Tag Archives: Hurricane Ian

Ian is a Turtle that Keeps on Going

29 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Thankful we made it through Hurricane Ian with no loss of electricity.

We are at our daughter’s house and she has inherited the title, Head of Hurricane Preparedness. My mother was the first leader, then the post was passed on to me. I am very happy to have abdicated the job. She is much better at it than I was.

She scours mark down deals in the off season to augment her preparedness stash-battery operated fans, lanterns and a slew of candles. She also filled multiple containers with water. If only she could find a battery operated room air-conditioner! Of course it would have to be on clearance.

It wasn’t intentional…really it wasn’t, but she also is the one who stays awake and alert. To my amazement, since abdicating, I have discovered that I can sleep through a storm. I woke several times last night to make sure my fan was still running. Didn’t even occur to me that it was the weather waking me up. In case you are wondering why my husband isn’t the one to stay awake and alert, the man has always been able to sleep soundly through a storm. But oddly enough, most nights he sleeps poorly. Hmmm…maybe I need to get him a white noise machine of hurricane winds and rain.

As Hurricane Ian downgraded to a tropical storm, it shifted and the eye passed over us. I slept through it. We are still having wind gusts and rain showers and the public is being advised to stay inside. Ian is still a turtle!

The news on our south west coast is not good. Lots of damage from winds and rising water. I haven’t been able to locate actual numbers on loss of life. A lot of speculation going on but each life is precious and even one is tragic. Please remember these people in your prayers as well as those who are actively rescuing people from rising waters. Central Florida is going to experience serious flooding along rivers.

Hurricane Ian is heading north and probably west. It is a headstrong storm, In fact, the breaking news forecast now is that just off our coast, it is recreating itself into a Category 1 hurricane and make landfall at Charleston, South Carolina. I guess that is why the wind here is picking up again. If you are anywhere near the track, don’t ignore it!

Be safe

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Like Being Stalked by a Turtle

28 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Wednesday has been a long day. We are on the central east coast of Florida and Ian entered Florida from the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast. It’s predicted track would bring it across the state to exit slightly north of us. Since the hurricane was not supposed to impact us until around 6 pm, my daughter and I decided to run some needed errands. Unfortunately they were 40 miles away. And the rain was torrential. We made the trip safely but it was definitely nerve wracking.

Since then we spent the day doing some last minute baking-bread and brownies. One must have stress food and we don’t eat prepackaged ones. We filled containers with water and the bathtub as well. Later we brewed coffee and put it into a thermos. Must have caffeine if the power goes out. Speaking of power, as of 9:00 pm we still have electric power. Feeling very fortunate as some in our town have lost it.

This is a s-l-o-w moving storm. It is creeping across the state at 9 miles per hour and dropping huge amounts of rain. We have had 6 inches already and we are still experiencing the outer bands. I saw this on Facebook and thought it was perfect.

Prayers for those in South West Florida who have experienced 150 mph winds and homes flooded to the roof. If you are in Florida, I would like to hear how your experiences with Ian. Leave a comment. Well, the wind is picking up suddenly. I need to post this before the power goes.

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My Thoughts-Hurricane Ian and New Florida Residents

26 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Well, we almost squeaked by experiencing a hurricane while we are in Florida with our daughter. We planned to return to the mountains to enjoy fall on Thursday and Hurricane Ian is set to arrive to our part of Florida on Wednesday.

I have lived in Florida more than 50 years and have experienced more storms than I can remember. The earliest hurricane I do remember was hurricane Donna in 1960. I have a memory of rocking in an old wooden rocker, listening to the wind, and my parents assuring me that we would be just fine. And we were.

Now as hurricane Ian approaches I am concerned for the thousands of new Florida residents who are newbies to hurricane season. I’m going out on a limb here to share my life experience observations. To be clear, these are my thoughts on coping, not official advice. There are multiple excellent sources of advice on how to prepare for a hurricane.

As I write this on Monday evening, September 26, we are supposed to begin experiencing tropical force winds and rains as early as Tuesday evening. At this time, our location on the east coast of Florida is not expected to face hurricane force winds. But Ian hasn’t cleared Cuba yet. And hurricanes are wonky storms, especially if they slow their forward movement or worse yet, stop moving. Then its anyone’s guess. I remember in August 1992 we went to bed expecting to wake up to Hurricane Andrew. Instead, Andrew made an abrupt beeline for South Florida. We felt very like effects from it but South Florida was devastated.

Hurricane Ian

Photo Credit: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

So here are my thoughts.

  1. Don’t panic. Prepare
  2. Fill your gas tank a couple of days before the storm’s expected arrival. The gas lines can be insane.
  3. Should you choose to evacuate. From experience, if you even think you might want to leave, make a hotel reservation NOW. And if you are not required to work up to the day before the storm, hurricane prep your home and hit the road. Trust me, evacuation traffic jams are not a picnic. I think we only evacuated twice in over 50 yeas.
  4. Don’t count on the weather channel for your hurricane information. They will scare you!
  5. When/ if the power goes out, you will still want to know what the storm is doing. Since the storm is coming from the west, we will be on the east side to the storm and that side is notorious for throwing out tornados. Find a local TV station with a weather person you like and download their app. In central Florida I like WKMG, website clickorlando.com. Their app is News 6 pinpoint weather.,
  6. Sandbags. County agencies are giving out free sandbags. If you have seen water collecting near your house and or doors during a summer thunderstorm, take advantage of these free bags. They can prevent water from invading your garage and home doorways. (Yes, life experience here.)
  7. Cell phones don’t always work well due to tower damage. We downloaded the Zello app. It is not perfect but it helps to keep in touch with family and friends. I did see that Zello has a business version, my version is free. You can use any push to talk app. Just make sure you set it up with those you want to stay in touch with before the storm.
  8. NewsOn- This news channel app plays on devices like phones, tablets and streaming devices. The search function allows you to choose a state, city and TV station. Family and friends can keep up with what is happening in your location.
  9. Charge your devices! If you have power banks charge them too!
  10. Fans. It is going to be hot once the storm passes. I don’t like being hot. Thankfully our daughter has a couple of battery powered fans that are used for camping. These are not necessary, but they do help.

Here is the link to the National Hurricane Center with detailed lists of prep items.

I hope this was helpful to our new Florida neighbors. We will make it through this storm together and afterwards, we will clean up together. Just be careful with those chain saws and power clippers!

2016 Hurricane

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2022 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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