The next 18 hours are critical. I can’t imagine that anyone reading this update is sitting in Southwest Florida thinking that they still have time to respond to evacuation orders. Those who plan to leave are, for the most part, already on the road. Time is running out. You know it’s bad when even the meteorologists are choking up on air. The Waffle House Index shows over 20 Waffle Houses already closed around Tampa with more closing toward St. Petersburg and Ft. Meyers. Multiple locations in Georgia, including the Atlanta Motor Speedway, are open to evacuees. Similarly, Alabama has opened over twenty state parks to take in those with nowhere else to go. ALL state parks in Tennessee are open as well.
The challenge facing those evacuating is the task of getting the fuck out of Florida. Gas stations are running empty, cars are stalling on the freeways, and traffic trying to leave the state is frequently at a standstill. The situation only gets worse today as last-minute stragglers finally get on the road. Hospitals in Florida are preparing for the worst. In some cases, doctors and nurses have moved all or part of their families into hospital offices so that they’ll be able to continue working until help arrives. The New Yorker Magazine is telling us that storms like Milton “are the new abnormal.” What we previously called once-in-a-lifetime storms are becoming commonplace. We can only imagine what might come next.
Here’s the rub: zoom out to look at the national radar and what do you see across the rest of the country? Nothing. There’s a small system of rain in the Northwest corner of Washington State, with scattered showers along the New York/Pennsylvania border. That’s about it. We’ve been dry since the remnants of Hurricane Helene left trees down and power off. Making matters worse, there’s no relief in the 10-day forecast. Temps will get up in the low 80s this weekend, and mornings will be cool, but there’s no moisture, no low-pressure system, coming from anywhere.
As the Midwest dries out, other dangers arise. Even the smallest spark of a flame can result in a wildfire across states that normally don’t see wildfires and aren’t prepared to battle them. When rain does finally occur, less soaks into the hard ground, creating higher levels of toxic runoff. Are you seeing the problem?
I want there to be better news and there is a little bit. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper for their work on proteins. This spurs research that could one day save your life.
In a first-of-its-kind national survey, 3% of High Schoolers Identify as Transgender. Yeah, that number is low as there are still too many states where simply asking about being transgender can get you killed. Still, at least someone’s starting to pay attention.
Oklahoma amends its request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only the version backed by Trump. That’s only marginally better, though. The very presence of the request is still a violation of the religious establishment clause of the First Amendment. Someone doesn’t have a fucking clue what they’re doing.
Everything else is more of what you’ve been reading for the past three months. War. Politics. Elections. I find it difficult to be concerned about any of those at the moment. Previous behavior tells us everything we need to know. One candidate cut relief funding to Puerto Rico after a hurricane. The other is making sure victims of Helene and Milton are getting the help they need. Voting for the former makes one an idiot.
I shudder to think what I might be typing by this time tomorrow. Keeping up with the latest information is going to be difficult. Everyone needs to be accurate but as power goes out and methods of communication go down, it’s almost impossible to get everything correct. We’ll do the best we can. The cats are trying to help, four have participated in this morning’s update. They don’t spell all that well, though.
About all we can do now is grab a fresh cup of coffee and wait.
Morning Update: 10/10/24
Over three million people are without power across Florida. Milton has crossed the state and is now out in the Atlantic, but as it is still dark as I’m writing this morning, there’s no way to know just yet the extent of the damage. What we do know is that the storm was strong enough to shred the fabric covering Tropicana Field. Before the storm itself hit, more than 20 deadly tornadoes wreaked death and havoc across Southern Florida. Walls erected to protect hospitals seem to have worked. A report inside one hospital says they are functional with both electricity and internet. The rest of Sarasota is not likely to be so fortunate.
We know that there will be a number of deaths resulting from the storm. In one video I saw yesterday, a young woman complained, “Where ya’ll getting evacuation money? I can barely pay my rent! I can’t afford to evacuate!” I can relate to that sentiment. Indeed, gas prices ticked up ahead of the storm. There were reports of price gouging as hotel prices more than doubled along the evacuation route. Both state and federal officials, including Vice President Harris, have warned that companies will be punished for price gouging, but that won’t help anyone who was looking for shelter from this storm.
9,000 Florida National Guard members have been called to active duty and more than 5,000 line workers from as far away as California are hitting the state to deal with power outages. A team stayed at Tampa Zoo to help animals deal with the storm. Yet, not all prison inmates were evacuated from dangerous areas. As the sun is beginning to rise, the severity of the damage will become more obvious.
G leaves with his friend’s family to head right into the heart of Florida early tomorrow morning. They do have a contingency plan, should they not be able to reach or stay at their planned destination. I’m asking him to send back pictures as they travel, but he’s 15; the odds of him actually taking pictures are pretty slim. Tipper is spending tonight with her friend as well, which means Kat and I will have the house to ourselves for the first time in years. Don’t expect any hanky panky, though. I’ll probably be asleep before she gets home from the salon.
I’m having some difficulty sitting upright this morning. Balance is the issue as I’m feeling rather light-headed. I’m reasonably sure that this is chemo-related. I’ll take my meds when I finish the update and will lie back down for a few minutes. That’s usually enough to solve the problem. The twins are being rambunctious this morning, though. They just chased each other across my desk. And back. Rest may be challenging to achieve.
Other news? Well, let’s see…
Han Kang has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” No, I’ve not read any of the South Korean author’s work. We’ll have to put that on the list.
Severe solar storms could stress power grids. Normally, I wouldn’t be overly concerned about this. Solar storms happen all the time and rarely do we see any negative affect. This time, though, the power grid is already stressed from back-to-back hurricanes. Don’t be surprised if your power flickers a little this afternoon.
Oh, those “God Bless the USA” Bibles? They were printed in China for $3 each. I have at least two issues with this. One, it’s not exactly patriotic, is it? There are plenty of publishers in the US that would have been happy to print the Bible, but apparently, profit comes before patriotism in the GOP world. The second issue is that, being made in China, it is almost certain that slave-like labor was involved. This is becoming increasingly evident for all goods made in China. I have a HUGE issue with this and it is the reason I won’t buy anything from Shein or Temu. Fuck anyone who is making a profit by underpaying the people who work for them, no matter where in the world they’re located.
Before I finish, though, keep in mind that hurricane season isn’t over. Global meteorological computers are already studying conditions and creating new weather models. I’ve seen two, so far, that are predicting at least one more Category 5 storm in the Gulf. The next one could possibly land well West of Florida, though, giving Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana a taste of the terror. Keep in mind, that these are just models. They’re not actually tracking any tropical depressions… yet.
If you have the means and wish to help victims of Milton, here are some options.
Now, someone hand Jim Cantore a big ol’ mug of coffee and a muffin. The dude has earned it.
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