REFLECTIONS:
In the summer of 2016 I flew to Houston to attend my brothers graduation from medical school. I also used the opportunity to look at a few neighborhoods for a potential move to the great state of Texas. While I did not fall in love with Houston, I did like what the city had to offer and left pleased. 1 year later, Hurricane Harvey devastated the city. On Labor Day weekend this year, I visited the beautiful city of Naples, FL with my wife and young daughter. Once again, I used the visit as an opportunity to look for neighborhoods for a potential move to Naples if Houston did not work out. 10 days later Hurricane Irma devastates the area. While Irma was doing that, my family and I evacuated to Orange Beach, AL. As you guessed, I used my time there as an opportunity to look around at what Alabama has to offer. 1 month later, Hurricane Nate does damage in the area. My 3 visits to 3 different places all resulted in the strike of a hurricane in those places. I am sure it was just a weird coincidence but wow 3 times? Kinda weird isn't it?
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
When Harvey hit TX, my heart just sank. My brother lived all by himself with no family whatsoever to call upon for help. I came sooooo close to jumping on an airplane and somehow finding my way to TX to help him. The water rose high enough to get into his condo. Fortunately, his neighbor on the 2nd floor was kind enough to offer him space if it came down to it. My family and I were stuck in South Florida unable to do anything to help him. Fortunately, he found a way out to get to safety while waiting for the waters to recede. This feeling of helplessness is something I will never forget and hope to never experience again.
My wife and young daughter were asleep at 12:30am September 4th in our hotel room in Naples, FL. I was sitting on the living room couch with my iPhone glued to tropicaltidbits.com and Storm2K. I watched the GFS, UKMET, Canadian, Navgem and finally the Euro. For the first time in 25 years I felt fear (those of you in South Florida for that long know what I am talking about). All the models were honing in on sending a Cat4/5 monster near South Florida. I saw my parents later that morning in Pembroke Pines and they had the same fear. A hurricane more powerful than Andrew was likely to hit us and move straight up the spine of the state of Florida. On September 7th we had a family meeting to decide whether to evacuate or stay. Staying would be safer because our house was built after Andrew and was up to building code. We have food/water/gas for 2-3 weeks if necessary. It is too dangerous to get stuck on the highways evacuating with millions evacuating. Evacuating would be safer because if the storm hit us head on...there would be nothing left. Businesses would be closed indefinitely and we would have to fend for ourselves in a war zone with potential looting and other post-storm headaches. What about my 3 year old in a house with no electricity...in this summer time heat? I wanted to stay because I felt the eye would go near Naples...which it did but if I was wrong and Irma came in just 25 miles further east we are in big trouble. What the heck do we do??? At 2pm my dad says "f*#&@ it we are going to Alabama". 6 hours into our evacuation drive the model consensus shifted away from SE Florida and focused on SW Florida as the landfall spot...but it was too late to turn back. It took us 23 hours including stops to get to Alabama and 21 hours to get back home...
Maria did not affect me directly, but I will never forget the panic from some distant friends living there. They were panicked and almost did not know what to do because they decided at the last second they wanted to leave. They hunkered down and survived. It was unreal seeing Harvey, Irma and Maria unleash their fury on mankind they way they did.
LESSONS:
For Irma specifically, I learned that even though I was right about the storm not being a direct landfall in SE Florida therefore wanting to stay...if I ever feel this weird tingle in my body, I will just pack up and leave without hesitating. That is also my advice to anybody on Storm2K. We have the benefit of knowing more than the average person about hurricanes...but don't ignore your inner feelings. If your "spider sense" starts tingling just pack up and get the hell out. Despite the fact that Irma never caused the damage it could have, the fear it caused when it was still a 185 mph Category 5 bearing down on Florida and expected to run up the entire spine of Florida was something nobody had ever seen before. That FEAR and that EXPECTATION was absolutely unreal! Lastly, another lesson I learned is to always care for each other. I am so proud of how the TX, FL and PR communities came together to help each other out post-storm. We argue from time to time on Storm2K...but we are family in some ways because we care for and look out for one another. I am a bit teary eyed as I am writing this...but I am so damn proud to be a member of the Storm2K community. I hope my experiences will strengthen my contributions to Storm2K because the advice and information I post one day could help somebody in another location deal with a natural disaster.
Guys, please share your thoughts and feelings about the 2017 season because I know it affected so many of you.