The Hemingway Museum (FL Keys), its curator, staff, and all 56 cats made it through Irma.

[Honeycombe8]

The Hemingway Museum's curator decided to stay to care for the museum, incl. its cats, and also took in local staff who live in low lying areas.

The Museum, Hemingway's old house, is made of stone, sits on a site that is 16' above sea level, is 2 story, and has a concrete basement (storm shelter?). The house has three generators to handle a/c and refrigeration. They all stayed in the basement and made it through just fine, per the curator, although are without power and internet.

The house was built in the 1850s and made it through numerous hurricanes over the years. So it was with Irma.

[HipChick]

1. Prob have Cuba to thank

[Honeycombe8]

5. Some architect built it in the 1850s, I think? n

[cwydro]

2. I was confident they'd be ok.

Despite all the snarky comments in a previous thread before the hurricane hit.

[snooper2]

3. Yeah the bragging ass was on CNN- This house is so awesome it is a fortress!

All hyped up and happy and bragging about how they can go through anything blah blah...meanwhile houses around them getting slammed

[LisaM]

4. It may be that it's built to withstand hurricanes, and all the houses there should be, too.

Whenever there's an earthquake in countries with no building codes, you see a lot more casualties than in places where they are.

From what I hear, building codes in Florida were also stiffened considerably after Hurricane Andrew, and perhaps we are now seeing the benefits of those rigorous codes.

[Honeycombe8]

8. That's the thing. This was a house built in the 1850s of stone, to withstand hurricanes & floods.

It has a storm room, even. In the ground, which is amazing.

Most houses can't be built like that, of course, because of the cost. And the house is built 16' above sea level, which isn't possible for much of lower FL. Still, I guess the curator knew what he was talking about.

And NOW, they can start getting the place in shape, whereas if he had evacuated, he wouldn't be able to get in for who knows how long.

[Honeycombe8]

6. He was right. That's not bragging. That's stating a fact. Why the hostility to that? ???nt

[joeybee12]

7. Yah!

Knr

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. yea! I was worried about them.

But that house has endured for many storms.

Evacuating 54 cats would be difficult.

[hamsterjill]

10. I was wondering about the cats.

Polydactyls, many of them.

Glad to know that all, both human and feline, are safe.