…and water and possible toxic waste, human sewage, swamp creatures and uprooted bodies. that is what i did today. 14 hours in a car – and i have only myself to blame. i should have left yesterday but i was tired (a crappy night’s sleep) and i didn’t really think she would be this big. she – in case you’ve missed the news in the last 48 hours – is hurricane katrina. the witch.
all i can summon is foux ferocity. really, at this point i’m just exhausted. after dozing for a few horus i was awaked by a friend around 4:30 – he urged me to leave. jaded by past evacuations that were for naught i turned on the tv to humor him. there was no humor. enter deadpan meterologist saying “get the bleep out of doge”. granted, he didn’t say it in so many words but the message was clear.
so at 5:30 am on sunday i jumped in my car with a few belongings – placing everything else on teh bed or table – not thinking much of it because i live on the third floor. i jetted down to I10west and joined the parkinglot – err contra flow.
in all fairness, the contra flow did work – it was just all us last minute idiots that slowed its roll. but i poked along at 2 miles an hour. it took more than an hour to get to the airport (usually a 10 or 15 minute drive). baton rouge took about 4 1/2 hours, lafayette 7. keep in mind that lafayette is less than 200 miles from new orleans.
at that point i was exhausted. then i got word that 49 was smooth sailing. so jumped three lanes and gunned my little baby onto 49 at the last minute. sure enough i was flying at 80mph headed toward fort worth, my sister, brother in law and neice. and i have been more than warmly recieved. granted it took me 14 hours to get here…but i’m here and i’m safe.
of course now i have time to think about my stuff – my home – my life in the big easy. everyone expects all that to be washed away in 28 foot surges…it is a lonely and specific feeling to know that the things that i took for granted as mine will most likely be lost to the power of mother nature.
it seems fitting that after visiting sri lanka and seeing the devestaion the water visited on her shores that i will soon see my own version of devestation on my shores. i’ll keep you posted as things come up.
in the meantime, forgive any mistakes as i’m exhausted and jittery…oh yeah, and know that my day ended with a fantasic meal with my brother in law and then my car breaking down. i think ti is the transmission.
ingrate i’m not – i’m so very thankful that it broke down in fort worth with my brother and in first so i could drive it to a parking spot…i’ve managed to find the bright spot in it…i’m looking for one in katrina…if i think really hard i guess i could say that now i’ll have less to pack up for my trip to new zealand. see there, bright sides all around.
Tags: katrina