Even as tropical depression Erin further drenches already drenched southeastern Texas, and even as I extend my sympathy to the one who died and to those who are flooding there, I'm selfishly keeping my eye on Hurricane Dean, which is headed for the Gulf of Mexico.
We've had a quiet, hot summer so far, with no hurricane worries, yet. I don't think about hurricanes unless I must, but with Dean approaching the Gulf, must-think-about-it time has arrived.
We are fortunate to own the small farm where Grandpère grew up, northwest of Baton Rouge, with two small houses in place, where we can squeeze in our extended family, all of whom must evacuate in the event of a storm coming our way. We have two generators, so we can keep a refrigerator and a few other outlets running in each house if we lose power there. Thank God that we don't have to worry about getting reservations for a place to stay.
The main decision is when to leave to beat the worst of the traffic. Last minute departure won't do, or you face the likelihood of being stuck in traffic when the storm arrives. The next decision is what to take with us. I still have not decided that. When we evacuated for Katrina, I took a few pairs of shorts and shirts, my toiletries, some important papers, and little else. Had the storm destroyed our house, we would have had very few of our possessions with us. The decision about what to take seems so huge to me, that I tend to give up, with the result that I throw a few things into the car, willy-nilly, and end up taking very little beyond essentials required for a short trip.
I pray, even as I wonder what to pray for. Do I pray that the hurricane goes somewhere else? Of course not. Do I even believe that God directs the path of hurricanes? Probably not. The prayer has to do with making a connection with God in a time of impending danger. In the end, I believe that the prayer is for me. I pray for God to keep us safe, to guide us to make proper decisions, and to give us strength if we need it.
For now, we watch and wait.
UPDATE: I'm changing the tracking map as a new map becomes available.
Those are the prayers I pray, Mimi. If I believed that God COULD stop the hurricane and didn't, I'm afraid I couldn't worship Him anymore...
ReplyDeleteAnd if it were me, I'd take the family photos...
Doxy, yes, the pictures. But which family pictures? We have albums and albums of our family along with framed old pictures of ancestors. The number boggles the mind.
ReplyDeleteGrandmère, One thing I would do is scan as many family photographs as possible into my computer--get them in some kind of digital form that could be printed out later. Also, ZipLoc bags--double layered, for photos that must be left and then into waterproof plastic storage bins. Of course nothing will help in case of a direct hit, but layers of sealed plastic can certainly prevent a great deal of damage from rising water. ZipLoc now comes in truly gigantic sizes and there are those bags that you vacuum seal with your vacuum cleaner. They would probably keep water out also.
ReplyDeleteFor photographs that are damaged, I have seen some pretty remarkable restorations done with a scanner and a really basic version of PhotoShop or some similar programs.
Boocat, the scanning is a good idea, but it probably will not happen. The zip-loc bags are an excellent idea and actually could happen. Thanks for the ideas.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you that you won't have to evacuate. Don't forget your identity papers like baptismal certificate and passport or anything else.
ReplyDeleteCaminante, we've got the papers gathered in a briefcase to make the trip. The storm won't even reach the Gulf until Wednesday, I believe, and we have no idea, as of now, which direction the storm will take. But once the weather folks say it's going into the Gulf, I take notice.
ReplyDeleteMy weather man is giving a pretty low chance of Dean hitting NO. More likely South Texas/Northern Mexico. Either way Grandmere Mimi, I hope you and those you love are safe.
ReplyDeleteI've been working out the particulars of getting my own life digitized so that, theoretically, I could put a zip drive in my backpack and be done with it.
Lindy
Lindy, it does look better for us today, and worse for Texas and Mexico.
ReplyDeleteBut from my experience, it's too early to say with certainty where the storm will go. Once it's in the Gulf, the direction could change. As the forecast is now somewhat different from a couple of days ago, it could change again over the next few days. Predictions are more reliable once the hurricane nears landfall, but, by then, if you're going, you should already have already left. All we can do for now is wait and see and be ready.
Thanks all for the advice and good wishes.
Grandmère Mimi, Of course, it goes without saying, I am praying for you and all who might feel Dean's awful wrath. You are so right. You can never tell what one of those things will do once it enters the Gulf. It matters not what the Weather Service predicts with all of its science. (Although, in all fairness, they do a remarkable job most of the time.)
ReplyDeleteBoocat, they do the best that they can do. We are blessed to have a place to go where we won't drown. Even now I'm hearing that folks are trying to make reservations and are having to go quite a distance to find them.
ReplyDeleteEven if the storm would turn out to be a direct hit where we are evacuating to, we would be well positioned to move further on.