Tuesday, September 14, 2004

What To Do About Ivan

Option #1: Stay

I've never evacuated from a hurricane zone before, so why start now?

We live in a 150-year-old house that's survived numerous hurricanes, including one of the biggest ever to hit the city directly, and it's still standing.

At the moment, Ivan is expected to hit a good distance to the east, meaning not only that we're on the "good side" of the hurricane (for those who've never been through one, the east side of a hurricane gets the brutal first wave of storms as they spin counterclockwise off the Gulf), but that we stand a chance--albeit slim--of missing the bulk of the storm altogether.

The only place I could feasibly go in an evacuation is Mississippi, which will likely get hit just as badly as New Orleans.

The highways are jammed: to get anywhere reasonably safe (i.e. two hours to the west), I'd have to spend at least six hours on the road with car full of three dogs, a cat, numerous suitcases, and one slightly grouchy boyfriend.

For months now, we've been planning a very special trip out of town for a very special event, and if we leave, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to get back in time for our flight out Friday morning.

I want to teach myself to bake, and since I have a gas stove and several days off from work, what better to do?

Option #2: Go

Even though the temperatures aren't as brutal as they've been, living without power for any stretch of time (which is a near certainty at this point) is no fun in New Orleans.

Between the lack of air conditioning and the nervous clatter of our dog Ruffin's nails on the hardwood floor as he scurries from hiding place to hiding place, sleeping tomorrow night won't be easy.

My dad's house is newer and loses power less frequently than ours.

There's always a first time for everything--including hurricane evacuation.

Well, the "stays" outweigh the "gos," so I guess we'll be sticking around. Just don't be surprised if I'm quiet for a couple of days.

Wish us luck.

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