoes that are spawned inside hurricanes.

Hurricane Hugo that hit Charleston in 1989 had far reaching affects, even up here where I live now.

It's just a fact of life: You live in a east coast state, or a Gulf of Mexico state, you get hurricanes.

[Continued]

[continued from the OP]

Earthquakes



Most people think of the west coast of the US when they think of earthquakes. I know many of you here on ATS are well aware of the New Madrid fault located in the Mississippi Valley, so know that other than the west coast, the US has a very dangerous situation there. In fact, if it ever cuts loose again like it did in 1811/1812, I'll feel it here, estimates are I'll feel a 5.0 to 6.0 mag here. Not too much of a big deal, considering when I lived in Naples, Italy in the early 1980s as a teenager, I went through a 7.6, and many, many smaller ones.

However, we have our own fault lines here in South Carolina and have had plenty of earthquakes of our own here. One of the worst was a quake in 1886 that hit Charleston, killing 124 people and caused massive property damage. People say they're over due for another one.

We feel them here where I live in SC. We had one two winters ago during our major ice storm. Was in the middle of the night, shook the house and woke us up. Was only 5 or so on the scale. Still, middle of an ice storm, no power, AND we decided to have an earthquake too. Shaking my head here.

So here we have all those natural things........but the list doesn't end there:

Da Bomb Factory


The Savannah River Site is just a few miles away from me. A federal government nuclear reservation site used to make tritium for nuclear weapons. Been here since the early 1950's. A place that most locals used to call "The Bomb Factory"

So I told my friend: Oh yah. I feel REAL safe and comfy here where I live!

However, it's still my home, and I always find it beautiful in it's own way, especially right now with spring:

my back yard:


My front yard:


My driveway:


How about all of you out there? Tell me all about how safe and comfy it is where you live!

It sucks in Alaska, repeat IT SUCKS.

Do NOT move to Alaska, under any circumstances. There are MANY other places that are better than here.



My neighborhood:

a reply to: MystikMushroom

You know, where I live here, and other places I have lived (Korea, Thailand), I used to think the mosquitoes were bad.

What I've heard about Alaska makes me think I've not really seen how bad they can get!

I like your yard and driveway, it makes me feel at home. I like it out in the woods. I wouldn't want to live in the city again, I do not feel at home there. We have tornadoes up here, maybe one every ten to fifteen years rips something apart, but they usually stay away from towns and houses.

We have snow and cold. You don't have to shovel cold though, but you do have to shovel money to the fuel providers.

No rattlers yet, tons of ticks and mosquitoes though. There are a thousand times as many mosquitoes as there are fish.

Why would I want to go somewhere else. I'm staying here at the end of the rainbow.

a reply to: rickymouse

About the worst critters we have here are Pit Vipers, Brown Recluse Spiders and Black Widows.

There are more than that, but those are my main concern where I live. There used to be bobcats here, but they left years ago as more people moved out this way.

Raccoons.....okay, not really dangerous too much, but I did have a run in with one ten years ago that ended up getting me locked out of my own house at 2 AM, in my underwear in the cold. Long story. But I still hear his chittering laughter in my head!

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Looks like a beautiful and peaceful place mate, why the dislike?

a reply to: Jinzetsu

Same reason us people from Seattle pretend it rains all the time. We don't want to share.

a reply to: eriktheawful

North Island of New Zealand.

Doesn't snow, no ice storms, too far South for full-on cyclones, not too hot for most of Summer and everywhere is at the most only a short drive to the beach.

No real earthquake issues (not like the South Island). Perhaps tsunami issues due to the extended coastline?

Does have a higher rainfall (well it is "the land of the long white cloud") but in South Auckland, it usually means frequent short downpours, interspersed with sunshine.

Not too much heavy industry (economy is predominantly propped up by the dairy industry) and definitely no A-bomb factories.

Only issue might be with volcanoes but the most active zones have moved away from the top of the North.

A bit like Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings films (which were filmed here, so, actually a LOT like Hobbiton) with technology.

No snakes or predators to speak of (perhaps sharks, but the seas are colder here and they aren't as numerous as other temperate/sub-tropical places).

Cheerz bro.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Haha. I'm guessing that guy from Florida really ticked you off if you're resorting to right-fighting over the weather, eh Erik? OK, I will agree with you that ice storms are the worst thing for anyone to endure, especially those who have to drive to work in it. Hurricanes are not so fun either. But it sounds like you have a lovely place there with nice weather at the moment. Why not go outside and work off some of that extra testosterone that got your Irish up in the first place? I love you man, am just teasing.

a reply to: eriktheawful


We don't have black widows up here that I know of, not many black people at all up here so there won't be many widows.

I get coons outside, the four legged kind, but if you just threaten to shoot them and make a hat out of them they don't come around. They will attack you if you accidentally corner them and can carry rabbis. I'm more worried about the rabbis preaching to me than the raccoon.

We got copper bellies and grass snakes up here all over the place, but they don't usually bite people. You have to watch out while picking blueberries though, they like hanging around the fruit bushes.

Bears are usually not a problem to most people, the Wolves do pack up but haven't killed anyone yet, the coyotes will pack up in big pack and try to attack people sometimes. We do have the brown recluse around here, both my neighbor and I got hit by something in the leg years ago. It was eating my flesh and he wound up with a permanent hole in his leg from the incident. It happened to us about the same time, right after he had ordered firewood from someone fifty miles away, where they have those spiders.

We got some really big spiders here though in the woods. Both pine spiders and wolf female spiders. They usually do not bother you though, they are docile unless you are a bug.

a reply to: eriktheawful

The best climate I have found is Sandy,Utah. You still get seasons and ton of snow but it never really gets cold. I live in the US Siberia now.....Wisconsin.



I miss Utah....Great people.....great weather.

a reply to: aboutface

Scottish.

My heritage is Scottish. With some French and Swedish thrown in there somewhere. We go back 350 years here in the US, so a big mix of a lot of things.

But I got the red hair and freckles...and yah....the temper to boot.

I have a good friend that lives in England, and we were talking on Skype with others one day. I had just put a picture of myself up finally as my avatar and she yelled out: "You're a bloody Scot! It all fits now!"

At first I didn't know what to say, then a line from the cartoon Samurai Jack popped in my head, from his Scottish friend:

"Aye lassie! That sword has rrrrrrunes on it!" in my best (and most likely the worst) Scottish accent.

a reply to: eriktheawful
I once watched a TV interview with an American who was demonstrating on a map why most of the regions of the U.S. were dangerous for different reasons, and he came up with the conclusion that the only really safe place to live was Idaho.
A few months later there was a news report about a big police gun-siege taking place in Idaho.
Had the wrong kind of people been coming to the same conclusion?

originally posted by: eriktheawful
How about all of you out there? Tell me all about how safe and comfy it is where you live!

SW coast of England here, didn't see any frost this Winter, or last year. Summer highs are mid 20's C, 70's F, blustery wind at times but storms of 70mph winds are rare. I live on top of a stable 100 metre high limestone cliff at the seaside, will take a decent wave or flood to get my house.
The most dangerous wild animals are foxes or badgers, most folk are chilled as well.
No earthquakes, no real industry with potential pollution in a 50 mile radius, aside from Devonport Naval Base and it's rotting, sorry decommissioned, nuclear submarines.
Excellent local fire and sea rescue services, friendly outnumbered police who depend heavilly on our community sorting our problems out (and often turning a blind eye as part of the deal), healthcare free at the point of need within easy reach.

...aside from government issues out of my control in that far off land known as the City of London, I feel safe as here in the Westcountry, and I love that. I hope everyone else has as few worries about where they are, although I know that ain't the case.

Peace,

GoS.

I live in northwest Indiana, and the best things that I can say about our weather is that we have 4 seasons and aren't prone to massive wildfires. It gets COLD here in the winter and in my area in particular we are subject to lake effect snow, which means we get truly dumped on a few times each winter in addition to the normal snow we would get just being in the midwest. In the spring and summer we have to worry about tornadoes, and the heat and humidity are like a nasty, wet blanket all summer.

I am thankful we don't have an abundance of wildlife that could eat you. I think alligators, bears, pumas, wolves, and sharks are pretty cool, but I don't know that they are something I'd like to deal with on a regular basis. The biggest predators we have here are coyotes, and the only venomous snakes are water moccasins and copperheads if you go a little further south.

originally posted by: Jinzetsu
a reply to: MystikMushroom

Looks like a beautiful and peaceful place mate, why the dislike?

We have enough people up here already!