#Hurricane Dorian – Looking Grim Again!

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 17 Comments

I guess it was too much to hope this one would move far enough offshore to leave Florida alone. Saturday’s optimistic predictions have morphed into Monday’s abysmal ones.

Yes, the eye of the storm is still over the water in the update above, but it is substantially closer to the shore than before. In fact, if it wobbles to the west even a tiny bit, it will make landfall on us. As it is, even if it follows the path currently predicted, the coast will take a major hammering. The worst winds of the storm are the bands on the west side as they whirl counter-clockwise around the eye.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for the red zone areas along the coast, and I do hope people will leave! They are predicting an enormous storm surge all along that area, and that is one of the most dangerous things about the storm. (Notice that “the storm” and I are no longer on a first name basis!!)

Here in Seminole County, we are already under a tropical storm watch, and will no doubt be getting at least that much wind and rain through the duration of “the storm.” We are located just about 40 miles west of the 2AM Wed “M” in the graphic above. In a storm this huge and WIDE, that means we won’t know until it’s here just how bad things might get in Sanford/Orlando.

This image shows the probability of wind speed, with the purple area being full-on hurricane wind. (You can see that a significant portion of the coastline is in the purple area.) We are in the narrow brown band of 50 to 60 mph winds, and close enough to the orange 60 to 70 mph range to be worrisome. And that’s if the storm does not move more inland.

This one is scary, folks.

We’ve done pretty much all we can do to be prepared, and now it’s just wait. And as they say:

WAITING FOR A HURRICANE
IS LIKE BEING STALKED
BY A TURTLE!

I will update again later today, if possible, but since we are already getting some rain and wind, power outage is very likely in the cards. Please continue to keep us and everyone in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers. And thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve sent our way! ❤ ❤ ❤

Last #HurricaneDorian Update for Today! (5:00pm forecast)

August 31, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 18 Comments

The predictions keep looking better and better for us in central Florida. The coastal areas will probably have some significant storm surge, and I know the entire state is braced for wind and rain starting late tomorrow and lasting into Wednesday. But as of right now, they are predicting Dorian will not make landfall in Florida, but will stay off the eastern coast heading north to somewhere around North Carolina. Again, this can change, but it looks promising, and I’m very relieved for those of us here in the Orlando area, if not as much so for those along the coast.

I am also exhausted. We worked outside most of the day, bringing all the potted plants inside and making sure things were not likely to become deadly projectiles–or even window-smashing projectiles. We will reassess tomorrow to see if we feel we need to do more, but as of tonight, I’m thinking we might come through this one okay, after all. Now, on the count of three, could you all repeat after me, “Go EAST, young Dorian! Get thee out into the Atlantic, and don’t bother any more people who aren’t bothering you!” Got it? Okay, one, two, three ……… ahhh, thanks! That should do it.

You can probably tell I’m getting punchy, but it’s been a long, hard day, so I hope you’ll cut me some slack. Thanks so much for all the wonderful support and prayers, and I’ll try to respond to all your comments as soon as I can. We shall find out soon enough what tomorrow brings, but for now, it’s off to bed with a Granny Smith apple and a good book. We’ll see if I stay wake long enough to enjoy either one. 😀

#Latest (11:00am) Dorian Update – Possible Good News!

August 31, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Good news. The very latest storm predictions show it trending more and more to the east. Now, they think it won’t touch land in Florida, but will stay offshore as far as the NC/SC border. If they’re correct, and the trending eastward continues, this actually COULD go off into the Atlantic without making landfall anywhere! How wonderful that would be!

Of course, is a very wide storm, and we are going to get “weather” as they say down here, whether the eye touches land or not. Florida will no doubt have wind, rain, and flooding in many areas, especially along the coast where storm surge is always a threat. The question would be how much, and where? So preparations are still ongoing statewide, and Mark and I are hard at work clearing up the yard. (I don’t want to get brained by a flying flower pot or birdbath!) But the outlook is far better than it was yesterday, and that makes me breathe easier than I have for a week!

Now, I just want to see it swing far enough east that it misses our entire coast! That would be what we writers cleverly refer to as an HEA! 😀 Keep sending those thoughts and prayers, folks! They are so gratefully received! 🙂 ❤

#HurricaneDorian Update 8:00am 8/31/19

August 31, 2019August 31, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 12 Comments

This is the first bit of possible–and I stress possible–good news Florida has gotten on the prediction front since Dorian reared its ugly head. If this track holds (a BIG “if”), the actual center of the storm will stay offshore until it hits Charleston. So what might be good news for me is bad news for my daughter who owns a home in Charleston. (Charleston sits right on the coast/salt marshes and is very susceptible to storm surge and flooding.) But if the eastward trend continues to increase, this major hurricane could even pull away from there, too.

Having said all of this, Dorian is enormously wide and Florida would still be impacted by severe and dangerous weather: heavy wind and rain, flooding, and tornadoes. We will be inundated for a few days, and power outages will probably be prevalent everywhere, along with downed trees (*shudder*), flying roof shingles, broken windows, and the like. 😯 And that’s IF it stays offshore. It definitely could change course again, in that sneaky, cold-hearted way that hurricanes have.

BUT, I have to say, seeing those black circles out over the Atlantic lifts my spirits considerably. Praying it turns that way even more, sparing us all the far more dire scenario of an actual direct hit!

Thanks to all who have expressed concern for me, my family, and everyone in harm’s way. It is gratefully appreciated! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and maybe this will all go away like a bad dream! 🙂 ❤

Dorian Update & Rescheduling Next Week’s Regular Features

August 29, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 30 Comments

Hi, Folks!

Been checking the updates on Dorian all day long, and it hasn’t swerved a bit so far, darn it. It is now scheduled to hit us here in the Orlando/Sanford area at 8:00am Tuesday, and though that might change, for now, it’s the best information we have. After a good bit of deliberation, running around wondering what I should do, and fretting over all the prep work still ahead for Mark & I to get ready for impact, I decided I should reschedule any posts I had planned for next week. It will be one less thing I have to worry about right now, and that’s a good thing.

Accordingly , I’m bumping everything to the week of Sunday, September 8 through Saturday, the 14th, skipping any pre-planned posts for September 1 through September 7. Tomorrow’s #FirstLineFriday will be the last regular feature until after September 8. Next week, if I’m able to get online, I’ll touch base and let you guys know what’s going on. If we get lucky and the storm is here and gone in a hurry, I’ll fill in the gaps. But our regularly scheduled events, such as #MondayMemes, #ShareAReviewDay, the new #WriteStuffWednesday, #ThorsDaySmiles, and the next #FirstLineFriday will all return during the week of 9/8-9/14.

Hope this makes sense, and you guys understand that sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to stay safe (and stay SANE.) I think this is my best option right now, so there won’t be any last minute panic if we lose power here and I can’t run the various series as I’d like.

Again, if the storm passes us by with no real interruption, you’ll be the first to know, and I’m sure I’ll find a few things to share with you next week.

Thanks for your understanding, and I do sincerely hope this all turns out to be much ado about nothing. (Oooh. Cool name for a play. 😀 )

#HurricaneDorian Looking Worse for Florida by the Minute

August 28, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 23 Comments

Here’s the latest update on Dorian. Picture me standing right underneath that “H” in the center of the state, waving at you. (Actually, I’m jumping up and down and yelling “Somebody get me outta here!”

The “H” means a significant storm with winds between 74 and 110mph, (with anything over 74 being a hurricane, as opposed to a bad tropical storm.)

This is SO not good!