Thursday, October 6, 2016

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Is that song in your head now? Sorry, but I hate having this kind of thing happen to me without some company. So, I guess that's sorry, not sorry? What does that mean anyway? Isn't it better to just not say, 'Sorry' at all?

Ok, enough tangent speak. I want to talk about the evacuation order that those of us living in the coastal counties of SC received from that governor of ours. Not that it was a bad idea. We do have an awful amount of transplants living here and they have no idea about such things as hurricanes. Those of us who have been here for decades and experienced the likes of hurricane Hugo look at these storms from a different point of view.

What the 'been there, done that' folks say:
  • the path of a hurricane will change numerous times before finally doing what it's going to do. So, evacuating on Tuesday evening, Wednesday, or Thursday does not seem necessary for most of us. Point in case, when we awoke on Wednesday morning, hurricane Matthew had shifted to the east which is just what we wanted it to do.
  • we can handle winds up to a cat 3 storm. I know this because I know plenty of folks who stayed during Hugo. We did not. We left because I had 3 little kiddos. And having little kids changes a lot of things. We went to my grandmother's house in the upstate and still had 70 mph winds AND got a tree on the house. Our house, which is only 3.1 miles from the beach, was fine. Go figure. A little later Wednesday morning, Matthew was predicted to be a cat 2 and staying further off the coast. See? They change a lot.
  • if we were going to get a cat 4, direct hit, it's a good idea to go inland. No question.
  • if you live on a barrier island, LEAVE. That storm surge is brutal.
  • if you're going to evacuate, try not to leave when everyone else and his brother is going. Leave before or after. But remember, there is a window for leaving. At some point, it will become too late to change your mind.
  • this is not the Charleston of the Hugo year. We have had a tremendous influx of people and most of us believe that theft and looting could very well be an issue this time around.
  • if you don't get a direct hit, you can get some fabulous pictures of a most interesting sky. If you do get a direct hit and you're out there with your camera, you're an idiot. Or a reporter.
  • regardless of how strong or what part you get, there will be morons in the ocean, surfing. You can get pictures of them too.
  • you must KNOW the back roads. This is the way we travel whether there's a hurricane coming or not. But, during an evacuation, these are the less crowded paths.
  • changes can drive you nuts as you flip flop between 'we're good' and 'we're out'. 
  • if you do evacuate, buy the water and bread when you reach your destination so that those of us who stay will have some. We did this during Hugo and the shelves were stocked in the upstate.
  • don't get too caught up in the excitement of the weather dudes and dudettes. They're just excited because they get to report something other than, 'it's hot.'
  •  if you are nervous, just go. There's no reason to stay and be stressed out. For me, leaving is more stressful. Unless it's a cat 4 and we're taking a direct hit. Then the storm becomes more stressful to me. :)
  • if we're really, really lucky, perhaps the influx of transplants will become a permanent outflux. Haha! Seriously, though. 
And, seriously, DO NOT POST YOUR EVAC PLANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. It amazes me that I feel the need to post this at all. If you're leaving during a hurricane, don't post it for all to see. Private message, text, call, whatever, but DO NOT POST YOUR EVAC PLANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I can't tell y'all the number of people (teachers and parents from the school where I PREACHED AND PREACHED about online safety) who posted when they left and where they were going. Some of them even posted pictures of their packed cars. When you do this, it's not just the hurricane damage you have to worry about. Post vacation pix, evacuation plans, etc. WHEN YOU RETURN.

Shouldn't that be common sense at this point?

We won't be leaving. I'm just not feeling it. We're prepared- food, water, generator, cars full of gas, board games... I also have a Halloween craft project that I have stopped working on so that the family can work on it while we're sitting around the house. Smart thinking, eh?

Meanwhile---




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10 comments:

  1. Pam, this is such an informative and interesting post, especially for those of us who have to worry more about blizzards and never about hurricanes. Your last point should seem unnecessary, shouldn't it, but you're right, people post when they're going to be gone. They might as well advertise that they want looters! Great post!! Stay safe and duck at the right time. xo

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    1. I was shocked at how many people posted their plans. They even posted pictures from the road! I hope no one takes advantage of those empty houses. Now that it's known to the social media world. We're all set to stay and everything should be fine. We'll know for sure by Sunday. Ha! Now, blizzards? I'd need a list of dos and don'ts for those. Like, don't be in one? LOL Thank you, Judy!

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  2. We're staying too! Praying for all of us in Matthew's path. Keep us posted as you can. I guess we'll feel him here before you get him up there. And now Nicole is a hurricane too. Be safe!

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    1. You do the same. I hope he decides to go right and stay away from all people. Y'all be safe, too. Talk to you on the flip side. :)

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  3. I was watching the news and I am so glad you wrote this. I have often wondered how you decide. It seems to me that the news makes a far bigger deal out of these things than they used too when I was young. When we were young they would say, oh look well, stay safe. I don't know if people just don't know how to act. Anyway stay safe. I am thinking of you.

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    1. They do, most of the time. However, that darn thing has turned to the west which means it's a bit more scary at this point. Still sitting here, though. At some point, we'll be stuck so it's time to poo or get off the pot (something my grandmother said only she used the 's' word...LOL) Thank you! I'll keep everyone posted. Should make for an interesting blog post. Ha! I've just got my old time gospel playlist set up on Spotify and will be singing until this passes!

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  4. Last night (Friday) it looked like your area was going to get a good size storm surge. Those flooded streets in FL looked bad. But you know your place and what is between you and the water. Hopefully you had an OK night and Saturday will be fine.

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    1. I trusted my gut and we stayed. It's all over now and it wasn't nearly as bad as they said it would be. But that's par for the course around here. Of course, that's just our area of town, I have no idea about other areas and there are other parts of the county that get flooded when we have a drizzle. There is no damage to us or our home. :) Thanks!

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  5. Read your comment to Bill Lisleman and glad that all is well.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It makes me feel connected to everyone even though we may live far apart! Have a wonderful day!

 
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