1 post tagged “gustav”

I just drove up I-55 to run some errands and pick up some things to make sure we'd be alright if our power was out for a few days.  One of the first cars I saw on the highway I noticed because it had a Guitar Hero controller visible in the back window.  As I came up on and passed the SUV, I noticed that it had a Louisiana license plate, had been packed to the brim, and was transporting a middle aged woman and 3 small boys.  At that moment I became a lot more emotionally affected by Hurricane Gustav.  Cognitively, I know the effect a hurricane can have on a city or area.  Aside from the general "wow, that is sad, I hope they're ok" feelings, I felt a much more real sense of sorrow and dread about the whole thing.  I don't know where they were coming from, exactly, or how much danger their way of life really is, but they represent a huge mass of people that is currently fleeing their own homes to avoid what could be as devastating a storm as Hurricane Katrina.  One woman and four small boys.  They certainly left a lot of things behind, and may never recover them.

I drove on and passed a pickup truck that had a large lizard in a cage in the bed, along with many other belongings.  At Wal-Mart, there were no bread on the shelves.  None.  there was one package of hamburger buns on bare shelving and tortillas in a whole aisle.  The PA system alerted shoppers that a new shipment of water had just arrived and it would be located in the main aisle by the groceries.  A few minutes later another announcement came telling us that a new shipment of Sara Lee bread had just arrived and could be found on the bread aisle.  The woman checking out in front of me was buying nothing but a cart stacked high with cases of bottled water.  It had gone from very real to surreal.  Today's episodes coupled with the fact that when I tried to get gas on Friday there was no regular gas at the BP station has made this a strange, sort of ominous Labor Day weekend.

I don't fear for my life or safety at all, but I'm also not really sure what to expect.  I've been told that after Katrina the power was out in Jackson for 3 or 4 days and supplies were limited, but I think we're stocked up to handle that.  I'm mostly just worried about branches falling and damaging our cars or house.  Writing that makes me feel silly, considering there are a few hundred thousand people are currently worried about losing everything they own, save a carful of clothes and keepsakes.

Cliche to say, but it kind of puts things in perspective, as far as struggles with teaching goes.