A few days before Hurricane Irma made landfall on the U.S. mainland, the powerful storm was forecast to strike the southeast coast of Florida, where my wife and I are raising our young family. While both my wife and I are South Florida natives and therefore familiar with the usual threats of hurricane season, the prospect of a category 5 hurricane heading straight for us was extremely unnerving. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for others, the storm turned west of us before making its way north.