Hurricanes and tropical storms are an annual occurrence. As a Native Central Floridian, I was raised to pay attention to them, take them seriously, and be prepared. So far this season has been fairly quiet. But as any Floridian knows, the worst is yet to come.
My second favorite time of year is approaching, but is also the most challenging. Like a phoenix, hurricane season bursts into action, roaring into its final days during September and October. This is the time that a new name becomes a new enemy on a weekly basis, in alphabetical order. I am thankful for being a Central Florida Native. Things are much worse for my brethren on the coasts. And of course I can only imagine the stress and fear of those living in the islands, they are the front line that takes the brunt of the force. By the time a storm reaches us in Orlando it has weakened, unless it makes the dreaded turn to the Gulf. That’s when I stress the most. The warm waters of the Gulf give the hurricanes strength.
So today marks the trend for the next two months.
Make sure we have plenty of bottled water, non perishable food, candles, batteries, and that our gas tanks are full. Today I picked up a few extra supplies. If Isaac doesn’t hit there are still other storms waiting their turn.
We watch the weather daily to see the ever changing path. Facebook becomes a flurry of posts as we share info with each other, and the occasional “time for a hurricane party” announcements are made.
Being in the tourism industry also means helping coworkers with family in the islands. It means helping visitors understand what to expect. I tell you if you’re gonna be in Florida during a hurricane there is no better place to be than Disney property. All the hotels go way above and beyond to make guests comfortable during the storms.
All in all, it’s not so bad to be in Florida during hurricane season. Every place in the world has to deal with weather and natural disasters. At least we get lots of warning and at the end of the season we are left with extra groceries, batteries, candles, and maybe some hurricane drink mix too.
Related articles
- Isaac to Cross Leewards Today on Possible Path to Florida (bloomberg.com)
- Florida, Caribbean brace for TS Isaac (kshb.com)
- Remorse for the Rain – Orlando in the rain (thisfloridalife.com)
thisfloridalife.com 
Love the scented candles! nice touch! lol on a serious note though… It is a little stressful. It is our second summer here so still not sure what to expect!
Go get the stuff I mentioned if you have not already. Get a weather radio. If you are near the coast now is a good time to learn about storm shutters. Most likely it will not be a big deal, but it is when you don’t prepare that things go wrong. Oh and fill up your car gas tank just in case.
Been here over 20 years now – Don’t even get worried till its a cat3. Cat 1 is just a bad storm inland here in Tampa – heck I am not even in a flood zone. For the coast it will be rough though. A few years back when we got hit with 3 back to back I was cooking with all my camping gear because electric was out. We have a generator and make sure we have gas to keep the freezer cold and the aquarium pump running. You just have to be prepared and know it will pass – nothing else you can do so now sense getting to worried over something you can not control. I would rather have a hurricane I can see coming a week out than a tornado, earthquake or flash flood 🙂
Definitely agree. We just can’t be complacent and assume it won’t hit.