FFXIV Event: Lalafell Invasion for Hurricane Relief

For more information about this event, seen the official Reddit thread here.

tldr; Denmo is hosting a lalafell invasion event tomorrow (Sept 9) in order to raise charity money for hurricane disaster relief. Server is unknown until announced.

Get your lala on for a good cause!

I don’t usually post about community events, but this one hits close to home for me. The destruction of Harvey is still clear in our minds, and now Irma is threatening the coast as a massive Cat 4 storm.

Irma’s Reality

Sorry, this post is probably going to take a turn for the grim here. I apologize in advanced.

For the past week, my city has been in the possible path of this frightening storm. Everyone at work has been watching Irma hourly as she moves, and determining the best way to be ready. Gas is at a premium. I was snagging the last water from the shelves earlier this week.

I’ve mulled over evacuation plans for myself and two cats, who will likely yowl the whole trip. How early should I leave? I don’t want to get stuck in traffic on the highway. But work expects to be open on Monday until further notice!

How far do I have to go? Hotels around here are already full. Georgia isn’t much better.

Syn offered my cats and I a free room, but that’s a 10 hour drive. And once you leave, there’s no knowing if you’re getting back home after the storm is over. Roads are often closed after a hurricane, and travel prohibited.

Even if you do get back home, it’s likely you won’t have power or water for a while.

I see more Florida license plates on the interstate on my drive to work than I do my own state’s. People are frantically flocking north.

I don’t blame them. When I was a kid, I lived through a Cat 4 hurricane, Hugo. It was no joke.

My family always said if another Cat 4 came through here, they were leaving the state. That almost became a reality with Irma.

Uncertainty.

It’s the worst part of it all. It’s no one’s fault. Hurricanes are a churning mass of chaos — no one really knows where they will end up.

That makes it hard to get people to safety in time. One wobble could send it more west or east. A last moment turn south for Hugo, for example, had it hitting Charleston rather than Myrtle Beach. A direct hit on Myrtle Beach may have meant the difference between my family’s home still existing or not.

These storms are massive. Big as a state. It’s sometimes hard to imagine that when all we are watching is the path of the eye.

And Irma is now looking to scrape up the entire side of Florida as a Cat 4. The path has shifted, and it doesn’t look like we are going to get a direct hit. Not unless a crazy wobble sends it more east again.

But man. Florida and Georgia.

With Irma coming up from the south, there’s little room for escape. You can’t just “go inland.” This thing may swallow Florida whole.

People like you and me are on the road right now, having left behind everything they own. They are going to be without power and water, and may not be able to get back home for days or weeks… to even know what damage was done to their homes.

So if you can, give a little time, money and prayer to these people, and those still suffering the aftermath of Harvey.

If nothing else, roll a lalafell tomorrow.

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