Hurricane Irma
 

As I'm sure all of you are aware there is a CAT 5 hurricane headed straight for South West Florida!!
SWFL is my home and things have been crazy down here, from the gas pumps running out of gas to the supermarkets running out of water.
To top things off I'm strikly a outdoor grower so that means I have to bring in all my plants so they don't fly away on me.
So far I have all but 15-20 which are my big guys that will be put in the garage until things clear up.

Does anyone have any tips that I can use to keep my plants happy during their transfer.

Wish me luck guys.... on the plants and the weather.
Sending prayers would be nice too 😁😁

Lock the plants in the house and get yourself to a secure shelter ASAP. If you have animals, take them with you to the shelter, in a crate.

I couldn't agree more, every word. This hurricane would have sent me packing days ago. I have friends in Naples, St. Pete and Bradenton and they are all staying in their homes! I can't for the life of me understand this thinking and I sincerely hope they will be safe.

I hope you have a place to shelter, stay safe.

GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!!!

Hopefully, you are in a location where flooding and storm surges will not harm you and your home was built to withstand high winds and stuff crashing into it or you are protected from such winds in your location. If not, you should really consider going somewhere safer. I do not think anyone on the board wants to think of you being in danger. You, a person, are quite irreplaceable.

If you do stay, make certain your house is built to survive a hurricane and your windows are boarded or shuttered. Those winds can do quite a bit of damage. We have had powerful wind phenomena and tornadoes in our area and the damage is quite extensive.

Orchids should be fine for a few days in a garage without light or care (they are often in the mail for a few days). Orchids, however, can be replaced, so they should not be your first priority.

Motes Orchids: HURRICANE ORCHID PREP

PLEASE get yourself, your family and your animals to a sturdy shelter substantially higher in elevation than the expected storm surge. Unless your house was built to withstand Category 4 winds, do not stay there. Your house is likely to blow apart. You will not be able to walk against flowing water in those kinds of winds. Find your elevation here:
Surging Seas: Risk Zone Map

In a Category 4, almost all roofs will be blown off houses within 75-100 miles OR MORE of the coast. Windows will blow into the houses. Flying glass can severely injure people and animals inside.

Houses not specifically built to withstand Category 4 winds are likely to be blown completely away, along with the people and animals sheltering inside. Trees are likely to come down and crash through roofs and walls. Category 4 winds can pick up and throw objects as heavy as boats and cars into buildings. A hole in a roof will create a weak spot, and almost immediately lead to the roof being torn away. A broken window will lead to the house being demolished.

Objects hurl through the air at high speed. People and animals can be injured or killed by flying objects. You can find photos on the Internet of cows post hurricane with 2 x 4s sticking out on both sides of the cow. If you cannot avoid being in the winds, wear a full-head helmet, with face shield or goggles, and heavy gloves. If you have motorcycle leathers, wear them during the storm.

Have a radio and extra batteries with you. The best would be a hand-cranked one, but those are probably no longer available.

There will likely not be electricity for days to weeks. There may not be water for days to weeks. If you can buy household bleach, and store it in a safe place, buy several gallons NOW. A tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of clear water will purify it, if left to sit for an hour or so. Rain that catches above ground level will be OK to drink after being purified with bleach. Do your best not to drink water standing on the ground, even if purified.

All the trees and shrubs left standing will be defoliated. There will be no shade after the storm.

If the eye passes over you, there will be a period of complete calm. But the storm will resume, so don't get caught out.

As soon as the storm passes, get back to your house. There will likely be thieves and looters.

But the most important thing is NOT to shelter in your house unless it was specifically built to withstand such winds.

Please let us know how you are when you can make contact again.

I've seen on the news it seems to be a cat 5 again.

Vvesto. I HAVE been praying! Will now add you specifically. Please post and let us know how you (all) are.

alas, superstitions won't help as much as boarded windows and a bit of common sense. Look at the images from St. Martin etc. People had no way to go to - in Florida you have.

Hopefully we have not heard from vvesto because he's now safely in a shelter.