The Mama's first hurricane
So Rita is now a category 4 storm and people are getting the hell out of town. Wish I were going with them. I am required to work on Friday and maybe on Sunday if the building is still standing, and so cannot evacuate until after my shift on Friday. The plan is to go to a shelter on Huntsville and bunk down with the other schlubs like me who got stuck working on Friday.
But I shouldn't complain. I really love my job and I care about what happens to those people. I work in dialysis and the people need that or they will die. I'm sure their worries are bigger than mine. So I'll take it like a big girl, do my job then worry about saving my bacon later.
We first got word last night that the hurricane was in the gulf and heading our way. We went to Walmart to stock up on emergency supplies, but unfortunately the other 23,000 people in this town heard about the hurricane too and beat us to the store. Today everyone was glued to the television watching the storm swirling towards us, wondering where it's going to hit for sure. I'd like to with it would go someplace else, but that just means a whole different population of people will experience destruction and misery and I don't want to wish that on anyone. Well, not today. Maybe the next time I'm hormonal I'll wish it on someone. Driving home was spooky. People are lining up at gas stations and ATMs. The mood is calm but I can feel the sense of panic everyone has. We are all still very much reminded of Katrina. I know I'll never be the same having watched people dying of heat exhaustion and dehydration on national television. None of us wants that happen to us, so at the authority's gentle suggestion that we evacuate, we're getting our ducks in a row and getting out of the hurricane's path.
This is my first hurricane. I was here for TS Allison and that was bad enough. I can't imagine what a category 5 storm will do Houston and surrounding areas. Many people here do remember other hurricanes that were much smaller than this one, and they aren't taking any chances. Although I live about 100 miles inland, they predict winds as high as 100 mph this far inland, and frankly I'd rather not find out what that's like. My fear is that on Friday if I do try to evacuate, the traffic will be so bad that I won't be able to get anywhere. I fear the shelter will be closed and in fact I'd heard that it is already full.
I suppose I could let myself get fired, but I really don't want to do that. I just started this job a month ago, I still have 3 weeks of dialysis training to go, and I really do want to finish it. I'm getting the hang of this job and I don't want to give it up. I suppose my life is more important, but it isn't for sure that my life is in danger right now. My boss assurred me that by Friday morning most people will have evacuated and the roads will be clear enough for us to evacuate. I hope she's right. Well, she has more experience as this sort of thing having lived here her whole life. I guess the good news is since I've never been through a hurricane before, I don't know enough to be scared.
But I shouldn't complain. I really love my job and I care about what happens to those people. I work in dialysis and the people need that or they will die. I'm sure their worries are bigger than mine. So I'll take it like a big girl, do my job then worry about saving my bacon later.
We first got word last night that the hurricane was in the gulf and heading our way. We went to Walmart to stock up on emergency supplies, but unfortunately the other 23,000 people in this town heard about the hurricane too and beat us to the store. Today everyone was glued to the television watching the storm swirling towards us, wondering where it's going to hit for sure. I'd like to with it would go someplace else, but that just means a whole different population of people will experience destruction and misery and I don't want to wish that on anyone. Well, not today. Maybe the next time I'm hormonal I'll wish it on someone. Driving home was spooky. People are lining up at gas stations and ATMs. The mood is calm but I can feel the sense of panic everyone has. We are all still very much reminded of Katrina. I know I'll never be the same having watched people dying of heat exhaustion and dehydration on national television. None of us wants that happen to us, so at the authority's gentle suggestion that we evacuate, we're getting our ducks in a row and getting out of the hurricane's path.
This is my first hurricane. I was here for TS Allison and that was bad enough. I can't imagine what a category 5 storm will do Houston and surrounding areas. Many people here do remember other hurricanes that were much smaller than this one, and they aren't taking any chances. Although I live about 100 miles inland, they predict winds as high as 100 mph this far inland, and frankly I'd rather not find out what that's like. My fear is that on Friday if I do try to evacuate, the traffic will be so bad that I won't be able to get anywhere. I fear the shelter will be closed and in fact I'd heard that it is already full.
I suppose I could let myself get fired, but I really don't want to do that. I just started this job a month ago, I still have 3 weeks of dialysis training to go, and I really do want to finish it. I'm getting the hang of this job and I don't want to give it up. I suppose my life is more important, but it isn't for sure that my life is in danger right now. My boss assurred me that by Friday morning most people will have evacuated and the roads will be clear enough for us to evacuate. I hope she's right. Well, she has more experience as this sort of thing having lived here her whole life. I guess the good news is since I've never been through a hurricane before, I don't know enough to be scared.