Update 1-We Are In Irma's Path and Could'nt Evacuate

I will try to give updates as long as our cell service holds up.

The storm seems to continue to slide to the West but not enough to help. We are on higher ground and far enough away from the coast that we did not have a mandatory evacuation. The wind is going to be brutal, and I expect to have my family in a closet for about 9 hours. We fortified the best-suited bedroom and put all our supplies there. There is a twin bed and a full bed so we can lay down if needed, and when the tornado warnings start, the closet is right there. Not a situation anyone ever wants to deal with! The windows are boarded, and we are placing upright deep freezers acouple feet in front of the front and back doors. I chose to have the doors open inward when we built the house, so we shouldnt get blocked in by the freezers even if they get pushed toward the doors.

If a local shelter opens up, Im really thinking we will go. Our home is in the middle of a pasture and we can barely see our neighbors on the other side. Which means if something happens here, no one will know for quite awhile.

Raw emotion. Thats what we're feeling right now. The fear is deep and it twists your insides. My bones and head ache. My nerves are shot and if I think about it too long I begin to shake. Knowing we are all in the path of this storm and not knowing how everyone will fare is exhausting physically and emotionally. Now dont get me wrong, Ive been through several hurricanes, tropical storms, and other weather events, but this one is Soooo different!

My advice: do as much prepping for leaving as you do for staying. We havent had the funds to do this the past few months and now the regrets are piling on. I wish I had my vehicle in top running order and I wish I wouldve had at least a few hundred dollars saved for hitting the road. Now my family is in a dire situation, along with millions of other people who couldnt leave. The ones who COULD leave but didnt, well I just cant wrap my mind around that. Especially as I hear the howling of the wind picking up and the storm hasnt even made landfall yet.

Thank you all for your kind words in my first storm post. It really does help. If a shelter doesnt open for our area, here is where we will be...