Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season - Idalia

 Executive Summary:

We lived here two weeks and two days and a tropical storm passed nearly directly over us and no one seemed concerned. 

The rest of the story:

It served as a gentle introduction for us. While the mainstream news painted a picture of widespread panic, our experience in Southport, NC suggested otherwise. Our neighbors, who had weathered the challenges posed by Hurricane Florence, simply brushed it off. The local Lowes Foods and the Lowes National Hardware store appeared deserted (yes, we have both stores almost side by side), and the most significant precaution was shifting trash collection from Thursday to Wednesday.

My biggest concern was getting my 15-year-old weather station somewhat operational to record readings. On Tuesday, it was propped upright against the fence with the anemometer on a shelf in my office, and on Thursday morning it was all put together and recording readings like this:

Of course, the neighbors did not like my junk PVC pole screwed to my fence for the wind gauge, but it worked. I'll take it and paint it a more natural color this weekend. 

Translated from the original Spanish, Idalia apparently means "Rain on Wednesday and Wind on Thursday". Oh, there was an EF-0 tornado in St. James and there was a roof Veterinary Hospital roof collapse that made the fringes of national news, vven Action News in Philly had it on their noon broadcast but all in all it was just a storm

Lessons Learned:

We need a hurricane box, ready to go:

• My new battery-powered emergency radio, which was purchased on Amazon and delivered Wednesday. 
• Propane lanterns and mini-stove. 
• Food and Water.