SURVIVING HURRICANE IRMA!

I’m a native-born Floridian and have seen my fair share of tropical storms and hurricanes.  Surviving Hurricane Irma was my goal for September 2017.

Friends of mine scattered throughout Florida and the southern states posted their minute by minute status.

“Where can I find water?”

“There is no gas in town!”

“I need a generator!”

“I’m evacuating. See ya.”

The Andrews’ chose to stay. We invited family and friends to ‘hunker down’ at our house during the hurricane.

Furry pets were welcome too.

We had a full house and feasted on hotdogs, baked, beans, chips, and burgers. Classic hurricane goodies.

PREPARING FOR IRMA

I’ve never prepared for anything, except my wedding. Due to the size of Irma, evacuation plans were made with three possible destinations. We purchased our first generator, (great investment for future hurricanes), candles, batteries, water, and food.

When I say I bought food, I mean, I BOUGHT FOOD!

Our cupboards bulged of beanie weenies, baked beans, soups, and junk food.

Important paperwork: birth certificates, social security cards, Marriage license. home owners insurance… were placed in a small plastic bin to grab in case we had to leave in a rush.

The night Hurricane Irma hit, I was ready. With our bellies full from all the food we’d eaten, we sat around watching the hurricane path prediction on the big screen.

Exhausted from the day of prepping, I went to bed listening to a light rain as a few gusty breezes blew by.

How are things now, you ask?

Very little debris scattered in the neighborhood and our lights winked a few time.

I’ve probably gained ten pounds trying to polish off Hurricane Irma snacks.

Over ten pallets of bottled water reside in the garage, beside an expensive generator waiting on an opportunity to show us how loud it is.

Others, however, didn’t go untouched. Many families are dealing with flooded homes, or worse, and piecing their lives back together. My heart goes out to them…

Now I hear that Jose is marinating out there…

Will I evacuate or ‘hunker down’ if this one becomes a Hurricane? We’ll see.

One thing I do know is that I don’t have much prepping to do for any future hurricanes.

I even found time to work on the second novel, Dancing with Dandelions, in the Paisley Series.

Hurricane Irma even birthed a great idea. Tess will be dealing with a hurricane in the third book in my Paisley Series. This hurricane might not be a literal one either…

Zelle

Rock you Like a Hurricane by Scorpions. Enjoy!