coming out of my shell

coming out of my shell

Friday, September 8, 2017

The Great Bitch, Irma

We are trying to get ready for this monster hurricane. Irma will find her way to Central Florida on Sunday. We are trying to prepare both physically and mentally. We will likely lose power, for how long is anyone's guess. If you don't hear from me next week I am likely without electricity. Don't worry, I'm almost sure everything will be messy, but fine.

How do you prepare for a hurricane? Well, preparing is endless. Getting enough water stockpiled is hard when stores sold out a week ago. When a delivery arrives, people are waiting in line to get it and they buy it all up without a thought for others. Community spirit seems to kick in after a catastrophe hits. Before, everyone is desperately trying to protect their own.

I think we have enough bottled water to see us through a week without power, but I have taken to freezing tap water in gallon sized freezer bags just in case. If power goes out it should take them a while to melt, keeping the fridge cool a day or two longer. We have plenty of canned foods, cereal, and nuts in the pantry. Our extra batteries should arrive today via amazon.com. We have propane for the gas grill. T will drain the pool to accommodate torrential rain.

Gasoline is another scarce commodity. All gas tankers are going to South Florida so evacuees can have gas to travel north. Tom filled his car before the rush. My car is a little less than half full. We wasted gas driving around yesterday but could not find a gas station with any gasoline left.

The sand bag distribution center has a multiple hour wait, with cars lined up to the moon and back. Wasting precious gasoline to get sand bags! It's a conundrum.
Consequently, our sandbox for little N has been raided; the sand turned into sandbags to keep all that water out of the house.

Highways are filled with people from South Florida trying to escape Irma at her worst. I worry they will run out of gas and be forced to endure Irma on the side of the highway in cars with kids, animals, and important papers. It happens. Can you imagine? We have not been told to evacuate, but schools are closed. I imagine if evacuation becomes mandatory, the gas tankers will begin stopping in Central Florida again? However, I hope once she makes landfall that bitch will settle down a little. I would be grateful for a Cat 2 storm. I really don't want to hit the road.

Our important papers and pills are in plastic freezer bags, too. I've moved many things off the ground in case of flooding. We have lots of toilet paper! Wine, too... Any potential outside projectiles (potted plants, deck furniture, pool cleaning implements, toys) will be moved to the shed or the garage. No basements in Florida! I'll move my computer away from my office window. Bathtubs will be filled with tap water for cleaning up and flushing toilets. Unfortunately, we do not have plywood to cover windows. That is also long gone in the stores. We will buy some afterwards for next time. For now, we take our chances. 

There is the added worry that our daughter and her family aren't preparing well enough. They are, they will, but still my mother/grandmother's heart is sore and stretched for miles. If I worry enough, will it ward off water and wind?



28 comments:

  1. Friends in Houston had to be evacuated twice - once because of flooding, and again because of the chemical explosions. We are begging friends in Cocoa Beach to come north and visit. Good luck with all your preparations. Please keep us posted when you can. Personally, I'll take snow storms any day.

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    1. Harvey seems to have generated way more rain than Irma. And those chemical explosions, aaack. I'm less afraid of flooding with this one than I am by wind damage. Plus, I'm hoping it isn't that strong anymore by the time it gets to us.

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  2. Stay safe, i hope every thing will be ok.

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    1. Thank you, Yael. I think all will be fine. Just a huge mess to clean up afterwards.

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  3. The preparation for a storm like this is unbelievable! Yikes. I hope when Irma does move through, she has calmed down and become much less of a catastrophic threat. Take care there, be safe, and know we are thinking of you and everyone there.

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    1. Thanks, Robin. I appreciate your concern. I can't help but think it will calm down quite a bit by the time it hits us, tho.

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  4. May you stay dry and safe and sane. I am thinking of you.

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    1. Thanks, Sabine. When you think of me, imagine the emoji avatar I put on this post because that's pretty much how I look. :)

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  5. Wow, so many details to think of when preparing for a hurricane. Out west, we prepare for fire and not to shelter in place but to get out. It sounds like you have a good handle on things. Hope you ride out dear Irma without a lot of damage. Be safe!

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    1. Thanks, 2 Tramps! Welcome to my blog. I can't imagine having to contend with all those big fires right now. And then an earthquake in Mexico! Crazy times.

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  6. Please, please, please stay safe. I will hold best wishes for you and your family.

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    1. I will try, try, try! Thanks for your best wishes, Emma.

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  7. Hoping that the storm will weaken before it gets near you and your family. I have friends near Miami, and some evacuated and others did not. You have prepared as well as you can. May you all be safe.

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    1. Oh gee, if I lived in or near Miami I would definitely have evacuated. I am SO worried about Southern Florida. And our state legislators seem to be a bunch of climate change deniers. In the meantime, Miami is slipping into the ocean.

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  8. I'm thinking of you. Beloved's son, wife, kids and dog are here from Miami. It's a stressful time but we endure. That's what women do. Much love! Jane

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    1. I am SO happy to hear they are with you. I hope YOUR dogs like all the activity (and the new pal).

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  9. We have earthquakes here but they come without warning. I can't decide if it's better to know ahead or not. It must cause a lot of anxiety. Here's hoping Irma eases. Still, drink the wine.

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    1. I used to live just south of Seattle, and was in a small earthquake one day while I was in my 5th grade class. We all immediately got under our desks, which was the proper procedure. I think it's better to know ahead. I don't like surprises. I will definitely drink that wine! I just hope there still some left by the time the hurricane arrives.

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  10. Appropriate to call Irma a bitch, an extremely unpredictable one at that! Be safe, hunker down. We're an hour north of Tampa. Who knows what havoc she'll wreack on all of us. Good luck!

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    1. Oh Molly, I'm now so much more worried about you than about those of us in Orlando. Please post as soon as you are able afterwards to let us know you are safe. Good luck to you, too.

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  11. I hope all is well. My cousin just moved to Florida two weeks ago. She's just north of Orlando in Casselberry. She will be staying with friends this weekends so I hope she is fine.

    Take care my friend.

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    1. Oh gee, welcome to Florida - right? I hope all goes well for her.

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  12. Here's hoping Irma has a change of heart and or direction. Sounds like you are as prepared as you can be. Stay safe. Safe wishes for your family as well.

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    1. Thanks, Middle Girl! I wish it would just happen. I'm tired of waiting for it. Will be happy when I can look back on it, instead of forward to it.

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  13. You are in my thoughts. Sending love. So many life-changing events all at once for so many people, coinciding with another September 11 anniversary. I am reminded of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, where she describes so vividly the hurricane of 1928 that ravaged coastal and inland areas of Florida.

    So many reasons to survive those times and these times by doing what we can and remembering that we are not alone.

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    1. Beautifully said. I now want to reread Their Eyes Were Watching God. That 1928 hurricane was responsible for about 2,500 deaths in Florida. I am thankful that our modern technology provides an opportunity for people to evacuate well in advance.

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So, whadayathink?