Persiflage and I live in Wilmington, NC, a city in SE North Carolina. As I write this we are experiencing gusty wind and rain and I can hear the surf pounding as we live close to the ocean. We are thanking our lucky stars that's all we are, or will be, getting from Sandy. But all of the news about this storm with the warnings from the NHC bring back some vivid memories for us. We've lived through several tropical storms and hurricanes and the urge to not take seriously the information provided can be the difference between life and death, maximum destruction versus minimal. Maybe if I tell you what it's like before, during and after it'll help you better prepare.
We lived across the street from the Gulf of Mexico when Hurricane Opal was making her way into the warm gulf waters. A lot of folks were like, meh, another storm. Many were all tied up in the OJ Simpson trial and simply didn't know about it. We prepared, we thought, and helped neighbors board up and such and went to bed figuring it would be upon us the next day. Much to our surprise we were awakened at 2 AM by a sheriff's megaphone telling us all that evacuation was mandatory, the storm was a category five (downgraded to a 3 an hour before landfall). So what did we do? Spent hours moving furniture to the center of the house, packed untold numbers of bags to save "stuff" and finally got on the road to Atlanta at 7 AM. It was a total nightmare traffic jam and a trip that normally took us six hours took over ten. Most of that involved literally seeing tornadoes all through the areas in which we travelled. We knew we would leave the cars (of course he was in one, me in the other) and get in a ditch if we could find one in time should we see a tornado approaching us.
We arrived in Atlanta exhausted but so happy to be at our friends' home. Imagine our surprise when we were awakened at 2 AM that morning by howling wind and the sound of branches coming down. Damned old Opal followed up right up the road and Atlanta suffered 75 mph winds and the ensuing damage. We were stuck for a few days. Luckily we found the remaining generator at Home Depot to take with us back to Florida.
The trip from hell was getting home. Huge trees down all over the interstate. But we made it. Our house made it minus the front roof which was taken right down to the plywood. We were lucky. There was flooding all over which barely missed our house. Roofs lay in the brackish lakes like fallen dominoes. The beach was covered with linoleum, cars, mattresses and other assorted items you don't normally see on a beach.
We hunkered down, grilled food, used the generator periodically to keep the fridge from getting warm and joined with our neighbors to help each other. And the low points were many. No electric, water or sewer for over two weeks. Looters to warn off. Yep, looters in a neighborhood. Taking free ice from a semi, trying to pay for it and crying when told no need to pay, it was brought in for all. Yes, I cried because I didn't want to take something for free that I could afford if it meant less for someone else. I was reassured there was plenty.
We were dirty, tired, sick to death of pain, destruction and not having sewer. I can make do with no water or electric but when you are using a human version of a litter box for your daily constitutional, well, let's just say it is fugly.
The night I heard the power truck I ran outside to offer them food. Anything they wanted or needed. We got our power back after two weeks but still couldn't drink the water, in fact we were warned not to bathe in it. We did finally get the sewer back. Bye bye litter box!
When we get hurricane warnings now we over prepare. I'm sure the neighbors think we're nuts and I don't care. Because if we over prepare ourselves we're in that much better a position if the worst happens.
Sandy is, as has been well and widely reported, not just a hurricane. It's a hurricane meeting a nor'easter head on. A great big weirdness. But it's real and the aftermath will be brutal.
I talked with my cousin in the Philadelphia area last night and she was poo-pooing all the "readiness" reporting. When I got off the phone with her she was going to fill the bath tub, go get bottled water and make other preparations as advised.
Read and heed diaries like these and you'll be okay. Maybe not comfortable or happy but okay. If you need to evacuate, don't hesitate, do it. Your life is of utmost importance, not your stuff.
Above all, pay attention, be safe and stay in touch. We'll be waiting to know you're alright, every last one of you.