| Losing that last little shred of anonymity (at least for a few days until I delete this post…), yes, I am under a mandatory evacuation order. No, I am not leaving this time. Crazy Granddad, Hyper Kid and Maniac Mama are going to hang out with the Wild Dog Trio, Cute Cat and a Big Box o’ Beer inside a boarded up house and pray. We are not in the 100-year floodplain, although four streets away the ditches and half the street flood in heavy rain… Yeah, okay, we’re a little nuts. But I found us a generator after many hours of driving around this morning, lived through trips to WalMart AND the grocery store, and am all set with good snacks, DVDs and my Bible. LOL. Flood insurance intact (thanks to a very last-minute renewal during the expiration “grace period” which will lead to no lapse in coverage). If it goes up to a Category 4, I’ll think about moving us out into Traffic Hell. Blue Eyes said we can stay with his parents and another friend offered up his place further inland. Still, we’re a large troupe. My Mom is off to Vegas. 
Will probably get the roundup out later tonight or tomorrow morning before the shit hits the fan. So if you have any good MILP blogs, get to ‘em ladies. Off to pick up Blue Eyes’ dog and help him get his stuff moved up to the second floor/away from the windows before he heads off to four nights at the hospital (“essential personnel”). Then he is coming to my house to help me get the lawn furniture into the garage (didn’t make it to storage unit yet). Wish us luck.
Now *this* is just completely crazy: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5997765.html
Oh, and I have a family member still on the Island. Never leaves. UGH.
K, we are at the very back end of the evacuation zone (next to Ellington). Only maybe 2 in 5 of our immediate neighbors in the surrounding streets are leaving. My parents’ house (and mine three blocks closer to Ellington Field) are all outside the “100-year Flood Plain” which was revised AFTER Katrina and Rita (i.e., no flood insurance requirement – optional). During Rita, the most we got this far out was a little wind damage and water down where it always floods. The neighbors, other than boarding up, seem unconcerned after riding out many storms and Allison (where only the streets got a few inches, but nothing in the houses). So we are holding our breath, staying vigilent, and keeping the storm radio/batteries very close by for tonight’s Grandad/Mommy/Pumpkinhead sleepover together in a king-size bed in our interior, window-less room. I PROMISE to reevaluate hour-by-hour. As I said, the majority of our neighbors are still here.
I know you’ve made your decision, but if you are in a storm surge area, please reconsider evacuating. I am hearing really bad predictions of storm surge–like, 18-20 feet on the island, which will likely overtop the seawall. (If you’re not in a storm surge area, you probably made the right decision, though. Run from water, hide from wind.) I know it’s a badge of pride in that part of the world (I’m from there) to “ride it out” and my family rode out our share of big storms, but this one looks headed straight for the bay and it’s going to push a lot of water into the low-lying counties.
Will be thinking of you, hoping everyone makes it through okay.
Good luck!!!
Keeping you and everyone else in the hurricane’s path in my thoughts! I hope everyone and all possessions come through in one piece!
Stay safe!
I’m in Austin. We’re expecting rain and some wind as well as an influx of other people’s friends & families as they evacuate the coast.