[Carla B]

Originally Posted by John_W

In 1979 when I lived in Pensacola my mother-in-law living in Savannah was hit by a hurricane. Since they lived in a mobile home, we took off work and drove the 8 hours to Savannah. When we got there, they didn't have any damage but the power was off. We all went out to eat and then to a club to hear some music.

At the club I saw a TV and another hurricane was 250 miles due south of Pensacola headed north. The next morning I took off and drove back to Pensacola. What was odd, was when I got off the secondary roads from Georgia and onto I-10 at Tallahassee headed west. I had 200 miles to go, there was no traffic ahead or behind me, so I hit 90 mph and drove all the way to Pensacola at 90mph, I didn't pass one car or see one police car. However, on the eastbound side of I-10 when I got near Ft. Walton the road was bumper-to-bumper of cars leaving the area I was going.

I got back to my home just in time. We had a pool, so I brought in all the patio furniture. Got out some candles and a radio and went into the hallway and closed all the bedroom and bathroom doors. As soon as I did, the power went off. I was so tired from driving to Savannah and back, going out having a few drinks, I fell asleep right away and slept through the whole storm.

We didn't have a birdcage on the pool, in fact I never saw one in Pensacola, everyones fences their yard. However, because of a couple of pine trees, I spent the next day scooping up water logged pine cones from the bottom of the pool for about 4 hours.

Loved your account of what happened to you. I could feel the angst as you drove from Savannah to Pensacola. Reminds me of the time I insisted we abandon our condo in the evacuation zone and go to the Marriott just before a hurricane hit near Boca Raton. We were on the 8th floor and the windows rattled incessantly and the transformers were popping like fireworks. The weatherman on the radio said "Now is the time to go to your safe room." When I tried to wake my husband up to move to the hall, he replied "Oh, Baloney" , rolled over and slept through the storm.