At least one Villager is grateful to have dodged a bullet during the weekend visit of Hurricane Irma.
While there were downed trees, flooded golf courses and overflowing ponds, there was no loss of life in and around The Villages.
Paula Meyer dropped her husband off Saturday afternoon at the Villages High School and spent Sunday night alone at her home in the Village of Hillsborough. Her husband Marc, a former volunteer firefighter, EMT and respiratory therapist, is part of the Community Emergency Response Team. He volunteered to be a part of the CERT presence at the emergency shelter offered at the high school.
“I had friends saying, ‘Come over and stay with me,’ but I am the type that likes to stay in my own house,” Paula Meyer said.
At about 11 p.m., the howling wind drove her to seek shelter in her bedroom closet.
She was grateful to emerge with no serious damage to her home. She picked up her husband at 10 a.m. Monday at VHS.
Power was never lost at the Meyer home, although their cable service was interrupted.
“There was a real emphasis on being prepared,” said Paula Meyer. “I think it made a difference.”
She filled her bathtub with water as well as pots.
“I know there’s a lot to clean up, but not real serious damage,” she said.