Unwanted visit

From NOAA, the forecast for my area:

Tonight: Hurricane conditions expected. Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 78. Northeast wind 35 to 40 mph increasing to between 40 and 60 mph. Winds could gust as high as 80 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Hurricane conditions expected. Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 85. Northwest wind 50 to 70 mph becoming west 35 to 40 mph. Winds could gust as high as 90 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

This is nothing compared to what Galveston and the coastal areas are already going through. The storm surge arrived way before any rain or wind showed up. The sea is over the Galveston seawall. I am baffled by the fact that so many residents of the coastal areas decided to weather the storm at home, instead of heeding the mandatory evacuation call.

You can see more news about what is happening here, here, and here.

There are curfews all over the place, as authorities do not want people on the road in the middle of the storm. I don't think we will be that affected, certainly not as much as Galveston and the south of Houston. But we are still vigilant, especially because with hurricanes come tornadoes. Both the girls will be sleeping in our bedroom, and at the first sign of a tornado, we will all take shelter in the walk-in closet.

It hasn't rained yet, but you can already feel the breeze picking up. A few minutes ago we lost power for about 30 seconds. I can't stop watching the news. The historic Strand in Galveston is deep in water. It is estimated that a million customers will lose power in the Houston area, and that it will take a minimum of two weeks for them to get power back. I am crossing my fingers and hoping we are not in that group.

The days of the week lose meaning when you are on hurricane time. It is Friday night, but you would never know it. The streets are empty.