Hurricane Plans Updated in Day by Day

Gas for generators, check (2 small generators plus a big boy that can power 5 homes). MREs, check (actually, they’re freeze-dried camping meals, which have become rather trendy now). Shutters to install tomorrow morning, check (we boarded up the rentals today). Ice bags in freezer, all 60+ pounds of it. Coolers rinsed and ready to fill with water. Large water containers for flushing toilets (16 gallons) are filled. All gas cans filled, car and van gas tanks topped off. Family pictures scanned. Decisions made on what to bring in case of evacuation, packed in sealed plastic tubs. Alternative lighting, check. Extra batteries, check. Solar powered battery/phone charger ready. Flood insurance paid up. Medicines stocked up. Clean-up supplies, check. Wind-up radio, check. Paper goods, from toilet paper to paper plates to paper towels set out for easy access. All bills up to date, mortgages paid in advance. Prayers said, check. Guess I’m ready for whatever comes on Sunday.

Today I’m making sure all alternative lighting and electronics are fully charged as well as making sure all documents and papers are in the plastic (covered and locked) tub. Come what may, I measure all concerns on the Nick Scale, asking myself, “Is this as bad as losing Nick?” If not, I know I can survive whatever comes my way. One of my kids once told me I was five feet of concrete. Maybe on the exterior, but that’s all ya need to protect the inside.

For those wanting an update: Most models take the storm into the Florida Keys and up the spine of Florida. IF it follows the model’s path (hurricanes think for themselves), we will probably experience a Category 2 hurricane by the time it breezes past us. I’m hoping she loses a lot of power over the Everglades. It’s possible we’ll only experience tropical storm force winds, but I doubt it.

Odds of losing power are pretty good and I am concerned about our giant trees, some of which are very near the power line. So if you don’t hear from me, I’ll be back when I can be and thanks in advance for all good wishes.

We’ll probably have people sheltering with us. My sisters-in-law may come, a girlfriend and her cat may come, youngest son is definitely coming, oldest son will either drive or bicycle over after the storm (their apartment building is a concrete block, they’re on the third floor, and even his roof is concrete).

Right now, we’re just preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. We try to find humor where we can. Interesting solutions have surfaced, from freezing quarters to filling washing machines with ice and canned drinks. One of the more popular jokes:

Official Rules for the Hurricane Irma Drinking Game
1. One sip of beer every time you see lightning or hear thunder
2. One shot every time the lights flicker
3. Chug a beer every time a car alarm goes off
4. Two shots every time a Northern relative calls and asks about the hurricane
5. One sip of beer every time you hear the word “flood”
6. One shot for every inch of rain that’s recorded each hour
7. One shot every time someone says “so much for being the Sunshine State”
8. Chug a beer every time they change the storms trajectory
9. One sip of beer every time you hear “feeder bands” or “hunker down”, ditto “cone of uncertainty” and “wobble”
10. One shot every time a news reporter interviews someone on the beach
11. Play a game of “Thunder” to the AC/DC song once an hour on the hour
12. Chug the remainder of your booze when the power goes out

Funny story. Ya know how we used to have Operation Christmas Child? I decided to get a jump start on it last year and I wanted to focus on high schoolers who needed solar powered supplies, because older boys are often overlooked. In that pile was solar powered power charger and two LED light cubes that one could use to study (for kids in countries with no or sporadic electricity). But then Operation Xmas Child kicked our church out for not getting in lockstep with their doctrine and I had all this Third World stuff I didn’t know what to do with. I pulled it out and have it ready to use if we lose electricity, so it didn’t get wasted! Now if I could only figure out what to do with a bunch of deflated soccer balls… 😄

Praying for all the people in the path of a storm today.