The Eye of The Storm

flamingo is us, expected path, second path is the shift it took to our East

All day Saturday they warned Imra was coming at us, all day Sunday, 9/10/2017, we watched TV as Irma Raged toward The Keys as a Cat 5 Hurricane, we had TV/phone/internet until 9 pm Sunday night.

We were glued to the TV and the winds were gusting  60/70 all day, huddled in front of the TV, at 7 pm we were told the eye would hit directly over Bradenton at between 11 and midnight, winds to 110. About that time I was in the bathroom and hurt the tree limb crash on the top of the computer room. I ran to tell Bob and as I was saying do NOT open that door he did and went out to see if damage was done. Could see it was large but nothing else.

 The house was being slammed, windows shuddering, so bob pulled my SUV in front of our picture window to block the wind and it saved it. At 9 pm our provider of TV/phones/internet went off line.  Bob went to bed, NOT in the safe room and went to sleep. I sat huddled listening to the gusts slam the house. Battery radio at 10 pm stated, Bradenton hunker down, the eye will be there in an hour, I prayed God if the trees come down protect our neighbor Barbara and her house and our house and the people next door. Guide the tree between the houses.. (Next am, Barbara said at the exact time, she was praying the same prayer).

At 10:30 radio said, Irma is turning to the west, she is now headed for Arcadia, but she is down to Cat 2 and she is moving up the middle of the state headed for Lakeland/Spring Hill … which is 80 miles from us, the storm slid and put Bradenton in the dry side, lower winds, only gust to 90 not 110.

At 11 pm I was so exhausted I went to the safe room, 10 steps from Bob sleeping on the bed, laid on the pad and thought I would die from pain in hip, legs and back from laying on it. 15 minutes later, I decided to DIE in MY Bed in comfort and when I tried to get up, it was a struggle; I had to roll onto my arthritic knees, strain my arthritic back to get to knees and up. I am but she is down to Cat 2nged but it caused my Sciatic nerve to scream and it has been silent for a year. I AM NOT A CANDIDATE for a shelter with mats on the floor. The Perfect Safe Room was not used… We did not die.. is she hit a direct hit above cat 2 the room would be used no matter what.

When it was over, I said if that was a Cat 2 and we did not get a direct hit, the eye was 80 miles away, I never want to be in a 3, 4, or 5 or a direct hit. Our town was flooded, trees, were down, no power. 60 percent of our whole county was without power, most of them for 3 day to 10 days. Our power never went down, we were in the 40 percent that kept it. It took 3 back breaking days to clean up debri  but no permanent damage other than withdrawal pains for me from internet and Bob from TV and NO NEWS.

ob said we have been living in 1930 for 5 days. He meant  no way to know what was going on in the world. Did North Korea attack? Is anyone in Florida left a live?

Our city has not had a direct hurricane hit since 1921, and we still have not and for that I am thankful because I would not be typing this post if Irma had come on shore here.  The Keys and Naples and Fort Myers that are 90 miles south of us took the hit and slowed it down for us.

My friends house in Fort Myers, the golf course is a lake. And they have gators in their ponds..

Our county was hard hit, very hard hit, but not as hard as other parts of the state, South of us was ravaged, and we would have been to if it had not turned.