Well... it's official. We're getting a hurricane. Yippee for living in a warm state surrounded by warm water... for the beginning of fall.
Where my friends are starting to get colder nights, I'm getting storm warnings.
Although we've been actively preparing and warned for the impeding tropical storm, nothing says "You're in my way" more than Emergency Alert texts on your phone.
What happened before we had smart devices, to get these alerts? How did we get them? Oh yeah, radios. Televisions (if you have cable). Prior to that, well, stick your head outside while you still can (?).
My company waited until 3:30 yesterday afternoon to make a rain storm call decision. We were all wondering what was going to happen, and there are several new people in this place (including myself... who officially passed the 90 day mark last week 🏆) and none of us know what the hurricane protocols are.
Since there are several new to the state people there, as well as doing the old wait game, we all needed to be mindful that our office location floods (which I learned the hard way), as well as being able to prepare our houses for what might come.
So my company waited until most people left for the day, as some didn't come in to work and those that did, wanted to leave early. I ended up working my entire shift. Or close to it.
I had taken a thirty minute lunch instead of an hour. We work nine hours but get paid for eight. That in itself still confuses me - the whole need to be at the job for 9 hours, take an unpaid hour lunch, and work for 8. The same amount of work I can do can be done in 8 ½ hours and I can be home thirty minutes earlier than I'm leaving now. That extra time helps who? The owners who might need something at 5:30?
In the three months I've been there, I think I've been asked once for help by the owners and that was 4:30 and the scan job took me all the way up to 6 as it was a lot of information to get into the computer. Other than that, I honestly don't recall them running to my department for any of us to do anything at the last minute. I've left the building a couple minutes after six and that whole area where the owners are, is black. They leave between 5:15 and 5:30, although I was told it never used to be like that. They'd have late hours some days, which is why we all have to stay. "Just in case we are needed to scan something". Really? We are expected to be in this building longer than necessary just for the rare instance the owner needs a scan job? Wow, that seems like it's taking advantage.
Ok, let me stop here before I keep going and get myself into trouble.
The boss emails the company with some rules for the next couple days. What to expect and what to do, what sites to look at to see the status of openings and closures and when we are due back in the office (Thursday).
As I'm finishing up my work for the day and leave, I no sooner get 5 minutes away from the building when my phone goes off.
The fast heart beat is starting.
As an aside, my friend Tay had something really vocal to say about that screen cap, and most of it wasn't nice. He was confused by it because we don't get things like that up north. Or we didn't when I still lived there. Sure there are warnings, but I don't recall storm surge alerts popping up a lot, but I also didn't have a smart phone. So Tay was curious as to why that storm surge warning came up because it's wordy and it's weird to read. What are you supposed to do with it? How are you supposed to react? Just why???
He's got other challenges with this text and it relates to other things, of which I'm not posting here. I'm trying to remain neutral but I do see his point in the topic I'm not posting and what he referenced in his voice memo to me. I have to be respectful.
Back to thought pattern.
The alert jars you because you don't expect it. I'm sure most people have heard the alarm sound these things make for when the (local) government sends us text messages. When you are not paying attention to your phone and that sound blares, you get the tar scared out of you.
Proof in point was at 5:09 this morning.
And what prompted me to write because I can't fall back to sleep. I'll pay for it later.
I'd like a different hotel please, as this wake up service sucks.
While we've got our shutters up, my car safely in a neighbor's garage (thanks for being snowbirds, Elena and Joe. I owe you), my mom's car is in our garage (with the door locked because apparently winds get so strong it can pull the door off the hinges.. and who wants that?), the extra charging bricks charging, flashlights and everything else, the alerts are going to keep coming until Ian goes away.
But he hasn't even knocked on our area yet - he just finished playing with Cuba.
They're predicting tonight we'll start getting the fun and by 2am Wednesday, be smack in the middle of it.
Which means this afternoon I've got to start unplugging some of the electronics (computers, printers, TVs, etc). That'll be fun.
As of right now, things are quiet but don't expect videos this year. With all the windows closed, I don't have any way to see outside. We're blocked in for the next few days, so if I add anything, it'll be screen caps of alerts or any aftermath.
I think it's time for coffee as I've been writing this for almost an hour and I'm getting hungry.
Hopefully I'll log in later with an update or something.
Until then...
Cheers;
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Thanks for sharing!