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Oh Snap! I just read, that if you are on SNAP and lost food due to a power outage, just sign an affidavit and you will get a month of free SNAP.

I have been through this living in Hurricane Country. Four years from now, their pictures will be on the news as the government prosecutes these folks for fraud.

It is a good idea since many of the WORKING poor live from paycheck to paycheck and actually need the food.

The problem is the segment of society that will take advantage. I choose not to take advantage of things such as this. Many in Mississippi after Katrina turned down government handouts because of their pride and ethics.

Got back last night. Nice drive from Mobile, AL. I-10 to US-19 to FL-589 to I-275 to I-75. Traffic on the parts of I-10 and I-75 we were on was normal. We felt like the only vehicle on the road for most of US-19 and FL-589. Had a little trouble finding diesel around Cross City and Crystal Springs. Passed 5 stations that were out of gas and diesel. The one we stopped at had half of both pumps covered. No tolls on FL-589 and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was nice. Stopped at McDonalds (hey, we were tired and just wanted to get home) in Ellenton and they had a limited menu due to Irma.

It was dark when we got home, but the electricity was on on our side of the street. My across the street neighbor isn't so lucky. Unfortunately for him, he's the only on on that line.

Checked my properties this morning and everthing looks good. We have some minor clean up.

For our first time evacuating we did well. With three kids, having a 5th wheel really worked and staying in state parks was relatively inexpensive. We had our bikes, kayaks, kid stuff, so it was almost just another camping trip. We saw people with RVs dry camping in various parking lots to save the $25-$30 a night the state parks charge.

We learned a few things. When we got back from Michigan in early August, there were a few things that needed doing on the RV. I had put them on the back burner since we weren't planning on using it again until Thanksgiving. We also had taken things off and not put them back on for the same reason. We'll be making a hurricane departure checklist.

We had all the basics covered except fuel. I had 2 5-gallon containers, but that and a 37 gallon tank in the truck isn't enough to get out of dodge with out stopping. I'm thinking a bit on this.