"Irma-geddon"

It's the first flicker of lights upon a quiet household. It's the sound of a freight train pummeling through your yard. There is stillness on the inside while chaos rules outside those walls. The nostalgic sound of static through an old radio floats through your ears effortlessly. It's the kind of fear that can only be put to rest through hope and prayer. Other than that, you wait.

On September 9th, 2017, millions of Floridians sat in pure panic as they stared into the neon radars of the local weather channels. They would only have the terrored-luxury of watching this storm for a few more hours before the darkness and eery twinkle of candlelight filled their homes. And thats the best case scenario.

Hurricane Irma has been declared the largest and most powerful hurricane recorded to directly hit the United States. The majority of this storm was predicted to impact Southwest Florida with its unapologetic winds and merciless storm surges. Some packed up and fled the scene before destruction took over these streets they once called home. However, countless others insisted to endure the wrath of this natural monstrosity while attempting to comfort their loved ones. For those family members who live in other states, this was the most unpleasant news-- knowing that their relatives had to weather this catastrophe and there was nothing that anyone could do to ensure that they would remain secure and unscathed.

Sunday, September 10, was when the worst of the storm made its official landfall into this place we call"home of the brave." The Florida Keys were the first to greet Irma upon her arrival. Those one-story cement houses that were all within two miles of the shoreline had to put forth their best fight no later than that moment. As 12-foot waves repeatedly smash onto the sides of buildings with no sign of letting up, the downpour of needle sharp rain pounded at the doors and windows demanding to be let in. It became difficult to decipher which water was rain and which was ocean as the floor transformed from a damp cold surface, to a shallow pond. The whistles of the wind and the crashing of the waves began to sound as if they were one single element of nature. The water is now at knee level, which means small children and household pets must be carried in arms. Shifts had to be taken in an effort to salvage memoirs, food, and important paperwork. Dampened, cold, and scared they waited and prayed that it would all be over soon. Hour after hour passed by until they were left with nothing but their lives. And for that they were eternally grateful.

The Florida Peninsula was next in line. Aside from the empty grocery store shelves and mile-long gas station lines, the preparations were seemingly done in a timely manner for most. Flood zones and storm surge warnings piled onto these cities. Equipped with only shuttered-up windows and drained reservoirs, it was battle time. The rain marched in as if it owned the place, the wind began ripping trees from their roots, and the once calm and mirror-like lakes now had white caps filming their surface. Cracks of branches smashed to the ground and tornado sirens began to fill the air. Soon, the cell phone alerts had come to a halt because there was no longer service to connect them to the outside world. There were no windows or doors to peer out of, and the thought of stepping outside was chilling. It was an uneasy lack of sound and sight. Families sat together and waited in darkness for stillness; peace. They occupied their minds with food and board games. Waiting was the only course of action left to take. So they did. It was in those final moments that they realized this was the time they should cherish, before they had to come to terms with what this beast named Irma would leave in her wake.

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