Our first hurricane threat in Ruff Road!
We’ve lived in Florida all of our lives. Well, Gary came here as a baby. So we know hurricanes. Since we are in the middle of the state, we usually end up with a lot of rain and tropical force winds. Our biggest threat here are downed trees, loss of power, flooding, sinkhole and tornado threat. Hurricanes lose a lot of their speed before they get here but this storm was massive and projections covered all of Florida.
What steps did we take?
We were divided on this one with Gary wanting to weather the storm in Ruff Road and me not wanting to do the same! We have lots of large trees on our property and winds were projected to be 75 – 100 mph. This helped speed up our final purge clean up because we didn’t need left over yard sale stuff flying around. We put all yard furniture away. We tied down the kayaks and utility trailer. There were several trips to the store to ensure that we had lots of water and food that will not perish. We liked the idea that the RV was here and we could use the generator if needed after the storm. We filled Ruff Road’s water tanks and made sure our black and grey tanks were emptied. In addition, we made sure we had a full propane tank. We rolled in the awning and bungeed the front and back hoods. We had diesel fuel so running the generator would not be a problem. The best place to be in a storm like this is in a brick and mortar building. We moved the dogs’ crates up to the “big house”. I took the needed bedding and personal items. After lots of pleading, Gary joined me. I really didn’t want him changing his mind in the middle of the night. The storm rolled into our area well into the night. You could hear the wind howling, the explosion of transformers in the distance, and things hitting the house with loud thuds. I was thankful to not be in Ruff Road on this night. After all of those sounds in the dark of night, we weren’t sure what to expect when day broke. We were lucky! There were sticks and leaves everywhere. Ruff Road was dry and intact. We didn’t even lose power all though many in our community did. Of course, Gary was quick to say I told you so. Better safe than sorry.
This got me thinking…
What if we were traveling and didn’t have a brick and mortar house available? I know many RVers simply headed out of harm’s way on their own wheels. In the case of Hurricane Irma, there was plenty of warning so we could plan. I know that there are times we may get caught in bad weather. I think about the golf ball size hail I’ve encountered in Colorado. I know from my experience as a backpacker, that sometimes you just have to suck it up, say your prayers, and trudge onward. At least in Ruff Road, we can monitor the weather and if we see a threat, take action by leaving or finding suitable shelter. Still, at the end of the day, there is no where else I’d rather be than in our cozy little Ruff Road with Gary and our three dogs. We’ve weathered some good winds, torrential rains, snow, and temps in the low teens already and I am amazed at the solid, sound feel that our little home provides.
What are your experiences in crazy weather? Would you stay or would you go? Comment and share.
