Everyone down SE should be reading this.
Last year after the weaker Wilma hit us (weaker than Katrina, those poor people!!!) we were down w/o power for 10-11 days. THANK GOD we were far more prepared than we had ever been before! We had plenty of supplies, and due to my son's cub scout activities we had accumulated lots of "Extras" that made life so convenient we fell into what could be called a normal routine in a matter of two days.
This year we are even better prepared, but let me tell you, if there's so much as a hint of a > 2 storm, we are high-tailing it out of here.
It wasn't the general storm that freaked me out, it was all the micro-tornados that ripped off the roofs of our neighbors and tore up the screen patios, tree trunks we saw flying 100-200 feet in the air that would have fallen if the wind at that height dropped to the velocity near the ground and in general, the amount of devastation for nearly 120 miles along the coast.
Who would have believed we could have been hit so hard over so wide an area?!?
We considered shipping off my family but my wife wanted to remain, and the kids were happy. Having a mostly intact roof compared to my neighbors, I donated my tarp to a buddy across the street and we spent the days repairing neighbors roofs.
God gave me a chance to be a good neighbor and I lost a few lbs in the deal. Still, I sure don't need a repeat after that episode.
Hey, some nice things about Wilma...my neighbors who I helped afterwards are so cool now. We always waved and were cordial and stuff, but now we're friends. And they are such good people. God has a way of bringing light into darkness and he worked great things for us this last year. I thank him for that and all his miracles.
Everyone should ponder them.