On the Road
No doubt many of you saw pictures of gridlock in New Orleans once the city finally called for an evacuation. A mass exodus on that scale simply overwhelms roads.One lesson we learned during the last evacuation, during Hurricane Ivan in 2004, was that it's a waste of time and gas to evacuate during daylight hours. At that time, it took us 13-1/2 hours to drive to Houston because of traffic - normally a six to seven hour run. We had heard reports that people who left at night escaped such delays.
Thus, in addition to having a plan, we had a strategy. We would pack the essentials, nap, then leave under cover of darkness - in the middle of the night.
Indeed, we sailed northwest past the major bottleneck - a mere two lane bridge across the mighty Mississippi River in Baton Rouge in record time. Once past, we alternated between cat naps and sprints of one or two hours of drive time. The plan was simple: stay ahead of those who would flee in the morning once the evacuation order was called.
As we approached Alexandria, mid-morning on Sunday, we heard reports on the radio that the interstate leaving The Big Easy had become a parking lot. We were the lucky ones, out ahead of the pack and driving a Honda Civic gas-electric hybrid that used comparably little fuel.
Emotionally, we were wrecks. Reports on the radio were so dire that we had to switch it off in favor of some calming classical pablum. Anything to soothe the nerves.
Though our stomachs were in knots, we stopped at a convenience store for juice. Behind the counter, a large television confronted us with images of the storm, massive and bearing down on New Orleans with category five winds clocked at 175 miles per hour (282 kilometers).
My whole body convulsed, and I almost puked right on the floor. It was all I could do to hand the juice off to Mom and run outside for some fresh air.
posted by CP for Ragan @ 11:10 AM
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