I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast. Dealing with hurricanes has been a part of my life from day one. I can well remember my daddy taping up the windows of the house. I remember asking him if that would keep the windows from breaking and him replying that it wouldn't, but would keep glass from flying everywhere. I remember having to pick up everything in the yard that could become a wind driven missile. I remember my mother filling the bathtub with water so we would have safe drinking water. Later on, we would fill 2 liter coke bottles with water. I remember having to hunt down the hurricane lamps, and finding the candles. I remember taking a bath by lamplight. I remember my dad turning over the swingset to minimize the damage it would cause. I remember Highway 87 between Sabine Pass and High Island being washed out by a hurricane. I remember them fixing it, only to have it washed out by another hurricane the very next summer. I remember cutting our beach vacation short one year, only to discover that if we'd left just an hour or two later, the roads would have been flooded and we would have been stranded down there.
I remember Allen. I remember David. I remember Gilbert. I remember Camille.
When I was a kid, I thought hurricanes were exciting and kinda fun. I didn't know enough to be scared.
Now I know better.
In all my life, I don't think I've ever seen a storm this big.
Freakin' thing stretches from Dallas to Cuba.Certain death. That's what the warning is to Galveston residents, should they choose to stay. Most people have left already.
B and J once again have a house full of evacuees. J's parents are still here. They came for Gustav, and when they saw what Ike was developing in to, they decided to stay. B's parents and her sister and bro in law are also here. I gotta go visit them here in a little bit. I haven't seen them in years.
When Katrina was on her way to New Orleans, one weatherman said a statement that I will never forget. I think it bears repeating here.
"God help you if you don't get out now."
At least this time, people are listening.
.
4 comments:
In all my life, I don't think I've ever seen a storm this big.
You're not alone. One of The WX Channel's "severe weather" experts said exactly the same thing last evening... adding that he's been in The Biz for over 30 years. This storm is absolutely awesome, and not in a good way.
You know I saw on the news that some people weren't evacuating because they didn't want to deal with the traffic. Let's see.. my life or traffic irritation. Geez.
opal - I gather that it wasn't traffic irritation, per se. Rather, the last time this area was evacuated it was such a mess that people were getting caught by the hurricane still sitting on the road in their cars. If it comes right down to it, you're safer in a house than in a car on average.
Of course, my reaction to that would be to leave earlier the next time, rather than not leave, but it's not a completely weird reaction.
Buck, so true.
Opal, it wasn't so much irritation as people being stuck on the highways, like Cindy said. During the evacuation for Rita three years ago, traffic was stalled for hours, and people were running out of gas and stuff. Then when the storm hit, they were just out there in the open. No shelter or anything. Very vulnerable.
Cindy, it seems they did a better job of evacuating this time.
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