~ Watery's Pond ~ Here's to a happier New Year!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

ughhhh I hate tiny things crawling around the house...

in other news...have you seen hurricane Irma's mess? I think she's trying to out show Harvey, people look like they are leaving Florida in droves - where are they all going to?

[Watery Star]

It sounds like it's going to be worse than Andrew. I have family in Florida, my maternal grandparents are south of Tampa and my paternal grandma and great aunt are north of Daytona Beach as well as distant relatives. At least there's more of a warning with Irma, the people affected by Harvey didn't have much notice.

*Edited: My grandma said something about being on the gulf side and I thought she was talking about herself but she must of been talking about other grandparents. I also thought it was projected to only hit the one side when now it looks like it could come right through the whole state.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I hope they stay safe!

[Watery Star]

I called my grandpa because I was worried about him. He's in a trailer and he would have to evacuate if anything came through. He said they are going to head over to his sister-in-law's place if need be. They already started packing. It's a little to far out to be sure which direction it's coming from but I'm not sure if going more inland is going to be a good spot for shelter.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I was talking to someone today who's daughter lives about a mile from the beach - she said all the batteries were sold out in the stores! She has no where to go so they are heading to a shelter and are hoping to stay safe... I am hoping the storm down sizes, they are used to hurricanes there so hopefully it won't be any worse then in the past.

[YueYue]

Hurricane Irma has so many people evacuating because of her. Some of my friends were met with more expensive than usual plane tickets because so many people needed to leave. I hope everyone stays safe, hurricanes are terrifying.

[Watery Star]

Lemon - Irma has downgraded to a category 4. I hope she stays safe. My grandparents are leaving and kind of playing it by ear where they will go.

Yue - Hi, welcome to my hangout. Yeah I heard about the price gauging, it's awful.

I have some relatives in Southern Florida that are staying. I'm worried about them and really hope they'll be ok.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

it does make you think though - what are your options and the alternatives for a natural disaster occurring in your area. Do we have back up batteries, food, a place to go to? How do you contact someone if phone coverage is out? Is there a contact person to letting everyone know you are safe?

[Watery Star]

All good questions to ask yourself. One of my relatives that's staying was able to get the supplies he needed. There's a number to call for those staying in south Florida to let them know how many people would be around. You can also text your area code to that number and get forecasts for your area.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Unlike Tornado's that spring up quickly or earthquakes that come on suddenly, at least the hurricane's are moving slow enough for people to prepare or leave.

[Watery Star]

Yeah. My grandma wasn't sure what to do when she thought she had to evacuate but now it looks like she wont have too. Still concerned for my maternal grandparents but going inland should be ok. A couple of my relatives lost power already. They think their transformer blew.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

good to hear that they didn't have to leave, losing power is a given. From the news it looks like the winds aren't hitting Florida as hard so maybe there will be less damage then the Caribbean.

[Watery Star]

Yeah it seemed like only a matter of time with the power going out. It's been downgraded to a tropical storm and caused less damage then expected. I haven't heard from my grandpa but it sounds like it wasn't that bad there so they are probably ok. My other relatives in Florida are ok.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

turns out we have family that lost their house...fortunately they are ok...I can't imagine coming home and finding my home totally destroyed though. Someone was saying things like photo albums strung all over or water damaged beyond repair...only having what you could carry out when leaving. Makes you rethink about what you have and what is irreplaceable...making sure you have your ID, SS and passports and credit card.

[npixelz]

oh no! that's horrible! I'm glad they're ok, but that's terrible about their house!