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| 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.
18 comments:
I see the tree on your roof! And BRAVO to BOB! Smart and fast thinking saved your house from bad damage!!! You must have been SCARED to DEATH! And the waiting...all the while it is getting worse and closer. Phil would have gone to bed and slept, too, and has before. Why men can do this I don't know. Your poor muscles and nerves, are they back to normal yet? Did you take pain killers and are alright now? CNN had Anderson Cooper on, standing in front of a destroyed house in Bradenton, I was a wreck. And I know if I was a wreck, I could just not imagine YOU.
It must have been terrifying. You were lucky that it slowed to a Cat 2. It happens here in QLD too but usually further north than us. It must be a mew down south where they got the full force. So sorry for all those people with damaged property. Glad that your house wasn't damaged but the tree falling and clean up must have been hard yakka.Hope your sciatica eases too.
mess
Good thinking on Bob's part to move the vehicle. I don't know that I could have gone to bed and slept with all that wind. I would have been more like you. I'm so glad you guys made it through with minimal damage
Amazing! It would have been very hard not to have the news. I can't imagine being alone but also can't imagine being in a shelter. Hope all is settling back to normal.
Best,
Bonnie
Oh my word MS you have rendered this Southern gal speechless. My word how in the world you had presence of mind to make all these preparations amazes me.
I want you in my corner anytime there is a crisis!
Prayers were answered you were being watched over
Hugs Cecilia
I was sure glad for you when it was over...and was praying for you to survive it and I kniw others were praying, too.
We're so used to having 24/7 news and other ways of communicating these days it must have been worrying when the tv/internet/phone went off and you were left not knowing what was going on outside with the wind slamming you, the tree limb crashing down and the danger of trees falling on you. Thank God you and your neighbours are safe. The clean-up must have been strenuous. Praying for better health for you both and that life gets back to normal soon.
What an awful night and it sounds much like mine, except I didn't lose internet or tv. I'm thankful it turned too, because for awhile there it seemed to be aiming for us like Hermine did last year. It could have been so much worse. Looks like Maria is going to turn too, but I'll believe it when I see it!
Thanking God for heeding your and Barbara's simultaneous prayers!
I couldn't figure WHY your SUV was pulled so closely to the house; and even wondered if y'all considered crawling out the window and making a dash for it. Of course, Bob's thought process was brilliant!
I did chuckle -- now that the Big Scare is past -- when you said something about DYING in MY own bed. Back pain is the worst!
Tom sis and BIL on Amelia Island made the unfortunate decision to stay, and couldn't get their car out of the (damaged) garage for 3 days.
I've not seen/heard today's news, but I hope Maria's blown her top and spares Puerto Rico. Methinks Mother Nature needs to eat a Snickers.
Your story is terrible what you went through. Your prayers were answered but I do understand what you went on with your knees, back. That is terrible for you.
I pray you don't go through that again.
If it happened again god forbid.
Woud you stay home and do it again?
It would be hard to go when now you hear the negative things that people went through.
Washrooms , people being nasty in those shelters. That would be terribe. Babies crying. Sleeping so close to people.
I say I would not have stayed but when I see those people taken up in Helicopters so high. I hate that kind of things. I think I would have fainted or had a heart attack. Can you imagine our knees being bent this way and that. And that height.
Hanging on a rope . Gosh. Or in a boat like a canoe.
We worry about a war when you see all the damage it looked like a war zone now. Plus people taking peoples things. That is sick. So heartbreaking to lose homes. Then going to shelter and people are rude.
I thank the Lord he spared your lives. One tree down but God spared you both and your here to tell your story. Amen.
Thrilled it went to a Cat 2. That would have scared me to death. I think the two of you did great. You were one of the lucky ones and you still had a ton of damage. I guess all you can do is pray and wait. I am surprised it went inland so much. Now there are more coming - what is up down there?
That must be so scary. Praying is all you can do and it's the only thing that will help.I am glad you are safe and will be able to recover well.
That is quite an account of your night in the hurricane, can't imagine. Glad you both got through it okay, barring all that mess you had to clean up. Sorry you have all those aches and pains and hope you get relief real soon. Been reading about the places who were harder hit, seeing these large fish swimming in the streets, and good grief also wondered about those gators. Crazy times with the weather.
Sandra, I just spent time catching up on your blog posts since Irma hit. First, I am glad that you and Bob and Jake are all safe. You all went through a hellish experience and sad to say it could have been far worse, so glad you are OK. Sorry to read about all the aches and pains, but you are right about sleeping in your own bed. I have been following the online stories of everyone in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean and the stories are heartbreaking. And, yet iot seems there is more pain and devastation coming to areas already so hard hit.
I was so worried for you and Bob and so many other folks I know. Just so glad you are both safe. When my daughter and grandson lived with me, she was a weatherbug, always paying attention to the storms. She would come upstairs to get me and tell me that I probably needed to come downstairs. She would get so mad when I would just tell her that to wake me right before the tornado would hit....Glad you are safe.
I hate that you had to go through this but I am happy you documented it. These experiences need to be preserved through the written word. SO grateful you both are okay with minimal damage. I am off now to surf the Internet for news of Puerto Rico. I'm bracing myself because I know it is devastation and I am thankful to know my duaghter survived but I still haven't heard directly from her and my mind is full of all kinds of concerns about when and how they can get off that island. Thank you for all your prayers....
The narration Sandra....it all gave me chills down my spine!
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