2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season Open Discussion

[cajungal]

Sept 16, 2021 13:56:22 GMT -6 nolachic1st said:

I want to thank everyone on the board for getting me through the aftermath of the storm. Seriously, I would have lost my mind had it not been for this place. It was a really difficult time for me.

Slim, I don't blame you one bit for leaving. I get it. Hurricane season has become an absolutely miserable, gut wrenching time. From beginning to end, it sucks. I vote for Chattanooga!

This may not be the right place but I just have to vent after reading your post about your brother taking your family and your little zoo in, never complaining and making it work because that's what family does. Mine did the opposite. We stayed because my dad is in St. Anna's nursing home and my mom doesn't drive and I am her primary care giver. Groceries, doctors appointments, drugstore, post office, bank, etc. - I am the only one who takes her anywhere. We have 6 cats and my husband has early onset dementia and has some other medical issues. About 2 months ago we spent a week in the hospital with multiple blood transfusions for him. My parents have 2 homes - one in Metairie and one in Covington. Both are 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 baths with fully enclosed garages and full home generators. I assumed we would bring the cats to Metairie and put them in the garage and ride out the storm with mom. The day before the storm, she told me that she just couldn't handle having anyone other then me in her house because "it would be too much to handle" and she "just couldn't do it". I stayed on the phone with her for the majority of the storm so she wouldn't be scared until her line went dead and cell service was down. Mom had no damage to either house and the generators ran just fine. We were without power for ten days. Despite me telling her that my husband was having a tough time as well as our oldest cat, not once did she offer for anyone to stay in the cool house with working fridge, ice, stove, and AC. It gutted me. I honestly don't think I have ever felt that level of hurt. And, I don't think I will, or can, ever forgive her.

If this post doesn't belong here, it can be moved or deleted. Honestly, it just felt good to type it and get it out.

I am still NolaChic - just forgot my password on my laptop so now I have 2 names.

We were denied at family homes too because we have 2 large dogs. And nobody would take our dogs and will not leave them. They are family members too. Luckily our home only had roof damage. And no serious damage. Because I would be worried we wouldn’t have any place to go.

[grisairgasm]

We are going to find a way to make u and others better. I can never get all the apprehension and fear out of me or probably anybody else. My strategies really boil down to coping. And we do this by understanding and mitigating as many stress and safety concerns we have and settling on a comfort level. It still becomes a strange world right before, during and after. Supplemental power will never be the total answer. But it is certainly the basis or beginning of a livable plan.

Having even a small generator using natural gas. A plan:
1) you stay for the entire event
2) you deplete the frig, leave early before traffic misery and come back at your leisure
3) U stay for the event and then assess infrastructure turn the gen off. Then empty the frig and leave on your own terms and not a storm dictated rush

Again, this is just part of a personalized master plan. Also, the ideas above are absolutely not safe in certain settings. Particularly outside of a flood protection system.

All of this belongs in the generator thread. I’ll stop here. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll do a major write up on what we have learned over 20 years of staying.

[nolasim]

You are fine, Chic. This thread has to do with tropical systems and their impact on us personally as well as their impact upon us from a meteorological perspective.

[nolasim]

Sept 16, 2021 14:15:09 GMT -6 grisairgasm said:

We are going to find a way to make u and others better. I can never get all the apprehension and fear out of me or probably anybody else. My strategies really boil down to coping. And we do this by understanding and mitigating as many stress and safety concerns we have and settling on a comfort level. It still becomes a strange world right before, during and after. Supplemental power will never be the total answer. But it is certainly the basis or beginning of a livable plan.

Having even a small generator using natural gas. A plan:
1) you stay for the entire event
2) you deplete the frig, leave early before traffic misery and come back at your leisure
3) U stay for the event and then assess infrastructure turn the gen off. Then empty the frig and leave on your own terms and not a storm dictated rush

Again, this is just part of a personalized master plan. Also, the ideas above are absolutely not safe in certain settings. Particularly outside of a flood protection system.

All of this belongs in the generator thread. I’ll stop here. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll do a major write up on what we have learned over 20 years of staying.

Speaking of which, I created the Generator Thread in Anything Goes 19 hours ago and I'm the only one who has posted anything in it. Yay, it's all good!

[grisairgasm]

Yes. Thanks. I’ll do the write up probably next week. I need a break from all this right now like everybody else. But the above posts tear at me. Our animals have always been family.

[nolasim]

Sept 16, 2021 14:47:02 GMT -6 grisairgasm said:

Yes. Thanks. I’ll do the write up probably next week. I need a break from all this right now like everybody else. But the above posts tear at me. Our animals have always been family.

Yeah- on our evacuation we had nine of them! Again, thank God for the people at Residence Inn. They technically broke so many rules out of genuine compassion. Thank you Lord for guiding me through the whole thing.

[HarahanTim-Now in Gallatin, TN]

NOLAChic, thanks for being so real.
Your story certainly strikes home to me, also.
You see, my wife also has early onset dementia, along with a host of other medical issues. (Even the blood loss, I can relate to, as a year ago this past July, she has to receive 5 units! Fortunately, that was fixed last fall)
We live in a mother-in-law cottage, by our daughter and her family. We were going to stay (in Covington) until I saw early Sunday, how Ida did its jog closer. My wife and I took off early Sunday, still safe, with very little traffic, and headed to our best friends house, in Montgomery. They were so kind, and accommodating, for almost two weeks.
We are blessed, no real damage.
So many people affected in a storm like this, so many unique stories.

[nolasim]

I just wanna give everyone here a hug.

[harpman - old]

I’m just waiting for our first fantasy snowstorm on the GFS…

[grisairgasm]

Sept 16, 2021 15:29:41 GMT -6 nolasim said:

I just wanna give everyone here a hug.

OK. Just tell us when n where lol! Time to attempt getting
together again. Maybe end of October? I would just do Rivershack again but open to any suggestions.

[grisairgasm]

I'm really liking the tropics maybe until the end of
September? Just maybe! I'm really bothered by the W Carib this year. Anybody seeing any hint of that or even
closer homebrew? Looks like another SE FFlood watch
for Saturday. The amount of these watches the last few years is becoming crazier. It feels nonstop this year. All inline with this staggering rainfall this year.

[grisairgasm]

We really appreciate our legitimate moderators. Everyone
of them is grounded and appropriate. Some doing this year after. With that said, I think Skysummit is the foundational
gel of this huge forum family and friends. He has been living at various locations as no power and still
posting and handling problems. Dinner is on me when u and the babe are ready. I've never seen him without a smile. Ever. And I bet he is still smiling through this. Thanks man for all u do. Really. Gotta luv a guy who sits for a few hours listening to me and Harpman act like musicians! Waiting for a rare Grammy moment! Hat's off also to all of us badass Southerners who through grit and tears will prevail.

[T-man]

Kudos to all of you who have found ways to cope with the trauma the weather sometimes brings us. I'm still digging out, and will be for months. I do intend to put my small piece of paradise back together. Things will never be the same here, though. But just maybe, they will be better!

[T-man]

i.imgur.com/6To0xxl.jpg

I have a rainbow to share with all of you. Not much rain to report here today, just a few sprinkles.

[nolachic1st]

Sept 16, 2021 16:39:56 GMT -6 T-man said:

Kudos to all of you who have found ways to cope with the trauma the weather sometimes brings us. I'm still digging out, and will be for months. I do intend to put my small piece of paradise back together. Things will never be the same here, though. But just maybe, they will be better!

What do you need? How can we help? 

I've got a friend that is running a huge thing for food - they come to a certain area and cook the hell out of some awesome stuff. Can I set that up in your area?

Do you need supplies that aren't available in your area? We can collect here and I will drive them out to you. Just let us know. And, if you say "I don't need anything" I will call bullshit. Let us help!