As I said in another post, my wife’s Mother’s name was Irma. She passed away in 2004. For us, this is Irma’s Revenge.
We are as ready as we can be. We are about to find out just how good the Florida building codes are. I will keep everyone posted as the amount of damage. Our house was built in 1999.
The roof deck is nailed with 8 penny nails every 6 inches. Our house is basically a hip roof. We have all opening protection and garage doors that are hurricane rated. Our house is built to the standard to withstand a category 3 hurricane. We are about to find out if that is going to be true.
I hope everybody in Florida has prepared the best they can and everyone survives the storm. Objects can be replaced, lives cannot. Good luck to everyone!
Thanks for your concern, guys. Storm hit us as a…maybe cat 3? Gusts over 100 mph but steady wind probably 50-60. Humming/moaning but not howling. No houses visible in this part of town suffered even the loss of roof tile.
It approached us as a cat 5 and being from CO my son Hunter and I had never been through a hurricane.
Hunter’s been a chef on the island of St. John in the Caribbean for the last 2 years, and he arrived Thursday. Friday they cancelled commercial flights out of St. Thomas (closest airport). St. John and St.Thomas got slammed cat 5. On St. John, Pop. 4000, 4 dead, many homes smashed, entire families he knows lost houses, vehicles, pretty much everything. For the entire island, no electricity for a while, maybe months, no drinking water, no press. Looting and armed robbery on the roads outside of town. Customs building broken into and guns taken, scumbag police strongly/widely suspected of hijacking/hoarding supplies, definitely helping no one.
Again… a US territory with almost no press or help. Residents are the ones arranging for delivery of emergency supplies.
Here in Weston, Hunter and I prepared early for the worst:
At the supermarket, the bread shelves emptied first.
Home Depot did an impressive job of bringing in propane and plywood to cover window openings.
Those who waited until Saturday Faced lines starting at 5:30 am and 6+ hour waits were common.
Anticipating loss of power during the storm we fill empty Pellegrino bottles with tap water and froze them to extend fridge time.
All door and window openings were covered with metal panels.
5.2. We still had internet on Saturday and we watched it approach FL as a cat 5, then 4, then 5 again. Forecasts had the eye passing right through us. Sunday morning we lost internet.
(HINT) If you’re ever threatened by a hurricane and you have ATT, turn on international roaming. ATT makes it free and you can access internet with your phone/iPad. I found out too late.
6. We had a fast getaway vehicle, a stylish one, and a paddling one.
7. Gearing up for a cat 5, in the bedroom with one window, we reinforced it.
7. and pinned together the garage door reinforcement.
8. We bought a generator at home depot on Friday morning, but didn’t put oil or gas in it so we could return it if we didn’t need it. John, the electrician working on the house of horrors installed the inlet and hooked it up to our service panel in return for us storing his Vette. 2003 with 30,000 miles. Nice car!
Once we were shut in, we had a little peephole through which to see what was happening outside. The view was across the backyard and the 2nd fairway to the lake on the far side of the fairway and the homes on the far shore.
Couldn’t see much of it through the hole, but using the iPhone, you could get pretty good photos and videos.
Well it’s tough waiting to get hit by a major hurricane and not knowing what will happen, and we considered hiding in a closet and worrying. but since we’d bought good food and Hunter is a chef…
…we decided to hide, cringe and whine at a later date.
Late Sunday evening it died down a little and we unpinned and opened the garage door
To say we got lucky, is an understatement. We have minimal damage but no power. We are running on the generator listening to the radio and having a few drinks. And, we have crabs…,
FEMA, the Navy, National Guard, and Red Cross now on St. John.
Roads being cleared (they should clear out the police). Non-potable water available, but not electicity.
Lost power 5 AM Sunday.
On generator for AC & lighting.
No damage except for pool patio screening, even the roof is AOK!
No cell phone until later today.
I locked up & left, staying a mile away at my girlfriends who never lost electric.
Yes Kenton, the waiting is the hardest part.
Climate change has existed as long as there has been an atmosphere. Whether it’s influenced by humankind in any meaningful way is debatable and unprovable. Mankind’s ability to affect the rate of change by any intentional means no matter how draconian, expensive or freedom stealing for Americans is null. We’re just along for the ride and we’ve been on this ride before.
Between the ice ages and the warm periods, mankind has fared better in the warm periods.
