Central Florida’s Ordeal is OVER!

/ Marcia Meara

Though Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia are still in danger, Hurricane Dorian is officially crossing the state line and no longer menacing us here in central Florida! Hallelujah! I was beginning to think being stalked by a Deadly Turtle was the new normal. And I confess, I’m exhausted from all the preparations and the stress of not knowing for five long days whether we would take a hit or not. 

We did have some tropical storm force winds here during the night and throughout the morning, but let’s assess the damage, in comparison to what Irma did two years ago.

Here’s what Hurricane Irma left us on September 10, 2017:

Yes, our house is under there.

Another view, showing the size of the massive trunk of this tree.

The roof is lifted off the garage and the lintel is broken.

Top of the garage, with rafters poking up through the  roof. (The other ends of the rafters are poking into the seriously damaged Honda, which  was holding up the attic.

See? A good add for the Honda, which they were able to repair because, believe it or not, the frame didn’t buckle. (Even under the combined weight of our attic and contents, the garage roof itself, and the weight of a tree with a trunk 5 feet in diameter!

There are tons more pictures of the smashed gardens, the broken trellises and lamp posts, fence damage, and of course, the entire roof ruined. But enough about Irma.

Now let’s take a look at what Hurricane Dorian wrought:

Yep. That’s it. A dead moss monster next to the driveway. 

Seems like an unbelievable amount of labor and stress just to be ready for this, but the good news is, we can clean it up in about 30 seconds. (We’re still working on yard clean-up and replanting from Irma!) 

In all seriousness, it could just as easily have been as bad as or worse than Irma. Catastrophic, even. So it’s always better to over-prepare, and not need it, than to find yourself under-prepared and in danger. We’ll do it again the next time we’re menaced and we will pray all we end up with is a dead moss monster in the front yard.

50 thoughts on “Central Florida’s Ordeal is OVER!”

    • I have folks up there I’m praying for, as well. I HATE what the latest update is showing for the Carolinas, and hope Dorian swings at least far enough east to let them escape major damage. Good luck to your family.

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  2. P.S. I’ve been reading along with your posts and couldn’t blame you for worrying! I would be a basket case. We had Hurricane Sandy many years ago and our town flooded for the first time since 1972. Our house is up high but it was crazy…the houses below us were all underwater. So now we even keep an eye on the hurricanes!

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    • Thanks, Joan! I’m so glad I’ll be able to SLEEP tonight!!! OMG, I’m tired! And a bit punchy, too. But SAFE, and with no smashed garage or torn up roof, so I’m happy! 🙂 I’ll be checking on the states farther north ever day until this wretched storm goes away! 🙂

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    • I have already stopped hunkering and stretched my legs and my aching, hunkered-out back. But do I have to stop thinking about men in kilts? (Please say no.) 😀

      Thanks, Mary. I was beginning to think we would never be rid of this danger! I think it might have been the slowest moving hurricane I’ve ever seen! Seemed like it, anyway. 🙂

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        • Ah, good news on the men in kilts thing.

          And yep, Dorian has been traveling at lightning fast speeds, like 5mph, 1mph, or total stop. And sitting like it did in the Bahamas is one of the reasons I was so terrified about it coming this way. I don’t know when a storm has scared me this much. Partly because it was a TERRIBLE monster, and partly because Irma was still so fresh in our minds. Stress and more stress. (SO I’m extra glad I don’t have to give up thinking about men in kilts. 😀 😀 😀 )

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    • Thank you, D. And I’ll be watching Dorian until it spews out the last drop of rain and the last gust of wind. This is one I want to see DIE!!!! We are so lucky, and I’ll never get over the heartbreaking pictures out of the Bahamas. Dorian has a lot to answer for, and as you say, it’s not over yet. 😦

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    • Thanks so much, Bill! I’m going to enjoy sleeping soundly tonight after only 2 hours last night, and not much better the preceding four nights. But I’ll be following this storm until it has finally gone off and died! Which I hope might happen before it wreaks havoc on the coasts of Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, and anywhere else up there it might hit. It needs to be GONE!

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    • Thanks, Jeanne! I’m pretty relieved tonight, just as you and others up your way are beginning the long wait to see if it will turn farther east and leave you alone! Fingers crossed and well wishes and prayers for all of you in “possible” harm’s way. May it all turn out as well as it did here!

      And thanks for the “Moss Monster” comment. I had fun with that part of the post, comparing what happened last time to what happened today. Was hoping some might enjoy it. I’m going to go outside for hurricane clean up tomorrow, pick up the debris twixt thumb and forefinger, and toss it in the garbage. Then go out back to continue dealing with what Irma left behind!

      Feeling VERY lucky and very grateful here in central Florida, and only wish everyone had come through (and WILL come through) so well.

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    • Florida was incredibly lucky this time, Robbie. But the rest of the eastern seaboard is in real trouble. This thing just won’t GO AWAY! Right now, it’s hammering Charleston, South Carolina, and causing major flooding. They are kayaking through the downtown streets!!! OMG. I’m so glad my daughter moved to Denver a couple of months ago. Now all I have to worry about with them is frostbite and avalanches! 😯 They do have property in Charleston that I hope will come through this undamaged!

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    • Thanks, Olga! I fear damage is going to be extensive in Charleston, which is flooded, but hopefully the fact that something like 250,000 people evacuated ahead of the storm will have saved lives. I just can’t believe it won’t go away!

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    • Thanks, Harmony! We’re safe, but oh, the mess in the Carolinas! So glad my daughter and family moved to Denver 3 months ago, as their home (now rented out) in Charleston is in jeopardy from flooding, etc. The storm is pummeling them with a direct hit, and lots of water. The downtown area of Charleston is flooded and kayakers are paddling down the main streets!!! OMG! South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia are in harm’s way, I’m afraid! 😦

      But we were VERY lucky! So grateful this one missed us! 🙂

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  16. Whew! I am so glad Dorian didn’t leave anything worse than a dead moss monster behind. I remember those awful photos from Irma. Now you can de-stress and relax.

    I have family in North Carolina and Virginia, so I’m still tracking this wretched storm and hoping it moves out to the Atlantic without causing further damage. It’s worrisome though, because it sounds like the flooding in NC could be pretty intense. It’s hard to believe this thing is still hanging out on the coast!

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    • Thanks, Mae! Charleston is flooding like mad. I saw a video of kayakers on Ashley Street in downtown Charleston! And the storm has stalled there for several hours. It IS definitely threatening North Carolina, and Virginia, possibly up to Chesapeake Bay! 😯 I will be watching what happens up that way, and praying for ALL in the path of this hateful storm.

      We were INCREDIBLY lucky!! The Moss Monster was it! Unless you count the toll caused by 5 days of hard work at hurricane prep, and the stress of waiting, waiting, waiting for who knows what kind of hit to occur. And believe me, it took a toll. I’m still exhausted. But oh, so grateful that WE aren’t kayaking through our streets, OR digging out from under another fallen tree. Or camped in a shelter somewhere with six animals! Now, I’m trying to get my head back into everyday life again, and maybe even–shock–WRITE today!!

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  17. So pleased to hear you made it through without any damage like last time. And yay for Honda – what a robust car! I remember reading about someone in the US who clocked up a million miles in theirs, and Honda gave them a brand new one for the publicity it brought them. I might consider one for my next vehicle…

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    • Thank you so much, Debby! We are so grateful to have been spared this time, and I wish it would go away. Instead, it’s now slamming (and causing a TON of flooding) throughout South Carolina. (Over 250,000 evacuated before it came, thankfully). So prayers and well wishes are still welcome there, I know, and clear up the rest of the coastline.

      And yes, on the Honda! I was so impressed, thinking for sure it would be a total loss, but nope. In a week, they had it back to us looking good as new. I kept thinking we should tell them our story, but we never got around to it. I guess we were too busy trying to deal with construction workers and clean up. 🙂 But I’m sold on Honda, for sure! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Darlene. And the Moss Monster was terrifying! 😯 I had to sneak up and give it a poke to be sure it was well and truly dead, before doing my Hurricane Dorian clean up, which consisted of picking it up twixt thumb and forefinger and flinging into the yard waste container.

      In all seriousness, it seems so arbitrary and unfair that the Bahamas have been destroyed and the Moss Monster was all that we suffered. Having said that, I am very, very grateful that we didn’t take a hit this time. Next time, the tables could be turned. Mother Nature is a fickle, fickle woman. 🙂

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    • Thanks for the kind words for Moss Monster. 😀

      Right up until the last day, it was very, very iffy. A wobble to the west of 20 miles would have turned out pretty bad for us. But it wouldn’t have mattered what anyone said. When a tree jumps up out of the ground and tries to KILL you, you get very, very squirmy about future storms as horrific as Dorian! 😯 This is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been through more than I can count. I mean, it’s the 2nd worst Atlantic hurricane in recorded history!

      Yep, I was scared witless, and I’m still pinching myself trying to believe I’m not dreaming about it missing us.

      Over 2 million people were told to evacuate the Carolinas, 250,000 from Charleston, where there are now people kayaking down the main downtown streets. 😯 And it’s looking pretty grim for North Carolina, too.It’s even threatening Virginia!

      I tell ya, I’m very, very grateful we didn’t take a hit, but it was only by the Grace of God that it passed us by, hitting farther north, instead. It looks pretty bad up there, for sure. And I shudder when I see what it did to the Bahamas. I don’t know how they’ll ever put that to rights again. At least not the Abaco Islands. So heartbreaking!

      Did I mention I HATE this miserable wretch of a hurricane??? *snarling, here*

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      • You were blessed for sure Marsh. My heart goes out to the Bahamians, and Abaco has been decimated, building will have to be scratch, so painful to look at. 😦 I don’t remember ever watching a hurricane that completely flattened an island. Heartbreaking. And there’s no way in hell only 30 dead in that tragic horror. Those numbers will roll into the 100s. Just so bloody tragic. 😦 😦

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        • This is going to be one for the record books, I think. And I still can’t believe how close it came to us. Thankfully, my daughter just found out that their property in Charleston wasn’t damaged. Lots of limbs down, and power outage over 8 hours, but no flooding of the home, etc. So I am one grateful soul today, knowing how bad it could have been. The worst (the prep and anxiety and waiting) is over for me, but the aftermath is just beginning for so many others. 😦

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  20. Thank goodness Marcia. What a frightening thing it must be for you to be in such danger during hurricane season. Glad all is well. By the way in Malaysia the Dorian is a very foul smelling but oddly tasty fruit! If you can get past the smell that is. 🙂 x

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    • Thanks, Marje! We were incredibly lucky to have this one pass by so close without taking a hit.It was pretty darn scary, for sure. And NOW it’s heading to Canada! It seems Dorian will NEVER die! Funny about the fruit, though I think Dorian the hurricane stinks, too! 🙂 (Trying for humor wherever possible because the reality of what this storm did is too awful to think about very long.) 😦

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  21. Been without aol for most of one day and yesterday my unreliable and wilful computer was replaced by a bright young thing which is now up and running.
    Just wanted to add my relief at knowing you escaped a re-run of Irma. Having seen the photos, I’m surprised you haven’t rebuilt the house in the sort of steel they use for bank vaults – or surrounded it with an assortment of Hondas. Seriously, having a tree that size attack you is not something you can ever forget and I’m so glad that this time you olny had to face your moss monster.
    Catch up on some healing sleep!
    ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • “or surrounded it with an assortment of Hondas.” Hahahahahahaha! I love that, Trish! And you know, it might not be a bad idea! Will put it on the Hurricane Prep list for next time. (Shudder!)

      Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m so happy this one missed us! We’ve laid the Moss Monster to rest with great ceremony. (We tossed him into a trash can and made derisive comments in his general direction!) And I’m doing my best to catch up on a week’s worth of lost sleep. Feeling a bit more refreshed each day.

      I’m sorry you have had computer woes. (That would have pushed me right over the edge, even without a hurricane threat!) But I’m glad you have a bright young thing up and running now. Nothing like a new computer to get the old blood pumping and the heart beating fast. Wait. Am I thinking of something else? (I’m old. I get confused easily. 😀 ) At any rate, I’m happy you are sorted out now, for sure. Long may this one run smoothly! 🙂 ❤

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