prytaniawaterline.com Blog

My source is Libra the Weather Dog, when her tail is between her legs like that bad weather is on the way. She is much better at predicting severe weather than any proffesional meteorologist.

Mobile Al. Aug 31,2008 5:00 Pm

Gustav has arrived at 5:00 pm on the dot heavy rains and wind started here. It has been breezy most of the day, this is the first of the rain bands and it is really coming down. I have a couple of videos but I am having trouble uploading it my connection is by satellite and the weather is messing with it. I would guess the wind was about 40 mph and the rain came down at a very heavy rate. It lasted about 5 minutes and now it is dead calm. The storm is passing south of Mobile right about now. People are prepared here, but not panicked. We filled a 20 gallon drum with gasoline for the generator this morning. I will upload the vids whe I can get a reliable connection which could be a while.

As I left town last night the circumstances were very different from my evacuation after Katrina. Yesterday I decided I was going to leave late in the afternoon, I cleaned the refriderator carefully packed a weeks worth of clothes, tooth brush everything but the deodorant. I even brought my favorite guitar just in case something happens and I lose all my stuff. The other big difference was when I packed I had light and was not rushing madly to get out of town.

After Katrina I thought I had packed so carefully, I wound up packing two pait of shorts four pair of underwear, and the shirt on my back. Only after I got out of town did I realize that I did not have what I needed.

Last night it took me three hours to get to the twin spans, the night after Katrina there was no traffic on the road.

Last night I left town with a feeling of indifference, three years ago I left town with a feeling of sadness.

I have changed in the last three years, I believe for the better. The lesson is that we can take negative events in our lives and use the experience to grow , instead of using them to hold ourselves back or take the joy from our lives.

Now I know why I don’t evacuate for hurricanes, eight hours of bumper to bumper traffic. I rode out Katrina and the experience was not nearly as awful as evacuating east on I-10. One thing about traveling I-10 at 10 miles per hour is that you get to see thing that you don’t notice when yu drive 70 MPH. I had a conversation with a women in the car along side of me for about two miles of the three hour exit from New Orleans. There was a pick up truck with teenagers in the back singing gospel songs. From Slidell to Biloxi I was behind a car with a dvd player in the back the kids were watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. I got to watch most of it the kid in the back seat kept blocking my view with her head.

I left at 8:00 pm and arrived at 3:45 am I am having a drink writing a post and hoping that my home town isn’t ruined by this storm. I am not upset or even anxious. This is something I have no control over so there is no point in wasting my valuable emotional energy. Hope everyone is safe, and I hope we will all be home soon.

The Guvna is in the middle of his press conference, he just said something I found interesting. He said that the RTA reported at the current pace that only ten thousand people of an estimated 30,000 that may need assistance will be taken out today. Unless there is a surge of folks who get to the Bus/train station a lot of people with little means may be left here. Hopefully this thing will slide further west and not bitch slap the city. But at this time I would say it is still a crap shoot.

There are two of us left in the block, one of us is at Cooter Brown’s and it isn’t me. The neighborhood reminds me of the city when I returned after Katrina and the Flood. A lot of people have already left. Unless something changes I will probably head towards Mobile late Saturday night early Sunday morning. If the track looks like it moves west a little more then I might wait until Sunday after the mandatory evacuation is called at eight am tomorrow morning.

I don;t see a lot of panic but the media is rather hysterical, and I don’t mean in a funny way. Their projections and constant rehashing of what we already know gets quite annoying. I still consider my decision my own and will pull the trigger when I want to. With the early birds leaving town traffic tomorrow may not be as bad as other contra flow events. Hopefully the city assisted evacutaions are going as well as officials say it is. Being someone who has means to leave town, and have a comfortable place to stay I feel for those who have to depend on government to get them out of dodge. The Guvna PBJ will give a news conference at five we will see what he has to say.

Deserted Hood

I am playing a waiting game of watching the weather, and ready to go if I have to. I don’t want to go and if current projections hold out I should be ok. I still have time to make up my mind but at this point it is too early for me to make a decision. I have taken care of the housr on Prytania St. got my laundry done, picked up needed supplies. (except batteries ). I have a bunch of rechageable that are charged I just don’t know where I put them when I moved. The neighbors in the old neighborhood and my next door neighbor in my new neighborhood are staying or haven’t made up their minds. If I have to go I have a full tank of gas and know the hassle it might be to get out at the last minute. I am willing to deal with it. For the first time in years I am facing a possible hurricane hit being only resposible for myself. It makes a big difference in the anxiety level.

As I drove to the other house this morning there were quite a few people who live on Tchoupitoulas St who were packing their cars and leaving. The assisted evacuations are taking place across the Metro area. Is it an over reaction? I don’t think so no one wants a bunch of stranded people in the city. Cell phone craziness has already started, I was talking to a friend who has evacuated to Hammond to be with her daughters. While speaking to her I wound up on a conversation with two other cell users. It was kind of funny they were surprised and said who are you? I replied who are you? I will post later on what I do, right now I am hanging tight. I have seen too many of these far away projections change over time. I am in a position where I don’t have to make up my mind yet. I am prepared for multiple scenarios.