After days of preparation for a tropical storm-turned-category one hurricane, the internet began overflowing with Hurricane Hermine memes that use a sense of lightheartedness to help dissipate some of the worry felt by many of those living in affected areas. Though not making light of the storm, which Florida Governor Rick Scott called "life-threatening," the various reactions to it offer insight into what it's like to prepare for, and then wait for a big storm — especially when that wait lasts for days on end. And when you're confined to your home, social media and its endless content probably serves as a good distraction from what's going on outside.
Though the comic relief is surely appreciated by those experiencing the extreme weather, the storm didn't land without a crash. Reaching Florida's panhandle first, Hurricane Hermine resulted thousands of power outages, downed trees, and catastrophic flooding caused by up to 15 inches of falling rain plus dangerous surges and high tide. And after the brunt of the storm subsides, regions of Florida and Georgia will have to remain wary of tornadoes.
Even if it was over a decade ago, Florida, as well as other affected states, have experienced this weather before. And their willingness to inject a little humor into what's otherwise a pretty scary situation shows not only that they're ready for it, but that they're also maintaining a healthy sense of optimism.
Apparently for some Floridians, there are worse things than hurricanes.
But at least school is sometimes cancelled.
Still, others aren't particularly as thrilled.
And no one can get over this...
The storm is expected to die down and move north as the weekend progresses. More specifically, weather forecasters have predicted that it will only last several more hours until it falls under the "tropical storm" category on Friday afternoon, leaving time for some recovery operations over the weekend. In the meantime, Twitter will allow people to connect with each other as they share their similar experiences and feelings about the storm.
