We're currently on pins and needles waiting to see what and how much damage Matthew will wreak on Florida and the US. He is currently slamming Hispaniola, poor Haiti really does not need this. It does not seem that country can catch a break. And the Bahamas are in line for a direct hit. They have not yet recovered from Joaquin, with a storm of this magnitude they will surely suffer again.
Here in Florida the Governor has declared a state of emergency with the storm expected to arrive sometime late in the day Thursday preceded by strong winds and rain very late Wednesday. We have prepared as best we can. We have water, batteries, and food. We will take everything off the porch tomorrow and close the hurricane shutters. We have a supply of our meds, our papers put together, some cash on hand and the car is full of gas if they call for us to evacuate. We are less than a mile from the coast so it is a real possibility that we may be told to get out of the condo.
There is a Hurricane watch in effect. We stopped at the grocery store yesterday afternoon just as the state of emergency went into place. By the time we had gotten to the checkout every cart in the store was in use. Shades of snowstorms up north, although everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
We fully expect to lose power, we've gone several days without power before so we are ready for that. Right now we are making blocks of ice to put in the fridge to keep that as cold as possible. We will fill the bathtub with water just before the storm hits.
Oddly if we were on the boat right now we would be better suited for a power outage as she is self sufficient with her solar panels and batteries. But being in the water during a category 4 storm is not something I ever hope to experience.
Light Reach is on the hard in Stuart with good jack stands propping her up and anything that could cause windage removed and stored. She is between two good size boats with another boat behind her. Still we are worried. The predicted winds right now are 50 to 80mph sustained with gusts from 85 to 105. We have never experienced that kind of wind. Her biggest danger will be toppling from the wind, she should be okay as far as storm surge as she is about 8 miles inland of the coast and about a quarter mile from the river bank.
And as bad as that may seem for us, we do have friends that are on the water right now. They are making plans to get to a safe harbor as fast as possible. We worry for them and hope they all ride the storm out without incident.
For us right now we wait, praying for everyone this storm will affect.
The picture is Light Reach tucked into her spot in Stuart.