Hunkering Down to Face Irma's Wrath

As many of you are aware, we're facing one of the largest hurricane's in Atlantic history today. My family and I live in Naples, FL, which is pretty close to where the hurricane's path lies.

We had booked the only flights out that we could get about a week ago, supposed to leave yesterday before the winds picked up, but it ended up cancelled yesterday at the last minute. That left us here in Naples to face the storm.

As of the time of this writing (about 7:30am on Sunday morning), we're as prepared as we're going to get. Our home is newer, built to the latest hurricane building standards. We've stocked up on food and water, our outside possessions now share our living room with us, and our little generator has fresh oil and fuel, ready for when the power goes out.

It looks like the eye of the hurricane is set to pass us by at around 4pm today at the closest, but we'll start feeling the hurricane force winds beginning in just a few hours.

The larger concern is the storm surge, which, due to the location of the eye and its rotation, will occur after it passes us. Basically, the strong winds will drive water from the gulf onto shore, putting much of Naples' coastal areas under as much as 10ft of water.

We live about 4 miles in, just at the edge of the surge warnings. We're prepping for the worst and hoping for the best.

As of right now, we're worried, but in good spirits. The waiting is really the worst part.

For any of you in Florida, be sure to update your voicemail periodically with updates as to your status. This will let family and friends know how you're doing even if your phone is lost, damaged or loses charge.

Thank you to everyone that has already reached out wish well-wishes and concern. I'll update things as I can. Stay tuned for more information and above all, stay safe if you're in Irma's path...

Best regards,

Bob, Renee and Logan