IamA Tampa resident riding out Irma at a shelter. AMA!

Isn't it ironic? When there are classes in school, you stay home for homeschool. When school is out because of storm, you finally go to school.

I've been cracking up about it all night lol

Bored yet?

Any queasy nostalgia and desire to run, screaming, hurricane be damned?

Any pleasant memories surfacing in your brain?

Not sure I'd want to bunker down in a school.

I've never been this bored in my life.

Nah I'm pretty chill.

Just really excited to get the hell out of here tomorrow (hopefully).

So much for my bad live-action horror movie - everyone's trapped in there for a couple weeks and goes nuts and stuff.

Damn, damn, damn!

They've got a chalkboard. Write dirty limericks on it. Fish through the teacher's desk, see if they have a pint of whiskey sitting in there - or a dildo - exciting!

Explore elsewhere, if you can, acting professional - find out their secrets. :p

Gotta be some damnable amusement to be had whilst being unexpectedly trapped in a school.

Hahahaha now that sounds fun! I don't think my parents would be too pleased with me though lol

Make some friends your age. And then make a movie or something

Is that how 25 year olds make friends? I really suck at it lol.

It's hard for any adult, but really, you're in a great situation to make friends IF you're stranded with some cool people you'd like to be friends with. Likely everyone is as bored as you are, so it's the ideal time to strike up a conversation.

ETA: Just you know, read social cues. Some people may be too stressed out and not want to interact with others.

I'm almost the youngest one in this room so not a whole lot of opportunity unfortunately lol

You can probably find some board games. Schools always have games for when there's a rainy day. Some games are simple but they pass the time. Good luck. I'm in Jacksonville and we were spared. Good luck.

Thanks! It's pitch black in this bitch so feeling around probably isn't a good idea. It's as if everything fun was taken from this room on purpose..

Y u no backup battery?

Is the school on high ground? Sand bagged? How do they know it won't be flooded?

Would you rather fight one Irma-sized crocodile or 100 crocodile-sized Irmas?

I have some backups with me thank god. School is not on high ground but not in a flood or storm surge zone so it should not flood. Both of those options are too spoopy 4 me.

edit cause spelling in the dark is real hard apparently

Where in Tampa? I'm riding it out in my house in a zone C, borderline D.

Brandon actually

What did you have for lunch ?

A piece of school pizza. It was actually pretty damn good. I never attended school because I was homeschooled as a kid and I always thought cafeteria food was bad but it was lit.

Was it a rectangle? That was the bomb when they used to serve it and I'd always get 2.

It was a thicc normal slice that blew my mind. Can a big girl get another please?

Hell yeah, Big girls are da bes

Oh hey there boi

Nope.

Even in a natural disaster u savage af

I actually evacuated Tampa because I feared the shelter would be unsafe, and overstuffed.

Is there any risk to damage or flooding to that shelter now?

Is the storm really as bad as the news is showing it (I can hardly find anything for my area, everything is all city news)?

About how many people was your shelter able to fit?

Is there fear for shortage of food / water? How tight are the rations?

Was this a shelter that allowed pets? If so, how much of a burden is that for (who I'm assuming) someone who is without a pet?

Is there any fear that the world outside of the shelter is getting washed back to sea in that area? (I saw you're staying in a shelter in the Brandon area, so anywhere between shelter to home).

Before the power went off, how apparent were they making the situation outside? Did they have news being broadcasted all over, or in a specific area of the shelter? How extravagant were the stories that fellow shelter residents were spreading?

Has there been any outbursts from residents of the shelter due to any sort of rationing that may be happening, sleeping arrangements, etc? (As someone who has years of experience in customer service, I have to imagine that this is something going on in there).

Has anyone been kicked out of the shelter yet?

Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just genuinely curious, especially since I've never been in a crisis like this. Luckily I was able to evacuate, but I know not everyone has that luxury. I wish the best for you and your family, and for everyone in that shelter. Stay strong ❤️ I hope the community will bring itself through a crisis like this. Also, sorry if these questions have been answered already. And and also sorry for formatting, currently on mobile.

It does not feel unsafe at all. We are not at risk of flooding because it is far from the flood zones.

There have been no alterations that I've seen or heard of. Everyone has been very nice and we all just understand that none of us want to be here but it was necessary.

No shortages of food or anything. Most people also brought their own as well. We missed dinner (came too late) and were still given food. There are water fountains for water.

Before the power went out, the weather was on dozens of TVs through the school and the employees of the school have been giving us weather updates via an intercom system.

No one has been kicked out to my knowledge. This shelter is not pet friendly but the ones that are do not house people in the same area. They have rooms for dogs, cats and other animals specifically.

I believe this shelter can hold around 700. Most of the high schools around here have the same limit.

I hope I answered everything!

Edit: I gotta add that there was a sketchy altercation that occurred with a mentally unstable elderly man and a drug dealer was trying to get some new clients to try his LSD after I originally responded to this comment. It did make things feel slightly unsafe.

Awesome answers

Thanks :D

Also I forgot to add that in addition to the teachers that were working as volunteers, there were cops there looking after things as well.

Poor you, my back aches just thinking sitting in one of those awful school desk chairs for more than an hour! So are most of the people in classrooms? Seems like any other pictures I've seen of shelters, people are always in the gym or some big space like that.

The gym is also full of a few hundred people so they put the rest of us in classrooms.

CAN YOU HEAR ME OVER THE HOWLING WIND?

NO GRANDMA

My mom is in Tampa and I can't reach her. What do I do??

Don't panic. Cell service is garbage right now. We're also out of power. The storm moved farther from Tampa so we are getting very lucky tonight.

Thank God!! And thank you kind sir.

I'm not a dude but you are super welcome 😁

What's your guys' plan if your home is uninhabitable after the storm?

Hoping for the best.

Is it hard to sleep?

Impossible. It's hot as hell in here with crying babies, screaming kids etc.

Have you tried opening a window? /s

I legit wish I could.. the temp is beautiful outside.

Do you have to sleep on the floor?

There's not enough room for that so I'm sleeping at a desk. Most people are sleeping on the floor.

How many people in there?

500 or so

Has the storm killed you?

If so, how did you die?

Yeah dude I'm dead as fuck. Tree branch came through the window and got me right in the tits.

Right in both tits!

I miss them already. Pour one out for em.

pours in white

What the fuck haha

Did they check your. Immigration status?

Nope, no ID or anything like that.

What blows harder, Irma or The Bucs?

Your mother.

How bad is the weather down there? I have family down there and I hope Tampa doesn't get it too bad, even though the eye is predicted to go straight over Tampa. Also, is there a surge yet?

It's not something you want to be caught outside in. Even though it will be a cat 1 when it arrives in Tampa, it's still some serious wind. I'm not sure if there is a surge yet but it will definitely happen soon. The whole county is losing power fast and our first responders have stated that they cannot respond to any 911 calls for the rest of the night.

Well, I hope you guys are all safe and make it through this think ok. Best wishes from Rhode Island

Thanks!

I have family in Tampa and they said they're cutting the power prior to it arriving to prevent fires and whatnot.

Teco had said prior that they were going to do short rolling blackouts but they then stated they were not going to do that and didn't.

Which school are you in? We thought of going to Riverview High School but ended up staying in the house.

Bloomingdale High

Holy shit I go to that school. I believe you guys are staying in the 300 wing?

Small world! Yup.

Before school was cancelled I had to move desks for people coming in to use the rooms as shelter. Crazy that someone made ama about it haha

Stay in school, kid.

Actually that is where we were going to go, not Riverview. Did they fill up? It was half full when I checked on it yesterday morning.

Yup it filled up around noon. We were lucky to be let in anyway.

I'm at home up here in Brandon. It's getting bad, but so far is still have power and cell service.

Damn you're lucky! Most of Brandon is out.

How is the smell?

It's got that nice high school feet smell going on..

So you're trapped in a high school with a bunch of scared angry humans who are going through an existential crisis? Is it weird to relive High School in such vivid detail?

Ha! I never went to high school but I bet that was pretty close.

If I hang my laundry outside on an unbreakable line (just play along), will the water and winds clean them up?

Enjoy school btw. Be safe.

Yes. Irma is real good at getting shit clean.

Any word on pinellas park? My grandfather is there and his stubborn ass said he was just going to board things up, hang out, and let the storm pass.... but I know it's on a peninsula with the gulf on one side and Tampa bay on the other...... he's a tough old bastard but he's stubborn as hell and I'm a bit concerned.

The storm moved East away from that area so that is a good thing. I believe storm surge is the biggest threat to that area but if he wasn't in a mandatory evacuation zone then he's likely just chillin like we are.

I love World War Z. One of my favorites. Sucks that you don't have any power or light to read with.

What's your favorite part so far?

That fact that I'm back home now with no serious damage!

What's the bathroom situation like?

We used the bathrooms at the school as if we were students. Wasn't too bad.

Ah...so you had to raise your hand and ask permission? Glad you are safe and thanks for sharing the experience with us.

Edit: I just realized you were joking.

I think they were just making a joke

Holy shit i'm retarded..

I evacuated Tampa. I'm in South Carolina now. What do you think about how much Irma's path has been changing?

Since it changed, it has been no biggie. Some good gusts but nothing like what he thought we were gonna get. Naples took that hit for us. We could have stayed home and been fine.

How many days of food / supplies do you have?

3-4 days worth at home.

Do you think that will be enough? I mean, depending on damage I wonder if you can even get more supplies?

It's more than enough for the storm we got. Now if I were in Naples where they got hit with the full force, it would probably not be enough but luckily there are relief groups there to help. Tampa avoids direct hits like I avoid responsibilities.

Who is watching tofu?

Tofu was safely secured in a confined area at home because the shelter would not allow him to join me.

Any updates. Are you okay?

I'm good! It was not bad here really. The storm moved and spared us greatly. I'm itching to gtfo now.

how long do you expect to be there?

Irma has fallen apart for the most part now so we actually left and have made it home!

How many other people in Tampa are staying? Assuming you can look outside, is it a ghost town? When are people expected to return?

Most people who were not in a mandatory evacuation or bad flood zone stayed. It's a ghost town now because people are home.

Whats the atmosphere like with all the people there? Like is everyone freaking out or is it rather calm? They look rather calm in the picture, but is everyone kind of like on edge? You said that you're in a classroom... how many people are divided into each room? Or is it like you come into the shelter and it's a free for all you just kind of pick where to go?

I always got this like homely and cozy feeling about shelters, but after reading some questions and answers on your thread, I don't know how homely a shelter can feel lol I guess it's just the sense of all these people coming together.

I really wish you the best of luck and I wish you and your family the best!

People were calm but were still on edge and constantly checking for updates/info/checking up on family. They put 20 people in each classroom and the rest in the gym. The areas were assigned but you could pick where you wanted to go. It was so so far from homely or cozy. Thanks!

why does power go out in the storm? is it because the power line to your specific area got damaged or does the state purposely cut power in the storm areas to reduce fire hazard?

Power line damage and transformers blow.

Wildest story you've heard from other evacuees?

uhh probably the guy who was trying to sell LSD/weed etc. to anyone willing to listen..

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The shelter we're in is designed to handle a Cat 5 storm. She has weakened drastically though and is now supposed to hit Tampa only as a Cat 1.

What made you decide to go to a shelter as opposed to either evacuating or staying home?

I'm riding the storm out at home in Daytona Beach area right now with my husband and toddler. Good luck and I hope your home is fine when you get to go back!

Thanks! Our home made it.

There were no hotels that weren't completely booked and the gas stations had all closed down so we didn't want to risk getting stuck on the roads with nowhere to go.

Is there anything you'd want to do differently if you're ever around Florida for another hurricane?

Been here most of my life so it wasn't my first and won't be my last. I won't be going to a shelter next time.

Are you glad you evacuated or are you wish you had stayed home? What do you wish you'd known say 12 hours ago?

Wish we would have stayed home BIG TIME but we played it safe because our lives could have been at risk. No one knew that the storm was going to shift away from us and weaken so quickly which spared us from the eye of the storm that we had anticipated.

Do people bang in shelters?

I doubt it.. it was pretty elbow to elbow in there.

Why didn't you leave the state for a couple days and rent a cheap motel or stay with family members, before the storm hit?

Leaving the state is not as easy as it sounds. We have limited highways to get out of here and they were packed all week with horrible traffic while our state also ran out of gas at the same time. Finding a hotel that wasn't book was also nearly impossible.

What are you all doing to keep yourself busy and your mind off the storm?

I was reposting dank memes like crazy

Why are you home schooled ?

I'm in college now.

Have you ever made any sketchy college dorm room food ? maybe you are not in a dorm, but when in college and sometimes all one has is a couple strange ingredients... odd food gets made.

Any one pot noodle surprise recipes you concocted ?

I don't live in a dorm but I'm still broke and like to get freaky with my ramen recipes from time to time..

Why were you home schooled ?

Because my parents love me.

I'd hate to be around my family that much.

Daamn.

Instead of sitting in some miserable shelter, why didn't you just pack some food, get everyone in the car, drive a few hours north and relax in a hotel?

Because it wasn't originally coming to Tampa and once it did, every hotel out of the way of the storm booked up fast. Our state also ran out of gas and traffic became worse than it's ever been.

The storm is not that bad...have you thought about just going home ?

No because the winds are over 50mph and set to reach gusts of 100 in the next few hours. Dozens of trees have fallen in my area and the police are no longer responding to 911 calls. Not worth the risk.