8/25/17 WDT NSFW

I got Harvey. They get Irma.

 

It looks like we might actually get lucky in Jacksonville and dodge the worst of Irma. It's still coming at us and people are freaking out, but there's a good chance it'll either be far enough into the Atlantic that our effects will be more like 'really shitty storm' instead of 'world eating hurricane of death'. It could also be as low as a category by 1 the time it makes it that far up the coast. Of course, other projections are not so kind.

This was pretty much the attitude from people around here who think everyone leaving is a pussy.



Not sure if I'm going to go or not yet. I have an invite offer from friends who live in a (about as much as can be) hurricane proof home so unless we are directly in front of the worst case scenario I'll probably just go there.

 

I'm thinking that has to be a joke, but the world isn't short on perverts who would try that.

 

Before and after story of the infamous marina photo

 

Looks like a bathtub full of toys. Jesus.

 

Damn, I go to bed early and toddamus goes off his meds.

He can't wrap his mind around the idea that passengers in the back could've been upside down and haven't a clue. Without any windows near my position in the back of the recon bird I flew on; my notebook or coffee cup levitating off the dash was usually the only indication I had that the pilots were doing something "unusual"

I'm betting he's call this dangerous:

 

And the FAA pulled his medical certificate when he had a heart attack. Thankfully they came to their senses a few years later and gave it back.

My dad wasn't so lucky, they pulled his and kept it pulled.

 

I just learned from the weather channel that there is an island called "Cockburn Town."

If that's your name, you're just asking for it at that point.

 

How do those old school aviation legends even get their flight suits on with the of their balls getting in the way?

 

Hoover is one of those guys like Buzz Aldrin, when you look at his list of accomplishments every one of them make you feel small. Badasses like this simply can't exist anymore.

 

Certainly "badasses" still exist. This guy you just showed me seems like the absolute salt of the earth and true warrior. Hoover I put in a very exclusive club of people like Jack Churchill where you had to be in their time and place for their "breed" of heroism. I mean, Churchill captured and turned in two dozen Nazis at once using only a Scottish broadsword. And there's Hoover escaping a POW camp and stealing a German aircraft in the process. Sheesh.

 

This feels like a slow-motion train wreck. It still appears as it did several days ago to me, Florida is going to have it's spine raked by a big 4 or CAT 5 hurricane. It's almost to the point now that you couldn't get far enough out of SOFLA if you wanted to, there isn't enough gas or clear road to make it happen. My thoughts are with those people and I sincerely hope the best for them all. I don't even want to think about what the storm surge in Biscayne Bay is going to look like or what the bill for that will be.

As a Central Florida resident who never considered the thought of needing hurricane shutters or hurricane impact glass windows, living so far inland like the rest of my neighbors; I hope I am so lucky as to return from Guam next week with that being my top and only priority in terms of storm aftermath. Talking to my neighbors, they all rode out Charley back in '04 and they said that was the worst one they had experienced but never bad enough to warrant buying hurricane shutters.....this time it feels like it may be different though.

 

Here's an interactive map of Florida evacuation zones.

As someone who has family who lives along the Florida coast, I say this with all sincerity: y'all fucked

 

So says you. Do you have any idea how many people on social media say their thoughts and prayers are with Florida? I'll bet nobody expected that many hard-working volunteers. No need to worry now.