A few gusts of some wind and light rain squalls but so far nothing big here, right now. It's the waiting that's nerve-wracking. And I got the feeling that I may have missed an opportunity to escape this situation since now it's pretty much too late. I have to hunker down.
As it is, the county is under, of course, a Hurricane Warning but also a Tornado Watch. The public emergency shelter is about a couple miles away on the east side of the lake and I know how to get there if need be but they may impose a driving ban sometime this afternoon, I'd expect.
My trailer is, as it always has been, in storm mode with the front awning down in place over the windows facing the road. There's also a small awning over the back window in the bedroom. Other trailers along side me, up and down the road, have also placed their awnings down now. I still see lawn decorations and trash cans on the sides of some homes. Mine included. I figure if the wind really starts picking up I can put my can in my shed. The flamingos out front should be planted well enough in the dirt to survive. I guess I should also bring in the windsock as well.
Of course I still have power and hopefully that will continue for much of the day but we'll see. Somehow, the county Facebook page reporting on this event says there's already a thousand people without power right now. Maybe the power companies are browning areas out to accommodate surges and grid integrity?
I'm sad to report I'm not well planned out in so far as supplies specifically designed for the duration of several days or even weeks long power outage. I have no flashlights, other than a magnifying glass that has a battery-powered LED light. I have candles, but mainly scented jar types, and a BIC candle lighter so that's good. I don't have a battery-powered radio. I have my phone, a Kindle tablet, and two laptops fully charged. Heat management without power will be a bitch. My windows basically don't open, except for the kitchen and bathroom ones. After the winds die down, I may need to spend much of my time on the screened in porch...and maybe sitting in my car idling with the A/C to cool me off. And cool showers. I wish I had thought to fill my jacuzzi up. I think it wouldn't leak much if I didn't run the filter. Maybe I'll do that if needed...if we have running water.
I have the following for food and hydration:
A gallon of tap water
A gallon of iced tea
8 12oz bottles of Diet Pepsi
8-10 cans of vegetables (corn, green beans, spinach, tomatoes)
A jar of marinara sauce
4 cans of tuna
2 jars of mayonnaise
A large bottle of ketchup
A bottle of BBQ sauce
1/4 jar of peanut butter
A meal of leftover salisbury steak and rice and one of roast beef and veggies in the fridge
A pound of butter
Some celery, onions and potatoes
Oh man, I should have prepared better.
Last time I did grocery shopping, well before the storm was on the scope, I stocked up on lots of frozen meats so there's a freezer full of that. But without power...well...
At least I ran out last night and grabbed the most important provisions: a 12-pack of IPAs and two bottles of rum.
Ugh.