Batten Down the Hatches

There was a week when my family (my mother, grandmother, sister, and myself) was on holiday during the Summer and we went down to Chesapeake where my uncle lived with my aunt and their kids. At the time, he was still in the Navy and they were living on-base. On this particular trip, my sister and I even got to bring our bikes with us. It was going to be a fun week. Unfortunately, nature had something else in store. We had news that there was a tropical system, called Emily, headed towards that part of the East coast. It took some time before it was clear where exactly it was headed and how strong it would be (tropical systems are unpredictable like that), but eventually we knew where it was headed. Also, it was strong enough to the point that non-essential personnel had to evacuate the base. It just so happened that we had rented a van to make the 4-hour trip across Virginia. Good thing too because not only did my mother, grandmother, sister, and myself have to leave, we needed to take my aunt and two cousins with us with enough luggage to last them a few days at least. The bikes had to be dismantled to fit everything. My uncle was staying behind but to this day I don't recall exactly why (I guess he was that important). So eventually we headed back to Lynchburg. Emily ended up reaching all the even to my hometown (maybe 300 miles or so inland) but had significantly weakened by then. It was still windy and raining very heavily, but no significant flooding at home. We survived. After it was over, my uncle drove all the to Lynchburg to pick up the wife and kids. What was supposed to be a relaxing week where I would get to see family that I saw a few times a year at best turned into a mini-adventure.

Of course what brought this to mind is the fact that right now, the East coast is bracing for a potentially strong hurricane. When I say strong, I mean it may be a category 4 (of 5) and a 3+ is considered major. I also recall hearing that she may make landfall at high tide which will make beach erosion and flooding even worse, particularly in low-lying areas. If you're on the East coast, be prepared. It could get ugly.

Good luck all!!!