What I learned from Hurricane Irma

Bottom line??

Be prepared!

That motto is not just for Boy Scouts, but for anyone living in hurricane country.  I've lived in the Caribbean for eons... been through tropical storms, storm warnings, storm watches, Hurricane Hugo in 1989 (3 mos afterward without power), yada, yada, yada.

It gets old.  But it beats freezing my tush in winter.  At heart I'm a tropical flower, even though I grew up in cold country.

While Irma was still a nameless "invest" on the National Hurricane Center map, I was thinking ahead.  "What if?"  As it got closer, became a named storm and the proposed track put it right over my head, it was time to get serious.  This would be the first major storm since I moved into my condo eight years ago.

First step... clear my balcony of plants and furniture, put up my storm shutters over the floor to ceiling east-facing windows.  I did that on Sunday morning while the air was calm and the storm was three days away.  I learned from experience not to wait until the winds begin to blow.

Inside I filled gallon jugs with water, placed them in my bathtub for flushing use if necessary.  In the kitchen, a cooler went into the sink to fill with ice and beverages so I wouldn't have to open my fridge/freezer if/when the power went out.

Got out my battery operated fan and portable radio.  Made sure my solar powered lanterns were fully charged.  Checked my flashlights.

Tuesday morning Irma was a day away.  Went to the market, bought a cold rotisserie chicken for $4.99.   I already had tuna, peanut butter and crackers on hand, in addition to yogurt/wheat germ and salad makings in the fridge.

6:30 AM Wednesday the power went out and we all hunkered down to wait for the worst.  We got lucky.  Irma jogged north and spared my island from extensive damage, but devastated the islands forty miles away.

I survived unscathed.  Partial power was restored at 5 PM Friday.   I have power in my kitchen only, but it's enough to run my fridge and keep my food from spoiling.  We have running water.  Life is good.

Storm shutters are still up (there's a lot more hurricane season ahead); furniture/plants back on the balcony.

That $4.99 roasted chicken fed me through dinner Sunday night.  What a bargain.

Penny Pincher