Dear Non-Floridians,
Rules when discussing the hurricane with Floridians need to be put in place- and I have elected myself to make the rules. I held a fair election and I won by a unanimous vote.
1) Calling people who don’t evacuate “idiots” or saying “they deserve what happens to them” is a judgement statement that without facts, you are not qualified to make. Take a step down off your pedestal please. You know it all. I get it.
We live in a state that is not the ‘Spring Breakers’ idea you have in your mind. We have more 55 plus communities than you can imagine. Elderly who can’t drive because of age, or leave because of finances. A lot of our elderly, don’t have “blood family” so they are relying on their “God made” family. We aren’t leaving our grandmas and grandpas behind alone to face Irma. They need younger people right now to make sure they have what they need to survive this storm and the devastation. Most of them have pets that are as old as they are. Just like your kids would be your priority, their furry companions are theirs.
2) Just go get a plane ticket! (You can’t just fly out.). Don’t make statements or give advice on how we should evacuate. You don’t have the knowledge of what we are up against. There are challenges of leaving. Flights out are being changed, cancelled, delayed. I can count a dozen or more friends who tried to get out (I’m looking at you mostly Delta) who spent 4 plus hours on hold trying to change flights. That’s unacceptable but a par for the course challenge now.
3) Don’t say “Get in your car and drive fast out” A) Gas stations are getting fuel still, but that fuel is gone before the lines are empty. b ) Things have gotten so crazy we now have police officers escorting oil tanker trucks for delivery. Let that sink in for a second. C) As an aside, i waited in line this afternoon and got.. 22 cents worth of gas in Starke. Wish I was kidding. D) even if you can get out where are you going to go? Last I heard the closest hotels were in .. Nashville.
B. ) There is no driving fast. Cars are moving 5-7 mph on highways trying to get to safety. The lines are long and imagine, with a gas shortage, being stuck on highways in jams for 12-15 hours.
4) Florida has one way out and that is through the top (Northern) part of the state. There are basically 2 major roads out. Those roads are jammed, backed up, and not expected to change.
5) To post “Florida is about to be wiped off the map” because you are watching the news reports and panicking from 3,000 miles away- is not the most uplifting thing for us to see. Plus, don’t speak your devastation to us. Be positive!
6) “If I lived in Florida, I would have evacuated a week ago.” Well I’m not so sure that you would have. It’s not that simple if you have a heart...not only that, you don’t know until the final days which path the storm is going to take. Homes have to be boarded. Things have to be done to ensure that if you do leave, you have somewhere to return. Then after our homes are secured, we again...have elderly who need their homes secured. So I’d say if you were here, you wouldn’t leave so fast.
7) Stop saying God is angry and that’s why Texas went through what Texas went through and that Florida is being hit.
God isn’t angry. Every person in the path of destruction was created in His image. Every person not in the path of destruction was created in His image. He is not angry. He is not judging us. He is not putting His wrath down. If you believe that, we don’t serve the Same God.
8.) “Go to a safer part of the state.” Yes, we thought of that. No one knows exactly what part that is. If Irma takes a turn it could hit the west coast- if we are all fleeing to the west coast because it says the east coast is the most dangerous, then that could be costly. We know what we need to do and we are monitoring the situation.
Feel free to stand in faith with us as we prepare for Irma’s arrival.
Feel Free to pray for divine intervention.
Feel Free to pray for our elderly, our people who can’t leave, our communities.
Feel Free to check on us, text us, call us. But, don’t text your fears of our demise. Don’t call us crying because you are scared for us.
We have a storm to conquer. As warriors we need to be healthy, mentally and physically. Your constant texts about impending death and destruction is counterproductive. Maybe it makes you feel better? If so. Go for it. If you’re a human, knock it off.
When your son or daughter or friend gets ready to go play in a competitive sport...before the game, do you call them and say ....
“you are going to lose”
“don’t show up for the game”
“The odds are against you”
I would hope not...well we are preparing to overcome this storm. Send us some prayers and encouragement! We welcome it! If you are going to do anything less than that, turn your TV or radio OFF and keep your mouth SHUT!
Rules will be strictly enforced...I don’t know how yet but don’t break them... Now, I have to go see what I can do to help my community get ready for Irma’s arrival.
God bless all, stay safe, love and help your neighbors!
#ProtectTheState #IrateIrma
I have some friends stuck on St. Martin Island. Rode out Irma and still no planes. Now, Jose is looming....
Good post.
Well spoken!
I’m the first to admit that I don’t know what it’s like down there, and I would never presume to judge anyone’s actions.
Now, the only thing you could do better would be to recite this with Rick Scott’s sign-language guy next to you!
FWIW, I get it. My parents lived in Cocoa Beach then Cape Canaveral for about 20 years. Evacuate or not evacuate is a decision people make based on their circumstances, and we can't give good advice to people who are actually there.
Thoughts and prayers are with you, your friends, and your loved ones to be safe.
I so hope those folks can get off the highway before it makes landfall
Hurricane Irma is a bad mother. But you’ve done your due diligence in the event Hurricane Irma makes landfall as a Category 4 or 5 storm on Sunday. You have your shutters up. You took in anything that could become a projectile in the winds. Your pantry is stocked.
Good.
Now don’t be a fool and get yourself hurt or killed doing stupid things during and after the storm. Here’s your lucky seven tips on getting through Irma intact.
1. Don’t X the windows with tape
Are you still taping your windows? Do you drive with your blinkers on during the rain, too?
When you run tape over your windows you aren’t making them stronger. Rather, should they be pummeled by flying debris and still break, they will do so as larger, potentially deadly pieces, according to Gizmodo. Better to have a window break into small pieces that won’t cause potential great bodily harm. Plus, you’ll have cleanup to do anyway. Sun-baked tape on a window is a bear to remove.
2. Don’t crack open the windows to relieve pressure
Some people think it’s a good idea to crack open a window to relieve the pressure inside the house lest the dwelling explode from within. Given that all of our homes have little openings here and there it’s highly unlikely a hurricane will build up enough pressure inside to blow.
If you willingly open a window to let the wicked wind in you’re not going to like the result when said wind tries to escape.
3. Water isn’t your only enemy — it’s the wind, too When you scrimp on money, or personal energy, and only board or shutter the windows that face a body of water you’re making a mistake. Hurricanes move and rotate — as do the tornadoes they often spawn — so don’t assume the winds will come from one direction. Windows are most susceptible to the flying debris like rocks or the patio furniture your infuriating neighbor left out on his balcony. Board up and go all the way.
4. Don’t push back on a bowing door or window
Despite your best efforts, a powerful storm like Irma could lead to the surreal visual of your doors and windows bending to the pressure. They may or may not hold. But you aren’t going to help them by pushing back or leaning against them, no matter how much you weigh. If the doors or windows blow in, your flesh and blood is no match. And if you’re doing this, you probably taped your windows so read No. 1 again.
5. Use flashlights, not candles.
Sure, candles set a romantic mood — or foreboding if that’s your thing (been watching too much “Game of Thrones”). But candles tip or get knocked down and can start fires. Flashlights are much safer. And you did buy enough batteries, right?
6. Stay inside unless you *must* venture out
Yep, cabin fever has probably already set in as you walk around your shuttered home. But if you can stay in a little longer after Irma departs you’ll be better off. Downed trees and power lines can be dangerous if you blindly stumble into them. Drive only if you have to as roads without stop lights and strewn with debris, or under water, can be deadly.
7. Don’t run a generator if your windows are open.
Do not run a generator from inside your house or garage — even if you have the doors and windows open. Fire hazard. The same warning applies to running it from your balcony when you live in a multi-unit building like an apartment or town house. Balconies are too close to your own living areas and to your neighbors’ homes. And if you have a gas stove, keep the generator far from the kitchen or gas water heater or gas powered washer/dryers.
Also, never run a generator on grass or on a metal surface. Make sure the surface is dry before starting your generator, and keep your hands dry, too. And never connect the generator to your home’s wiring system, fuse box or circuit breaker unless you have already had a qualified electrician install a transfer switch. If not correctly connected, the power can flow outside the house to the power lines and fatally injure workers who are there trying to restore power to everyone.
Thank DC. These arm chair meteorologists don’t have a clue.
I left Hollywood and had to get to Ocala to assist my mom.
Jumped outta the pot and into the fire.
Sir, that should be restated by Florida’s governor.
Well done.
No matter what people think about the highways out, they forget about the twisted tangle of side streets that get people from their homes to the highways. I know people who spent hours just going two blocks during the Rita evacuation.
-PJ
Nahum 1:3-KJV
3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Spare Thou , O’ Living God , Lord Almighty ; Florida and all of her good people . For You anything is possible , Thou commandeth nature ; the whirlwinds , the storms , the clouds , even the seas, All exist under Your Will . Spare Thou , dear sweet Lord ; Florida , and all those that live there . They are at Your mercy Lord . Please be merciful . Mahalo nui loa ke Akua !
Some who have been very worried to tears, to those who are basically taking a Doris Day song "Que Sera Sera" approach.
I say to all of them, Texans and I are saying prayers for you and Florida, and they are very appreciative of the thoughts.
Dear Non-Floridians,
Rules when discussing the hurricane with Floridians need to be put in place- and I have elected myself to make the rules. I held a fair election and I won by a unanimous vote.
...
Verry good post...I read it to my family...I will be praying and have been...and have seen prayers answered already...I believe if I were there my post would have almost been verbatim.
Oh, I grew up in Wilmington, NC, Carolina Beach...I hear ya.
Excellent.
My wife is from Naples and my in-laws were there too...and Orlando. Still have a family friend “riding-it-out” at home in Miami (she’s looking pretty smart right now). But me...I can’t talk...I’ve visited Florida many times from Destin all the way down to Key West (a place I love, my favorite place in the eastern U.S.). And I sure hope Key West will be OK...but I would guess the people down there will make it OK no matter what. I’ve been there in the good weather and in the hot and humid...but I’ve never been in a hurricane (I’ve drank one though), so I have no clue what is best and surely couldn’t give even one word of wisdom about one. If people want to get snarky about politicians (Rubio seemed especially dorky today), have at it but leave the people who are just trying to survive it out of that. They have enough troubles and our words aren’t making it any better.
Very nice I agree
Having lived through Andrew and Iniki (Kauai 91) I can completely agree
That these things are very scary and challenging
Unless you’ve been through these you should just do your part to pray for safety for those in harms way
All comments should be positive in this time of crisis Level headed. Helpful. Informative.
May God bless and keep all in harms way safe through this very diffcult and dangerous time
Freeregrads.
That post is a fine example of why FR is so great. Well said.
Prayers for God’s protection for all of our FRiends in the path of this storm.
As a former Floridian, now in Tennessee, all I can do is try to make sure my family in Florida is in as safe a place as possible. I offered them a place to stay, but circumstances would not allow it. At least they forced my sister out of her trailer in Orange County. The closest part of my family are all in Central Florida, away from the coast, and have a generator. I know there are others who could not or would not leave. I’ve been there.
The only other thing I think they could have done to get some of the ones that could have gotten out to leave was to shut off the internet and cell towers. I have a fear that some are staying to get 15 minutes of fame broadcasting the storm’s arrival.
Great post, plus evacuating is a pain in the butt, plus it costs a lot of money. Like you said, roads are jammed, gas is low. Plus it costs a lot. Hotels are hard to come by, plus the hotel and eating out every meal costs a lot. Getting out is hard. Getting back is also hard. Plus it costs a lot.
William F Buckley famously said "I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Manhattan phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard.” As such, I'd rather trust the wisdom of the good people of Florida (who are probably listening to God) than everyone in government and the media.
Besides, when has the media ever hyped a storm?
Regardless of where you make your stand, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Godspeed.
Bravo. Perfect.