National Emergency Declared. Feels Like Hurricane Season but ... It's a Pandemic!

Haven't written in a while and yes I'm here but anyone who knows me knows I've always been a big News Junkie. Amazingly I've tried to limit my nonstop watching of news shows because it begins to be overwhelming and your mind just begins to blur it all together and you can't remember which Governor gave the best Press Conference. As I type his I'm waiting for the President to speak and I'm staring at the picture of the White House framed in beautiful Cherry Blossoms and the beauty of he blossoms is such a stark contrast to the ugliness of the unknowns facing us and yet I'm enjoying their intricate beauty.

So here's the map of the hour.

I know usually you like seeing the WINDY site..

So here goes with the weather today.

Not a lot of weather oddly here going on across the USA.

Oddly... not real windy.

Calm here here in Raleigh 

It's been warm in the Carolinas.

I have the AC on and the ceiling fan blowing.

It's been so warm our pollen is about to pop.

When the pollen pops we are cloaked in yellow pollen.

The pollen covers everything.

I wonder if that suppresses germs in any way.

I wonder a lot.

It's heavy.

When it rains the puddles turn yellow.

It gets into the house even with the windows closed.

Looking at the other side of the world.

Not a lot of wind there either.

Well wind but awfully quiet.

Quiet in regions battling this virus.

I pulled this from another website ealier.

Note the numbers changed since I began typing.

;(

Now that is freaky.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

My point here is see how many recovered.

Too many have died.

Too many will die.

But look how many recover.

And many don't know they had it...

Beyond bizarre really on many levels.

I'm being honest here and as I studied the spread of germs (for other reasons) for my degree in International Relations in depth I can tell you we were taught the world had more to fear on a deadly, fast spreading virus mimicking the Common Cold than a Nuclear Accident. Germs are small and too prone to getting out of a lab and into the atmosphere. Germs of all kinds are spread every time you take change from the nice lady at the Dollar Store or when you punch in your security code onto the pad that someone else just touched who was infectious. Germs are spread when you touch your eyes, face, eye lashes, nose, mouth and sometimes just when you breathe near someone who has a strong vigorous sneeze! Be it the Common Cold or the Coronavirus a germ is a germ is a germ by any name and yet some spread faster than others. Ironically this one supposedly is killed by many typical soap substances if surfaces are constantly, carefully scrubbed down.

And this particular one #19 is new and we aren't 100% sure on the facts so it's hard to tell anyone what will be next week, next month or even next year. Nothing is more scary for many than the Unknown. What we do know is if we limit out exposure to other people, places and travel we know we will not have spread the disease should we succumb to even a mild case. Part the problem with fast moving viruses is that often many barely have a system that can't be explained away as "Spring Allergies" and that person can go on about life spreading the germs to a multitude of people who are older or have poorly compromised health and they will not get a light case but a terrible case leaving scar damage in their lungs or death. That's the honest truth so if you don't have to go to the store or work or a party then don't. It's that simple. For many it's not simple and especially more so in 2020 when often families have both parents earning an income and it's not so easy to stay home with the kids when school is cancelled. Many homes are one parent homes raising their children and every cent earned counts and they are one paycheck away from not having rent money. Many have to weigh sending kids to school or daycare and getting too sick to take care of their children, themselves and it's scary. Nurses have to go to work and nurses have children too... Teachers have children of their own too.

Again in 2020 many can work online from the house and stay home and supervise their children who are learning online from a teacher who is home in their house watching their children and teaching... talk about doing double duty! Yes kids get free lunches at school, but I have to tell you as someone who was very happy her kids got breakfast and lunch at school I would rather than not be exposed needlessly to an incredibly infectious disease. It's as if every step we take we debate whether to use paper money or our Bank Card or ..... maybe we should start writing checks again? Oh...they hand them back to us..that's right. See what I mean.

And for Florida kids this really reminds many of when a Hurricane is aimed right at you and the huge, swirling, terrifying Category 5 hurricane is about to make landfall on your home beach and we are all having Deja Vu as we see water and tuna flying off the market shelves. But this is not a hurricane that is going to blow through and rearrange our lives in six hours as it traipses on to New Orleans after doing Miami. This is a long term, slow motion disaster and we haven't seen anything like it in our lifetime. Many unknowns piled on many unknowns and yet we shop and stock up the same way we do for a hurricane. Prepare for the Worst, hope for the best is the rule currently in place.
New actions:

Declaring a National Emergency that will open up money to get to where it must go.
Urging every state to set up Emergency Centers immediately.
Every Hospital to activate it's Emergency Plans.
Confer broad new authority to those people in charge of various agencies.
Authority to waive rules normally in place...

A list of actions you can find other places online when he is done speaking.

So what do we know so far? Here's the map that shows how fast America has gone red showing positive test results as now that people are getting tested we have the I95 corridor in the red as one city after another has people who test positive and that's to be expected.

Dr. Deborah Birx is speaking, she's good; impressive to listen to explain things to the public.

Everyone has to do what they have to do right now and everyone has their own priority as I say often during a hurricane threatening our coastline. If you have medicines you need an extra month of medicine, if you have a newborn you need diapers, if you have pets you need their favorite food and any medicines they need.  If you have a parent or grandparent who is sick it's important you minimize exposure to them by anyone who may be sick. Grandchildren are adorable but often they could be carrying germs with nothing more than a runny nose... that's what we have FaceTime for thankfully. Everyone has to do what they have to do and be part of the solution not the problem.

Staying home? For some of us that is easier than others. If I have WIFI and the TV on and my laptop I can hunker down for ages, especially as I have books I love and hobbies I do that keep me busy. I have kids who could not hunker down for more than 3 days without losing their mind, kids in New York City who are part of the city that never sleeps. I have a daughter with a teething baby and though she's in South Florida... she never sleeps either these days. I have a son in Seattle who I visited last month who took his kids out of school before the schools shut down as he can work from home each family has to do what works for them as in the end they are your children not the School Board's children. Schools are working with everyone as are agencies from the IRS to the Water Department not shutting people off in my area who haven't paid their bill. (check with your own local agency ... of course)

I hope and pray this brings us together and doesn't rip us all apart further as we have been very divided politically the last few years and I'm sick of that... anger and hatred is like a germ and it spreads fast. So again be part of the solution not the problem.

We don't know what next week will bring. But how we respond is up to us. That's always the truth. 

Every Major Hurricane we have the same post hurricane problems of fast distribution of help into areas needed. This happened after Hurricane Andrew when the government explained to a woman named Kate Hale that they were waiting for Miami Dade County to send a Fax to the proper agencies and she had to sadly explain that ... there was no one at work and there was no power and the Fax Machines were not working. Fast Forward to Katrina or Florence or Michael and every situation always has it's jagged edge where the system doesn't work properly always. On Message Boards for years people have said you have to know how to help yourself and your neighbors ... as the saying goes Neighbors Helping Neighbors. And eventually the large, huge government that didn't expect a Pandemic to break out ... and that goes for Italy and Iran and India and Israel and the list goes on and on... because it's a Worldwide Pandemic unifying all of us in need and suddenly what was important no longer seems very important. The only thing important to all of us is that we live through this and our loved ones live through this and we can put the world back together hopefully better than we were last month when the thought of a trip or vacation was exciting not terrifying.

The 2020 Hurricane Season has been forecast...

...to be strong

So if you are lucky and you don't get sick...

..and your stores don't close.

And the best happens not the worst...

...but you prepared for the worst.

Hide those non perishables...

..because you'll need them in less than 3 months.

Hurricane Season will not close like the NBA did.

You can cancel baseball games but not hurricane season.

Hard to believe something that looks like a Valentine..

...could be so deadly.

Really bizarre.

My Bottom Line...

Enjoy the moment.

Sending love not germs.

Try not to give in to fear.

Deal with realities.

Enjoy music and a good breeze.

Enjoy sunrise and sunset.

Tell your loved ones how much you love them.

Do what you got to do.

It's that simple.

Twitter may not be perfect but...

...it's a pretty good option these days.

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps...I'm NOT proofreading this... 

... just wanted to write, type and touch base.

An old tune...

Around the World in 80 Days.

My Grandma Mary played that constantly.

She loved that song.

May the road rise up to meet you...

...may you do all your traveling online.

Lots of great travel videos ....

..stay healthy and travel next year!