Pre- Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma spun up in the Atlantic Ocean sometime in late August or early September.  It grew to be a beast of a storm, shattering meteorological records, including sustaining category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, and gusts upwards of 215 mph for 33 hours.  I mean…that is CRAZY!!!  The storm grew to be a monstrous 400 miles wide, which means whatever land it came in contact with would be eaten for dinner.  Just completely covered.  It was scary.

10 days from landfall, the prediction was that it would hit the west coast of Florida.  This struck up fear and panic for many in the state, but we remained pretty calm.  Generally, when you are in the bulls-eye that far out, it’s a safe place to be.  The hurricane models are not terribly reliable 10 days out.  As expected, the models waivered a bit over the next week, to the east of Florida, out to sea, and back to Florida again.  We kept our eye on it, but also kept going with life too. 

We watched with horror as the hurricane, at maximum force swallowed up the tiny island of Barbuda, destroyed 95% of the tiny island and forcing the entire population to evacuate due to uninhabitable  conditions.  We prayed as Irma bore down on the Virgin Island and Puerto Rico, wreaking havoc and destroying the popular tourist destinations.  As Hurricane Irma made its sweep passed Puerto Rico, the models continued to show Florida as a landfall location, the debate was…. would it be the east coast, or the west coast? 



Believe it or not, this was an incredibly difficult question to answer.  Many people left, expecting to come home to nothing.  How do you drive away from your home, and believe it was the last time you would see it standing?  How do you stay, watching a ferocious storm set you in its path of destruction?

Preparations began.  Shutters went up.  Water flew off the shelves.  Gas stations ran out of gas.  Mass evacuations were called, on both sides of the state.  At the time, it was still a category 5 hurricane with a total wind field over 400 miles wide. It didn’t matter where it “landed”, all of Florida would feel lit.  6.5 million people evacuated!  This led to chaos on the roads, hotels booked up all the way to Atlanta, stations running out of gas.  It was crazy.  The big question was “Will you stay?” or “Will you go?” 

The only way to make a decision like this…is through prayer.  I was so scared, so conflicted.  I was afraid of driving, and having no where to go, and running out of gas.  I was afraid of staying and being wiped off the face of the planet (because that was how everyone made you feel if you were crazy enough to stay).  I knew it would be far worse to weather the storm in unfamiliar locations than in our own home.  And… Florida is just a hundred miles wide, an early turn meant it would miss us, a late turn meant it would miss us.  A few miles really made a big difference.  I digress. 

 

The only way to make a decisions like this…is through prayer (had to start where I left off 😉 )  So, Jeremy and I spent time talking and praying together.  We made the decision to stay.  We learned that our roof was up to the latest hurricane standards.  Our home is cement block. We had hurricane shutters and the ability to make provisions.  We felt that our home could withstand a powerful storm.  We were not in an area with potential storm surge. My parents are just three blocks away, and they were staying.  Our kids are not babies and are easy to care for, we thought they were mature enough to handle it.  We have a business here and wanted to keep an eye on it.  We wanted to be helpers.  We wanted to be available to lend a hand, or a shoulder to those in need.  We felt like God wanted us to stay.  So, we stayed.

 Once the decision was made, the next few days became easier.  Despite friends and family trying to talk us out of it, we knew that we were doing exactly what we ought to do.  We worked hard to secure our home, have supplies to provide for our family, and looked in on friends.  We had plenty of time to work and prepare.

We went to friends homes and put plywood over their windows and doors when they didn’t have time to do it before they left.  We emptied friends refrigerators and freezers. We made sandbags to put in front of the shop doors.  We prayed over the homes we worked on.  We worked together as a family and focused on others and not ourselves.  The kids were amazing!  We had found a groove and knew we were doing exactly what we needed to do.

That doesn’t mean there weren't difficult times. I certainly broke down a few times, afraid of what was to come.  Questioned whether we were doing the right thing.  The hardest time was when we were at a friend’s home that would certainly be flooded if the storm surge happened as they were forecasting.  This home, with just a few hundred feet of mangroves between it and the water, would almost certainly be underwater the next day.  I called my friend and couldn’t hold back my tears.  I asked her where her photos were, and moved her books to be on top of the table (thinking maybe, just maybe it would only be two feet or so of water and I could save them…and not 15 feet like they forecasted).  It was awful!  It was one the hardest things I have ever done.  I prayed over their home and their family.  As we closed their door, with their most precious “things” in our car, I was nearly certain that we would be the last ones in that house before it was condemned.  Yes, I have a flair for drama and an overactive imagination. 

Staying was hard.  People told us that were were selfish and cared too much about our “stuff” and not enough about our children.  Talk about “mommy-guilt”.  Ugh…it was the worst!  We had to just block those comments out of our minds and remember why we were here.  God’s grace is sufficient for the day, not all the made up things in my mind and the minds of others.  So, we had to stick with the “here and now” and trust God to fulfill His promises. 

As I laid my head down on Saturday night, the night before the storm, I felt peace.  We had done what was right and best for our family….even if others thought differently.  We had peace in our decision, and it was the best night sleep I would have in two weeks.  God knew we would need our strength, and was kind to give us a peaceful night.