The traffic still has not cleared.
Last night I ventured out to buy that gasoline for my car. Wow. I have not seen gas lines like that since the gas shortages in the 1970s. The cars where lined everywhere, and many gas stations were actually out of gas. It took me an hour to find a station with a line I could safely enter and after waiting in line another hour, the car in front of me pumped the last of the regular gasoline. Thank God they still had "Plus" gasoline, so I paid more, but I filled up with gas. My tank was nearly empty.
Roughly 700,000 people live in the greater Charleston, SC area not counting tourists and business travelers. It looked like a fairly high percentage of those people were buying gas last night. Many were obviously on their way out of town with cars packed with pillows and luggage and people. What a nightmare.
Today (Wednesday) everything is still and gray. Not even a breeze is stirring the leaves this morning. It's as if the whole world is holding its breath in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew.
When I opened my window blinds first thing, I saw what looked like a Carolina dog with a collar wandering loose in the neighborhood sniffing at all the garbage containers awaiting pick-up today. (I sure hope they pick up the garbage today otherwise all that garbage will be projectiles in the wind.) By the time I jerked on some clothes to go catch the dog to keep it safe, it was gone.
I'm worried about the dog. Today is mandatory evacuation day for close to a million people. The traffic will be astounding. The poor dog may be hit by a car or worse.
I wonder if its family evacuated and abandoned the dog outside to fend for itself? Maybe thinking it the best thing to do given that their house may be destroyed and if the dog was left inside, it would be trapped and killed.
Sometimes I really hate humans. Okay. MOST of the time I really hate humans. To me leaving a dog behind is the same as leaving a child behind. I will NOT leave my dogs.
Now there are sirens sounding. Probably a wreck. Unfortunately the traffic will have no place to go to yield for emergency vehicles today. There are just too many cars. I pity those whose lives hang in the balance.
South Carolina's governor is speaking on television right now. She did say, "Take care of your pets," but she gave no information as to how to really do that when most hotels and shelters do not allow pets, and if you get in that evacuation traffic, you are stuck and will not be able to get out of that traffic to even use the bathroom, which makes a lot of people not want to have pets in their cars. For those who have no transportation, they are sending buses to take them to Greenville, SC, but pets are not allowed on the buses.
I'm staying in Charleston for right now, but as the storm approaches, I might leave, but not in today's traffic and not via I-26. At this moment they are saying Charleston will definitely flood (nothing new...Charleston floods every time it rains hard), hurricane force winds are possible, but tropical storm force winds are more likely. If it is only a tropical storm when it hits us, then I should stay here with my dogs. If it hits as a CAT 2 hurricane, then I should still stay here with my dogs. If it is going to hit as a CAT 3 hurricane, then I should leave and sleep in my car if necessary for one or two nights. We shall see what happens.
The looters will not leave. I have to also take that into consideration as I make my decision.
Today I plan to batten down the hatches, bring everything moveable that is outside inside. Bathe the dogs in case I have to evacuate, as clean, brushed, well-mannered, groomed dogs will be more welcome anyplace than dirty stinky dogs.
I'm also going to keep a close eye on the news and weather, but most importantly, I am going to pray. I am going to pray for all the people who can not evacuate. For all the people in the hospitals. For all the people stuck in the traffic. For all those who are stressed and panicked and worried about loved ones. For all those who will be missing work because of the storm and won't be able to pay their bills this month. I am going to pray for all the abandoned pets and for all the wildlife birds and animals in Matthew's path, and I am going to pray for guidance.
If I do not post for a few days or longer, it is because I am evacuating or because my electricity is off. I'll keep in touch as I can. I honestly can not wait to retire and move to mountains! There are no hurricanes in the mountains as a general rule. I will not miss hurricanes when I go.
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| Projected Path and Intensity from weather.com |
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