I'm Too Dumb To Run

I just finished seeing off my last tenant, cousin or neighbor.
A day spent trying to attach ply-wood to homes, packing supplies, making survival kits and exchanging phone numbers.

This time I'm staying.
I grew up during the Cold-War Seventies...in earthquake prone Southern California...in a military town...and I was a Boy Scout. Being prepared is something at which I am good. If my roof blows off, I have mosquito nets - it'll be like camping. If a water line breaks, I've filled one bath tub full of water and have bottles of drinking water. If the power goes out, I have candles, batteries and a generator. If gas stations remain closed, I have a full tank and gallons in gas cans. I have plenty of peanut butter and jelly and a few left-over M.R.E.s from Rita. My chain saw, axes and other tools are in good condition. My guns are loaded and readily accessible.
It'll be hot.
It'll be lonely. (Almost the whole city has followed the mandatory evacuation that won't be issued until six am tomorrow.)
But it's necessary.

The Good Things About Hurricanes;

When the lights come back on - It's like when little children see Santa at the mall. The first hummmmm of power surging through the newly repaired power lines. Then a light, then the sound of a television and finally air conditioning.
The need for a laxative - Many people (not wanting to throw away a freezer full of meat) will Bar-B-Que an entire freezer's contents in one day. This is a time for steak and pork chops with a side of sausages for breakfast. It's like a meat-themed block-party with meat for dessert.
Actually talking to neighbors - Many people will sit on shaded lawns and compare notes on their experiences and ask if the other needs anything. We would call it watching reality television - trying to figure out who was home and who was still in Dallas or Houston or Atlanta.
The Hurricane missing you and hitting somewhere east of your area - The western most side of a hurricane is the "dry" or "calm" side.

One More Thing Black People Are Afraid Of;
When I was in high school, a black kid named Eli and a white kid named Haas were discussing how Black people weren't afraid of anything. ...Except ghosts - yeah, ghosts. ...And dogs - okay, dogs too but nothing else. ...Except the police - well okay, the police.
Judging by how quickly this town (49% Black, 49% white and 2% other) evacuated, I'd have to add hurricanes to the list.
Black people ain't afraid of nothin' but ghosts, dogs, the police and hurricanes.

The Things That People Take:
While looking at people's trunks, truck beds and rear seats, I noticed a great variety of things that people thought were important enough to take when forced to evacuate.
Fido - Pets seem to be important enough to take. I noticed many cats and dogs (and one snake) in cars and truck beds.
Gasoline - After the problems with stranded cars in the last evacuation, many people seemed to have learned the importance of extra gas.
Clothes - I saw many stacks of apparently designer clothes and shoes in cars that had female passengers.
Water (in bottles) - Well, one gets thirsty. When the bottle is empty it can be used as a disposable port-a-potty (Don't cringe, one can find many used and tossed bottles next to the road during post evacuation clean up.).

As for me, I'm too dumb to run.