Category: The Current Situation
With Kevlar sheets covering our windows, our view outside is mediated through our video doorbells and side camera. It’s raining hard right now in Seminole Heights, and it’ll likely rain harder as the day goes on.
Here’s what weather radar looks like as I write this:
Here’s the view from our front doorbell:
Here’s the view from our porch doorbell:
And here’s the view from our side camera:
We’re on a slight incline leading down to the Hillsborough River, so the water in heavy storms tends to roll right past the house. Here’s hoping that it follows tradition this time.
Here’s a photo taken by someone in our neighborhood and posted to one of the (many) Seminole Heights Facebook groups:
I get the feeling that some cat people entertain fantasies about being able to “go” in a box, just like their beloved fur children.
Here’s an amusing discussion on Facebook about makeshift toilets that you can improvise if Hurricane Ian disrupts the water system:
Here’s a close-up of that “pool noodle on a 5-gallon bucket” toilet. It’s impressive and a little disturbing at the same time:
Here’s another suggestion to use a paint bucket that paints a slightly darker picture:
I don’t know about you, but I’ve filled our giant wheeled trash and recycling bins with water (and a little bleach) that we can use to flush our toilets. If that fails, I’m going to make like the neighborhood cats and just poop in the yard.
Where we are — the Seminole Heights neighborhood in Tampa — the rain has begun to fall in earnest, and we’re now just waiting to see what happens when Hurricane Ian arrives.
We’ve deployed the hurricane kevlar…
…we always maintain a good supply of bottled water (which doubles as my CPAP water supply)…
…the pantry is always stocked…
…as is the bar…
…and while the battery stash isn’t as well-stocked as I would like…
…it should be enough.
I’ll keep you posted as the day goes, and while we have power and internet connectivity!
Okay: in the absence of ethanol-free gasoline, you can run a gasoline-powered generator with fuel that has up to 10% ethanol. But you will shorten your generator’s life, and as long as you live in Florida, you’ll need it again. Try to fill your generator with ethanol-free gasoline!
My recommendation: Try and find a gas station that sells ethanol-free gasoline. Wawa is a reliable source — use their store locator, select Advanced Search, and check the Ethanol Free checkbox and run the search!
