What A Horrible Thought . . . True, But Horrible

If you want to better understand America, pay attention to the television in every waiting room you find yourself in.

– Matthew Phillion (from his Twitter)

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And I’m Willing To Sing That If It’ll Help

Despite what I said on Friday, let the record reflect that I do not need to meet a storm called Maria!

Post-Irma Thoughts (Part Four)

I hate to be the one to say this, but even as people recover from Irma, it’s important to keep in mind that hurricane season isn’t over yet, and even though the odds are against it, we may still have to do this again before the year is out.

Stay dry and safe out there.

Post-Irma Thoughts (Part Three)

Funny how yesterday’s “foolish extravagance” (i.e., “You’re never going to really use that generator, water distiller, etc. etc.”) can become today’s “needful thing.”  Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind laying in a few more “extravagances” just in case something like this happens again.

Post-Irma Thoughts (Part Two)

Today I read someone saying that “excess” hurricane supplies returned to stores for refunds are simply disposed of for legal reasons.  I don’t know for 100% if that’s true, but it’s certainly in keeping with similar policies that I do know are true, but even if it’s not . . .

If you truly have no need for your excess supplies in the wake of a hurricane, remember there are many, many people who do, so please do the right thing if you can and donate those supplies to those who need them.

Post-Irma Thoughts (Part One)

Some people just aren’t temperamentally suited for any sort of crisis, like the anonymous person I saw demanding that someone “Turn the water back on!” in the wake of a water main break in my area.

On the other hand, it is arguably possible to be too casual in a crisis, like the man I read about who ruefully observed that he didn’t even know whose boat was atop some nearby trees . . . but I know who I’d rather hang out with while speculating on the identity of that boat’s owner.

Post-Irma Status

We’re fine.  We were extremely fortunate (to the level that we were one of the rare areas in the entire county/area of the state that didn’t lose power), and we’re fine.

Many people aren’t fine this morning though, so keep them in your thoughts, and I’ll talk to you more tomorrow.

Pre-Irma Status

First off, to answer the question of “Why didn’t you evacuate?”, the short answer to that is “Because that wasn’t an option.”  Fuel shortages and traffic jams were happening here before I could have even loaded my son in the car, and even that would have involved leaving his mother and Lala behind (And if I have to explain how I feel about that option, you have truly have no idea who I am.), with the most likely scenario being running out of gas with no guarantee of shelter other than the car when the storm reached us.  The better call was to stay put.

So how are we situated for staying put then?  Well . . .

Supplies:  Should be adequate for anything less than “zombie apocalypse” level of crisis.

Fortification:  While the exact wind speed we may experience remains uncertain, the wind direction is more easily predictable.  It’ll be focusing primarily on the corners of the house that not so coincidentally are also the ones best suited to withstand the wind.  Irma should be a category 4 when she hits Florida, and this house withstood category 5 Andrew, so confidence here is high.

Potential Flood Conditions:  We’re inland enough that storm surge shouldn’t be an issue, and the state in its wisdom assures me that I do not live in a zone prone to flooding which is why they don’t require me to have flood insurance.  (But I do anyway.)

Potential Complications:  Loss of power is likely, and cell phone service may be affected as well.  This area is very good about restoring services as quickly as possible, but a window of communication blackout is a virtual guarantee, so if I don’t post on Monday, rest assured I’ll post something as soon as I can get some sort of signal.

Like I told my son, while we may be looking at some scary moments, our biggest foe is likely to be boredom as we ride this out.  In the event that something more dire than that occurs, to put it in terms I knew he’d understand, I’ll be tanking (i.e., taking point for those not gamers), his mother will be on shields and heals, Lala is backup tank/healer as needed, and he’s to stay in the back on DPS (i.e., “Damage Per Second,” otherwise known as the role of staying out of danger).

Wish us luck, and I’ll see you on the other side.

And That’s MORE Than Enough Irony In Any Given Week For My Tastes

In another example of irony, while I am currently facing a crisis of water on my horizon, people on the west coast are facing a crisis of fire on theirs, once again proving that the problem isn’t one of resources, but of distribution.

Hurricane Irma FAQ’s I’ve Fielded So Far

Do you know there is a hurricane?

Yes.

Are you scared?

A little bit, yes, but right now mostly I’m annoyed.  It’s a Florida thing.

Are you guys going to be okay?

That’s the plan.

Are you going to evacuate?

Not at this time, but that plan is subject to change in an instant.

But what about-?

Okay, stop.  I feel your concern and I appreciate it.  Thank you, and I mean that sincerely, you want us all safe and so do I, and to do that I need to stop fielding your concerns right now so I can focus on what needs to be done over the next couple of days.  I hope you can understand that.

I will keep everybody posted as best I can, and will certainly give a detailed status update on Friday before things get serious, but that’s a social “circle of need,” and right now there’s a category 5 “circle of need” heading my way that needs to be my priority right now.  Again, I hope I can count on your understanding right now, because that’s my immediate need from you at the moment, that and wishes for good luck.

So wish us luck, and I’ll talk to you later.