Weathering the Storm: Post-Hurricane Irma

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I’m fine and my family is fine. Our homes are still structurally sound. I don’t have any power in my apartment but my folks do. They don’t have cable (it’s been out since the storm) and I have rigged my very low signal hotspot to try to work.

View from the front of my parent’s house of clean-up

View from the side of my parent’s house of clean-up

I was finally able to get on my computer yesterday afternoon. I bought a new laptop at Best Buy so I could work remotely and hopefully make a little bit of money, following a storm that has thrown a huge wrench in my budget. When I finally got online, I discovered that the work I and several others in Florida had been hired to do was mostly completed by people out of state already. I guess deadlines matter. There was some other work I could have done but my cellphone reception is hovering around 2 bars and I’m just too frustrated to keep battling this technology.

I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes as a life-long Floridian but I’ll remember Irma for her relentlessness. This was by far the longest I’ve ever had to be hunkered down. It seemed like she lashed us for a full 24 hours. Every time we thought she was letting up she hit us with another band. I hunkered down at my parents’ house with my fiancé (that’s right he asked! I was going to write a post all about the proposal when we got word of Irma. But rest assured that story is coming).

By the time we left their house on Monday morning we were suffering from serious cabin fever. Isaac was so concerned that the airport wouldn’t reopen in time to make it to his Clinical Skills exam in Philadelphia (happening today) that we took an impromptu road trip. We got as far as Ocala, FL before turning back with word that the airport was reopening on Tuesday. Needless to say, we felt a little bit like Governor Rick Scott surveying the damage. I can honestly tell you that aside from the Panhandle the whole state was impacted to some extent.

We slept two sweaty nights in Fort Lauderdale and spent our days wandering from open restaurant to open restaurant and then to the mall looking to cool down and get internet. The internet most places has been pretty spotty where available. All around us you saw people trying to get food, trying to get gas, and just find something to do while we wait to get power back up.

Isaac was able to leave yesterday for Philadelphia. His flight was delayed several times but he got there. He’s probably at his exam while I type this. He better be kicking butt because I spent two days pretending to be a standardized patient.

I was worrying about money most of this week but today I finally relented as I realized I wasn’t going to be able to get any work done and also help out my parents with my grandparents who were evacuated from their apartment in Miami Beach. Now I’m just grateful that we’re all still here and we’re healthy. Money will work itself out. God has a reason for everything. Including this new fancy computer I’m typing this on.

I want to give special thanks to the following businesses who have sheltered us and provided us hot meals as we pick up the pieces: Dunkin Donuts, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Myapapaya in Fort Lauderdale, and Wendy’s. Also big shout out to my gym Youfit that has been super attentive and has got my home gym up and running.

They tell me I’ll have my power restored by Sunday night. Let’s hope so because I’m just bursting with things I want to tell you guys. To any fellow Floridians out there reading this: we got this! They don’t  make ’em much tougher than us.