Irma update

[mg152]

We are safe but our county is destroyed. I've never seen anything like this in my whole life! No power or running water since early Sunday night. 6 days of sweltering heat & no showers.

i sent my sons to a hotel today so they can shower & cool off.

I boarded my overweight little dog at the vet so she would have a/c & not die. She was going to die.

The other 3 were struggling but I thought they'd survive. It's been in the high 90's. We tried sleeping outside, in the car everything. We haven't slept a total of an hour in 6 days.

well, the power was supposed to be on tomorrow but now they say the 20th. Well, I went a little cuckoo from the heat, lack of sleep & hunger. My gosh! I ate hot dogs from the fire dept the other day & im a vegetarian for 20 yrs. It was so hot & we were so hungry. We now know what real suffering is. Anyway, my friends & neighbors got concerned & talked a total stranger into loaning me a generator. My friend loaned me a small window a/c. Still no running water but I've gotten creative. I waste no water.

Its still 80 degrees in here but Air is moving & im not sweating. My poor dogs aren't panting & went to sleep finally. It's so sad here! They're throwing the sick & the elderly out of the one shelter we have so the kids can go back to school Monday. Most families have no power or water, some have no homes. A home down the street burned to the ground when the elderly man went to sleep with a candle burning. He's in the hospital.

Please pray for us all & especially the kind gentleman that loaned me his new generator & the man in the hospital.

Kind generator man if you're an eBay member, I just want to say I will not let you down. You'll get your generator back in the same condition I got it.

To the eBay seller that rushed to ship the battery operated fans I ordered, Thank you! I'm using them right now.

I will pay it forward!

There is still goodness in the world! I've seen it!

Love you all whether I know you or not! Glad to be alive this day! Remember money, ebay, stuff...none of that is important in life at all. Your loved ones are all that matters!

Please, will everyone do a random act of kindness in honor of the good people of Florida & the the ones that didn't survive of which there are many?

My friends Aunt was crushed by a tree, her husband unscathed right next to her. There are electrocutions, house fires, car accidents, drownings, you name it. Florida may never be the same. If you live here, you know what I mean.

Thank you & be safe!

[mg152]

It's funny how all of a sudden things we take for granted like food, water & electricity become precious commodities in a disaster. I've been through many hurricanes & never seen anything that compares. I'm one of those that didn't really heed the warning & we are lucky to be alive. I will not be so lax again!

[mg152]

Oh, my littlest dog knocked his knee out Sunday night. No vets were open until Thursday. I took him in to be checked & boarded the little pudgy dog. My little baby needs surgery. Thank God I paid $20 for pet insurance. He's a little 7 lb ball of fur. My vet is the best! They have let me come in when I don't have money. I paid of course later.
They are true animal lovers very each & every one that works there.

[b4b4b4b]

I'm so glad you are ok.

I do remember your post when you said it was all hype and you hadn't bought anything at the store because it, in your experience, hype.   

Such a hard lesson to learn and like I said I'm so glad you are ok.

I read about a week ago  about an experienced commercial fisherman in Marathon FL that said he had been through so many hurricanes and decided to just ride it out in his boat.  Then his boat was gone.  I hope he was found.

[mg152]

I did buy water & some non perishables. We lost all our perishable food. It broke my heart to throw it all out.
It usually is hype. I knew one day, I'd pay the price & this was the day. In 55 yrs I've been through so many storms that the tv said were gonna be Armageddon. Well, this one nearly was. I will never be so brazen & confident again, I promise that. In fact, I'll probably run from the next one. I'm always afraid to run because I know people that evacuated & got caught in the worst so I usually sit tight. Never ever ever again & the word hype is gone from my vocabulary. It's a hard lesson all right & for a while I thought I'd killed my family & my dogs. Trees came crashing down, power lines sparking, fires.... Oh my God! Never again.
A tree barely missed us. Right now, I'm in a tiny mobile home. How dumb could I be?
Lesson learned by this smart Alec! 😀

They have not found the fishermen nor their boat. So sad! I didn't know about it cause I have no tv or anything. I'm using the generator right now to charge my iPad. I wanted to let you all know we survived & I learned a big lesson. Maybe God was talking to me.

[lovemypommy]

Thank you for the update...glad you, family and pups made it through!

Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who are suffering 😞

Let us know if you have a GoFundMe or something else where we can help

[emerald40]

Situations like this does put everything in perspective.

I am glad you are safe, and much good luck in rebuilding your community.

Just saw that Jose will not be coming to the East Coast, but rather out to sea, and I breathed a big sigh of relief.

Around here it is hurricanes and also Northeaster snow storms.

[southernfriedbelle]

Oh, Patricia! I'm so sorry, honey! Looks like you are due north of us, in the direct hit path. We were extremely blessed and experienced very little damage.  Some in our immediate area suffered great loss, and the suffering will conrtinue long after Irma's destructive impact is no longer news.

We got power Thursday. First day without wasn't so bad because it was cooler with great breezes. Then it just became miserable and stifling. No air movement. Temps in the 90s. We still had water, though. Can't imagine what you're going through right now.

I'll be keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs and love.

[mistwomandancing]

Good to see you checking in and to know you are safe.. all the rest can be overcome.  Sounds like you live in one of the *hardest hit* areas, and those are always the ones who KNOW how bitter it can be in the center of a violent storm situation!!  Like you said you always felt before, some folks are always just "meh, another reporter crying wolf" and then when it IS The Big One right on top of YOU, it's scary!  I'm so glad you are safe!

Here it can be the tornados or extreme blizzards, and I'm another one who never gets particularly excited about it when the sirens go off at the approach of a storm, thinking it'll pass to the north or the south, etc.  so maybe I need to wise up and give a little more heed to incoming situations from now on.  But, I do always have my emergency supplies complete and up-to-date, 'cause we almost always have a power outage situation or a few before winter storms leave and spring comes.

Keep in touch and let us know when your area gets reliable power back on again and what clean-up it looks like you're likely to be facing.

[emerald1830]

I rode it out. I'm so, so sorry to hear all the problems that came without power. I couldn't imagine being without so long.

I was one of the very few that never lost power..streets all around me are still out till tomorrow I think.

I did open my doors to quite a few pets. I had a total of 15 including mine and went nuts after two days..lol..

I did also offer anyone in my neighbourhood to come by, shower, charge up phones and cook their meals or refridgerate them..11 people came by in one day..

And I am also grateful to vets that know when there's no money, there's no money and still take someone in to get their pet better..Those are a rare breed indeed..

Hope things get better..you'll have the longest shower of your life soon..lol..

[mg152]

You know what? I might set one up. That's a great idea!

[mg152]

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@emerald40 wrote:

Situations like this does put everything in perspective.

I am glad you are safe, and much good luck in rebuilding your community.

Just saw that Jose will not be coming to the East Coast, but rather out to sea, and I breathed a big sigh of relief.

Around here it is hurricanes and also Northeaster snow storms.

---

Thank God! I was worried about Jose finishing us off.

Thank you for caring. 🙂

[mg152]

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@southernfriedbelle wrote:

Oh, Patricia! I'm so sorry, honey! Looks like you are due north of us, in the direct hit path. We were extremely blessed and experienced very little damage.  Some in our immediate area suffered great loss, and the suffering will conrtinue long after Irma's destructive impact is no longer news.

We got power Thursday. First day without wasn't so bad because it was cooler with great breezes. Then it just became miserable and stifling. No air movement. Temps in the 90s. We still had water, though. Can't imagine what you're going through right now.

I'll be keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs and love.

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Yeah, Monday wasn't too hot here either. Thank you for caring! 😀❤️

[mg152]

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@mistwomandancing wrote:

Good to see you checking in and to know you are safe.. all the rest can be overcome.  Sounds like you live in one of the *hardest hit* areas, and those are always the ones who KNOW how bitter it can be in the center of a violent storm situation!!  Like you said you always felt before, some folks are always just "meh, another reporter crying wolf" and then when it IS The Big One right on top of YOU, it's scary!  I'm so glad you are safe!

Here it can be the tornados or extreme blizzards, and I'm another one who never gets particularly excited about it when the sirens go off at the approach of a storm, thinking it'll pass to the north or the south, etc.  so maybe I need to wise up and give a little more heed to incoming situations from now on.  But, I do always have my emergency supplies complete and up-to-date, 'cause we almost always have a power outage situation or a few before winter storms leave and spring comes.

Keep in touch and let us know when your area gets reliable power back on again and what clean-up it looks like you're likely to be facing.

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I will update & try to get some pics.

[mg152]

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@emerald1830 wrote:

I rode it out. I'm so, so sorry to hear all the problems that came without power. I couldn't imagine being without so long.

I was one of the very few that never lost power..streets all around me are still out till tomorrow I think.

I did open my doors to quite a few pets. I had a total of 15 including mine and went nuts after two days..lol..

I did also offer anyone in my neighbourhood to come by, shower, charge up phones and cook their meals or refridgerate them..11 people came by in one day..

And I am also grateful to vets that know when there's no money, there's no money and still take someone in to get their pet better..Those are a rare breed indeed..

Hope things get better..you'll have the longest shower of your life soon..lol..

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I can't drive because of my eyes but DH & I are going to my sons room at the hotel & shower tomorrow. I could only get 1 room & they wanted an outrageous pet deposit, non refundable!