Waiting for Irma

When it comes to hurricanes, the waiting really is the hardest part. No wonder Tom Petty, a guy from Florida, immortalized that phrase in song. I speak from experience, as a lifelong Floridian who has seen more than a few (and would be happy enough if I never saw another).

Whether it’s waiting for news, waiting in traffic as you evacuate, waiting in line for gasoline or other supplies, waiting to hear from your friends and family, waiting to see what the storm is going to do, waiting for its effects to show up after you have already done everything you can do to prepare, waiting while the wind and rain rage around you, or waiting afterward for the power to come back on and for the broken trees and other debris to be cleaned up and repairs made, it’s the waiting that sucks.

It usually involves darkness, boredom, concern, prayer, and plenty of sweat.

I have seen times when, after the storm was over, my large rural yard was filled to the brim with downed trees that must be cut up and removed. And although that means a lot of hard work, I actually prefer that to the waiting.

I’ll be praying for the safety of friends and family members closer to the eye of the storm (if it takes its currently-predicted course), and looking forward to the day when it’s gone and I can sit back and look with satisfaction on the results of a successful cleanup.

At least, I hope and pray that cleanup will be all we’ll need to do once Irma rolls through.

Meanwhile, I wait.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.