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#1
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I'm back! (did anybody miss me?) (Hurricane story - VERY LONG)
Well, I've survived my first genuine Florida hurricane... we weren't
nearly as prepared for it as I'd have liked to be, but we weren't that uncomfortable. John was sure that we'd be just fine since it was 'only' a tropical storm... so we didn't make any special preperations, and then of course it turned into a hurricane and headed straight for us, but it still wasn't very bad. I'd say it was more of an inconvenience than a natural disaster... We had one major scare - we headed out to the grocery store at 3pm on Thursday to see if we could grab some last-minute drinks and supplies, only to find that the grocery store was closed alread. We jumped back in the car and the car wouldn't start! So there we were sitting in the carpark at the mall with everyone disappearing around us, the wind picking up, and a hurricane on the way... I was thinking 'okay, worst case scenario leave the car and call for a taxi' but John got onto the roadside service people and they managed to find a tow truck to help us out. While we were waiting I went down to the other end of the mall because Target looked like it was still open (and it was) and I grabbed some muesli bars and water in case we were stuck in the carpark for hours... The tow truck driver said 'it's just the battery' and jumpstarted us so we could drive home - but we got less than two blocks before the engine died right in the middle of Federal Highway! Luckily there was a turnlane right in front of us, and John managed to get the car to roll into it before the engine completely died so we weren't in the middle of the road. He called the roadside people again and said 'hey, can you get that tow truck back here asap?!' and we were only sitting there about fifteen minutes before he got back to us. John climbed up into the cab to give directions and I sat in the car while it was towed home. A tow truck ride is slow and bumpy and smelly, but it was only about a mile home so it didn't take long. We got home at 4.30pm and I quickly wrote up our little adventure for my diary... and then I thought 'I'd better get our dinner cooked early just in case we lose power later on...' The only problem was that 'later on' turned out to be in fifteen minutes! The chicken cacciatore was only half-cooked and I hadn't even put the pasta into it yet... luckily it was boiling when the power went off and I'd just added the stock, so I wrapped the pot in a towel and let it cook in its own juices for a couple of hours and it was fine - it was a warm chicken soup! And it turned out to be our last home-cooked meal for three days. I could keep carrying on about this for pages, but to cut a long story short our apartment building wasn't damaged, we just lost a few palm trees, but our area was without power until Sunday. Originally FPL said we'd get it back some time on Saturday, but they underestimated the amount of tree and line damage and they said it would take much longer to fix... so we were lucky because our power came back on at 11am Sunday morning and everyone in the building cheered! Our only real loss was the contents of our fridge and freezer - I kept the freezer door firmly closed, but apparantly it's not very well insulated, because when I opened it at 10am Sunday to check it it was a mess inside. It wasn't stinky yet, but if it had had another 24 hours it would have been a real mess... We'd just finished cleaning it out and disinfecting it when the power came back on, so that was good timing! We were also lucky because it really wasn't very hot while the power was off. It was very overcast and humid and rainy, but that kept the temperature down and we had a lovely breeze in the living room with all the windows open. The only time the heat really bothered us was when we tried to sleep - our bedroom is hot at the best of times and it felt like an oven! We camped out in the living room and moved around as little as possible, and we were fine. I was rather worried about the cats because they didn't want to eat or drink and they seemed very stressed by the heat, but they adapted to it too - on Thursday the hurricane noises scared them and they kept staring at the windows and bristling... then on Friday they lay around like little limp rags because they were so hot. I tried to get them to drink cold water from the fridge but they weren't interested, so I wet a handtowel and rubbed them down with it in the afternoon. They weren't too thrilled about getting damp but it seemed to make them feel a bit better... the rest of the time the power was off they turned nocturnal - they lay around sleeping all day, and Scouty hid in the wardrobe behind John's shirts or lay under the bed, and they came back to life at night. I knew they were adapting when I heard them cannonballing around the apartment at 3am! Scouty also shed about half her coat to make herself cooler - on Saturday morning I noticed that she was feeling very coarse so I combed her and I think I combed half a cat off her, while she lay there and purred blissfully and rolled over to let me get at her other side. Silly has a thinnner coat, so she wasn't interested in the comb - all she wanted to do was to eat it! -- ~Karen aka Kajikit Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life http://www.kajikitscorner.com Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit |
#2
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On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 11:50:37 -0400, Karen AKA Kajikit
yodeled: Well, I've survived my first genuine Florida hurricane... we weren't nearly as prepared for it as I'd have liked to be, but we weren't that uncomfortable. John was sure that we'd be just fine since it was 'only' a tropical storm... so we didn't make any special preperations, and then of course it turned into a hurricane and headed straight for us, but it still wasn't very bad. I'd say it was more of an inconvenience than a natural disaster... We had one major scare - we headed out to the grocery store at 3pm on Thursday to see if we could grab some last-minute drinks and supplies, only to find that the grocery store was closed alread. We jumped back in the car and the car wouldn't start! So there we were sitting in the carpark at the mall with everyone disappearing around us, the wind picking up, and a hurricane on the way... I was thinking 'okay, worst case scenario leave the car and call for a taxi' but John got onto the roadside service people and they managed to find a tow truck to help us out. While we were waiting I went down to the other end of the mall because Target looked like it was still open (and it was) and I grabbed some muesli bars and water in case we were stuck in the carpark for hours... The tow truck driver said 'it's just the battery' and jumpstarted us so we could drive home - but we got less than two blocks before the engine died right in the middle of Federal Highway! Luckily there was a turnlane right in front of us, and John managed to get the car to roll into it before the engine completely died so we weren't in the middle of the road. He called the roadside people again and said 'hey, can you get that tow truck back here asap?!' and we were only sitting there about fifteen minutes before he got back to us. John climbed up into the cab to give directions and I sat in the car while it was towed home. A tow truck ride is slow and bumpy and smelly, but it was only about a mile home so it didn't take long. We got home at 4.30pm and I quickly wrote up our little adventure for my diary... and then I thought 'I'd better get our dinner cooked early just in case we lose power later on...' The only problem was that 'later on' turned out to be in fifteen minutes! The chicken cacciatore was only half-cooked and I hadn't even put the pasta into it yet... luckily it was boiling when the power went off and I'd just added the stock, so I wrapped the pot in a towel and let it cook in its own juices for a couple of hours and it was fine - it was a warm chicken soup! And it turned out to be our last home-cooked meal for three days. I could keep carrying on about this for pages, but to cut a long story short our apartment building wasn't damaged, we just lost a few palm trees, but our area was without power until Sunday. Originally FPL said we'd get it back some time on Saturday, but they underestimated the amount of tree and line damage and they said it would take much longer to fix... so we were lucky because our power came back on at 11am Sunday morning and everyone in the building cheered! Our only real loss was the contents of our fridge and freezer - I kept the freezer door firmly closed, but apparantly it's not very well insulated, because when I opened it at 10am Sunday to check it it was a mess inside. It wasn't stinky yet, but if it had had another 24 hours it would have been a real mess... We'd just finished cleaning it out and disinfecting it when the power came back on, so that was good timing! We were also lucky because it really wasn't very hot while the power was off. It was very overcast and humid and rainy, but that kept the temperature down and we had a lovely breeze in the living room with all the windows open. The only time the heat really bothered us was when we tried to sleep - our bedroom is hot at the best of times and it felt like an oven! We camped out in the living room and moved around as little as possible, and we were fine. I was rather worried about the cats because they didn't want to eat or drink and they seemed very stressed by the heat, but they adapted to it too - on Thursday the hurricane noises scared them and they kept staring at the windows and bristling... then on Friday they lay around like little limp rags because they were so hot. I tried to get them to drink cold water from the fridge but they weren't interested, so I wet a handtowel and rubbed them down with it in the afternoon. They weren't too thrilled about getting damp but it seemed to make them feel a bit better... the rest of the time the power was off they turned nocturnal - they lay around sleeping all day, and Scouty hid in the wardrobe behind John's shirts or lay under the bed, and they came back to life at night. I knew they were adapting when I heard them cannonballing around the apartment at 3am! Scouty also shed about half her coat to make herself cooler - on Saturday morning I noticed that she was feeling very coarse so I combed her and I think I combed half a cat off her, while she lay there and purred blissfully and rolled over to let me get at her other side. Silly has a thinnner coat, so she wasn't interested in the comb - all she wanted to do was to eat it! So glad you're OK. My dad lost power for 14 hours. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com |
#3
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Karen AKA Kajikit wrote in message ... I was rather worried about the cats because they didn't want to eat or drink and they seemed very stressed by the heat, but they adapted to it too - on Thursday the hurricane noises scared them and they kept staring at the windows and bristling... then on Friday they lay around like little limp rags because they were so hot. I tried to get them to drink cold water from the fridge but they weren't interested, so I wet a handtowel and rubbed them down with it in the afternoon. They weren't too thrilled about getting damp but it seemed to make them feel a bit better... the rest of the time the power was off they turned nocturnal - they lay around sleeping all day, and Scouty hid in the wardrobe behind John's shirts or lay under the bed, and they came back to life at night. I knew they were adapting when I heard them cannonballing around the apartment at 3am! Scouty also shed about half her coat to make herself cooler - on Saturday morning I noticed that she was feeling very coarse so I combed her and I think I combed half a cat off her, while she lay there and purred blissfully and rolled over to let me get at her other side. Silly has a thinnner coat, so she wasn't interested in the comb - all she wanted to do was to eat it! -- ~Karen aka Kajikit Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life http://www.kajikitscorner.com Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit Glad you weathered the hurricane successfully, Kajikat. But oy, of all the times for your car to refuse to start! And thank goodness Katrina wasn't as strong a hurricane over Florida as it is in Louisiana. Melissa |
#4
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It's past my bedtime so I'll top post. The map did good so we knew where each other are and I thought about you straight away when I heard H Katrina was hitting Florida. I'm glad you're all safe Tweed "Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote in message ... Well, I've survived my first genuine Florida hurricane... we weren't nearly as prepared for it as I'd have liked to be, but we weren't that uncomfortable. John was sure that we'd be just fine since it was 'only' a tropical storm... so we didn't make any special preperations, and then of course it turned into a hurricane and headed straight for us, but it still wasn't very bad. I'd say it was more of an inconvenience than a natural disaster... We had one major scare - we headed out to the grocery store at 3pm on Thursday to see if we could grab some last-minute drinks and supplies, only to find that the grocery store was closed alread. We jumped back in the car and the car wouldn't start! So there we were sitting in the carpark at the mall with everyone disappearing around us, the wind picking up, and a hurricane on the way... I was thinking 'okay, worst case scenario leave the car and call for a taxi' but John got onto the roadside service people and they managed to find a tow truck to help us out. While we were waiting I went down to the other end of the mall because Target looked like it was still open (and it was) and I grabbed some muesli bars and water in case we were stuck in the carpark for hours... The tow truck driver said 'it's just the battery' and jumpstarted us so we could drive home - but we got less than two blocks before the engine died right in the middle of Federal Highway! Luckily there was a turnlane right in front of us, and John managed to get the car to roll into it before the engine completely died so we weren't in the middle of the road. He called the roadside people again and said 'hey, can you get that tow truck back here asap?!' and we were only sitting there about fifteen minutes before he got back to us. John climbed up into the cab to give directions and I sat in the car while it was towed home. A tow truck ride is slow and bumpy and smelly, but it was only about a mile home so it didn't take long. We got home at 4.30pm and I quickly wrote up our little adventure for my diary... and then I thought 'I'd better get our dinner cooked early just in case we lose power later on...' The only problem was that 'later on' turned out to be in fifteen minutes! The chicken cacciatore was only half-cooked and I hadn't even put the pasta into it yet... luckily it was boiling when the power went off and I'd just added the stock, so I wrapped the pot in a towel and let it cook in its own juices for a couple of hours and it was fine - it was a warm chicken soup! And it turned out to be our last home-cooked meal for three days. I could keep carrying on about this for pages, but to cut a long story short our apartment building wasn't damaged, we just lost a few palm trees, but our area was without power until Sunday. Originally FPL said we'd get it back some time on Saturday, but they underestimated the amount of tree and line damage and they said it would take much longer to fix... so we were lucky because our power came back on at 11am Sunday morning and everyone in the building cheered! Our only real loss was the contents of our fridge and freezer - I kept the freezer door firmly closed, but apparantly it's not very well insulated, because when I opened it at 10am Sunday to check it it was a mess inside. It wasn't stinky yet, but if it had had another 24 hours it would have been a real mess... We'd just finished cleaning it out and disinfecting it when the power came back on, so that was good timing! We were also lucky because it really wasn't very hot while the power was off. It was very overcast and humid and rainy, but that kept the temperature down and we had a lovely breeze in the living room with all the windows open. The only time the heat really bothered us was when we tried to sleep - our bedroom is hot at the best of times and it felt like an oven! We camped out in the living room and moved around as little as possible, and we were fine. I was rather worried about the cats because they didn't want to eat or drink and they seemed very stressed by the heat, but they adapted to it too - on Thursday the hurricane noises scared them and they kept staring at the windows and bristling... then on Friday they lay around like little limp rags because they were so hot. I tried to get them to drink cold water from the fridge but they weren't interested, so I wet a handtowel and rubbed them down with it in the afternoon. They weren't too thrilled about getting damp but it seemed to make them feel a bit better... the rest of the time the power was off they turned nocturnal - they lay around sleeping all day, and Scouty hid in the wardrobe behind John's shirts or lay under the bed, and they came back to life at night. I knew they were adapting when I heard them cannonballing around the apartment at 3am! Scouty also shed about half her coat to make herself cooler - on Saturday morning I noticed that she was feeling very coarse so I combed her and I think I combed half a cat off her, while she lay there and purred blissfully and rolled over to let me get at her other side. Silly has a thinnner coat, so she wasn't interested in the comb - all she wanted to do was to eat it! -- ~Karen aka Kajikit Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life http://www.kajikitscorner.com Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit |
#5
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Glad you are safe.
helen s |
#6
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I'm so glad to hear you, John and the kitties are safe.
Best wishes, -- Polonca & Soncek "Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote in message ... Well, I've survived my first genuine Florida hurricane... we weren't nearly as prepared for it as I'd have liked to be, but we weren't that uncomfortable. snip |
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