#HurricaneIrma – So Much for Relaxing!

/ Marcia Meara

Hurricane Irma has now been classified as a Category 5 storm, with winds higher than 185mph. The National Hurricane Center says it is the strongest storm in the Atlantic basin outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in its records. Current projected path can vary, but so far, looks like the image above. I live right about where the “L” in  FL is. 😦 So even this path will impact us.

At least one projected path shows the storm turning more north and coming right up the center of the state, straight through the middle of central Florida. That will SEVERELY impact us.

Just wanted to alert you guys that I may disappear for a few days, if we take a very hard hit. We do have a generator, so if we aren’t blown away, we won’t be totally without power, but I probably won’t try running the computer until it’s all over.

Another projected path has the storm turning more northeast, and not coming directly over Florida at all. That would be lovely. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as this has the potential to be a record breaker. Where Harvey ended up being an historic amount of rain, Irma looks like she’s planning to blow the state right off the map.

My beloved North Carolina mountains are looking better every day.

I’ll keep you posted as long as I have power.

 

36 thoughts on “#HurricaneIrma – So Much for Relaxing!”

    • I know! They are overlapping on the next map! 😦 The west is burning and the east is flooding! 😯 Scary, for sure. And thanks for your well wishes. We are likely to need them. I have a feeling we will be lucky just to lose power for a few days. It could be really bad, here, and no way to know yet. 😥

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    • On behalf of ALL of us, I thank you! We should know a bit more by tomorrow, but it’s not looking good. And with Jose following directly behind, who knows what’s coming. (Where is Azrael when I need him? Hopefully, standing guard at the southern tip of the state, waving his flaming sword at Irma in a seriously threatening manner!)

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    • We will be filling all our containers with water tonight, including the bathtub, for use in flushing the toilets. We don’t buy bottled water, which costs more than gasoline. But we have loads of camping gear, including big containers with spouts. So water is good. Plus, we have two sources of water in the house, and usually one of them works. 🙂 Mark has gassed up our vehicles, and has extra for our generator, and we have oil lamps and gas lanterns, and two gas grills for light and cooking. (We’ve done this before.) If we are told to evacuate, we will pack up the six animals and head out. We aren’t on the coast, so I hope that won’t be necessary, but you never know.

      Thanks for the well wishes. I’m still hoping this one turns to the Atlantic and heads out to sea. Or gets downgraded to a tropical storm after it makes landfall in the islands. Enough, already!

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    • Thank you, Pam! I’ll take all the prayers ya got! (Okay, you can save some for the other folks in the possible path of this storm. I’ll share!) 🙂 Will keep you updated, if we don’t lose power. ❤

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    • THank you very much, Cynthia! We will need those wishes, I fear. Lots of folks in the path of this one, at least as projected right now. Still hoping it turns away, or loses strength as soon as it touches land. Fingers crossed!

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    • Thank you, Judith. Mark is at the store even as I type, picking up lots of canned goods and things that won’t need refrigeration, though we do have several large ice chests we use when camping, etc. We are better equipped than most to ride out a period with no power, etc. We have lots of camping gear, including several propane grills, and a gas grill, and lanterns, and oil lamps, and a generator that will run the fridge and a window unit a/c. (I have my priorities, you know.) 🙂 So, hopefully, if we don’t suffer major house damage, we will be okay. But it’s just all a big “IF” when it’s a storm this big and powerful. Will keep you updated, though, for as long as I have power. 🙂 ❤

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    • This one has the potential to be catastrophic, but no way to know for sure what it’s going to do. I’m hoping for a wobble northeast, and Florida being spared. We’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.

      As for writing on paper . . . ummm . . . I haven’t been able to read my own writing in YEARS! 😯 I think I’ll just use the down time to read by an oil lamp. Assuming my house hasn’t floated or been blown away. 😀 Geez, I hope this one turns hard right before it hits the Keys!

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  10. Hi Marcia
    I’m an old stupid man who has lived through this so/too many times, from David, Donna (P B Co.), many others, to Andrew (my sisters were in Homestead), and Jean & Francis (Treasure Coast now). But I’m not too stiff-necked to not worry. And, I believe in prayer. God Bless. (hard boil your eggs…) 🙂

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    • Then I’m an “old, stupid woman,” I reckon, because I’ve lived through these all my life. I’m a Florida native, and I remember so many, I can’t even think of all the names. I was in high school in Tampa when Donna hit, and watched people boating on Bayshore Blvd. I remember Andrew, too, and Jean, Frances, Ivan, and Charlie, all in one season. Charlie passed right over the top of our new house in 2004, less than six months after we moved in.

      I’ve never had to evacuate, but I guarantee I WOULD if I were told to. I’ll not put someone else’s life at risk trying to save me because I was too stubborn to go when asked. Irma is exceptionally scary, though. This one is powerful (like the “finger of God” mentioned in the movie Twister). I hope it loses a lot of strength the minute it makes landfall anywhere. And then, goes out to sea, and leaves us all the heck alone.

      Good idea about hardboiling the eggs. I forgot about that. But we have 20 gallon water containers with faucets on them, and will be filling several of those for drinking/cooking. And we will fill the bathtub so we can dip water for washing and flushing. Then we have all our propane and gas grills and lanterns. And our generator. We are well prepared for long power outages, assuming our house doesn’t blow away.

      God bless and stay safe, yourself! Still hoping for this one to make that hard right and head out to the Atlantic, but braced for the worst. 🙂 Check in with us after this is over and let us know how you fared.

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      • TY for such a considerate response! I sensed that ya’ll (heh!) are campers, and old school Floridians. Therefore, I’m confident in your preps, supplies, knowledge, resilience, and your FAITH.
        Looking forward to a time when we can talk about writing.
        GB/HBWeek

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        • Always great to meet a new friend, and especially a fellow Floridian. (Are you a native, too? Might be nice to meet another. So far, it’s been me and some old guy up in the panhandle. Hahaha.)

          Hopefully, Irma will soon blow over (see what I did there?) and we can get back to readin’ an’ writin’ an’ all that good stuff. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

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            • Hi, again! I cut some of your post, ONLY because it was a lot of personal info for the blog, and I thought it better to keep portions a bit more private. Hope you understand. Fingers crossed that next Tuesday finds us all safe and sound, with our homes still intact around us, and Irma ancient history! Stay safe!! 🙂

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    • Aw, thanks so much! Still hoping not to get hit really hard, but it’s not in my hands, I’m afraid. This is one of those situations when you do everything you can to prepare, and heed the advice given you by the meteorologists, then let go of it. It’s bigger than we are, I’m afraid. I just hope it turns out to be much less of a catastrophe than it has the potential to be.

      Will be keeping you guys updated as I can! Thanks for stopping by!

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  14. I’ve been thinking about you my friend. Please stay safe and keep us abreast. You can also mark yourself safe on FB, heaven forbid it targets your area. ❤ Visualizing it swirling right back into the ocean 🙂

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