Hurricane Gustav

Anonymama called this morning to let me know that she, Anonydaddy, LadyKay and the kiddos were about to start packing up to evacuate, in preparation for Hurricane Gustav.

While they are (for now) on the far western edge of the hurricane watch zone, and the storm still two or three days out, it is definitely too big and bad to mess around with, and they've been through enough evacuations to know not to wait until the last minute.

The Anonyparents are heading to East Texas with the staff and patients of a nursing home for which Anonydaddy is medical director, and LadyKay and the kids have a room reserved northwest of Houston, far enough inland to be safe, but close enough for her to get back for classes, when they get the all-clear.

(Oops. Did I mention that LadyKay graduated from college a couple of weeks go with a Bachelors degree in social work, and is about to start work on a Masters of Social Work at the University of Houston? I really should've devoted a whole post to that, and how proud I am of her. Consider it posted. )

BabyBro and HisLovelyWife will be "sheltering in place" as needed in Houston, and I assume they're doing the requisite stocking up on water, batteries and kitty food, in case things are shut down for a while.

As I (or Anonymama or LadyKay) may have mentioned before, my hometown is right where Hurricane Rita hit in 2005, so I think everyone there is understandable gun-shy about such things, and they have definitely lost the "oh, it can't be that bad, they never actually come here" attitude that tends to develop after a few years of lucking out.

Of course, on the other side of the potential strike zone for Gustav is New Orleans. Just a few days ago, I was reading an article that said that no one is sure at all how well the levies there have been restored and strengthened, and that there's no guarantee that they would hold in another big storm.

And right in the middle of the two (where it look like this one is most likely to go) is the Baton Rouge area, where Anonymama's cousin and his wife live. (They are staying put, but say they are far enough inland and on high enough ground to be safe.)

So, as far as I'm concerned, there aren't a lot of good options for this storm, unless it were to just decide to go *poof* away all of a sudden.

Let's hope for that, and in the meantime, I'll post updates from my family as I get them.