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Hurricane Milton Diary

Mariann Bell
Written by Mariann Bell Posted
Hurricane Milton Diary

Hurricane Milton is currently moving east across the Gulf of Mexico. The strong Category 4 hurricane will weaken before making landfall. Unfortunately, it’s also expected to double in size. Follow along as Mariann Bell and her family deal with this powerful storm.

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Saturday afternoon, October 5

Derek, Noah, and I were at Animal Kingdom on Saturday when I received the first of multiple messages saying basically the same thing: “Hey, we know you’re at Disney, but you might want to check the weather.” The system in the Gulf that the meteorologists called potentially interesting last week, turned out to be.

We live in New Port Richey in Pasco County, a suburb of Tampa, Florida. Our zip code is commonly recognized as Trinity. It’s beautiful here, and we love it! We’re about two hours away from Walt Disney World and less than half an hour from the beach (with traffic). From June 1 through November 30 each year, we are also at risk for hurricanes.

Even fast hurricanes don’t move that quickly. With landfall predicted for Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, there was still time to enjoy our day, and we did.

A very brief history of hurricanes and the Tampa Bay area:
Tampa Bay hasn’t been directly hit by a devastating hurricane since October 25, 1921. As a whole, we tend to think we’re hurricane-proof here, for a variety of reasons, ranging from geography to blessings from local Native American tribes. I am not particularly superstitious myself.

Read more: Disney World Not Accepting Hotel Reservations Due to Hurricane Milton

Saturday evening/Sunday morning, October 5

EPCOT as seen from a Disney Skyliner gondola

By the time we returned by Skyliner to Pop Century, I was distracted and a little worried. We decided it was best to head home in the morning and start making plans. The question for every storm is always whether to evacuate or stay home. Evacuating is a huge endeavor.

Besides our nuclear family of four plus two dogs, we have very close relatives/family friends that would need to evacuate with us. More to the point, we would not evacuate without them. In this group there are a variety of needs that can be challenging to accommodate outside of our normal environments. Our initial evacuation judgment was “probably not”.

We were on the road home early (for us) on Sunday morning. We prefer driving the back roads, rather than I-4 and 75. Storm debris from Helene is everywhere. There hasn’t been time to pick everything up or return to normal yet. Not all the schools are open. The timing on Milton is particularly bad.

Publix and hurricanes

I cannot say enough good things about my local Publix (420). They are rock stars and never let us down. Every checkout lane is open. Management is re-stocking alongside the frontline employees. The aisles are clogged with people, but most people are being very patient and polite. We would wait to shop, but I want to make sure we have enough water. I haven’t re-stocked our pantry and freezer since Helene. Judging by my fellow customers’ carts, they haven’t either. And we all are buying a lot of snacks.

Hurricanes and Noah: Type 1 diabetes preparations

Our son Noah is 24, profoundly autistic, and a Type 1 diabetic. His daily care is complicated at the best of times. Hurricanes present multiple concerns, starting with medications. Noah needs two types of insulin to stay alive — short-acting and long-acting. Insulin needs to be kept relatively cool once opened (close to refrigerator temp). We can make that happen as long as we prepare with ice packs and coolers.

Unopened insulin can be at room temperature without an issue. Noah’s endocrinologist is awesome. She loves that we spend a lot of time at Disney and she prescribes insulin as if we may lose a bottle to temperature concerns occasionally (as we have). This is one reason why I am always looking for gadgets to keep medicines cool.

Hurricanes and Noah: sensory and behavioral considerations

Noah is happiest and safest when he takes a stimulant medication (Concerta) to manage the impulsivity that is part of his autism. The prescription can only be refilled every 30 days. For Helene, we were fine. We can’t refill until October 11. There is nothing I can do to expedite this. Most months, it’s frustrating. During hurricanes, it’s maddening.

Noah also has the characteristic sensory challenges of autism, which are particularly strong with foods. These are severe enough that he will vomit if forced. The intersection of Type 1 diabetes and sensory issues is complicated, but we have practice. For a storm, I need to be prepared to feed him something he can eat, probably without power, possibly for multiple days in a row. We’re stocked up there.

Sunday decisions

After considerable deliberation, on Sunday evening we made the decision that we weren’t evacuating. We aren’t directly on the coast. We have a generator, a well, and new storm windows. It’s not an easy decision to make. I’d like to be very clear that I am not offering advice on how to decide whether to evacuate or not. Please listen to your local authorities. They know what they are doing and probably have more information than we do.

Monday morning, October 7

I woke up still tired and feeling a little overwhelmed. The dining room table was still covered with Disney trip treasures waiting to be organized. My cookie jars were empty and the laundry baskets were full. There’s fatigue that sets in with multiple storms. Hurricanes require a lot of physical and emotional labor. They’re very stressful events. Life resumes very quickly after storms. The mental switch doesn’t flip back quite as easily. Coffee helps.

Meet Brian

This morning we also needed to pick up our friend Brian from his assisted living facility to spend the storm with us. His facility evacuates to Clearwater, south of us and oddly enough, closer to the coast. The residents double up in rooms. He would rather stay here with us, and we are able to meet his medical needs here.

Have you ever had a favorite co-worker that you kept around long after you left the job? That’s Brian and I. We were in the trenches together in Toys R’ Us in the days of Tickle Me Elmo and Harley Davidson Barbie. Laughing through Black Friday creates lifetime bonds. Brian had a massive stroke in 2020, and his recovery has been incredibly impressive. Brian stayed with us during Helene, so we’re ready for him.

Monday afternoon

My phone hasn’t been quiet all day. I have a very complicated family of origin with zero full siblings and multiple steps and halves in the mix. We’re not a close family. I am, however, close to my Dad. He and my late mother moved here several years ago from Massachusetts. He’s about 15 minutes away. My siblings are understandably concerned about the storm and would like us to evacuate my Dad. I already know his answer will be, “No, but thanks for offering, honey!”

We’re planning our first family Thanksgiving in over two decades this November. I’m sure this won’t be a topic of conversation at the dinner table. This is further complicated by the fact that one of my nephews recently graduated college with a degree in meteorology.

I had one more trip to Publix for produce and the things I inevitably forgot on the first round. It was much less crowded. The shelves were emptier. The crew was still fantastic.

For dinner, I made Derek’s favorite meal — bowtie shrimp alfredo. This storm prep is stressful.

Monday evening

As the storm path wobbles and the intensity projections fluctuate, it’s natural to rethink your evacuation decisions. All day, there have been stories about traffic jams and difficulty finding gas. After another round of discussions in the house and by text and phone, we agreed to revisit the decision in the morning in case anything changed.

Spoiler alert: nothing changed enough to alter our decision.

Tuesday morning, October 8

I slept surprisingly well and was pleased to see that the storm track was staying slightly south. The decision to stay was confirmed. Yesterday, I washed Noah’s bedding and all of our normal laundry (including the delicate loads for special Disney shirts). Our younger son handled his laundry too. Today, I ran two loads: towels and daily laundry.

I am hypervigilant about keeping the dishes and laundry done when losing power is likely. The cleaner your house and your belongings are, the more comfortable you are and the better everything smells when the air conditioning disappears. My exception to that rule is floors. I haven’t done more than quick Swiffer-ing since Helene, and I’m not going to. Mud is coming. Why bother?

During Helene, I had tons of food prepared and ready for snacking. I haven’t really done any extra baking or cooking so far for Milton – just daily stuff. I’m hoping for a burst of energy later. Derek took a final trip up to Publix, which is closing at 3. The shelves are understandably understocked.

We’ve been shopping here for so many years that we know the staff. I like to think that they know us too. We know who the fast baggers are and which ones we can talk Disney to when we’re not in a rush. We’ve been through multiple hurricanes and a pandemic together. I hope that they’re all safe through this storm too.

Tuesday afternoon/evening

Since Derek was at Publix, I requested Chinese takeout for lunch. I’m not sure if it’s actual law, but it’s definitely custom for every Publix plaza to have a Chinese food location. It hit the spot, even though I miss the New England-style Chinese food I grew up with.

After lunch, there were more outdoor preparations to make. We have a pool and outdoor furniture. The furniture is now stacked low to the ground. We’re not dropping them in the pool. We recently had it resurfaced. Not happening.

All of my container plants are against a wall, on the ground, under the roof line. I have a ladybug wind chime on the pool deck. It’s inside my bedroom now and will probably startle me later. The grills are clean and accessible.

One of our cousins parked a vehicle here this afternoon to keep it safe from the storm. Their family evacuated from the coast to another family member’s house in our neighborhood. None of our immediate neighbors have evacuated. Very few of my friends have, and the ones that did were already dealing with damage from Helene or live in a flood zone.

I’m making meatball subs for dinner, which is a little fussier than a typical Tuesday dinner. Tonight we will be watching TV and distracting ourselves from tomorrow’s weather.

Wednesday morning, October 9

It’s already raining this morning. And gloomy. No one in the house has anywhere to go today or anything in particular to do. I woke up around 6 (per usual) and Noah joined me around 7:30. Everyone else can sleep as long as they care to. I plan to take a nice nap later.

It’s really important to start a storm as well-rested as you can be. Chances are you’ve already physically exerted yourself more than usual getting to this point. It also can’t be overstated how mentally tiring preparing for a storm is.

Practicing good self-care before a storm is an important part of storm prep. It’s not all about taking care of the people you love during the storm. You have to take care of yourself too.

Drink enough water. Take a long shower (before the lightning starts). Make sure you eat something reasonably healthy in between tasty hurricane snacks.

I know it’s very challenging. I know that for caregivers, self-care sounds great in theory but isn’t a high priority. Especially pre-storm, it should be. Do your best to take care of yourself. You matter too.

Hurricanes and our pets

Toby Bell
Lily Bell

Our family includes Toby the Jack Russell terrier/Chihuahua mix and Lily the beagle. They are both on the older side. Our storm preparations for them were relatively easy this time. They both just visited the vet last week (for routine visits) and we have plenty of their medications. I double-checked that we have enough dry food and wet food for at least a week. We also have plenty of water and a well.

Behaviorally, we already know how the dogs react to interesting weather. Lily gets very scared during thunderstorms. She’ll want to be as close as humanly possible to Derek. Toby is just generally very excitable (see his breed description). He has a new prescription for the dog equivalent of Xanax from his recent visit. Based on our experience with it so far, Toby should be very chill throughout the storm.

Morning plans

We are as prepared as we’re going to be for anything outside at this point. The inside is basically the same. My bathtub is filled up with water for toilet flushing in case we lose power. The air is turned down low enough that I’m a little afraid of the coming electric bill.

The drinking water situation is also good. I have two big plastic drink dispensers that I usually use for lemonade and tea during parties filled with water. We are not one of those families that has a million water bottles. The few that we do have are filled. We also have a well to refill things after the storm.

My youngest son has a ginormous water jug for band camp somewhere, probably his car. I’ll ask him for that when he emerges from his bedroom this afternoon. The jug probably needs to be thoroughly cleaned (mom-style) at this point in marching band season anyways, so this is actually a good thing.

There are extra bags of ice in our deep freezer. I’ll add to that collection today too (from our ice maker). At some point today, I’ll set up candles around the house so that I can light a path. The hardest thing to do now will be trying to relax while we wait to see what happens next.

Wednesday afternoon

The rain has been coming down pretty steadily. The track is still showing southward. We are all just waiting now. As a former teacher, I have many friends and former colleagues working in school shelters. I’m grateful for their efforts for our community. I’m also hoping that our community is kind to our classrooms and schools that are serving as shelters.

Hurricanes and Noah: day of storm preparations

The main concern today for Noah is comfort and trying to maintain a loose routine. This starts with food. Noah has a very standardized set of meals that he eats daily. This is doctor-approved, and very necessary so that we can appropriately manage his Type 1 diabetes within the sensory constraints of his autism. He generally has a hot meal for dinner with baked or fried breaded protein (fish, chicken, or shrimp), french fries, tater tots, or onion rings (and other sides too). It’s his biggest meal of the day.

If our routine changes, we’re very comfortable giving him what we call dinner for lunch, and then later that day, lunch for dinner. Noah is used to this change in routine from our trips to Disney and restaurant dates with family and friends. His lunch meal consists of a peanut butter (no jelly, no fluff) sandwich as his main protein, with a variety of snack sides and milk. I even pack bread and peanut butter when we travel to Disney so that he is generally eating that once per day. This helps keep his stomach happy and his blood sugar consistent.

If we don’t have power, feeding Noah is much more challenging. I can sometimes get him to eat grilled proteins. It’s not guaranteed. I won’t have my air fryer and I won’t have my traditional oven. My backup option is his daily lunch. My storm change today was to give him his usual dinner for lunch, in case we don’t have power at dinner time.

Lunch for Derek, Brian, and I was leftovers, staggered based on appetite. My youngest son is still waking up and only just had breakfast.

Mariann's battery-operated candles

Safety is always a strong consideration with Noah. If we don’t have power, we still need to be able to see. We primarily use candles. Near Noah, and in his bedroom, we use battery-operated fake candles set semi-decoratively in a mason jar. We don’t keep these assembled, so I spent a few minutes doing so. I also set up the pathway of candles I will need to light later if we lose power.

Noah also needs assistance with all activities of daily living, including showering and grooming. We want to start the storm as clean as possible, so Derek gave Noah a haircut, a shave, and a thorough shower. Noah announced to the room at large that he looks very handsome. I can confirm this is true. He is now basically ready for the storm too.

Wednesday evening

Josh here. Unfortunately, the Bells lost power a few minutes ago. Mariann messaged me with this shortly after: “I’ve never seen or heard wind like this before. We’re still fine.”

Thursday morning, October 10

Once again, it’s Josh. The Bells are exhausted this morning, but they’re safe and their home is intact. Mariann told me that a fallen tree or branch caused their power outage and is confident that it can be repaired sooner rather than later. Here’s her update:

“Once we lost power, it was a restless night of almost no sleep. The wind howled. We were listening for the train horns that would indicate a tornado. We were listening for thumps on the roof indicating a downed tree. We were very fortunate. We appreciate all the well-wishes very much and send our love to everyone impacted by the storm.”

Friday morning, October 11

Mariann asked me to share an update with everyone. She and her family were without power all day Friday. Understandably, Noah had a difficult time when the internet went out.

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Thankfully, power was restored overnight, which made sleeping much easier.

“Line crews (bless them all) were out working late into the night, and around 12:30 or so, the power came back on!”

With the stress of the storm and its aftermath, the Bells booked two nights at Pop Century. Their entire family will make the trip since Mariann’s younger son’s weekend commitments were canceled. They’ll leave as soon as Derek returns from taking Brian home. Driving in the Tampa area is difficult due to flooding.

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Mariann Bell
Written by Mariann Bell
Mariann Bell is the proud mom of two sons, former special education teacher (in both self-contained and inclusion settings), and former accessibility assessment specialist in the alternative assessment field. She hopes to share her 20+ years of personal experience as a parent making the magic of Disney accessible to other families with members with disabilities.
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