Monday Evening - Awaiting Ida
Sunday night we filled the motorhome with water just in case we needed fresh water. We also emptied the tanks and checked the fuel. We were good. However, the car was near empty. Thus, we felt it best to fill up last night instead of waiting in the lines today at the gas station. That we did.
Monday morning the winds were calm with intermittent breezy conditions. The skies were gray. This is the first day we've not had the sun shining through while we've been in the Gulf Shores area of Alabama. Many folks started moving out including Dave & Linda and Joe. Dave & Linda went north. Joe went southeast. When asked where they were going most folks said they weren't sure. On the other hand, we've had a few move in from other locations especially from places right on the beach. Many of the fifth wheels are secured to their pulling vehicles. Everyone is getting ready ... for what, we don't know. The deal with a hurricane is that even though they predict it will hit during the night, strong winds are ahead of it and torment the areas in the way even before it's actually supposed to arrive.
I was in a hurricane when in high school. I remember all the rooftops, shingles, timber, tree branches and parts of many unrecognizable items being hurled down the middle of the streets. At that time it was exciting because I had no idea of the real damage a storm could do.
Our DVR was busy recording movies and half-hour game shows. We knew we'd be bringing our antenna down or lose it. In addition our slides would also be brought in. The storm is due to hit overnight but the winds were expected to be strong from afternoon on. Rain should bring some flooding to our park but other than have a muddy site, we shouldn't float away.
We had neighbors pull out a couple days ago for a beach side location. They just pulled back in. At least they aren't sitting in the sand and being sandblasted. They said the graders were out and they figured it was time to go when they saw them pull in.
As of 10:00 this morning the rains just started but it was very light. The forecast called for amounts up to 8 inches. This is more rain than some places receive in two years. We're going to get it in less than a day. And, have you heard that this is a rare storm as hurricanes are very rare in November. As a matter of fact, only three have hit this area in this degree at this time of the year. My daughter-in-law keeps saying that there have been many signs that we should have stayed in Washington. We'll let you know Wednesday morning if she's right. We're hoping none of us here have any regrets.
By 2:00 you could see the trees starting to sway. However, the winds would come and go. It started getting dark around 5:00 and the winds were again picking up. By 6:00 you could hear the rain and wind hammering outside a bit. It was quite noisy but just for a little while. In order to hear TV over the storm brewing outside, we had to turn up the volume. What were we watching? The Weather Channel since it was concentrated on Alabama Gulf area and the center where they expected Ida to hit ..... just exactly where we are. We knew this was calm compared to what the night would bring at least according to the forecast. It's kind of like living in Texas and being under a tornado watch. However, in those cases we would actually hear the sirens warning of an approaching tornado. Here, we know it's going to hit but we're still watching and hoping nothing will be catastrophic.
Actually, staying put was an understatement. We didn't even plan on leaving the park. As a matter of fact, Betty Crocker got to work. She started cleaning out cabinets and ended up finding all sorts of food that would be fun to eat starting with brownies. After all, we're all going to need to eat no matter the situation.
Tuesday the roads will probably be flooded around the area even after the storm passes through. Electricity may be out in places and many business may not be open. Thus, we'll still be hunkering in. The winds come and go but nothing real strong yet. We're hoping it'll subside and weaken even more. Who knows about any winds. Now it's peaceful -- not much rain and not much wind. With luck ... it'll stay this way.
Late Monday Night - Still Awaiting Ida
We're still sitting and waiting.
Stay tuned ......
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