Due to health and finances I decided to shelter at one of the pet friendly shelters that was opening in the area. It was a CF but managed reasonably well. Got a card with a number on it for registration, then found out the pet side was a different thing entirely and had to wait in another line. I had to sit down on the pavement or collapse and the moment I did several "people" ran around me jumping the line. By the time I got Smudge registered, my number had been called for human registration and I had to explain why I didn't come forward when my number was called. At least I didn't have to wait as they had had several others who had the same thing happen.
The classroom I was assigned had a gymnasium mat on the floor and nothing otherwise. My sister called to see how I was and suggested I go back to the house and get a pillow, blankets, an air mattress and some other things that I would need. I also brought my scooter, otherwise I would probably end up being taken to hospital. These things made it a little more comfortable for me. There was internet but it was so restricted that it was hard to get a stream to watch Irma's progress. The school was also located in the middle of nowhere so cell service was poor at best. Texting was the only thing that could reliably get through but even then, the school had cell blockers in places to keep the students from using their phones. They could have disabled the blocking and restrictions, but didn't.
Smudge was put in a small cage and had a cake pan for a litter box. He was pretty stressed by all the yowling from the other cats who had been put in small cages too. I came as often as I could to keep him company and he pressed himself tightly against me for comfort as long as I was there. He wasn't eating, drinking or using the litter pan they provided, so I put together the litterbox I brought with me and filled it. Smudge went right in and used it without a problem. I suppose nobody trusts public restrooms.
Saturday's lunch was a bag with several sandwiches, granola bars, cheese, and juice. This was supposed to be lunch, dinner, and breakfast as the place was going into lockdown later that afternoon. I mentioned that I might have problems with my glucose level with it so they gave me another bag and threw in some extra juice bags. I also brought some things from home to keep from going into hypoglycemic shock which helped immensely. They also killed power mid afternoon which knocked out their internet but at least some of us had WIFI hotspots to keep up with things. I had brought my little 2meter/440 wide receive handy talkie and could listen to SkyWarn, NOAA radio, and the local radio stations. That made a lot of difference with the others in the room as now we could hear what was going on.
One of my roomies was an older (than me, CYBI?) gentleman who had a ditzy lady friend who kept calling him at all hours. Not a problem except he had her on speakerphone the whole time. Damn it! the rest of us aren't interested in your love life! Take it off speaker! The other thing was the Mexican chain saw that buzzed all night. I didn't have my hearing aids in and still the snoring came in louder than the storm outside.
Monday everyone began to leave to check on their homes, myself included. Smudge was happy to get into his carrier this time (big surprise) and we went to see the damage. Not much really other than some awnings and trees and things that got knocked down. The only thing that was damaged at my home was the glass door in the side room. It was knocked out of its frame and after a quick look I put them back on their tracks. Thankfully they didn't break. Power was on, cable was/is still out. I am using the hospital's cafeteria's hotspot to contact others and check on things. (library is still closed and the restaurants are just opening up now)
Smudge inspected the house as soon as I let him out of the carrier. He thought something didn't smell right and voiced his disapproval. He had no trouble scarfing down some treats after a few days of not eating. That makes me relieved that he is getting back to normal. He also stayed close to me all night for protection. (I think)
Schedules are being jockeyed around and I'll be seeing more doctors than are in a soap opera.
Thank all of you for your prayers and concerns. I'm hoping all the ones who sheltered in place fared as well and all that fled the storm find their homes as undamaged as mine.
Thank you again.
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6 years, 7 months ago
12 Sep 2017 19:58 CEST
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