I had hoped to do an update before this but that hurricane was a real game changer. We went without power for 7 days. This means using a generator to power the fridge until the gas runs out, cooking on a charcoal grill and a camping stove, and getting VERY cold showers. That being said, my heart goes out to all the people who have lost their home and belongings. Unimaginable to deal with what those families are going through.
Last week we evacuated to Gainesville when Michael bumped up to a category 4. We weren't sure if our house could withstand such high winds as the projection was for it to come directly over us. For anyone who has left everything behind in a rushed state, you will know the exhaustion and anxiety that clutches at you.
By the time we left it was raining hard and very windy. We took both cars, Aja with me in the Outback and Doug leading the way. It occurred to me that I needed to have the directions to the hotel handy in case we were separated. That's when I realized I left my purse behind. Fortunately we were only a mile away. I called him, headed back, got out and got soaked opening the gate and went for the house. Just as I'm about to head back to the car Doug calls me and asks if I remembered medicines. Noooo. Back into the house for another quick sweep.
Lesson learned on this - make a good list for evacuation plans and you won't forget things you need!
Fast forward - we wanted to head back home but our county had a mandatory 24 hour curfew. The road we live on was closed as trees and electrical lines were down. They also wanted to free the roads up for first responders, linesmen, police.
It's just a mess on our road. Worse in other areas in our county.
We are truly lucky that a tree didn't come down on our house as so many people in our area did have that experience.
The charcoal grill has been a blessing, First night home Doug grilled burgers, I heated beans on the camping stove and made a salad. We ate outside as the temperatures were a bit cooler.
As we are in a rural area we knew the priorities would be restoring the areas with a larger population base. OK, we can adapt with meals easily.
The generator powers the fridge and I was also able to plug in a slow cooker. A roast with carrots, potatoes and horseradish made for a few meals. You'd never know I didn't cook this on a stove top or in the oven.
The hard thing was dealing with the heat and humidity, especially at night. This little generator (below) helped with some creature comforts and I highly recommend having one if you experience severe storms where power is knocked out. My thoughts and sympathies are with those west of us who have it so much worse.
Linking up with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series and Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sunday with the grilled burgers. Check out her post HERE and join in!
So very, very glad to read this post! Glad you evacuated, glad you returned to a safe home, glad you are able to make do and make the best of it, and glad the worst is behind you. I'm wishing you a peaceful and cozy rest of 2018!
ReplyDeleteYou have been in my thoughts, and I'm so happy that you are returning to a reasonable near-normal! I have been checking often to see if you posted an update and was glad to see the brief note you left in your comment on my blog -- thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteNow I wish you luck with all the remaining things you no doubt have to take care of, and I wish good luck to your neighborhood.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
What an ordeal! I know in the grand scheme of things it could have been a lot worse, but I still hope you never have another week like that again - ever! Thanks for keeping us updated in twitter and instagram. Looks like you still had some delicious meals despite the conditions :)
ReplyDeleteVicki - we did return to some bad food. Fortunately we took some with us in a cooler. I agree, as long as we live in hurricane prone areas we need to shop lightly during the season. Thanks for checking in with us.
ReplyDeleteStacy - thanks so much! I couldn't stay in touch as much as I wanted. Let's hope the rest of this year fades out peacefully.
Mae - I certainly have been enjoying the posts you are making about your trip. So many places in the world we want to visit and I like seeing where you go. It's a blessing to have electricity as out closest neighbors do not have it yet, they are going on day 9 without. :-(
JoAnn - Thanks very much, I enjoyed chatting with you on Twitter and keeping up. I feel so bad for those west of us, our county was hit hard but Port St Joe is basically gone. Mexico Beach is very bad too. Overall, we are fortunate.
What a difficult situation but than G-d you are ok . Thanks for sharing and hope things will get back to normal soon.
ReplyDeleteI was relieved when I saw that you had evacuated, but I know the anxiety of worrying about damage to the house (I grew up in tornado country). So happy to hear your house survived -- it looks like there were a ton of trees down in your area. Smart to have a generator, and thank goodness for grills and camp stoves.
ReplyDeleteOur predicted hurricanes don't usually come to much, thank God, but like you say it is good to have a generator for those emergencies. We've had to rely on ours a time or two. Looks like you made the best of things and ate pretty well! I'm glad you came out of it okay.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I just feel bad that I didn't send you good thoughts. :( But, so glad that you and your property are OK!!!! They just keep getting scarier, don't they? Take care!
ReplyDeleteYou demonstrated real resilience - I need to think about what we would do withtout power - we rarely have hurricanes but in Feb/March there can be quite severe tropical storms (even the odd cyclone). Hope your power is restored now. Cheers
ReplyDeleteI'm so very glad that things worked out for you. Hurricanes, cyclones, fires and earthquakes are never welcome but they seem to (almost) a part of everyday life now. You give us all a timely reminder about checklists and plans. No matter how organised you are, when the pressure is on...
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got through it okay and still managed to make some delicious food. ;-) Thank you for sharing your burgers with Souper Sundays.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Orlando when the hurricane really started getting bad and I really wasn't keeping track until almost after. I was so relieved when I got on Instagram and saw you had evacuated! Mass exodus is always stressful but glad you were able to get out safely. When the tornados hit here back in 2011 we were out of power for two weeks and the grill was a lifesaver! So glad your house and you all are okay. Driving home last weekend we were surprised to see all the damage in Georgia - almost to the Columbus area!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judee, I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteBFR- once that storm reached a cat 4 we knew we had to go! It is indeed good to have a generator and ability to cook but you just don't realize how much you take electricity for granted until you are without it for days. Thanks for your nice comment.
Thank you, Claudia. I did see you all have some wicked storms in Hawaii. Scary!
Debra, it's good to be back. No worries :-)
Carole - we had our power back after 8 days and it was very welcome. A hot shower can't be underrated.
Fiona - we don't have cyclones as you do, that's very scary! Thanks for commenting.
Deb - always happy to participate in Souper Sunday. Thanks for the good wishes. You have had your share of storms lately too :-(
Katherine, I was wondering how you'd fare at Disney, wasn't sure if the storm bands would reach you there in Orlando. Yes, the damages were widespread. You went two weeks without power? That's awful.