"IRMA" - (her name - she sounded like an old forgotten relative).
As an approaching category 5, Hurricane Irma's projected impact for Sarasota was for late Sunday night, or possibly, the early wee hours of Monday morning.
By 4:00 pm Sunday, Knuckles and I became alarmed when our back saltwater lagoon was nearly sucked dry. The heavily approaching easterly winds had blown the water right out of the Bay. So we both decided to "bug-out" for higher ground, to my niece's house on the upper mainland. Didn't want to witness the potential of the reverse, the incoming tidal surge on the back side of the storm. The 'weather-casters' were forecasting a "surge", something approaching 6 to 8 feet above normal high tide.
After Hurricane Andrew's total devastation in south Florida in August of 1992, where whole neighborhoods were flattened - where I was sent on assignment for a week to photograph for different magazines - the hurricane's overwhelming "aftermath" in Homestead and in Florida City was hard to fathom. With the over-hyped, 24 hour news cycles of today, I didn't know what to expect in regards to Irma.
Today's Irma - before and after.
Friday morning (before) - breakfast at 7-Eleven.
Friday afternoon (before) - No gasoline, no water - no essentials. All items bought-out in a panicked rush by the onslaught of the state's increasing new home owners.
Late Friday afternoon (before) - A surprise overnight delivery appeared at my door. Sent by my daughter-in-law, Michele.
Late Monday morning - Returning home to find our two front gates covered with debris - where Knuckles and I tried to find the easiest path to the front door. But both, happily excited after realizing that the supposed "tidal surge" had not entered the house. Though an hour later, I watched as a poor stressed Knuckles, puked all over the living room floor.
Monday (early evening) - With the power out for the past 24 hours, the food in the fridge was warm and spoiled, so I went out looking for any kinda take-home dinner.
Right off the Key, I noticed a seemingly insignificant and hardly legible sign appearing under the flickering street lights. And further down the block, there was a boarded-up convenience store that was apparently open. There I found something on the shelf that was simple and easy to cook. Across the road, the power flickered once again - then finally, all shut down in total darkness.
Came home and setup shop with purchased "plumbers candles" - which gave the kitchen the appearance of a possible, surprise party.
Cooking my recently found dinner on the outside grill - Bush's, Barbecue Baked Beans.
Tuesday, 2:00 am - The storm had passed so quickly, that now an eerie silence prevailed. I opened all the sliding glass doors to let in what remaining breeze there was, and tried with difficulty to read a book using only a burned down 'votive' candle. And lastly by 3:00 am, to finish off that last sip of the remaining rum & OJ.
There were so many options and possibilities of storm related things to shoot and cover - and I'd been there before - but at home, there was all that chaotic debris surrounding me outside, everywhere. I remembered that long ago Hurricane Andrew like it was yesterday - when that "aftermath" became the real killer. And today - we just got Lucky, real lucky.
