What you need to know about Irma
I have heard from a couple of people who live outside of Florida that Hurricane Irma wasn't as bad as expected.
If the peninsula separating and floating away in the ocean was the expectation, then, no, it wasn't as bad as expected. If Miami becoming the next Atlantis was the expectation, then, no, it wasn't as bad as expected.
Florida was not hit as hard as the Caribbean Islands. I cannot speak to the damage, the devastating damage, in other parts of Florida, the Caribbean, or in Texas after Harvey. But I can give you the small, limited view of one person in one little part of Florida during one big hurricane.
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What you need to know about Irma is that the decision to evacuate or stay is not an easy one. There is only one way out of south Florida. Hours and hours on the highway, running out of gas, rest stop lines backed up on the interstate. Evacuating is not an easy choice. It takes preparation and the decision must be made in a short amount of time, between the forecast and the gridlock. "Hunkering down" (a phrase that makes us want to scream after it's overuse this past week) is not an easy choice. It takes preparation and the decision must be made in a short amount of time, between the forecast and the stores running out of food. Not everyone even has a choice. This past week, I felt incredibly blessed to have the ability to leave and the confidence to stay. Some can't leave. Some aren't safe in staying. Mobile homes. Flood zones. Homeless. I could have left. And I felt safe staying. What a profound realization.
What you need to know is that 93% of our county was without power in the initial aftermath and 30% are still without power. That's just our county. It's worse down south. Utility workers from 28 states came to Florida and staged their trucks before the storm hit so that they were ready as soon as possible after. Neighbors, friends, strangers are lending generators to homes with babies, elderly, people with autism, medical needs, the list goes on. Friends are willingly staying without electricity so that someone with a greater need can use their generator. The local YMCAs are offering their locker rooms with showers to anyone who needs it. Wal-Mart is passing out coffee, water, and snacks to anyone who wants it. Restaurants all over town are giving free meals to first responders. Neighbors are helping one another clean yards, cut trees, fix fences. We are supporting each other through this.
What you need to know about Irma is that Floridians used humor, both before and after, to get through the storm with as many smiles as possible.
What you need to know about Irma is that in parts of the state it wasn't as bad as expected and we are grateful for that. What you need to know is that every home in the Keys were damaged and a quarter were destroyed. That 8 nursing home residents, as well as others including at least 27 in the Caribbean, have died in the aftermath. That millions are still without power. That evacuees are being told to not come home yet because the damage is too great. That schools cannot open. That I-75, the major interstate that almost every evacuee used and needs to use to come home, is about to be closed due to flooding.
Not as bad as expected doesn't mean not bad. It's been a rough week and there is much work to be done. Pray for Florida. Pray for the Caribbean. Pray for Texas. Help if you can.
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There are many ways to help in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey & Irma. Here are just a few that are offering support both in the states and the Caribbean.
www.salvationarmy.org
www.worldvision.org
www.redcross.org
www.habitat.org/hurricanes
If the peninsula separating and floating away in the ocean was the expectation, then, no, it wasn't as bad as expected. If Miami becoming the next Atlantis was the expectation, then, no, it wasn't as bad as expected.
Florida was not hit as hard as the Caribbean Islands. I cannot speak to the damage, the devastating damage, in other parts of Florida, the Caribbean, or in Texas after Harvey. But I can give you the small, limited view of one person in one little part of Florida during one big hurricane.
---
What you need to know about Irma is that the decision to evacuate or stay is not an easy one. There is only one way out of south Florida. Hours and hours on the highway, running out of gas, rest stop lines backed up on the interstate. Evacuating is not an easy choice. It takes preparation and the decision must be made in a short amount of time, between the forecast and the gridlock. "Hunkering down" (a phrase that makes us want to scream after it's overuse this past week) is not an easy choice. It takes preparation and the decision must be made in a short amount of time, between the forecast and the stores running out of food. Not everyone even has a choice. This past week, I felt incredibly blessed to have the ability to leave and the confidence to stay. Some can't leave. Some aren't safe in staying. Mobile homes. Flood zones. Homeless. I could have left. And I felt safe staying. What a profound realization.
What you need to know about Irma is that it was scary. Really scary. I wish I could play it cool here but the truth is that I was afraid. Every person I have spoken to here in Jacksonville has said they were scared Sunday night/Monday morning. No one slept. The choice to stay was questioned. "The wind howled" is not an accurate description. It whipped. It moaned. It screamed. When you thought the wind could not possible move any faster, a gust came. There were constant tornado warnings, constant rain, the sound of tree limbs falling, the fear for my house, my children, for the unknown. It was scary. I was scared.
What you need to know about Irma is that alligators are in streets and yards and snakes are everywhere. Snake bites in Jacksonville have seen a significant increase this week. Flood waters carry bugs and disease and muck and all around nastiness. Also snakes. Like this one.
(photo credit: Debbie Womack for WJAX)
What you need to know is that 93% of our county was without power in the initial aftermath and 30% are still without power. That's just our county. It's worse down south. Utility workers from 28 states came to Florida and staged their trucks before the storm hit so that they were ready as soon as possible after. Neighbors, friends, strangers are lending generators to homes with babies, elderly, people with autism, medical needs, the list goes on. Friends are willingly staying without electricity so that someone with a greater need can use their generator. The local YMCAs are offering their locker rooms with showers to anyone who needs it. Wal-Mart is passing out coffee, water, and snacks to anyone who wants it. Restaurants all over town are giving free meals to first responders. Neighbors are helping one another clean yards, cut trees, fix fences. We are supporting each other through this.
What you need to know about Irma is that there was flooding. Florida is full of bodies of water and they all went up, up, up. Streets were covered, hotels (housing many south Florida evacuees) were flooded, homes were flooded.
Downtown Jacksonville flooded (Jags stadium in the background.)
(photo credit: First Coast News)
Nearby towns flooded. (My doctor's office is on this street below.)
(photo credit: Kevin Gregorius via Facebook)
This is our neighborhood swimming pool with lake water filling the pools and covering all of the sidewalks.
(photo credit: Diana Mors Parsons via Facebook)
A local restaurant we love that sits on the water. Their docks were covered and water came into the restaurant and up to the tables.
(photo credit: Whitey's Fish Camp)
This statue is in a beautiful park that is hidden under this water. Those waves in the background there?
That's the river.
The river.
Not the ocean. The river.
(photo credit: First Coast News)
I don't even have words for this. My breath catches every time I see it.
(photo credit: Siretta Brennon-Jackson via Facebook)
Not as bad as expected doesn't mean not bad. It's been a rough week and there is much work to be done. Pray for Florida. Pray for the Caribbean. Pray for Texas. Help if you can.
---
There are many ways to help in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey & Irma. Here are just a few that are offering support both in the states and the Caribbean.
www.salvationarmy.org
www.worldvision.org
www.redcross.org
www.habitat.org/hurricanes
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