hurricane matthew

Special report -The Hurricane

There had been dire predictions of a major storm beginning early in the week. Many of us thought that because of Katrina, the government is afraid of being blamed for another disaster like that and were over-stating the danger. Yet, the warnings were ominous. Schools, businesses, events began canceling on Wednesday. By Thursday, there was a voluntary evacuation, especially for the island where I live, and by Friday, it had become a mandatory evacuation for all of Chatham county. Wednesday evening, Donna and I (fortified with lots of wine) made the decision to leave on Thursday morning. Sylvia and Charles had coincidentally rented a cabin west of Augusta for a week, and invited us to go there while the evacuation was in place. It's a grand thing that they opened their cabin to us, because there were absolutely no hotels with available rooms in FL, GA or SC. It's funny what you pack when you have little time, have had way too much wine, and don't know if anything you have will still be there when you get back again. Because all my Bills t-shirts were handy, they went in the luggage. Not knowing if I'd have access to my condo, I tried to take everything I needed for Europe – tickets, passport (which I had removed from my lockbox because of the trip to Europe, and it was in a pile of stuff in the bedroom), all my underwear. I packed as many clothes as I could. The hardest to leave behind were the old family photos that were my mother's, all my nutcrackers, and (unintentionally) my list of all my passwords. We left about 10:30 am. I was a basket case. As I said good by to other residents of Building 5, Donna was shaking her head and trying to think of how she could possibly leave me behind and escape both the hurricane and me.

There was little traffic, and we were amazed. We left a little sooner than most evacuees, and we took a different route; while everyone would take major highway I16 west to Atlanta, we went north and west on less well known routes. It was still just unbelievable that there were few other cars on the roads. Charles telephoned to say the Sylvia was in the ER in a hospital close to Lincolnton, and they didn't know quite what was going on. He encouraged us to still come, and by this time, we were out of options. We hoped for the best and continued on. When we got to Lincolnton, Sylvia was at the cabin, not the hospital, but was not feeling well. She wasn't able to get out of the bed for the whole time we were there because of dizziness. You really know who your friends are when things like this happen: Donna for putting up with me in the car not knowing if I was going to vomit at any minute and trying to keep me amused, and Sylvia and Charles for opening the vacation home to a couple of orphans who had no place else to go when she was not even able to get out of bed.    

where's the traffic, where's the rain???

the cabin, our refuge from the storm

Friday, I continued to panic. The “what ifs” were driving me crazy. What if the bridges to Whitemarsh Island were washed away and I never was able to get home? What if my car was destroyed and her last memory was being abandoned in the parking lot at MP? What if snakes and vermin were seeking dry ground in my condo? What if my building collapsed? What if I can't get to Europe? I had visions of my stuffed buffaloes being blown around my living room amid broken window glass and all my Stouffers mac and cheese dinners rotting. To tried to keep myself occupied with other things. Because there was wifi at the cabin, I got online and booked a few museum visits for Amsterdam. I got tickets to the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum and the VanGogh museum. I wasn't able to print anything, so I'm trusting that the e-tickets will work. In the afternoon, Charles suggested that Donna and I tour the Alexander Stephens home in nearby Crawford, GA. Stephens was the vice president of the confederacy during the Civil War, and his home is now a state park. It was about an hour until we got there, and it was worth the visit. We stopped at an IGA and got a few things for supper, and then cooked when we returned. The storm was approaching Savannah, and we were all wondering about how bad it would be and about the safety of friends we know had not evacuated. Because of fb, email, and texting, we had communication with many while we were away, and we took advantage of that. But it was still very unsettling when we went to bed that night, wondering what the news would be in the morning.  

Alexander Stephens historic home

When I woke up (again and again all night long), I was learning that things in Savannah were not nearly as bad as what had been warned. I heard that there was no damage to my building at MP. There were trees down all through the city, but most had fallen in empty lots or the squares or in roadways, but they avoided landing directly on homes, and only a few buildings and cars were damaged. Some damage was being done by flooding but not a lot (and because I'm on the second story, I was ok). Debris and fallen trees were blocking many streets and roads. Power outages were everywhere. I was able to breathe again, and now we just began waiting to return. It was frustrating, as it seemed that although the storm was past, we wouldn't be able to get home again soon. News was that no one was allowed to enter Chatham County until further notice, and then there would be roadblocks requiring you to show ID to verify that you lived in the county and were entering legitimately. Knowing that your home is there, but you are not certain about what condition it's in, and not being able to get there and see for yourself is frustrating!

Through all this, Charles was watching the World Series (or whatever baseball is being played now), not football. So I guess I'm going to have to be a Red Sox fan to honor him. And I fell in love with the puppies, Millie and Rupert. They are King Charles Cavaliers, and cute as can be. I DO NOT like dogs, but these two kept my mind off other things, and gave me happy smiles all the time. And about the cabin – it was lovely, who wouldn't be happy to evacuate there? But a couple of things: 1) I have a walk-in shower at my condo, so to get into a claw foot tub, which is on a raised platform, to take a shower was an acrobatic feat, and 2) what kind of place has measuring cups in case you want to bake, but no corkscrew in case you want to drink?  

Rupert and Millie

When I woke up Sunday morning, I was sure we would not be home until Monday because the city was still closed. They were certainly between a rock and a hard place – don't allow citizens to return and at the next evacuation, they won't leave; or allow people back when roads are impassible and risk having traffic jams, danger, and even more frustration if they can't get to their homes. Then we heard that the city was scheduled to re-open at 5 pm. There was still a curfew imposed, and we would have to be off the roads by dark, but we decided to risk it. Donna and I said goodbye to Charles, Sylvia and the puppies, and started to the coast just before noon. We got lost a couple of times, but for the most part, we did all right avoiding major highways that we believed would be bumper to bumper. The closer we got to Savannah, the more trees we saw that were down, and the more signals lights that were out. We saw a food truck set up in a parking lot, offering hot food and coffee. We also saw someone selling bags of ice from the back of a truck. Luckily, we had filled the gas tank about half way to Savannah, because gas stations were all closed. Billboards had been blown away, trees had fallen across wires or been uprooted, and there was a lot of debris in the road. But we pressed on. We were on route 21 and doing well, but just as we tried to get across I95, we were turned back and directed onto 95 South. We thought that highway would be packed, but it was surprisingly free of traffic. As we approached the I16 exit, there was a portable sign stating that the exit was closed, but it was not blocked off, so we took it. Good plan, because that led us right to where we wanted to be! Branches, Spanish moss, downed trees and all sorts of storm damage were in all the streets, but many crews had been working furiously to remove as much as they could. In some places on Victory Drive, a lane would be closed and we would have to veer around the damage, and all signal lights were not working, but we made it! As we got closer to home, the last obstacle would be the bridge over the Wilmington River – would we be able to get over it, or would it be closed off? What a welcome sight to see it open! Amazing – almost no traffic, no security roadblocks, no requests for ID, no blocked roadways, and we were HOME!  

a tree fallen in Victory Drive, one of many

the bridge is open - almost HOME!

Few things have ever looked so good to me as the the sight of my little car waiting for my return, in front of my undamaged condo! I didn't have electricity, but since I'd believed on Thursday that I would not have a place to live when I returned, I was unbelievably happy with what I saw. There was damage at MP, with a few big trees, and many smaller trees uprooted, but overall, it was good. I walked around a bit and met with some neighbors who had stuck it out. They reported that it was frightening, but in the end, not as bad as what was predicted. I thought I might be without power for days and was preparing for life in the dark with no tv or internet (I could charge my phone and pad in the car), and toyed briefly with the idea of going to Coach's to watch the games, because I'd noticed they were open when we drove past. Buffalo played in California, so the game was on, but I decided I was so glad to be home, and so delighted that everything was ok, I stayed put. And that there were things I should do before the sun went down and I was cast into total darkness. Thanks to Marcia Lloyd, who was texting me with the play by play, I knew the Bills had attained a glorious win! About 10 pm, as I was thinking about trying to get some sleep on the couch, the lights came on! They flickered a few times and then stayed on! This is better than I had hoped! Although I could have watched the debate, I felt I had suffered enough in the last few days, and didn't turn it on.

Safely home, power restored, and a great win for Buffalo! Talk about an amazing evening, something very different that what I ever would have thought when I got up that morning!  

Best Thing I'd Ever Seen

but not all of MP was as lucky as Building 5