Hello Dolly!

Today, I'm celebrating because I'm far north of Hurricane Dolly's path!

It's that time of year -- hurricane season. I remember those years of my life on the Gulf Coast so well. I've actually experienced four hurricanes -- there was one additional one, but I was a mere infant and do not recall the experience. You often hear of those crazy people who don't leave the coast -- and celebrate the experience. Well, there have never been any hurricane parties at our house. It's a time focused on preparation, recovery, and survival -- until things return to a normal state. I would party tonight, celebrating that I am nowhere near it. However, both my Mom and brother live in the Valley, right in the path of Dolly. Thankfully, neither are there now. My Mom is at the family farm, far away from the path of Dolly. My brother is vacationing in Mexico. Even though they are at a very safe distance, we all can't help but think about what should be done to prepare their homes for Dolly. My Mom has a very nice neighbor who has helped with those chores around the exterior of the home. Hopefully the rain will be farther north and all the drains work properly so that the water does not rise high enough to enter the garage or the sunroom into the house.

Here's my story of the hurricanes in my life:

Katrina
We all went home to the family farm for my Dad's funeral and got stuck there. Before we even realized it, the storm was approaching and had reached category 5 level. I, of course, wanted to leave. The farm house was full of family and guests. My brother, who had also driven cross-country, quickly gathered his family and things and drove north to escape. My other brother and his family, who had riden with me, jumped in the van with them to leave. Mom refused to leave -- she had guests and just could not walk out. Plus, she knew that we had survived several hurricanes in the past. What was I to do? Drive off without her? Leaving her there alone? I could not. She was naive, thinking we could leave in a couple of days to go home. She obviously had forgotten the challenges people experience after hurricanes. Since we were staying at the farm house (only used during vacations), there was very little in the pantry. There was a little food remaining from the funeral, but mostly cakes. (You think you can live on cake forever, until that is all you have!) I rushed to the local grocer 7 miles away and bought 5 cans of food that I found and some Ding-Dongs for the two of us, knowing that it would not be enough. We would need to rely totally on the generosity of our extended family.

We waited the storm out at the local high school library with some other family members. The hallways of the high school were lined with hundreds of others seeking safety from the storm. They had battery-operated portable radios and televisions. Those televisions won't work soon, due to the conversion to HD planned in 2009. Many had their inflated portable mattresses or sleeping bags. Many also brought their own food. Unfortunately, I most remember the smell of fried bologna sandwiches as we walked through the halls trying to find the library, where my cousin had secured our place with her peer staff. Those that did not bring food, assuming the Red Cross would provide it, became restless. What little was there was not enough. Tempers began to flare. The school had already opened its refrigerators and freezers to give away its milk and ice cream. My cousin opened all the vending machines and I helped work the cash box for those who wanted to purchase snacks. After the storm passed, we then drove back home as far as we could and then climbed over the large, fallen trees and debris to get back to the farm. With the help of two cousins, we then cut a way to get our car back home.

My cousin's family graciously helped us -- sharing with us the food from their freezer that had to be eaten before it ruined. What was leftover from those early meals was carefully stored in the ice chest with the remaining ice that was melting quickly. (I hear that ice is no longer on the emergency supply list for hurricane victims -- obviously someone who has never been in a hurricane decided that!) I drove north with a cousin one day to wait in a line at Walmart for six hours to buy gas for the generator that was borrowed periodically --- to run long enough to pump for water. Waiting in that gas line was a memorable day -- we were never at a loss for words. We periodically would drive north or east closer to Mobile until we could get a signal for my cell phone to give updates to our family members. It was one of the most challenging times of my life. For some I am very grateful and for others who failed us in time of great need I am much disappointed.

Allen
I was enroute with my family to our new home in south Texas during the hurricane. My parents had been in Texas for a short while but had returned to my childhood home for my sister's wedding. Everything I owned was in my Ford Maverick in my big move to the big state of Texas and I was following my parents to their south Texas home. Dad did not want to stop -- hurrying cross country to get home. I remember driving and crossing a bridge (crazy) while water was creeping into the car through the floor before we were able to stop and find shelter. It was raining so much that I had to drive slowly, almost bumping the rear of my Dad's car to even know that they were ahead of me. My youngest brother was riding with me -- we were both terrified. At one point, stuck on the bridge, I heard someone banging on my car window -- it was my Mom who had jumped out the car ahead to join us and to drive the car. When we finally were forced to stop by military personnel who closed the freeway, we stayed the night in a hotel in Kingsville, Texas in one of the few rooms with a roof left. Dad went next door to a diner to buy food but they would only serve the military personnel and power workers. (We had some cheese in the car left over from my sister's wedding which we had just attended.) Dad then asked them just for some bread and mentioned that he had some cheese in the car that his family could eat. They felt really bad for our family and gave to him hamburgers and french fries. We finally made it home the next afternoon -- and waded through knee-deep water in the house and began the recovery. I was surprised to learn that we had water (being from the country where we could not have water until we regained electrical power for our pumps). I ended up losing many clothes as someone was able to steal our clothes from the laundromat while we turned our backs for a very short time.

Frederic
I was at college as the hurricane approached. School was dismissed and I went home to help prepare and to help with the clean-up afterward. We had one of four free-flowing water wells in the county. We sent word to the local radio station noting that we had water and it was free. Cars were lined up for hours for the free water (others with similar wells would charge for it). My little brothers offered to carry water to cars -- and they tipped them. They were under 10 years old and very excited about the tips.

Camille
About twenty family members waited out this storm at our house. It was very frightening. The howling wind was so loud that we never would have heard an approaching tornado. My Mom was 8 months pregnant with my youngest brother -- and had been confined to bed for the last few months. She had been rushed to the hospital several times in the past -- and once the hurricane hit, it would have been impossible to get her there in an emergency. She should have gone to the hospital before that storm, but did not. We were without electricity for 3 weeks afterwards, cooking on the grill and the Coleman stove. I hauled water from the overflow well to the house daily. It was not unusual to be standing at our free-flowing well (loading water to carry to the house, washing our hair) and people drive up for the free water that we gave away.

Top ten reasons you know there's a hurricane churning off the coast in the Gulf:

• you get off work early -- but to hurry home to get into hurricane survival mode
• there's a constant weather update shown on the TV
• there is a rush for generators and propane gas at the local home improvement store
• the windows of homes and businesses are being boarded
• you can't find any batteries, canned food, bread, bottled water, or ice at the grocery store
• all the candles and lanterns are pulled out of storage
• all the available containers in your house are filled with water
• all the tubs are filled to the brim with water
• there's a traffic jam on that typically lonely highway headed north
• there's a stack of hurricane tracking maps on the table

Image credit: David J Phillip, AP