Riding the Storm Out

Hi there! Dave-El here ensconced within the mighty walls of the Fortress of Ineptitude. Yes, even the assembled Mongol Hordes of Genghis Kahn could not get pass the impregnable barriers of my vinyl siding. Yes, the ancient minds of these barbaric warriors would see vinyl siding as some form of dark magic. 

What could get past the defenses of my Fortress of Ineptitude is potentially the ferocious winds of Hurricane Matthew. Thankfully, my Fortress is located in the relative safe environs of central North Carolina. Meanwhile, millions of people to the south of here are not so lucky.

Matthew has already devastated Haiti which must be on God’s pissed off list or something because… damn!. Can bad shit stop happening to Haiti for a while? C’mon! 

Friday, Matthew pounded Florida. How bad is this storm? Disney World has closed down. I repeat: DISNEY WORLD HAS CLOSED DOWN!  I thought only the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ would cause that to happen. And even then, “The Son of God walks amongst you, verily to ride upon thine Splash Mountain.”

What’s particularly scary about this storm is the sheer power of it, the potential for complete and total destruction of everything in its path.

There are, of course, people who think they can beat this storm. Let’s call them “stupid people”.

Seriously, every time a major hurricane threatens some part of the United States, there are always some yahoos who think they’re tougher ‘n’ stronger than any ol’ storm and choose to remain in its path. The operative word is “choose”.  I understand that some people for some reason or another may not have a choice to evacuate but to deliberately choose to not evacuate when there is a chance to do so? Really, what the hell, people?

And government agencies are making it plain up front: if you don’t get out now, we’re not coming to get you later. I can’t help but think some of these people are so ingrained to resist what the “gubbamint” tells them to do, even when a very real and present danger is heading for their doorstep, they’re all, “Ain’t nobody in the gubbamint gonna tell me no how when to leave my own home!” I wonder how many people decided not to leave because President Obama urged citizens to get out while they can. “Obomber ain’t my president ‘n’ I ain’t goin’!”  Well, there go the Trump voters.

OK, maybe I shouldn’t drag politics into this natural disaster but believe it or not, politics and weather have already collided.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign thought an increased ad buy on the Weather Channel might be a good idea since EVERYBODY’s gonna be watching the Weather Channel. Then somebody realized, “Hey! Do we really want Hillary’s picture sharing space with images of meteorological wrath and ruin?” And maybe  the word “opportunistic” came up. Anyway, the ad buy got scaled back.

Florida Governor Lex Luthor…er, Rick Scott has refused to extend voter registration. Scott, who is a Republican and possibly owns an underground lair of evil, said that people have had enough time to register already.

Right wing internet nut job Matt Drudge actually questioned that Hurricane Matthew was an actual threat, chalking it up to government conspiracies and the liberal media pushing a climate change agenda. Ooh boy!

By this morning, Matthew will have made its way to the Georgia coast and onwards to South Carolina. Then the impact of this storm gets personal. I have family in southeastern North Carolina right at the border with South Carolina and about ½ hour away from the beach. The assisted living facility where my mother resides is near an area that is prone to flooding so I hope my mom and her fellow residents remain safe. And there’s my mom’s house…or rather, what is now my 2^nd home. I had new roofing installed last year so I hope that stands up to the storm but there’s potential damage that could come from falling trees and flooding. 

Maybe Matthew will mostly blow itself out down to a strong breeze and a good soaking rain by the time it gets further north. But whatever fortune brings for me here, my thoughts are with those who are not so fortunate. Stay safe as you can. 

Remember to be good to one another, especially to those in need.

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Tomorrow on the blog thing, Episode Two of my Doctor Who fan fiction, Cybermania.