Hurricane Michael

When we evacuated North Myrtle Beach, we had two days to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Florence on our home in Cary.  We collected all items from the yard including potted plants, yard art, and garden lights, and secured them in the garage.  Likewise, everything came off of our patio except our grill and heavy chairs which we tied down.  We were ready for Hurricane Florence.

While we did get eight inches of rain that did no damage, the maximum wind gust couldn't have been more than 30 mph.  Not much at all.

Forecasts were clear that Hurricane Michael would continue through the Carolinas and pass right through the Triangle.  We were not too worried.  After all, North Carolina is a long way from the Gulf Coast and the hurricane shouldn’t have much energy left by the time it hit our area.  I didn’t bother to remove stuff from the yard or patio.

But Michael was still a tropical storm when it passed over us on Thursday evening.  We got our tarp, sat in chairs on the patio sheltered by the wind and rain and toasted each other with a drink.  Rain had started earlier in the day, but then the wind came, strongest since we moved to Cary 4 ½ years ago, gusts reaching at least 50 mph.  A few things were blown around our yard and patio but we didn’t have any serious damage.  And we stayed in our little nook on the patio until it had blown over.

There were major power outages in the area and roads flooded.  Trees came down and limbs covered some roads.  We ended up with 3 ½ inches of rain.  But we had power and no rain damage.

We woke the day after Hurricane Michael to a bright, clear morning with temperatures in the 50’s.  What a change!

After Hurricane Florence, we hosted a hurricane party.  We plan to host another party next week--this one to celebrate the beginning of fall weather.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com