Hurricane Irma
Yes, Hurrican Irma impacted me. We were very fortunate that our area was pretty much spared and sustained no major damage. Irma curved away just before the Tampa area and curved back west after Tampa.
In the weeks before Irma's impact, I have learned quite a lot from the media and even now, almost a week after Irma.
The media continuously created panic and left out key information about Irma. Knowledge is power. So many people are not familiar with meteorology, and I am not saying everybody should be. However, I think it would be smart for people to do so some weather pattern research on their own. Our first thought was we will leave with my best friend to her family in Georgia, and we would leave Thursday night. However, at that point, Irma was still far away, and until Irma started her turn, there was no way of knowing where she would land. Most parts of the Floridian east coast evacuated up to Georgia or Tennessee. Within the last two days, parts of the west coast of Florida were under mandatory evacuation orders. This did not include the area I was in, and here is where I would like to expand on, as I saw things posted on CNN and the weather channel saying: "These Floridians are not leaving their homes even with Irma on the way " or something of that nature. I kept on scrolling and found people commenting and saying such things as they deserve what they get and they are extremely stupid.
Well, we didn't evacuate and we didn't make a stupid choice. Here is why. Every county has evacuation zones. The Tampa area has around 6, where A and B were under mandatory evacuation. My zone was X. My area does not have a flood zone, as the more inland you go the less likely flooding and storm surges are. Florida is a ridge. The further inland you go, the higher you are above sea level. Why didn't all people leave?? On Tuesday, I-75 was packed to complete gridlock and once cars began to move, they never made it to 70 MPH. This lasted pretty much until Saturday. On top of that, there was a gas shortage. A lot of people turned back around because there was no gas available in Florida. Another reason not all left was that even meteorologists said if you are not in an evacuation zone, you should stay put. The reason for that is that the people that should be safe are now clogging up the roadways for those in need of evacuation. My saying was always if it's above a Cat 3 by the time it hits us, we are out of here. However, I also know that once a Hurricane hits land, it will slow down because the warm waters of the ocean can no longer fuel the hurricane. Most newer homes are also built to withstand CAT 3's in Florida. Now, if I were to live in a mobile home, I would go to a shelter instead. We made the decision to go to our in-laws home, as it has withstood a tornado and is a cinder block building, whereas our rental is only a wood frame and I didn't feel safe staying in the rental, just in case the force winds were high and ripped the roof off. Both homes are fine and we never lost power in our rental.
The important thing in these cases is to make an educated decision for your family. My best friend left Friday to go to her family in Northern Georgia with her kiddos. It turned out that, by then, the Tropical Storm Irma was still so strong it was bending trees and causing massive power outages up in Georgia. They have now been without power for days.
The media created panic and I knew they did, because every time I read something it made my anxiety jump even with my better knowledge. ( I wanted to go into Meteorology, so I did a lot of research concerning tornadoes, etc in my spare time). I found a meteorologist that would say how it is and not create panic and I stuck with him for updates, and that is Paul Dellegatto.
I am not saying never evacuate from a hurricane. NO, please do if it is a direct hit, please. I am simply saying make an educated decision for yourself and your family. As we saw with Irma, the track looked completely different by the end. DO not rush out 7 days ahead of landfall unless you wish to do so. Research, watch the weather pattern in the Atlantic and the different pressure systems. Find a local meteorologist that is calm and tells you information, not one who creates panic.
If you do evacuate, take your pets with you! Please do, they are family as well.
Stay away from CNN and major news outlets that are only in it for the ratings. Stick with local news.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the line workers who have made their way from all across the US. Thank you, Texas (my second home in the US) for being so generous and helping us out so shortly after you have fallen on hard times as well. Thank you all who work tirelessly to restore Florida back to pre-Irma. I am thinking of all of you who are still without power, who have lost their homes due to Irma or the surge flooding. We are Florida strong and we will get back on our feet.
In the weeks before Irma's impact, I have learned quite a lot from the media and even now, almost a week after Irma.
The media continuously created panic and left out key information about Irma. Knowledge is power. So many people are not familiar with meteorology, and I am not saying everybody should be. However, I think it would be smart for people to do so some weather pattern research on their own. Our first thought was we will leave with my best friend to her family in Georgia, and we would leave Thursday night. However, at that point, Irma was still far away, and until Irma started her turn, there was no way of knowing where she would land. Most parts of the Floridian east coast evacuated up to Georgia or Tennessee. Within the last two days, parts of the west coast of Florida were under mandatory evacuation orders. This did not include the area I was in, and here is where I would like to expand on, as I saw things posted on CNN and the weather channel saying: "These Floridians are not leaving their homes even with Irma on the way " or something of that nature. I kept on scrolling and found people commenting and saying such things as they deserve what they get and they are extremely stupid.
Well, we didn't evacuate and we didn't make a stupid choice. Here is why. Every county has evacuation zones. The Tampa area has around 6, where A and B were under mandatory evacuation. My zone was X. My area does not have a flood zone, as the more inland you go the less likely flooding and storm surges are. Florida is a ridge. The further inland you go, the higher you are above sea level. Why didn't all people leave?? On Tuesday, I-75 was packed to complete gridlock and once cars began to move, they never made it to 70 MPH. This lasted pretty much until Saturday. On top of that, there was a gas shortage. A lot of people turned back around because there was no gas available in Florida. Another reason not all left was that even meteorologists said if you are not in an evacuation zone, you should stay put. The reason for that is that the people that should be safe are now clogging up the roadways for those in need of evacuation. My saying was always if it's above a Cat 3 by the time it hits us, we are out of here. However, I also know that once a Hurricane hits land, it will slow down because the warm waters of the ocean can no longer fuel the hurricane. Most newer homes are also built to withstand CAT 3's in Florida. Now, if I were to live in a mobile home, I would go to a shelter instead. We made the decision to go to our in-laws home, as it has withstood a tornado and is a cinder block building, whereas our rental is only a wood frame and I didn't feel safe staying in the rental, just in case the force winds were high and ripped the roof off. Both homes are fine and we never lost power in our rental.
The important thing in these cases is to make an educated decision for your family. My best friend left Friday to go to her family in Northern Georgia with her kiddos. It turned out that, by then, the Tropical Storm Irma was still so strong it was bending trees and causing massive power outages up in Georgia. They have now been without power for days.
The media created panic and I knew they did, because every time I read something it made my anxiety jump even with my better knowledge. ( I wanted to go into Meteorology, so I did a lot of research concerning tornadoes, etc in my spare time). I found a meteorologist that would say how it is and not create panic and I stuck with him for updates, and that is Paul Dellegatto.
I am not saying never evacuate from a hurricane. NO, please do if it is a direct hit, please. I am simply saying make an educated decision for yourself and your family. As we saw with Irma, the track looked completely different by the end. DO not rush out 7 days ahead of landfall unless you wish to do so. Research, watch the weather pattern in the Atlantic and the different pressure systems. Find a local meteorologist that is calm and tells you information, not one who creates panic.
If you do evacuate, take your pets with you! Please do, they are family as well.
Stay away from CNN and major news outlets that are only in it for the ratings. Stick with local news.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the line workers who have made their way from all across the US. Thank you, Texas (my second home in the US) for being so generous and helping us out so shortly after you have fallen on hard times as well. Thank you all who work tirelessly to restore Florida back to pre-Irma. I am thinking of all of you who are still without power, who have lost their homes due to Irma or the surge flooding. We are Florida strong and we will get back on our feet.
XOXO, Nicole
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