For My Sister Judy from the Nice Matthew

My sister and I spoke at 4 AM today and again this afternoon to make sure she got prepared in advance of Hurricane Matthew (not named after me!).  

The storm is a Category 4 right now and the northern part of Florida where she lives (Jacksonville) has never seen a storm of this strength before.  The last time a hurricane hit this area was 1964 and that was a Category 3 (still nothing to sneeze at).  

Of course nerves are on edge wondering where the storm will track, what the storm surge will be, how much rain will fall, and of course how strong will the winds blow.  

The good news is that while her house is only a block from St Johns River, her apartment building is in an elevated area and flooding hopefully will not be a concern.  She has multiple days worth of emergency supplies, an emergency radio, has tarps in case a window breaks, and neighbors sheltering in place are staying in touch with each other.   High winds are a bigger concern and having a safe area is key in case things get a little hairy.

I wish I could magically blink my sister and her cats away from all this mess and get them to a safer area.  But I can't, so I offer this photo of Tabitha will make you smile and forget about the storm for a second or two! Stay safe and call me any time if you need to talk.