My tiny island of Bermuda in the Atlantic is now under threat from a direct hit by hurricane Florence, which should be a Category 2 hurricane by the time it gets here. I am frantically trying to do all my laundry and get things ready before panic sets in over the weekend where everyone will empty supermarket shelves of non-perishable food items and buy up all the tarpaulin on the island.
In 2003 we got hit by hurricane Fabian, which was nearly a category 4 hurricane. It killed 4 people, who got stuck crossing a bridge (that you just shouldn't be crossing during a hurricane at all!!). I think there will be a certain amount of complacency here about this hurricane, which doesn't appear to be strengthening much. I am sure people will get caught out - especially those that live close to the water's edge. I have a feeling this is going to be a lot worse that people are expecting. The swells alone may cause serious damage to properties.
On average Bermuda gets hit every 3 years by hurricanes. The last one we had was the worst in over 75 years. The Atlantic is currently in the middle of the 15 year cycle, when hurricanes are predicted to be more frequent so it's about time that we got a visit!
I usually get pretty excited in the lead up to a hurricane. It can mean a day or two off work and some rare entertainment watching and listening to the intense winds and thunderstorms while hoping that you just might get to see a tornadoe but usually all this excitement soon fades when the power goes out and it gets incredibly hot and you can't watch a movie or take a shower. Then after the storm - the ants invade - usually EVERYWHERE! They get in your bed, in the bathroom sink and even in the electrical sockets! I have no ideas why they do this.
Last time we were without power for 3 weeks. It made me think of how people lived here without fans or air conditioning and without lights over 200 years ago... but then they also had a lot more open space and life was very different.
Anyway - got to go and hang out my laundry! I'll continue blogging about the hurricane later.
