I've turned this part into an HTML file, for ease of dropping in some external links.  The email extracts should render about like in the other sections; again, use your browser's overall zoom to adjust size.

Few people expected Ian to turn into the monster that it did.  Given my location and the general setup of the facility, I was a little less worried than folks out by the coastline, but still made preparations.  I was ready to run the Comcast modem from a car-powered inverter so I could keep up with the news, had plenty of food and water, buckets for flushing, and something of a plan if a window got damaged.

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 10:53:00 -0500
Subject: Re: Ian
To: [one of my event-work collabs]

I've made several new entries in the "blog", the last one of which mentions
the storm.  I just made one last run for extra coffee, and Mom and I will
basically be all set.  I'm in the house, she's in nursing/rehab, but I can
probably make a mad dash or two and go visit her during parts of the next
two days.  The "24x7" coverage is shutting down tomorrow, so she won't be
under continuous observation... but she's been improving quite a bit, and
her "probation" period is technically over so they should be okay with that.

The rehab-center staff is running around like riled-up fire ants, loading in a
bunch of residents from a coastal nursing home into what is usually the dining
room of the facility here, because our building(s) are a bit better hardened
against storms.  They're bringing all their staff and gear, apparently this
is all by prior arrangement/contract that they set up a while back.  Almost
felt like a gig for a few minutes as I shuffled Mom from the rehab room back
to hers, but I wasn't actually doing any of that work.

It'll be interesting, to be sure.  We're decently inland but a foot-plus of
rain is still going to do a number to this area.

No idea about return timing yet, or if the infrastructure to support it is
even going to be (back) in good shape by then.

_H*

##

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 11:48:26 -0500
To: [a snowbird colleague who's currently up north, but concerned]

Mom's in rehab, I'm in the house ... battened down and provisioned the best
we can.  We're reasonably far inland, but a foot-plus of rain if we get it
is still going to do a number on this area.  This will be *my* first Florida
hurricane experience, as it's usually been just winters.  If the house starts
to take damage I can sprint over and hunker in the "main house" with everyone
else if needed, and I might go hang with Mom for a bit anyways.

After the dust/water settles, I can maybe go eyeball your place and get some
pix if you want...

_H*

##

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:53:57 -0500
Subject: What a crazy ride
To: [My group of techie colleagues]

For anyone who's curious ... I'm in FL right now, right in the bullseye of
Ian.  Just when I thought the ride couldn't get much wilder, we get this...

I've been here for two weeks and some, and with the whirlwind of stuff I've
had to do around elder-care it feels like six.  Some of you know more details.
TL;dr, Mom's in the rehab facility at the retirement place [which also doubles
as part of their central "storm shelter grade" building complex], and I'm
riding it out in the detached house a short way across the campus.  The fun
hasn't really started yet, but the sensationalist crap on all the weather and
news channels says we're dooooooomed.

My big question is what the travel infrastructure will be like, particularly
WRT electric vehicle travel, in the aftermath.  This thing looks to be going
straight up the I-95 corridor, so ... funzies all the way.

_H*

##

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:40:36 -0500
Subject: Re: Fwd: A Volunteer Celebration!
To: [someone I work occasional events with]

No, I didn't see the original for some reason; maybe I'm not on the right
mailing list?  Anyway ... I'm actually in FL right now, dealing with parental
issues [and on top of that, today, a hurricane!  Right in the bullseye!] and
won't be back by then.

Lift one for me!  Please pass my best to the group... miss 'em.

_H*

##

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:01:34 -0500
To: [another online collaborator]
Subject: Re: the "right side"?

I keep looking at the animated radar to figure out if I'll be *in* the eye,
which might be the right time for a visit over to the main building.  House
is fine so far, but the real screamer bands haven't gotten here yet.  It's
going to be excruciatingly slow, just like everything else around here... but
Mom was in a hurricane eye once before in her life, and said it was VERY cool.
If we achieve that here, I'll pop over and wheel her outside!

I thought the right side of a northbound 'cane was the nastier one, since
that adds the storm's forward motion to wind speed?  Either way, we're
going to get very very wet.  The increasing bizarre wiggle in the track
makes it look like Ian really doesn't like Disney...

Yep, it was the "social services" folks here as well that were issuing all
the caveats about Mom being in the house [last trip as well as this one].
And equivalently, I can't be that stunt caregiver long-term.  I had an uncle
near Baltimore for a while who was unable to do most house stuff but had
a visit-in gal about every other day, who would shower him and I think they
were even doing grocery runs together.  They de-hoarded enough of his house
to be functional and then I think he essentially died there.  But Mom doesn't
*need* a detached house, there's a perfectly good assisted-living part of
this place and once we're in the clear again, hopefully we can go tour
whatever empty unit(s) they have.  I don't think I'd be moving her this
trip, but if the pace of things got crazy enough, who knows..

Mom's doing a bit better; still weak and needs help with transfers, still
doing "therapy" in the mornings, very light little exercises ... and the
UTI she developed in hospice finally seems to have cleared up, so she's out
of diapers for the mo.  Yeah, adult diapers... not a thing in *my* wheelhouse
to wrangle, I told folks up front.

_H*

##

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:48:27 -0500
To: [my weekly hiking group back home]
Subject: [HPW] Hello from hurricane land

Just to update folks ... I'm still in FL, and sitting right in the bullseye
of Ian as it approaches Sarasota.  Everything's fine so far, I'm far enough
inland that we don't get storm surge, but boyhowdy is it ever *wet*.  I am
hoping that the eye crosses over us, in which case I'll wheel Mom outside for
a good look because being in a hurricane eye is said to be super-cool.

But I'll still be here for a while yet, we've been in "one day at a time" mode
for a couple of weeks now.  Miss y'all, and miss having some *hills* around and
weather that isn't a steambath.

_H*

##

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 10:30:02 -0400
From: [another events collaborator]
Subject: Re: Ian

Interesting, yes. Do keep all of us -- @techlist or your blog  -- updated as
to the storm, in so far as you're able. It just keeps getting wilder.

Hoping you and your mother have a safe ride through,.

I fired up the cellphone data-tethering and had barely enough whisper of a 4G signal from the rear of the house, to keep pulling weather radar and one or two news updates.  Peak intensity was around 5pm, as when the eye went by to the south [but not right over us, dammit] and the wind shifted direction to the north, slamming right against the back of the house and its big windows.  I was a little worried about them, but they held.

For better perspective on just how badly those in the direct path fared, I suggest CNN's three-day running log on the storm progress, along with their Youtube summary of the aftermath.

Realizing that Mom and I couldn't call each other across campus because the detached houses aren't on the internal PBX, I decided to stuff my toys and some things she'd asked for into a backpack, throw my rain poncho over it all, and venture into the howling gale to get across to the central buildings and go see her and tell her that yes, all the phones and TV were out for the duration.

I described that bit of fun to the barefooters list later...

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:05:50 -0500
Subject: Re: [SBL] in the path of looming disaster...

Well, briefly, we made it ... the storm swung a little southward, basically
obliterating Naples, Ft. Meyers, Sanibel, etc ... it was pretty "exciting"
here for many hours, but the windows held up [my main worry about the house]
and I even got out briefly, pretty much at the height of things, for a quick
bop over to the main facility to inform folks that Comcast was indeed out for
*everyone* which was why suddenly none of the phones or TVs were working.

It was actually super-fun to walk along the roads, with crap ripped off the
trees lying everywhere and half-submerged in big puddles that formed over the
blocked storm drains.  Bare feet were absolutely the correct galoshes for that
run; the final leg through the parking garage dried my feet off and I popped
the silly-socks back on before going inside.  Reverse steps to go back home.
The only place I was kind of leery was a short stretch of road with more of
the live-oaks along it, whose branches had been getting torn off of all day.

Years ago, my mom and I toured various retirement facilities, including a
couple out near the coastline.  Glad she didn't pick one of those.  This one
is very near I-75, safely inland of that chaos.

Comcast's network is still out, I'm having to tether my aftermath-news-junkie
watching through the cellphone, which has barely enough signal to carry it.
Check out some of the news-station youtubes by now, it's pretty hairy.

_H*

##

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:14:02 -0500
Subject: Re: [HPW] Hello from hurricane land
To: [my weekly hiking group again]

Well, we made it!  Now it's bright and sunny, but many things are still down,
such as a large area of Comcast and parts of the cell networks.  Amazingly, I
have enough T-mobile to tether a tenuous data connection from the house and
update folks and satisfy my aftermath-news-junkie from a lot of the news
streamers on youtube.  Yes, it was pretty hairy.  I actually took a walk
from the detached house to the main building yesterday evening, to go update
my mom that yes, all the network and TV and phones were down everywhere ...
that trip was exciting, and guess what kind of boots were best for it, sloshing
through big puddles full of downed leaves and branches.  The morning light
now reveals a huge clean-up job ahead.

The storm wiggled a bit southward before landfall, so Punta Gorda, Ft. Meyers,
North Port, etc are basically toast.  I'm still glad this facility is well
inland.

_H*

##

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:03:29 -0400
From:  [someone on my network-security list]
Subject: Re: the non-digital storm

Hobbit, you are in Ft. Myers?  In any case, my in-laws in Bonita Springs
are headed back expecting flood results.  Our friend in Naples has not
been heard from.

##

Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:55:10 -0500
To:  [response]
Subject: Re: [vor] the non-digital storm

I tried to answer your query about Ft. Meyers, but the cellphone tethering
I was on donked my SSH right in the middle so I don't know if you got it.
Anyway, Sarasota, fairly near I-75 on the east side.  We were actually fine,
no windows blown out, and while Comcast is still down over a wide area, the
facility evidently has a different pipe to their offices and that includes
their guest wifi around the main building.  So I'm on semi for real for a
bit, until I go back to the house.

Naples ... Ft. Meyers .. everything down that way ... you've probably seen
the aftermath youtubes.  It's basically toast, at least on the outer parts.
I'm going to call a couple of Venice businesses I need to deal with soon,
and see how they fared.

_H*

With the main building still cut off from any information, I downloaded a couple of news-station Youtubes showing a lot of the insanity of the storm and the aftermath, and hauled the laptop over to the rehab area so Mom could watch them.  I also tried to hook it up to the big-screen HDMI in the main room, and even though I couldn't get the sound to come out right, the people in the room brightened right up and were watching the scenes with great interest.  Then one of the nursing staff came along and shot me down for trying to help, saying that news footage was "too upsetting to some of the people" and they would run old movies on DVD instead.  Go figure.  The residents were clearly *interested*, but some of the staff over there have serious control issues.  Rumor was that they were even going around closing window blinds in some of the rooms, so the residents *couldn't* see out to the storm.

The retention ponds and culverts around the campus are *very* full by now, but they managed to contain the "hundred-year event" without overflowing.  Water levels remained well shy of the house slabs.

Next day, a bit of recovery and tooling around a larger area...

Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:23:16 -0500
To: [techies list]
Subject: Re: What a crazy ride

An update, while I can: Comcast went out around 3pm Wednesday afternoon and
is still out, over a wide area here.  That carries the home net, phone, TV.
It also carries the outside phone and TV for the retirement community, so
none of the room TVs work in the main buildings ... they do, however, have
their office internet on a different kind of pipe, maybe Frontier? sez one
of the management guys ... anyway, that also provides a guest wifi around
much of the complex, which is allowing me to get on here and not have
cellphone tethering trash my SSH connection halfway through.

So ... we survived okay, no windows blew out.  Lots of crap ripped off trees,
one or two exterior canopies torn off ... but no real damage or flooding.
The retention ponds are VERY full,  but apparently succeeded in containing
the "hundred year event".  Parts near the shoreline, farther south?  Basically
obliterated.  Catch the "aftermath" videos on youtube, it's impressive.

This place has a contract with another nursing facility farther out toward
the coast, in which they bring all of those residents here to the more
hardened building of this facility.  So it was a bit of a zoo as all those
people, plus beds, nurses, other staff, equipment, etc was loaded in on Tues,
and then they're loading the last bits of that back out.  Almost felt like
a gig, except that I couldn't help with anything.

Anyway -- gotta wheel Mom over to her rehab session, but maybe more later
if I'm still on this network.

_H*

##

Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:44:44 -0500
Subject: pix from the day
To:  [snowbird buddy up north, after I checked on his house]

Easiest way to render the processed ones without thumbnails:

    [personal URL]

Just click each one and go "back" to the index.  House will likely be okay
till Halloween, airport has a bit of cleanup to do.  Overall, though, Venice
didn't actually look that bad.  We only see the worst parts on the news...

I swung by a Walmart on the way home, and they had pulled ALL the frozen food
out of the freezers and had to throw it out, cuz they'd lost power too.  What
a sorry waste!   In fact, most of Venice apparently had to do the same in
the homes.  Presumably you didn't have anything spoilable in the fridge down
here..

Whenever I get to come back north, it'll be interesting; I have *no* cold-
weather clothes with me.  I'll have to swipe one of Mom's jackets and hope it
fits.  I need to do that before, say, mid-Nov, so I can deal with the leaves...

_H*

##

Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 21:00:10 -0500
To: [my production-techies list]
Subject: We don't see this every day

I tooled down to Venice FL today, just to see how bad it was a little
farther south.  Overall it wasn't too horrendous.  I mostly went down to
check on a buddy's house, who's currently snowbirding in NH.

But apparently the outer walls of the fly-loft at the Venice Theatre got
completely stripped off, leaving the structure of the fly system nekkid to
the world:

The main structure, i.e. the big I-beams and roof, doesn't appear all that
damaged.  Once the sheet metal around it was gone, it was probably much more
transparent to the wind.  Lots of water damage on the stage below, doubtless,
and some people near the building said they'd just installed a bunch of new
flooring/carpeting that year.  Parts of the rear upstage wall were gone too.

Other pix, closer detail:

I never actually went in there in my ~25 years of FL visits, but kept having
this fantasy to go offer to help with a production if it was convenient
during one of my stays in the area.

_H*