31 August 2019 – From English Jack [Keating]

Saturday 31 August, it’s 1.30 in the afternoon my time and I’m watching Liverpool beating Burnley. Outside there is a clear blue sky and the temperature is a balmy 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m having a bite to eat and quaffing a cold Stella Artois beer. Everything looks great except for a small square in the right-hand side of the screen telling me that Hurricane Dorian is approaching the east coast of Florida at 8 miles an hour and has a sustained wind speed of 150 miles an hour. The only saving grace is that it is now forecast to slowly make its way up the east coast but the eye of the storm will not actually make land fall. At the moment I don’t know how strong the wind will be when it passes but we are expecting torrential rain; they are talking in terms of feet rather than inches. Some low lying areas near the coast have a mandatory evacuation order in place. My house is about two miles as the crow flies from the Atlantic Ocean and is at about 20 feet above sea level, but I’m cautiously optimistic. I think I’ve done everything I can to prepare for the storm; bringing in everything that is loose outside; tables, chairs, garden ornaments, plant pots so that they don’t become missiles in the wind. I bought a generator two years ago so I should have electricity in the event the power fails; and it will. That’s about it for now.

Best wishes, Jack

Hello Jack, Well, the good news, for you, was the 3-0 scoreline in favour of Liverpool FC. but as for the weather report – you do go for the extremes over there, don’t you! I don’t envy you the next few hours, but we will be thinking of you with fingers and toes crossed, in the hope that it all passes over. Let us know – and all good wishes to you. Reg.