Hurricane hysteria is in full force at my house.

Last night we were “discussing” “our plan”. Then my wife asks me if I can go over to her sister’s condo and board up the windows. I said no. That’s when she played the her family doesn’t count card.

We’re not talking about just putting up some panels that are ready to go. We’re talking about having to go buy wood, hardware, measuring, cutting, and installing them. About a days worth of work that I don’t have time for in the next three days. Plus, I’m fairly sure condos have rules about random people drilling holes in their walls. Her sister lives in Michigan, is there now, and obviously won’t be contributing to the effort.

It’s also the same sister we let stay rent free in a rental unit we owned for over a year while she went to culinary school and we continued to pay the condo fees and property taxes. Anyone care to guess how much that degree has impacted the sister’s earning potential?

I digress. She really only played it because my plan doesn’t exactly line up with “our plan” and my plan will leave our 12, 14, and 16 year old children traumatized for life and I obviously don’t care about the safety of my family.

All this for a blob off the coast of South America.

I can relate. Hurricanes really ramp up the anxiety and hysteria. The media feeds this with their studpidity. I have been dealing with this since the 1970s. The most important decision to make is whether you will stay or go. Kids are traumatized if the parents are hysterical. Otherwise they are fine.

Her sister needs to hire a handyman .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
Her sister needs to hire a handyman .

Months or years ago, her sister should have already hired a handyman who had cut, labeled, and had the plywood neatly stored in the garage.

As long as it’s not right on the beach, the condo should drain fine! Sister has insurance, right?

She lives in Michigan and has a condo in Florida. She can hire a local handy man.

I would of said no as well.

Did the sister offer to pay for it, considering this would have been more than putting up prefab material, but actually fabricating as well?

“Your sister’s failure to plan doesn’t constitute an emergency for me”

Keep tabs on the NHC website. Looks like Ian is going to the armpit of Florida.

Do the saws being sold in the area not fit her hands?

She’d have to have a really big saw or really big hands to reach from Michigan to Florida.

The funniest part about my wife playing that particular card is that I’ve done enough work for her sister in the past (because my wife asked me to) that my wife has commented the sister should get her own husband.

Trapper, apologies for the thread drift. When hurricane Charlie took the path Ian is on, it turned east quickly, intensified, and hit your area hard. All that occurred in 2 hours. Be wary and stay safe.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
She’d have to have a really big saw or really big hands to reach from Michigan to Florida.

Oh no. I think he means your wife should be using the saw with her hands. Or that's how I interpreted it.

Based on the one time my wife put together an IKEA end table, I don’t think anyone wants to be near her using power tools.

quote:

Originally posted by sunburn:
Trapper, apologies for the thread drift. When hurricane Charlie took the path Ian is on, it turned east quickly, intensified, and hit your area hard. All that occurred in 2 hours. Be wary and stay safe.

No apology needed. Charley sure took a drift, didn’t it? I spent all my time preparing for the storm surge that I didn’t put up my shutters. Fortunately, I only lost one window in the garage.

I reinforced the trusses, sheathing, have a metal roof now, and shutters up to current code, so I’m not worried about the wind. Storm surge is another story, but we’ll go to my dad’s house which is 10’ and has a second story. I weathered Charley at my dad’s figuring it would fair better. I didn’t have a wife and three kids then. We may go to my dad’s, but my wife is looking for a hotel room in Naples or Marco Island.

2004 was a fun year not only because of Charley, but we were building house on Grand Cayman when Ivan hit as a Cat 5 with a 27’ storm surge. Our house was 25’ above sea level. It faired well, but our next door neighbor’s house wound up in our driveway.

"I should have married your sister, then I could live in a condo "DOWN BY THE OCEAN!!!"

Thinking that she could have previously built panels that will fasten to the window openings. Storing them away for such an event.

Buying wood, hardware, measuring, cutting, and installation is a bit much for a 'while you're not busy' request.

There's no minute like the last minute.

If it's a condo, where would you store the shutters? At your house probably.

It’s true. Then I’d have to haul them over in my truck and back. With the way she’s been calling my wife with every update, maybe the stress will cause her to sell it.

I have a pole barn up in Michigan. My cousin just bought a couple of four wheelers and wanted to know if I had room to store them for him because his two car garage is full of junk.

It’s an interesting storm. Unlike Charley, it’s supposed to move slowly past us which should stack up a lot of water along the coast. I don’t know what that’ll mean for us at the north end of Charlotte Harbor. House has been there for 48 years and never flooded, but who knows?

The good news is: the wife and I have reconciled our plans and we were able to calmly and rational explain the plan to our kids. They may not be scarred for life after all.

Crazy Ian, who knows where it will go...

Folks here are filling up, Stopped to top off the tank in the GMC and the guy at the next pump was filling up 6 5 gallon containers and putting them into the back of his Tesla for his generator, wanted to ask him why he didn't have solar and battery back up since he had the requisite grey hair pony tail and Birkenstocks to go with the Tesla. Shoulda got a picture.

Have to agree with you, the top priority is for you, your family, house and any family present in the area. If she's in MI then there's no physical threat to life, it's just a condo.

Cantore is in Clearwater, hopefully he'll move up state!

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Cantore is in Clearwater, hopefully he'll move up state!

As long as he doesn’t come down our way.