People from California, prepare but don’t live in fear. I am praying for you. Not, faux-Christian praying as a church person who has no compassion for folks who are different from myself or “Godless Liberals!” I am very worried about the storm that is about to dump so much flood water on you. I am actually praying that it will weaken and not kill any of you or make you homeless. I have been where you are many times. The weather channel will make it seem like this storm is a planet killer and drive terror into your hearts. The good news is that these storms rarely are as bad as they want you to think they will be.
Not only do I live in Florida now and have lived through many hurricanes, I lived through one in the Yucatan Peninsula that was a cat 5 and the size of Texas. The guys on the Weather Channel were practically wetting themselves with excitement about how devastating it would be. That was not helpful to me or my children! We rented a car and drove to Merida, the capital. We stayed in a very old hotel. The storm changed path at the 11th hour and hit Belize instead. No one died.
FYI: In the Yucatan, they ban all sales of alcohol 24 hours ahead of the storm’s projected landfall. You have been warned! Not saying I would have been drunk in front of my children, but one glass of wine would have come in handy!
My Cuban husband never worries so he was fine. I asked him to move his boat out of our dock on the Indian River Lagoon before Hurricane Irma hit Florida in 2017. He replied, “It’s not going to be that bad.” It WAS bad and the boat was wrecked. He removed it himself, as any self-respecting Cuban would, and took it to the dump himself. You can look up “Crazy Cuban Wrecked Boat” on YouTube to see how.
Yes, our backyard was seriously flooded. Yes, the wind brought down a lot of tree limbs. Yes, we had no power for several days afterwards, but we were safe and fine. You will be getting constant alerts on your phones for winds, lightning, tornadoes and such. That is normal.
Get away if you can do so safely, Do NOT leave your pets! If you can’t get away, at least board up your windows and front door but make sure not to trap yourself in the house if the flood waters can reach you! If you have no garage, face your car or truck windshield toward your house as close as you can. Keep life jackets out and ready for you and your children. You should already have stocked up on water and a gas can full of gas. Fill your bathtub with it too. If you own a boat, put it in the garage gassed up. Turn off the power to your house and the water main before the storm hits you.
Make a group text for you and all of your family and friends now. If you own property on higher ground or a concrete house, invite your friends and relatives in flimsy, low lying houses to stay with you. Look into what local shelters are available in case you need one. Take care of each other. Don’t panic though. It is very likely that it will NOT be a planet-killer after all. Here in Florida, many stores and restaurants give away free ice after storms. You take your cooler there and they fill it. Staying cool will be an issue after the storm. Beware of generators as they can cause carbon-monoxide poisoning if used improperly.
I am holding you all in the light (it’s a Quaker saying.) Please let us know how you are after the storm! Spanish speakers, Estoy rezando por ustedes! Ten cuidado! Con mucho amor, Kat.