Hurricane Ivan - Pensacola, Florida - September 16, 2004

[veedabestchef]

i have same video clip of hurricane ivan...but it was lost

[mystacall]

Great Video! and I am a fla native! Naples!

[justaman6972]

that structural stuff is rated at 140 mph for 10 seconds,this thing ground on us for 12 hours killed an asspile of folks you'll never hear about too. this storm was a noshitter. anyone who was in it will say so. wheather channel's full of shit man! media liars all...

[gothicgamer0990]

And may I add I live in Maryland now, Irene was chicken shit for a category 1 in comparison to Ivan being a 3 or 4.

I miss the days of Ivan, those military issued MREs were tasty as hell. If I could relive Ivan with mom (who's dead now due to COPD) and dad and get those MREs again I would, but it would suck not having power though. Good thing my dad had a generator for our house.

My mom said Ivan was scary as hell, but I wouldn't know cause I slept through it.

[whitetiger769]

@gothicgamer0990 ivan was a cat five but the wheather channel dosn't want you to know that

[gothicgamer0990]

I slept through Ivan, that's how hard I slept when I was 14. I'm 21 now and wake up every 2 or 3 hours and fall back asleep.

[tutternbubba]

i got hit by the same hurricane and the same year 2004!

[Aubieone]

Ivan was bad news here in Pensacola. It was every bit of 130mph. That was a night I will never forget!

[CrazyColoradan]

I was in Pensacola when this happened. I was scared! im use to hurricanes tho and I kinda miss them now that I live in colorado we dont get hurricanes. I remember a tree smashed into my bedroom window,luckley, We were all in the living room listening to the radio reports. I also remember the weeks without power!

[bobbejaan0630]

most people do not realize one thing when they come here to spectate, a 100 mph wind with a gust of 125 mph, just became 9 (nine) x stronger!!!

[StupidDrew9]

the fishing bridge was only repaired a couple months ago....

[sports2mj]

I was going to UWF when Ivan hit Pensacola. The campus was closed for 2 1/2 weeks and it took YEARS for some areas in the city to recover (especially Scenic Highway). I remember there were hundreds of trees that were brought to this open area off Nine Mile Rd./Hwy.90 so that the city could clean up the damaged areas. I grew up in Destin and even though Opal had higher winds, both hurricanes caused extensive damage. Thank God this area hasn't been hit as bad since then.

[cookie1749]

I was here durind ivan it was freaky we actually got a tornado from ivan ! scary

[bubbleman980]

my dog got tookin away (black pitbull) koopa rip dog

[StephenB58]

I was in the Navy and stationed at N.A.S. Pensacola in 1979 when Fred hit. It was a bad storm, but Ivan was much worse. Ivan almost wiped out Pensacola.

[MsMercury]

I went through this one. I was scared out of my mind. We thought the roof was going to come off the house.

[Smartphone775]

Ivan's Records

Southernmost Cat.3, 4, and 5 in Atlantic Hurricane History

Spent Most time at or above Cat.4 Strength 33 hours of any world Cyclone (Broken by Hurricane Ioke)

Largest Tornado Outbreak 117

Biggest Ocean Wave 91 ft

[BlueYup]

@Smartphone775 Don't forget the fastest seafloor current, 5 mph.

[nuclearbr0wn]

I was 6 when that tornado came threw but befor it came we went up to gerogia to stay with family until it was over Then we came back to are house and there was a humongous oak tree on my room... roof... LOL and im 12 now

[Sideclef]

I have lived in the Pensacola area all my life..I have stayed for each hurricane and this hurricane was alot stronger than whats being said..Hurricane Opal made landfall at a category 3..Opal and Ivan you cant even be compared..I stayed for Ivan and lived in Florida-town where it was reported to be the strongest..Ivan was defiantly not a category 3 at landfall nor a 4 for that matter...Ivan hit the US 2 times I might add..In hindsight, it was an awesome experience and yet the scariest as well...

[bubbleman980]

@Sideclef A MY MOM TOLD ME THAT HURRICANE FRED

I WAS SCARED 2 LISTEN

[bobbejaan0630]

@Sideclef i grew up in florida-town, on seaport.

[gardenofskeetn]

ivan was the most beast ass storm i've ever seen. that shit changed my whole perspective on nature

[bamcubz1]

We live up in Jay and was awake almost the whole night has Ivan tore up the Gulf Coast. It was my first hurricane and I was ready to move back to California. Now almost 6 years later we are still here and getting ready for another hurricane season. Stock up on your supplies people they are expecting this year to be busy.

[BlueYup]

It seems like at 5:22, a small tornado tried to form in front of the car you were in.

[justaman6972]

Our lil anomometer's last reading before it was ripped from the pole barn was a gust of 143mph. That was at appxy @ 02:20 in the AM. on Garscon Point. This was a cat 4 storm and there were a lot more deaths that happend that went unreported

[superduck714]

Thank you! I dont get why they down graded it. i guess for tourism. I live over near Jim Bailey middle school, and just in grande lagoon there were over 60 dead. no one wants to admit it though

[AdamNeisler]

COOL, I rode that hurricane out!

[UnsereLuftwaffe]

Me, too. It was pretty fun, eh? ;-)

[animalzoo123]

I lived in pcola when this happened, I got outa school for like 2 months lol. We had a hard time leaving for southern florida because of all the uprooted trees and stuff..

[JonasBieberSwiftFan]

i live in pensacola beach

[XxTriselleyxX]

during this hurricane my mom and brother were fascinated by what was going on, they decided to open up the back door and peek out for a few minutes. lol, bad move. they stepped out side probly half a foot out the door and a12 ft around or so oak tree smashed our awning on our back porch scaring the fuck out of them. i lolled so hard

[thomasblim]

i got out of school for like a month my sophmore year cause of this

[wiiguy0]

i was outside in pensacola during hurricane ivan

[Bluetailvappy]

The lowest pressure I recorded was 969 millibars about 2:00am in the morning. This was in the central/west part of Pensacola near Michigan/Memphis Ave. Didn't actually have an anemometer in those days those. Kinda wish i did, although it probably would have been destroyed by all the debris flying around.

[antoniocapob]

i was i think in 3rd grade and when i heard of ivan and i was in school in boyton beach and i remember it coming both times

[Sayvion92793]

i lived through this tragedy in pensacola florida. shortly after me my moms and my sista lost r apartment and had 2 move in with my aunt for a year. we lost power everywhere for a few weeks and gas was low. if that was that bad i could only imagine what the katrina survivors went through.

[apm1118]

..country...so please tell me why they wouldn't want to cover the strength of this storm? I remember it was around 1 or so am when the local radio stations reported that the winds were a cat 4 and possibly could reach low cat 5 sustained winds...there were gusts reported of 180 mph and some that were higher...so please if you think that is a severe thunderstorm... save it and the next time theres a cat 3 i want to see you on pensacola beach..

[apm1118]

There was definitely a coverup. I have been through CAT 1 and CAT 2 hurricanes... they aren't fun and they do need to be taken seriously but really for someone to say that it was only a CAT 1, you must obviously believe everything you read by the government. I was in East Hill in Pensacola during the storm. I know for a fact that the amount of damage was FAR more than anything the gov. wanted to admit. We have i believe 3 to 4 bases around the area including the biggest base in the..

[chismisaballa]

You know whats funny though? My uncle was a sergeant for the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, he was at the Emergency Operations Center all night during Ivan and they never lost power and kept track of Ivan. They recorded gusts of over 200 mph at the Gulf Power Cris Plant and sustained winds of 180 mph.

[AndyHanline]

no they didnt

[johnnyfive22]

It was obviously a category 4 hurricane. There is a cover up.

[haleyhayes221]

that is were i live

[cantervoo12]

thats my cosins birth day!!! cool

[ghostofjackie]

@cantervoo12 ... nobody cares what your cousins birthday is. You can't even spell cousin. Some people who post on youtube are complete ass clowns.

[oriongirlfan]

@ghostofjackie ha!!!!!!!!! I'm sure cantervoo12 is a nice person. He just made a lighthearted comment - probably not meaning to downplay the seriousness of the hurricane. Like I've been discussing with friends - lots of people on YouTube can't spell all words they type.

[usaericm16er]

3:50 no roof but they still have electricity?

[rdfaerie]

Sorry Jason but, I was 5 minutes away from the I10 bridge. At this point i'd lives in Panama City and Pensacola for 34 years and i have NEVER been terrified of a storm before. I don't evacuate, was forced into it once by Ex (during Opal) and swore never again. You can't take your pets when you evacuate and it takes a week to get back INTO town after.

[rdfaerie]

Needless to say, we stayed and i've never been so scared in my life. People seem to forget that Ivan stalled on us, spawning tornados and the like for 3+hours. THAT is the reason it was equated to a CAT 5. Hearing your roof being peeled off sounds like a sardine tin.

[triggert531]

In all fairness however to Mr. Jason4678, he is reciting the exact articles that show Pensacola had 87 mph winds and that Escambia Bay had a storm surge of 12 feet. However, does anyone really believe the I-10 bridge just sits 12 feet off the water? I know I don't. I kind of a feel like that Saturday Night Live episode where the guy goes, "is it just me,?" LOL! I'm glad that human life lost was minimal during and after the storm and hope to never see a storm like Ivan again. Good Luck Jason4678

[jacksooon123]

the bridge is taller now that they rebuilt it though

[rdfaerie]

Not to mention the i10 bridge is HOW many miles inland?

[usaericm16er]

about 8

[triggert531]

I just read for the fourth time the 2004 Tropical Cyclone Sequence for the storm season of 2004. It shows the only Hurricane to reach Cat 5 strength in the Atlantic/Atlantic Basin is Hurricane Ivan. This makes Ivan the strongest storm of that season unless, of course, other evidence is available to refute this. We all know Ivan didn't hit as a 5 or there would be nothing left of P'cola. I have not found evidence that Hurricane Categories are irrespective to storm surge. A surge of 20 ft KOd I-10

[Jason4678]

Erin did not have the type of surge Ivan did was because 1) he crossed Florida and didn't have nearly any time to build up a severe storm surge and 2) he was never nearly as strong as Ivan got in his life span. And the reason Erin's winds in Pensacola did not do the damage Ivan did was because his wind field was much smaller and chances are those category 1 winds never got past the beaches...most everybody north of I-10 experienced high-end tropical storm force winds with cat 1/2 gusts.

[kkuratsuku]

According to the NHC, winds were sustained at 80mph in Pensacola with 100mph gusts. Also, Erin was a catagory 2 storm at landfall, not a catagory 1 (It was upgraded post-season). Erin may have been even stronger, but there isn't much data due to loss of power at the airport, and the lack of any official stations at the beaches.

[kkuratsuku]

This is in response to Jason4678

[Jason4678]

You're misunderstanding me, I'm not saying Ivan wasn't a category 3...he was, I'm just stating that those category 3 winds were not in Pensacola.

[triggert531]

My comments are not directed towards you to demean you or discredit you. You seem to be an expert on the meteorolgy of storms so I am asking politely for your reply. How is it that a storm with 80 mph winds caused such a surge and such damage when Erin 9 years before caused a lot of Oak trees to be toppled? In fact, I didn't lose a shingle on my house in Erin...it was listed as a Cat 1 Hurricane....maybe the winds were only 25mph in Milton? I don't know but I do remember the eye came over.

[triggert531]

Lastly, I'll ask again. How is Punta Gorda doing? Is it all put back together? Or are there roads there that are still impassable? I remember all the Miami folks after less than cat 1 Katrina screaming in the streets how they were "suffering." Before Big Katrina caused all the flooding in NOLA. and got the headlines. Four years after Ivan can a person drive on the Island from Pensacola Beach to Navarre? If Cat 1 Ivan did that damage why didn't Cat 1 Erin in 1995. Also why didn't Erin KO I-10?

[triggert531]

Believe that Hurricane Charley reached 911 millibars or that any other Atlantic Hurricane was as strong as Ivan in the 2004 season. If I am wrong please name the storm and it's strength. I realize Ivan didn't hit at 911MB. Lastly I have 4 college degrees and including the culmination of a doctoral degree. I am sure I have as much schooling,if not more, than you. Resorting to name calling is the first sign of a person who wishes to distract from the argument. Please stick to the discussion. cont

[triggert531]

Okay, look this isn't the Jason and Triggert War format. Write me on the side if you want to continue this. If you lived through Ivan then you know almost everyone on Garcon Point or anywhere near the water lost everything. I'll accept your point on the surge. If you lived it you know the winds blew for 12.5 hours. If you think the winds only got to 87 mph that is just a laugh. Maybe Tornadoes caused the gusts where I was...I don't know but the wind was higher than that. And no I don't Cont.

[Jason4678]

Also another note about the wind observations in Pensacola, Weather Bug was in west Pensacola and it's highest recording was 87mph sustained...so that's two official observations from two sides of the town that confirm category 1 winds.

[triggert531]

Also, the Pensacola area observation stations FAILED early in the storm so they don't know how high the sustained winds plus the gusts were. Nor do those in power care. Who wants to tell people that this area could have such a storm. By the way have you driven from Pensacola to Narvarre via old beach road lately...no?! Why not, that little cat 1, weakass Ivan was 4 years ago. The area is still wrecked. How is Punta Gorda doing in comparison? After being hit by "monstrous Charley?"

[Jason4678]

Only the NAS observation failed, Pensacola airport stayed up all night and it never exceeded 85mph winds sustained. And I live in Pensacola, went through Ivan so yes I know what happened here. But at the same time I'm not arrogant enough to believe false beliefs, people need to get rid of the delesional mindset that only a category 3 or 4 can do that kind of damage. Look at what Ike has done...very similar to Ivan and Rita yet it was a category 2.

[kkuratsuku]

According to the NWS, you're wrong. The station at the airport in Pensacola stopped reporting 30 minutes before the eyewall even moved onshore.

[triggert531]

A thundershower could come-up in Punta Gorda and the media would report all kinds of BS so that the rich homeowners there could capitalize on their "terrible misfortune." Do some reading. You will find Hurricane Ivan was the strongest Hurricane of the 2004 season, not Charley, not Frances. It's just that all the pretty people lived down there where those hit so obviously they must have been worse.

[Jason4678]

You're kidding right? You're arrogance is making a bad rep for us sane people here in Pensacola. Charley completely destroyed that area, while people here in Pensacola were WORRIED about losing their roofs that night....people down there actually DID lose their roofs and much more.

[Jason4678]

lol you need to do some reading. Ivan was NOT the strongest hurricane in 2004, don't know where you heard that but you're wrong my friend. You're just a typical NW Florida redneck who thinks everything you experience is worse than anybody else.

[triggert531]

Very interesting Jason4678, and your idea about the storm surge that came up at least 20 feet to displace the bridge that was three nautical miles south of my house is what? Cat 4's have surges around 20 feet don't they? Since Milton and Pensacola never got above 80 mph winds, what could have ever drove that water up high enough to displace the bridge? I just don't get how a cat 1 or less storm hitting in my area displaced the bridge spans. Any ideas?

[Jason4678]

Ivan was a category 5 over the Gulf, that's what drove such a large surge up into the Pensacola area...remember the surge does NOT weaken just because the winds do. And surge also has nothing to do with the category ranking of a hurricane, if that were the case than both Dennis and Charley were tropical storms at landfall.

[triggert531]

Also, I don't give a damn what Noaa says the storm speed was. In Milton/Pace area we got rocked for 12.5 hours! The worst came at about 3:30 A.M. It sounded like a damn freight train over my house. The old doubly reinforced bricked house with deep foundation shook and shook and the roof lost every shigle right down to the boards...rain came in everywhere. It was a miracle the roof didn't come off....but those were just Cat 1 winds huh? Well God help NW Florida if a 2 ever strikes.

[Jason4678]

Yes those were category 1 winds and that's why your roof didn't come off, if you want to know what real category 3 winds do look at the damage that was done in Punta Gordan after Charley...doesn't even compare to the Pensacola damage. When a hurricane makes landfall the friction in runs into with land decreases the highest winds significantly, 90% of the time people never experience the strongest winds of a storm because they never get past the immediate coastline.

[AndyHanline]

this. ivan was more of a surge event while charley produced stronger winds

[triggert531]

cont...is lying as to not Scare the Almighty public? Or that someone is lying and falsified records as to make the event less impressive so that the Thousands of people flocking to the Pace Area would keep on coming? If you were not in this storm with a way of measuring barometric pressure, wind speeds, and overall strength of the storm...with calibrated tools, then you don't know what you are saying. This was one helluva hurricane. Google Hurricane Ivan and largest ocean wave associated with!

[juanloko2]

You have got to be kidding me!!! must of u probably know this but the path Ivan took was like suprising

[Kongo001]

I had went to one of my old churches to stay in. I left my dogs at home some how they survived the night. My german shepard is terrified of water so I wonder how she felt.

[Kongo001]

I was there in pensacola. Still live there that night was fucking amazing to me. Despite the fact that we had no electricity, gas or money barley any how.

[silverjim362]

Scariest night of my life. Experienced the NE quadrant. Pitch black outside, wind roared deafening- horrifying. Trees crashed to the ground around the house, ground shook. Born here 1962, worst I've experienced. Cat 3? NE quadrant came before the eye, it was very strong. Lost strength when the eye hit. See for yourself. Google: Hurricane Ivan Characteristics and Storm Tide Evaluation

Scroll down to the picture and look at the color coded intensity scale. We had some Cat 4 winds.

[AndyHanline]

no we didnt

[ohare27L]

does anyone remember how fast ivan was moving when it made landfall? i remember ivan lasting for a long time and dennis blowing over quickly.

[Jason4678]

Ivan was moving at around 14mph at landfall, Dennis was around 25mph. So yeah, Dennis was moving much faster. Not only that but Dennis was MUCH smaller than Ivan, therefore we didn't have the kind of duration of wind and surge that Ivan had.

[triggert531]

Thanks for educating us all on Hurricane Ivan, a very insignificant event with post storm anaylysis and Cat 1 winds, Jason4678. That completely explains how the I-10 Bridge got floated off it's spans. I guess the Bridge is like 8 feet off the waterline since we had a surge of what 9 feet? That also explains why houses as far North as Blackwater River in East Milton went completely underwater. Yep, nothing more than a thundershower. Did it ever occur to you that someone is lying as to not ..cont.

[Jason4678]

I never said Ivan wasn't a 3, just that Pensacola did not see those cat 3 winds.Problem is, people just like you think cat 1 winds are nothing and that's not true. Winds are always highly overestimated by the eyes and ears, look at the structural damage in Pensacola from the wind and it doesn't even come close to being classified under category 3...not to mention not one observation station in Pensacola recorded category 3 winds.

[triggert531]

Pensacola, Pace, and Milton area had the highest winds, storm surge, and damage...having endured the deadly NE Quadrant. The media reports Ivan as making landfall at CAT 3. The I-10 Bridge floated off its spans. That mean a storm surge of 20 feet at least! That means Ivan was a CAT 4 hurricane. Anyone that doesn't think so should have been in the hallway with me on a mattress with another mattress on top of me that night/morning. It blew for 12 and a half hours!

[Jason4678]

Ivan was NOT a category 4 hurricane, in fact post-storm analysis shows Pensacola did not see sustained cat 3 winds...the strongest winds either stayed offshore or were in a very localized area around Perdido Key. Pensacola mostly saw sustained category 1 winds with higher gusts.

[AndyHanline]

the storm surge was not 20 ft.

[ty32514]

This brings back so many memories of that night! I am so terrified of hurricanes and being able to experience a storm like this only instensified that fear! I can't believe my family and I were lucky enough to make it through that storm unscaved...God's power is something!

[ripperlog]

I was there and in meh car bought pissed myself a couple of times but me and my friends made it through

[alex2345653]

nice vid dude i feel sorry for the people that went through that

[Hitmanadvertising]

You're braver than I am dude!

[Hitmanadvertising]

This guy was in his car that night? He must not have been in Pensacola where the winds were the most severe. I was in a house in Pensacola and I was scared to death.

[cyclonejimcom]

Yes, this was on the westside of Pensacola. I took a total of about three hours of video from the car along side of a bank building during the strongest part of Ivan's eyewall.

[SaVaNnAbAnAnA332]

yeah a tree came through my house ON MY BIRTHDAY and we had to run in the middle of the storm next door and we thought our dog was lost cuz he ran with us so yeah that was NOT a good day for me

[seadog1988]

juist watching this viedo give me bad memories of Ivan. i wish it did not happen at night that was a bad part about it. then the next year denies showed its face men i was about have a mentill melt down because i had not recoverd emontionly from ivan and to this day i stile shit in my pants when i here a storm is comeing

[coolbreeze32526]

ivan almost killed my family we were lucky!

[tooljambi33]

I live in south Alabama and my house was destroyed

[2wheel600]

we couldn't get back to our dorms on the uwf campus for 2 or 3 weeks after the storm and pensacola from the air looked like a sea of blue, plastic roofs for the next year from all the damage.

[panhandleFL]

thats life...things like that happens on the panhandle.

[2wheel600]

panhandleFL...you got that right

[undeadfan13]

i went to pensicola isle for a week and apairently the water goes rite across the isle.And all the houses are on these poles to keep em out of the water.

[xbox360dude44]

my beach house got destroyed

[11SavannaAlexis11]

that was on my birthday....=-(

[phire07]

Why it didnt get shit for recognition... i dont know..

i was living in grand lagoon when it came,

we headed up to ATL a week before

i lost 7 friends in P-Cola

Youll still see blue roofs.

"Smurf Villages"

[lolo123rawr]

yea me and my family didn't evacuate it is still one of the most vivid experiences in my memory. they don't givethis hurricane much recognition, but it was pretty bad.

[pinklola11]

omg it was hoorible, i live in a 80 year old house, everything was okay, the beaches are still messed up :(

[Smurfisevil666]

Worst week of my life... my great uncle had just died and so did one of my dogs.. then i had to go a night without sleeping because of this... and btw, they STILL haven't cleaned up after Ivan... theres still pieces of shed in front of my house wiating to be picked up. and YES we did call for pick up

[OGhead]

Ivan messed us up pretty bad. I hate when the hurricanes are at night because since you can't see anything all you can do is wait and listen for tornadoes.

[ryanwxbm]

Most definitely NOT fake redpepper. Those guys are idiots for being out in that weather, but I can assure you that's real footage.

[redpepper75]

Dude!! I'm kidding!! Of course I know its real!! :) DUH!!!

[didu50]

i was in there too freakin scary i was near the wal-mart on creighton still live there lol

[Smurfisevil666]

Theres a rumor around my neighbor that they were using that walmart as safe house. That true?

[neohippie7]

Amazing...and you were in your car in that!

[MsMercury]

I went through it. Scary stuff!

[iammefl]

Great footage. I was in there!

[Hurricane23mph]

Wow!!!Jim thanks for posting this.Adrian

[vmax135]

Un-freakin-believable! Those peak winds are SCREAMING around that building!!! And the gas station awning coming apart is incredible. It's too bad this wasn't a day time landfall. I love the shots of Lixion, Jack and Max... even Billy Wagner is in there...haha.

[NeoCortex34]

This was a bad hurricane, luckily this wasn't one of the ones i went through.