I am directly in the path of Hurricane Irma, projected to be a Category 3 to Category 4 when it hits my part of Florida. Thankfully, my family and I are well prepared and ready to ride this storm out. Our house has shutters, a concrete framing, is not in a flood zone, and has enough food and water to last my family of three for a few days.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by both Harvey and Irma. It's going to be one heck of a ride, and there will be damage, power outages, water shortages, and flooding. I just hope and pray that everyone in my area makes it through unharmed regardless.
September 12 Update
My family has survived Hurricane Irma with minimal damage to our house. We had no power for two days (if you live in Florida, then you know that A/C is a must). Heck, some people are still without power as of this update, and most likely will be for days...if not weeks. Thankfully, FPL and Duke Energy are trying to resolve power outages as best as they can, so I thank them immensely for their efforts to get us Floridians back on the grid.
Seeing the damage Irma did to some communities was astonishing. There's a definite terror that went through my mind as I saw roads underwater and roofs torn off structures like orange peels. It was horrifying. Thankfully it didn't cause any major damage, but there were several fatalities in Florida - I heard on the radio that someone died in a freak accident in Tampa involving a chainsaw to the throat! Holy hell! Prayers to that victim's family.
The recovery efforts will definitely continue throughout much of the week, and hopefully a sense of normalcy will return to Florida relatively quickly.
