Dorian: I have lived on the Atlantic coast in central Florida for 25 years. [View all]

[Pacifist Patriot]

I cannot possibly convey how absolutely bizarre this feels.

If you look at a map of Florida and spot that narrow triangle jutting into the Atlantic about halfway down the east coast of the state...that's the Space Coast (Brevard county). That's where I am.

Although the state of Florida is routinely threatened by tropical systems, it's actually not an annual event for all Floridians. I have seen comments from folks saying they wouldn't want to live somewhere that had to deal with this year in and year out. The truth is, we don't - well, we haven't. For example, Hurricane Michael devastated the panhandle last year, but didn't generate any storm prep in my community. The west coast of Florida and the panhandle aren't impacted by this. We're big. It would take you 12 hours and 45 minutes drive time (no stops and no traffic!) to get from Pensacola to Key West. Seven hours from Tallahassee to Miami.

In the quarter century living here, I've had 8 years where I've experienced tropical systems. And tropical storms are not much more than an extended heavy rainstorm - often without the thunder and lightning typical of thunderstorms. I've evacuated from some threats and ridden out others. I went from Tropical Storm Faye in 2008 to Hurricane Matthew in 2016 without any threatening tropical systems that I can recall.

This storm is insane! The joke around here is that facing a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. And that analogy seems woefully inadequate with Dorian. We have been preparing for Dorian since last Wednesday. I will always remember that, because right after my surgeon declared me able to walk again, we went to the shopping plaza next door to get water and non-perishable foods.

In advance of storms like Irma, Matthew, Frances, and Jeanne it became increasingly difficult to find gasoline, water, batteries, generators, etc. in a relatively short amount of time - a couple of days. I popped in to Home Depot this morning for an extension cord and saw an aisle lined with well over 100 generators. No exaggeration! I then went to Publix to buy some fresh food for lunch and dinner today (we've avoided buying anything refrigerated in advance of the storm). They had flats and flats of water. Folks, I cannot tell you how strange it is for these places to have time to re-stock before a storm hits.

We're going nuts. Anyone who is going to evacuate has done so. Anyone staying is hunkered down with nothing left to do to prepare. We're boarded and shuttered up. We have our generators, fuel, water, and food. Shelters are operational. And still it sits there and we tune in to every NHC update to see if we're still inside the cone of uncertainty or not (we are).

We don't know what to expect and are painfully aware that Matthew's shift of a mere 40 miles spared us devastation. We are hoping the models indicating a north turn are correct, but know there is no guarantee the storm won't stay on the western most edge of the cone. I don't mean to imply it's a state of anxiety. Not remotely. This may be the most calm and orderly a pre-hurricane experience any of us in this area have had. And that is unnerving in its own right.

I've never see anything like this. Damn that Chinese hoax!