the storm was massive but it weakened and veered...
mother nature is NOT 100% predictable...she holds a few surprises...
it almost seems people are mad that Irma didn't become more of a catastrophe.. +
Florida got lucky because Irma ended up doing something different than forecast - but ‘lucky’ is relative, as Irma will still end up costing tens of billions of dollars in damages from flooding rains and surge. Texas wasn’t so lucky with Harvey. Anyone who follows hurricanes knows that wind is not the only significant problem - water typically is a bigger one, with Andrew being a notable exception.
Is there anybody who cares about the people who are looking for gas and ice, who have no power, and no generator? My family was not in a flood zone as has been asserted by certain FReepers (not you, cherry), who are really needing help. The rains came down and have been flooding them. Central Florida is in dire need of help! I’m talking Lake Wales, Winter Haven area. I’m sure there are other FReepers in the same shoes, with family, friends, and loved ones needing assistance. They need gas. They need ice for their food. They are trying to make do with the little they have.
The media doesn’t care. The devastation didn’t happen where they thought it would. So they went home and back to their own comfy lives. Great.
Some FReepers don’t care, because hey, the media overhyped this event, and it’s NO BIG DEAL statistically speaking. Time to move on, or remember the devastation of past events like Camille and Katrina. Irma is a nothing burger event.
Except that some members of my family got flooded with several feet of water. My niece has a home she can’t return to. She can barely make it to the road to her house. It’s buried under water. Her home now looks like she lives on a lake, except she doesn’t! They escaped just fine, but her parents house has no power. She has three children of her own, ages 10-15. Now she needs gas. All of the places that the gas buddy tracker gave us are either incorrect, or they have run out of fuel too. Some places had fuel, but no power, so the pumps don’t work. There are lines to get ice, and it is rationed.
I know they will make do, they always have. My brother and sister in law are very humble and hard working people. (This is my oldest brother, and he and his wife are both very recently retired.) I’m just trying to get them some real help.
If anyone here knows where to find gas in their area (Lake Wales is closest), or of a place to find ice, please let me know. We know the cleanup will take time. We know the power won’t be back on for weeks. We can deal with that some.
Sorry that this turned into a rant of sorts. FReepers are people like me, who generally want to help others. I’d like to thank NautiNurse, and dirtboy, among others who have helped so many with these informative threads.
I have to say that you are right.