Life Afterwards

Right now, it seems as if the storms will NEVER end. News just reached us that it's possible the next one Ivan is headed our way and certainly NOT welcome.

I'm sort of in a daze with my head spinning. It's hard to believe how life has changed. I was blessed to have survived the last 2, I had power and other than a few downed branches was very fortunate, still life as we know it will be forever changed. It's the waiting and waiting and then one storm after another, that sort of makes you crazy.

Today I had to go out to my accountants office as well as to the store along the way, to get some propane and be better prepared this next time. The trip would have been a normal 10 minute drive, instead today traffic was the worst I've ever seen it, and it took well over an hour to make the trip one way.

One 6 lane major roadway, was flooded and closed off, causing horrendous backups. The Federal Agencies also set up an emergency center and took over the entire parking lot at the mall. Gas is in short supply as the tankers could not get in to fill the gas stations, and then the roads look like a parking lot instead of roads as all traffic is a crawl. It was bumper to bumper and not moving well at all. I can't imagine what the poor folks did that had to go to work in stuff like that. I'm so spoiled, working from home online, I never usually go out in traffic. Just today being in it once was more than enough for me.

I stopped at several stores, thinking I would buy some propane for a camp stove we had to keep on hand just in case we needed it for the next go round. Watching our neighbors without power, made me realize how unprepared I really was. Unfortuantely, there is no propane to be had in the city.

A friend called from a city an hour south of me, and we were talking. She was on the way to Walmart to buy supplies to for the next one and to repair some things this one did. She told me she would check down there and called back to say she was able to buy me some propane down there. Guess the people that way didn't buy it all out like up here.

So I decided to go to the grocery store to buy some things that we could eat without cooking, like crackers and snack foods, which I could live on for a few days if need be. The grocery store looked like a war zone. Shelves were bare. There was NO milk at all and very little bread. Signs were up on empty aisles that said to come back in 2 days, truck was expected in.

Remember now, in my area, we did not have major damage. Across town and to the south of us, rivers have risen and they are flooded out. Without power, many of our grocery stores had to throw out the fresh and frozen foods and have not restocked. Now with the potential of another storm, many smaller retailers do not even want to accept deliveries thinking they may lose them too.

Just take a minute to think about that.

Here, Without any MAJOR damage, we can't get milk, bread, gas...things we all take for granted. Thinking of the poor folks from Charlie, they lost homes and every single thing they had. Many are still in shelters, or camper trailers and there are no stores to even go to.

Life in Florida right now is no picnic. Of course, this is a tourist state. Fast food is still open, Hotels are still open and amusement parks. I'm wondering where they are getting their supplies. Maybe they have a better source.

Life goes on. People do what they have to do to keep going. I truly feel blessed to have had power thru this and no major damage. With 2 storms aimed this way in less than a month, being able to say that is a true miracle.

Now we wait and wonder, what next? Please keep the state of Florida in your prayers.