I’ve now been in Florida a little more than a month and I’ve mostly settled in. As I did so I realized I really needed a break. It’s been several months of planning, downsizing and moving, so I took a week or so to do very little. Which was nice. Granted, I’m still selling a house and various other work, but I haven’t lifted anything over 20 lbs in a week or so 🙂 (until sandbags) Cinnamon is also doing well, the lack of steps and less slippery tile have seemed to help both her mood and body.
There have a been 4 SpaceX launches since I moved here. The first 3 I could hear from my place, but not see due to clouds. The 4th was very visible and very cool. I’m still learning my new camera though and didn’t get the best video. Eventually, I’ll get tickets to see one at KSC or thereabouts. I also went out twice to try and catch the Artemis launch, but that of course hasn’t happened yet.
The big drama now is Hurricane Ian. It’s making landfall on the other side of the state, but still going to have a major impact here. The area is under watch and expected to have high winds and 10+ inches of rain. I’m in a flood zone as well as having a door step just 3″ from the ground. The official warnings have all included “loss of life” so everyone is taking it seriously.
I’ve been on the edges before, but never had any chance of 100+mph winds or 10-15″ of rain. So I’m a bit apprehensive. But I’m also seeing it as a planning test. This won’t be the only storm. The other side of this is that this is why I’m here. To live and have different experiences. To continue to expand my horizons, even if there is some risk. To this end, some daily impressions below. I’ll update as I’m able.
- Tuesday: The outer bands of clouds have arrived and I noted this morning the dead silence outside. It’s normally full of bird and bug sounds. Not today, the quiet before the storm is real. I’m ready with supplies and an emergency plan. As of the evening I have sandbags in front of the doors. There is a curfew over night the next few days and I’m in an area under “voluntary evacuation”(Which means I have permission to head to a shelter. ) The current path has Ian kind of parked over the center of the state as it moves slowly north, so there will be flooding. (The day has also included filling taxes for ’21, a major work issue, house selling negotiations and managing repairs).
- Wednesday: The morning started off with what I’d call a bad storm. It’s gotten worse every hour. The rain goes from downpour to insane and back again. More rain than Phoenix gets in a year, in just a few hours. The wind speed and gusts haven’t been as bad as it was in the SW, but the local airport clocked 75mph gusts and consistently about 50mph since about 2pm(it’s now 2am Thursday). I’ve set my self alarms for when it’s expected to really rain so I can check the sandbags. Most of the day I didn’t have any fear being near the windows, however as the wind speed keeps climbing I’m now staying in the bedroom away from them. There are regular bangs as things hit the building and what little I can see of the yard is it’s full of debris. The bad news is this is going to go on for another 24 hours and the worst is yet to come.
- Thursday: It’s not so much the speed of the wind, or hourly rainfall. It’s the number of hours. It just didn’t stop. From 3am to about 2 pm it was just non stop gale force winds. Not the massive damage seen in the south west, but still a lot of flooding and wind damage around here. The center of the storm went just south of me, which means we got the “Eyewall” amount or rain and wind. Which lasted about 4 hr. I mostly kept the water out, but it was at one point right up to my stoop. Damage though is not to bad that I’ve seen so far. My fence is down, front door awning is bent up, one of the glassbricks is busted and full of water and there is debris filling up the back yard. I think the worst time was the 5 hours where cellular and internet both went out. So all I had was an emergency radio. I felt rather isolated. It’s evening now and the wind has finally died down. Still raining so there is still the likelyhood of more flooding, but probably not for me. Most of the water has receded and I managed to get Cinnamon outside to pee for the first time in a few days. The ground doesn’t feel like ground. As I’ve slept about 2 hr I’m headed to bed for hopefully a long rest. Tomorrow, clean up.
- Friday: I’ve spent the morning cleaning up and looking around. I feel very lucky. This neighborhood of block construction homes and steel roofs seems to have escaped anything major. Worst for me is a downed fence, some minor water issues, minimal exterior damage and this pile of stuff in front of the door. My car even got missed by several large branches. My worst fear, storm surge, didn’t seem to affect the bay. The bad is that there are flooded homes nearby, many roads are impassable and just about everyone has had some damage. A shopping center up the street had roofs and walls collapse for example. I hear sirens about every 15m. So a lot of issues out there still. It’s far far worse on the west coast. I’m now heading next door to help move more debris.