I had a busy day at work yesterday and, unusually for me, didn't have time to read the news. I'd heard about Hurricane Matthew striking Haiti, but I was completely clueless about where it was headed next until late yesterday afternoon, when my brother posted something cryptic on Facebook about the potential for a tree to fall on his car. "What is he talking about?" I thought. And then I realized the storm that so ravaged the Caribbean must be on its way to Florida.
Sure enough, my mom and brother were directly in its predicted path, in Jacksonville, and by all accounts this is a major storm. The governor of the state has told 1.5 million people to evacuate. It sounds like the classic nightmare scenario -- where are that many people supposed to go?
My mom has lived in Florida for 54 years and, to my knowledge, has never had to evacuate before. But these days she lives close to a tributary of the St. John's River, and that's vulnerable territory. My brother's house is also fairly close to the river, although not as close as Mom's. So, anyway, they got on the road and left town. They went to stay with friends out of state.
I'm glad they're getting out of the storm's way, but it's frustrating being here and unable to do anything -- except have coffee in my Jacksonville mug, in a superstitious attempt to send good vibes to the city.
At the moment the eye of the storm is out at sea so the battering that Florida's east coast is currently receiving could have been a whole lot worse. Let's hope Matthew doesn't make landfall in either Georgia or the Carolinas. God is clearly feeling angry about the rise of Trump.
ReplyDeleteI do hope for family and friends will all be ok as the storm passes through. (Sharon has introduced me to your blog.)
ReplyDeleteCraziness. Just craziness. I'm glad your family got out of there. Even if the storm doesn't actually hit the coast, they're going to feel it. And not in a good way.
ReplyDeleteGlad they got out of harms way. I live near Ft Lauderdale and we thought for sure we were getting hit last night, this morning's headline was "razor thin miss". Sure hope your Mom and brother have the same good fortune. Now they are predicting that Matthew may be heading back this way...sometimes I really hate Florida.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same as Mr Pudding, it looked like it was going to Palm Beach, was hoping it would suck his sorry butt right up.
Best wishes for your family, hope they escape any damage.
xoxo
Barbara
I am relieved to hear that your family has gone inland to stay with friends. I hope their homes suffer no damage and that they can return soon.
ReplyDeletenot to wish ill on anyone but I hope it continues up the Atlantic coast instead of looping around and entering the Gulf as one trajectory has it. no storms til we finish this job!!! please.
ReplyDeleteI hope your family is safe and their homes are spared. We were prepared for this hurricane to reach us in Atlantic Canada as well, but apparently it's been deflected by a high pressure system. It is sad that Haiti keeps getting pummeled, time after time.
ReplyDeleteRight now it appears that the worst of the storm has passed Jacksonville. I hope your mom and brother's homes won't be impacted by the possible flooding.
ReplyDeleteI hope your family gets through the storm relatively unscathed. I think it's was only a glancing blow, as the eye moved a little to the east. But one still has to look out for storm surges I understand. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteI've watched the movement of this storm . It seems to be nasty . I hope your Mom and brother stay safe.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I saw, a lot of Jacksonville has flooded, especially around the beaches. Good to know your family is okay.
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