Okay, so we are supposed to start feeling the effects of a hurricane by tomorrow evening. Somewhere in the wee hours of Sunday, it's supposed to get insane. So right now, people all over my state are either evacuating or stocking up on perishable foods that will go bad as soon as the power goes out. Regardless of whether we are staying or going, we are taking precautions to make the storm as safe as possible.
Most of my friends have stockpiled alcohol. I'm not a drinker, so that was one less thing I had to worry about after hitting the grocery store. I did stock up on supplies to bake cookies, but I figure this will give me something to do tomorrow other than freak out about impending doom.
My husband and I have been taking odds and ends that were on our property and stowing them away in our garage or basement. A strategically made phone call to our realtor led to his decision to go around town and take down all of his for-sale signs before they become airborn and damage someone or something. (There's nothing quite like leaving evidence behind after destroying something, and a metal frame with a sturdy sign that proclaims a company's name and phone number certainly counts as evidence.) I even started taking down the screens and window panes in our Florida room, figuring that the wind knocks them out sometimes just during a normal storm. Might as well not risk broken glass everywhere.
Truth be told though, I am more than slightly worried about all the items in my neighbors' yards. Our tiny house is flanked by two much larger houses that have all sorts of things strewn around their yards. I am guessing that a number of them could easily get airborn in hurricane winds, and could possibly take paths directly into our windows. The neighbor on one side might very well get everything taken in tomorrow before the storm hits. The neighbor on the other side, not so much.
Feeling concerned that our one neighbor might not be up to the challenge of putting things away ahead of time, I called her up to see if she needed the help of her friendly neighborhood minions, also known as my family. To my surprise, she said she was ready for the storm. She had taken a couple of things in from her deck and left the rest huddled outside in a fairly neat pile. Mentally, I pictured those items piled up like cannonballs ready to be hurled at their targets. Given that we've already had items of hers hit our house in lesser storms, there is no doubt in my mind that my house has a huge bulls-eye on it right about now. Thankfully, after talking with her about the items we are going to bring inside, she made up her mind to store a number of items a little more securely. I think it was my joke about taking down the for-sale sign lest it decapitate someone in a hundred mile an hour winds that did the trick. Hopefully, she will be able to get a good chunk of those things put away somewhere they can't hurt anyone or anything.
I worry about friends who are supposed to be evacuating and who have decided to just ride it out instead. Seriously, guys, if you think leaving now is tricky, try evacuating when you're on the roof of your house, clinging to whatever you can while a hurricane rages above you and helicopters, rescue boats, etc. are unable to reach you in the high winds. Don't be stupid. If you're told to get out, then GET OUT! And when you do get out, if a road is closed or barricaded in any way, DO NOT drive around the barricades because you think you know better. To quote Forrest Gump, "stupid is as stupid does." Don't be stupid.
I worry that the very old, large, and not-entirely-healthy trees around my house are going to decide they want to ride the storm out with us inside the house. I worry that my extended family will have flooding issues or other major problems and I won't be able to help them. I worry that the three remaining family members that have not come down with the illness that hit my middle child on Tuesday night and hit me today will come down with it in the middle of a living nightmare. I worry that my son will need a nebulizer treatment during a time when we will not have any power to run the machine.
I guess I just have to have faith. Faith in God that He knows what He is doing. Faith in government officials to make the correct calls when it comes to everyone's safety. Faith that the electric company has crews ready to work to restore power to those who might lose it. Faith that the emergency plans that are in place are sufficient to take care of everyone's needs. Faith that my own virus will run its course as quickly as my daughter's did so that I can be on top of my game by tomorrow morning. Faith that people will listen to what government officials and emergency workers tell them so that there will be no lives lost.
Only time will tell whether or not that kind of faith is justified, but I will do my best to have faith regardless.
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