Beryl in Puerto Rico-- a Big Sigh of Relief
Beryl which could have caused havoc turned out to be a blessing. It did several things that are all for our good. Instead of 87 to 88 degrees the refreshing rain and breezy weather brought a cooler temperature of 77 degrees. Almost perfect but not quite. We did get some lashing rain and a gust of wind, 47 miles per hour was registered at the airport which is only a stone's throw from where I live. I had my awnings tied up since Friday to make sure I didn't have a problem over the weekend. Today, I finally brought them down and started putting things in their place. It was a good practice.
Beryl did another good thing. It got everyone, hopefully, on the program. I went out and bought 6 gallons of drinking water and a whole bunch of bottled water. In addition, I bought some more propane canisters with the hope that should a hurricane come through the aftermath will not be as scary as the previous hurricane. Finally, I also replenished my supply of crackers and prepared ice bags for the freezer. I take zip lock bags and fill them up with water and lay them horizontally in the freezer. Should the power go off, I am ready to keep the freezer staying cold. It is a win win situation since I can drink the melted ice water when clean drinking water is in short supply.
I did take videos of Beryl in action in San Juan but I don't think anyone might be interested since it didn't seem any stronger than a well announced severe thunderstorm. I am an expert at those after all my years in Central Florida. All kidding aside, Beryl frightened a lot of people. I had come back to PR to finish putting somethings in order and a tropical storm nor a hurricane were really in my plans. Such is life. We are not in control of the weather.
I had barely gotten here and there was an Invest quickly developing into a tropical storm and suddenly a hurricane. It got a lot of people talking. Some people are on the edge. It seems they have no one to call on. I mean spiritually. I can't understand this. There are so many churches in Puerto Rico and there are wonderful Christian folks out there. Why is there so little faith? God loves you for goodness sake. Call out to God. Tell him, "God, help me!" Don't give up. I heard David Begnaud tell the story of a young man who said he would kill himself if the electric power went off again. That is real fragile. I think the government should do a series on WIPR on how to know if you have PTSD. They should also put up Public Service Announcements spots on the radio talking truthfully about PTSD. Then give people places to go find help perhaps open some Support groups in churches and advice on positive self talk.
When I had to face the idea that I might be going through another hurricane alone, I had two choices: 1. Be dejected and feel helpless or
2. I could prepare. I decided to get ready. I hadn't even finished unpacking but I went to Pueblo Supermarket and bought some supplies, including water, cheese, and crackers. I called my old handyman and he helped me secure the awnings. which are the first things to go in a hurricane. I also checked my weather radio, and I listened to the reports. I looked at the weather maps and compared. These weather people don't tell you everything. When the system weakened it started to be steered by the currents which brought the wave directly towards PR. In addition, I looked for information on my own. Weather PR is a good source of information at www.weatherpr.com (this source is in English) Another good source is Ada Monzon on Facebook.
Another healthy thing you can do is not to succumb to fear but instead be part of the answer. Be part of the solution. So on the way out of the supermarket, I casually interviewed the store manager about what were they going to be doing differently this year in order to be able to meet the needs of the people they serve. He told me what the management of Pueblo was doing corporately for its network of stores. What he said was reassuring. They weren't going to be waiting on the government to supply them with diesel. They learned from their passed experience of how chaotic the situation was after a strong hurricane. This time they expanded their diesel supply with their sister company, Holsum and they have a contingency plan. Their contingency plan as far as emergency supplies included getting more warehouse space which they lacked last year. It turned out to be a good conversation because in my mind doing things the same way as last time was not acceptable. I even conversed with him about the propane canister supply at the store and were they going to wait till the last minute to order more. I don't think I was being too demanding but I certainly was assertive in a good way.
So yeah, Beryl turned out to be a good dress rehearsal for any upcoming hurricane. You know how they say, if you see something, say something. In this case, if you see something that can be done better, speak up. Your voice might just be the one that makes a difference.
Beryl gave us a lot to think about and time to prepare. God help us this hurricane season. In the mean time, we can all let out a big sigh of relief.
Beryl did another good thing. It got everyone, hopefully, on the program. I went out and bought 6 gallons of drinking water and a whole bunch of bottled water. In addition, I bought some more propane canisters with the hope that should a hurricane come through the aftermath will not be as scary as the previous hurricane. Finally, I also replenished my supply of crackers and prepared ice bags for the freezer. I take zip lock bags and fill them up with water and lay them horizontally in the freezer. Should the power go off, I am ready to keep the freezer staying cold. It is a win win situation since I can drink the melted ice water when clean drinking water is in short supply.
I did take videos of Beryl in action in San Juan but I don't think anyone might be interested since it didn't seem any stronger than a well announced severe thunderstorm. I am an expert at those after all my years in Central Florida. All kidding aside, Beryl frightened a lot of people. I had come back to PR to finish putting somethings in order and a tropical storm nor a hurricane were really in my plans. Such is life. We are not in control of the weather.
I had barely gotten here and there was an Invest quickly developing into a tropical storm and suddenly a hurricane. It got a lot of people talking. Some people are on the edge. It seems they have no one to call on. I mean spiritually. I can't understand this. There are so many churches in Puerto Rico and there are wonderful Christian folks out there. Why is there so little faith? God loves you for goodness sake. Call out to God. Tell him, "God, help me!" Don't give up. I heard David Begnaud tell the story of a young man who said he would kill himself if the electric power went off again. That is real fragile. I think the government should do a series on WIPR on how to know if you have PTSD. They should also put up Public Service Announcements spots on the radio talking truthfully about PTSD. Then give people places to go find help perhaps open some Support groups in churches and advice on positive self talk.
When I had to face the idea that I might be going through another hurricane alone, I had two choices: 1. Be dejected and feel helpless or
2. I could prepare. I decided to get ready. I hadn't even finished unpacking but I went to Pueblo Supermarket and bought some supplies, including water, cheese, and crackers. I called my old handyman and he helped me secure the awnings. which are the first things to go in a hurricane. I also checked my weather radio, and I listened to the reports. I looked at the weather maps and compared. These weather people don't tell you everything. When the system weakened it started to be steered by the currents which brought the wave directly towards PR. In addition, I looked for information on my own. Weather PR is a good source of information at www.weatherpr.com (this source is in English) Another good source is Ada Monzon on Facebook.
Another healthy thing you can do is not to succumb to fear but instead be part of the answer. Be part of the solution. So on the way out of the supermarket, I casually interviewed the store manager about what were they going to be doing differently this year in order to be able to meet the needs of the people they serve. He told me what the management of Pueblo was doing corporately for its network of stores. What he said was reassuring. They weren't going to be waiting on the government to supply them with diesel. They learned from their passed experience of how chaotic the situation was after a strong hurricane. This time they expanded their diesel supply with their sister company, Holsum and they have a contingency plan. Their contingency plan as far as emergency supplies included getting more warehouse space which they lacked last year. It turned out to be a good conversation because in my mind doing things the same way as last time was not acceptable. I even conversed with him about the propane canister supply at the store and were they going to wait till the last minute to order more. I don't think I was being too demanding but I certainly was assertive in a good way.
So yeah, Beryl turned out to be a good dress rehearsal for any upcoming hurricane. You know how they say, if you see something, say something. In this case, if you see something that can be done better, speak up. Your voice might just be the one that makes a difference.
Beryl gave us a lot to think about and time to prepare. God help us this hurricane season. In the mean time, we can all let out a big sigh of relief.
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