Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma is coming for Puerto Rico with full force and I’m terrified, we all are, but most of alll we have to stay calm and be prepared.

When I was young I remember some hurricanes and storms; these caused us to not have power for one or two days and classes were suspended. Those are the effects after the storm that I can remember but I was really young. People knew what to expect, what to do and what not to do during the hurricane.

I experienced a powerful hurricane in 1998, Georges; which was a category 3 hurricane that brought a lot of rain and it caused a lot of damage on the island including flooding, landslides and thousands of people lost houses. I had never seen anything like it. It was the first hurricane we didn’t spend in our house and we came back to find water in the house, broken windows and fallen trees.

Since then we have faced other hurricanes, but non like Georges. We have also had some false alarms and storms.

This week, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the rest of the Caribbean are in alert, waiting for hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane. It’s categorized as a category 5 hurricane but was now described by a news anchor as a super hurricane and probably the strongest hurricane the island has ever faced, which makes me even more nervous. It has also been announced that it should hit us between late Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

This morning I have been watching the news and people all over the island are getting ready, buying water, food and making sure houses are secure. Hundreds of shelters have been prepared for those who need them.

Like I said, the last hurricane of nearly this strength we had was Georges, 19 years ago in 1998. I was eight years old when hurricane Georges came, I remember it and I do not want to go through that again. We left our house, went to my grandparents’ house and it looks like we have to to do the same this time.

I am still calm but I don’t want to leave my house and spend the hurricane worrying, wondering if everything is ok. But we have to stay safe and make sure Indy and Sandy are safe. I don’t want Indy and Sandy to be scared about what is going on or hear them crying. I’m pretty sure if I’m going to be terrified but as scared as I will be, I’ll make sure to make them feel as safe as I can.

Pet safety during Hurricane Irma
I’m also thinking about all the families who will have to leave their homes to seek shelter because they don’t have a safe place to spend the hurricane. Please be patient and keep safe. There have already been shelters opened all over the island, I hope everyone can find a safe place to wait for Irma to pass and that it doesn’t break us or any other island in it’s course.