As expected, I’ve lost power. We made it through until almost 6:00 am, though, so that’s not too bad. I wonder how long it will take FPL to bring my neighborhood back on-line?
Fortunately I have this handy little Verizon wireless card for my work laptop. It isn’t exactly power efficient, but if I use it judiciously it shouldn’t drain the battery too quickly.
Update – 7am: My land-line phone has gone out. That’s kind of weird, since it hasn’t done that before. I’m doubly glad I have the wireless card now.
Update – 9am: The land-line is back in service, so I don’t have to use my cell battery. Outside my front window the royal poincianas are whipping to and fro like feather dusters. My car is parked between them, or I think it is, as it is currently covered in small broken limbs. A short time ago HobGoblin, who has been watching the front window action, jumped up and stared down at the porch. One of the neighborhood cats, a quasi-feral gray and white tom, was making his way through the tightly packed potted plants. Before I could even think about how to get him inside he had leapt off the end, and disappeared from view.
Mustang Bobby is providing updates from Coral Gables, and the long absent Mish is doing likewise from a condo tower near the beach.
Update – 11:15am: Kids, don’t try this at home!
I braved a few steps off my porch to snap a couple of photos, and got a small movie, too. It’s very creepy, but I admit that the wind feels great! My house is already tremendously stuffy and uncomfortable. But in a couple more hours it should be over.
Update – 1:30pm: It’s pretty much over now except for the clean-up. I’ve been checking in with friends, and hearing the same stories. I lost some roof tiles and quite a few branches, but neighbors saw entire trees snapped or uprooted, some of which nearly hit my house. I have a hunch the property damage is going to be pretty brutal all around on this one.
But for now the worst things for me to deal with are: the humidity, the boredom, and the fact that — in a cruel irony — the song “The Morning After” is lodged in my brain. Things could certainly be worse.
Update – 3pm: This could take a while. Of power utility FPL’s 4.3 million customers, 3.2 million of them are off-line. I’m certain my office will be on-line again soon, though, since it is in the heart of downtown Miami, just a few blocks from the government offices and Federal courthouse. I guess I’ll do the same as last time and bring my gear to work for a recharge.
Might not bother with my cell phones, though. Both my personal Sprint phone and my office Nextel are unable to get a signal. Verizon, however, just keeps right on chugging along.