Stay or Go? Oh No Flo!!

Coastal South Carolina was one of the areas evacuated during the recent intrusion of Hurricane Florence, or Flo as some people are calling the storm. Earlier this week, when authorities alerted everyone in our area to leave now, our family had to make decisions and make them quick. Hotel rooms were booked far away from the forecasted storm zone. Suitcases were packed. Supplies purchased. Medicines stored in waterproof containers. The usual hurricane checklist was followed.

Alan and I grew up in coastal Virginia so hurricanes were familiar to us. When we married, we moved to the mountains. Snow and ice became our constant winter concern. Last year, moving back to the coast brought back memories of hurricanes and tropical storms. We had moved from wind and rain to snow and ice, back to wind and rain.

Making the decision to evacuate still prompted questions. "Should we stay? Should we go? What is the right thing to do?" Prayers all around. We left town.

The sights along the evacuation route will stay with us forever. Lanes on I-26 reversed so all traffic headed away from the coast. Extra "port a potty" stations were set up at all rest stops. Pallets of bottled water were available at each rest stop. National Guard vehicles and personnel drove to their gathering destination. Ambulances lined up 5,6,7,8 in a row headed to help. Police monitored each intersection. We are thankful to all the rescue personnel, volunteers and prayer warriors.

Finding our hotel in another town, we settled into the room. Dinner at a local restaurant was a nice way to calm after the stress of trying to move away from Flo.

On our trip to and from home, every person we encountered was friendly and comforting. From the servers at restaurants, to people at rest stops, to hotel staff, each person greeted us with smiles and friendliness. No one was grouchy or unfriendly. Compassion was being shown to everyone.

Of course, we did enjoy some laughter, along with some trying moments. When we finally ventured back home, roads were still closed so we had to take alternate routes on back roads. Thank goodness for directions on the phone and the highway detour signs.

As we traveled through small towns, we started noticing vehicles lined up on each side of the road. The speed limit lowered in each town and we were able to notice the cars and the people. Along with cars lined up pointing toward the road, we also noticed people sitting on their front porches. They were waving!

Watching the detour traffic was big excitement for the little towns! Several towns greeted the "detour traffic" with waves and honks. Now, that is small town living. :-)

We are happy to be back home and we continue to pray for everyone and every animal affected by the hurricane.

Have you ever had to make quick decisions? Have you experienced a hurricane or other weather event that caused stress? God is with us in all situations. In times of worry, lean to Him. He is waiting for you.

Blessings,
Mimi