Hurricane Irma

By now most people know of the devastation that Hurricane Harvey caused in Texas and Louisiana. People's lives have been destroyed and over 50 lives taken. Harvey was an equal opportunity hurricane. It did not care about race, creed, or economic class. Praise God that many Christian relief agencies are at work trying to care for physical and spiritual needs. Specifically, I am thankful for the relief ministries of Samaritans Purse and the SBC.

I live in Central Florida and, while not in a coastal area, the storm can still cause substantial damage if it travels inland. I am well stocked on supplies and expect, by God's grace, to weather the storm. I am writing this post to ask God's people to pray for the most vulnerable; for the poor and those who live in the path of Irma. Many people in South Florida still have memories of 1992's Hurricane Andrew. Irma has the potential to be just as bad. While you pray, ask specifically that God will preserve life and use this hurricane as a means to share Christ. I have read many stories about people coming to faith in Christ as a direct response to Christians sharing the gospel while doing relief work.

Thank you.

 

Latest track as of 15 minutes ago. I live smack dab in the center of the state about 30 minutes from Disney. I do not think any of us in Florida will need a Fast Pass for this ride.

 

Prayers for you too, my friend. Get your Mom out if you can. We will probably stay, but if the storm looks like it will keep Cat 3 status when it hits the Orlando area, we may bug out to a friend's house near Atlanta.

 

I will be keeping you and your church family in our prayers. I am in Hardee County, FL weekly (Bowling Green and Wauchula). It is a fairly remote county, so I can see how it took a lot of time to restore service after Charley. I am in Polk County, not too far from Lakeland.

 

It looks like Irma is tracking more to the west. This will bring it more towards the center of the state. Hurricane Irma Nearing the Bahamas as a Potentially Catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane; Hurricane Watches Issued for Parts of Florida

 

Irma has finally made its turn and is now over the 90-degree waters of the Florida Straight. Naples, Ft. Myers, Venice, Sarasota, and Tampa look like they are going to get hammered. I posted this on FB earlier today:

"If Irma hits Tampa Bay head on it has the potential to devastate Greater Tampa and Saint Petersburg. Tampa Bay is a shallow bay. Since there is less depth in the bay the water will be more easily displaced. Also, the water will have no way to head back into the Gulf of Mexico during the storm surge. Please pray for God's smiling Providence on the Tampa-St. Pete area."

The last time Tampa was hit by a hurricane it was almost 100 years ago. At the time Tampa was nothing but a cow town. Now it is a major city with sprawling suburbs. St. Petersburg is smaller than Tampa, but just as densely populated. Even though Tampa is on a bay, the water will be bottle-necked under a heavy storm surge. Also, all the utilities in Tampa are underground. If downtown floods (which looks likely) Tampa's utilities will be severely damaged. Mayor Buckhorn said that the Florida Department of Emergency Management told him Greater Tampa could be without power for 6-8 weeks in many areas, including the downtown business district. I live about 35 miles east of Tampa directly off Interstate 4. My town will not experience the storm surge Tampa will, but we will be dealing with our own problems. We have designated our master bathroom as our "safe room", as the small window is tempered and there is a large walk-in closet we can retreat to if necessary. I never liked the aesthetics of concrete block construction, but I repent of that mistake.

FEMA is going to have a full slate, as it is still funding recovery work in Greater Houston. I know that Samaritans Purse is already staging relief crews, as well as the SBC, and other charities. None of my customers are going to want to see me for at least a week, so I am going to lend a hand in relief work as soon as I assess any damage to my home and the development I live in.

May the Lord protect His children, and may He extend His hand of mercy.