Go figure, the one weekend I have off, and I'm going to be neck-deep in a hurricane when the game is on. I mean, fuck. One of the few games I was likely going to get to watch this year, and I was going to have the whole day off to relax, too... Enjoy it, all. As usual, I'll be relying heavily on the game thread and the feedback and opinions you all provide. My thanks in advance.
dline So this will be an epic game where Glennon gets knocked out on the first play of the game on a strip sack and Trubisky comes in and we shock the Falcons 38-7. So it will be replayed for the next decade! So just stay safe. It's looking really nasty. You can replay the game but can't replay your life. Are you hunkering down in place?
I appreciate the thoughts, guys. Hopefully I'll be no worse for the wear, when all's said and done, and celebrating a Bears victory after the fact. We're staying put. No other option, really. I'm working all week, with my part time job being at Florida's busiest Aldi - so we're all pulling double duty, there. By the time I'd even be able to hit the road, I wouldn't do much more than just get as far north as I could before it caught up with me. Not smart. Thankfully, I've been a Floridian my whole life, and have seen plenty. One of my priorities in where we live was making sure it was hurricane-safe. Recently-built townhomes with attachable steel shutters, far enough inland (though that's probably not great, with this storm), garage with just enough room to get a car and the outside furniture in, well-draining streets and roadways, buried power lines, on a main local power grid, right next to a county water pump station... Honestly, we're in about as good a situation as it gets. I'm working 18 hour days all week, but between my roommate and I, we're going to get the essentials, shutter up, and hopefully ride it out peacefully. Right now, it's the strongest storm the area has ever seen (relative to where it is in the ocean, and how it's moving). I really feel for the people on the islands, the Florida Keys, and Miami/the extreme south of Florida. They're going to get rocked. I mean, by all accounts, this doesn't look good for them, and there's not really anything that can be done about it. The west coast is probably going to be a surprise victim to a lot of this. If it continues to move west before turning north, they're going to get hit directly, and they're going to have massive flooding issues all up and down the coast. Tampa is a bay - there's no where for the water to go. The surge there is going to rise to untenable levels, if the storm keeps moving west. That's going to be really dangerous. And, of course, if it keeps going west, it's likely to cross back across Florida to the east, hitting the northern counties. Then, back into the Atlantic, and north into the Carolinas and Virginia... I mean, a week in hurricane time is an eternity, so who knows exactly what's going to happen, but unlike a lot of hurricanes, this one is relatively easy to predict - the two pressure systems that are dictating it are moving very slowly, and when they do pick up, they're only going one way. So there's not a lot of room for optimism, here. It's not looking good for anyone, it's just going to be a matter of who gets hit the worst... Our third roommate is on a boat in Haiti/Jamaica, right now. We're just hoping it stays north enough to not effect her, and she's on land when it passes by...
Stay safe dline. I think this is going to be a very competitive game and would not be surprised if the Bears pull it out. My concern is that we're leading all the way but the secondary blows it late in the 4th quarter. If he gets hurt then at least we don't have to worry about Fox blowing smoke up his ass and trying to instill more fake confidence in a guy who's clearly insecure about his position.
Hey, brother, best of luck riding out the storm. Up here in quiet Michigan, all we worry about it the occasional blizzard, and even those are getting rarer and less harsh than they were in my long lost youth.
I appreciate the thoughts, everyone. I haven't gotten to the real pain in the ass, yet - putting steel shutters up in Florida summer on a two-story townhome. Those high ceilings were a great idea, when we moved in... For the week, it's just trying to keep as much business as usual while preparing, and dealing with everyone who is panicking and making it that much harder on everyone else. The good news is, based on the most recent forecast, it's making a more dramatic turn to the north/northeast than had been thought. Similar to the one last year, if we're lucky, it'll keep moving east, and stay just far enough offshore to be a mean thunderstorm, but keep us out of the hurricane winds. Fingers crossed. It's still slated to hit us (actually, now, we'd be right through the eye), but if this movement keeps up, we may be just fine. Here's to hoping. Of course, the lament that started all this - even if it stays just far enough away, bars still won't be open on Sunday morning/afternoon, here. So, even if the hurricane passes us by, I miss out on my damn football. You sons of bitches.
I work in disaster relief (for profit insurance, i'm no saint) Stay safe out there Dline! So long as you're not on the coast, you should be OK. Still, I'd store up the valuables and family photos exc, and get them in a storm secure safe.
I just got back from spending a week in the Houston area. I have family there and I went to make sure they were okay and get them out of the area because like so many others their home got utterly destroyed. The wife and I stuck around a little longer to volunteer and help out some other folks in need. I hope all goes well for you and everyone else living down there dline.....hopefully you see the game but more importantly I hope you and your family are safe.
If this thing continues on the path it currently is, we'll have nowhere near the problems Texas did. I can't begin to think what it's like, for everyone there. Most homes in Florida are built to hurricane code, this storm isn't supposed to bring anywhere near the rain, and everyone is not only expecting it, but is preparing way too early and with way too much panic. I'm hoping we'll prove to be a good match for it. Moreso, I'm hoping it'll keep moving to the east, and we'll have a repeat of last year, when it was just a stormy night and nothing more. Again, thanks for the thoughts, guys. It's always an odd week - spending all day/night working, trying to carry on as normal while still prepping... I've got my grandfather's and mother's house all shuttered up. Now it's just mine left. We've got a couple days, still. I'm feeling better about it now than I was yesterday. Still wearing my orange and navy around the office, today.
Let's hope this fucker makes a hard right and fizzles out in the Atlantic way before it gets anywhere near Florida. And they're saying Hurricane Jose is firing up as well.... BF, they're saying one of these bastards is heading towards your neck of the woods in Mesico - Hurricane Kalie? WTF
Important update, now at about the 3-day mark, meaning that the predictions don't have much more room to move. We are now predicted to be right under the eye. I mean, absolutely punched in the mouth. That little bit of hope that it would keep moving is now gone. Gonna be honest with you, guys, I've been a Floridian my whole young life - this is the first time I've been legitimately nervous. I mean, I am honestly frightened, at this point. And, because I've been working 24/7, I've done absolutely no prep. I've got a couple cases of water, but the cupboards are bare, I've gotta board up my place... Ladies and gentlemen, strap in. I'll see you next week.
I know this is probably my ignorance but are you guys able to just drive to somewhere safer and hole up there till everything passes? Any family/friends that live further north (in another state) or inland that have enough food and supplies for you? I know that gas is a premium down there now and traffic is probably insane so it wouldn't be easy to go now.
I appreciate it, BWW. Blang, at this point, if you haven't left, yet... The problem is that the hurricane is so big, and predicting it beyond when it hits us is so difficult, that we could find ourselves in the exact same position somewhere up north as we are here. Or, a similar situation, at least. You're exactly right: the roadways have been jammed - I think that'll thin out by the last minute, but I can't be sure - so getting in the car and hoping you can make it north enough in time is a risky proposition. You're betting that you'll be able to make the normally 10+ hour trip out of Florida/the immediate danger without getting stuck/something worse happening, there'll be gas available on the way, and that you can get somewhere that is actually safe. We live in a well-built house with steel shutters, away from the coast, and we're not surrounded by construction, etc. We're on a main power grid, with a pump station just outside our neighborhood... Despite the fact that I've had absolutely zero time to set up (law office job from 8-5, grocery store job from then til midnight or beyond, rinse and repeat), we're probably in about as good a situation as it gets. I'm far more worried about my family, who live in the area. That's what got me terrified. But, honestly, getting out can be as risky a proposition as staying, at this point.
I appreciate it, man. Like I said, I'm about as safe as it gets. I'm having someone shutter up the house today, so that as soon as I have time I can get food and finish up around the house. Car and outdoor fixings go in the garage, and we're hunkered down. I'm supposed to shutter up my mother's house this evening/tomorrow. I just got in touch with her... she hasn't gotten any plywood, and realistically, if this hits the way it's supposed to, there's no hope for her house anyway. It's gone. They're treating my grandfather's house as home base, and I've spent the last few nights trying to board up that place as tight as possible. Gonna move everything they have over to his place, and then try and figure out the best way to make the garages safe. Florida garages have to be well-ventilated due to humidity, so I've gotta figure out the best way to get them tightened up. Sorry, guys. I don't have much of an outlet for this stuff while I'm at the office. This is essentially the only outlet for my personal worry. I appreciate those hearing me prattle on. All's gonna be well down here. Just keep me informed as to how the game is going - that's all I care about. Maybe I'll catch a replay on NFL Network sometime this week, if our power's back (they do that during the week, right? I don't know).
dline, stay safe man. This shit is pretty terrible and I can't imagine. Worst I have to deal with is wildfire smoke. On the plus side, you will miss the giraffe coughing it up. I plan to watch live so I'll be posting in the game thread, if you get cell signal by that time. I read Puerto Rico is out of power for months. Granted, that's a 3rd world country, right baby? (Puerto Rico is Mexico right, that's how we do this?)
Good news/bad news with the update: Good news, it's moving a little more slowly, so I'll probably (maybe) still have power while the game is on. I just have nowhere to watch it. So, if I still have power, I might be able to try and find a stream of it online. Obviously, an outside shot, but still a shot. Bad news is, it's moved further west, so it's going to punch everyone in the face - not just this coast. I'm not sure how well prepared the west coast is... We're not just outside of the eye, but it's a ten mile shift - doesn't mean much. We managed to get everything done. I'm going to do last bit of shopping tomorrow, and make sure everything that's outside gets inside, and then we're locked up. I appreciate the thoughts, everyone. I think we're gonna be fine. It's the south-most of Florida - the Keys, Miami, etc. - that I'm worried about. Palm Beach should be okay. Pahokee and the Glades are now in the eye wall. That's not a well-built area. That has me worried, too... Fuck.
