By now, the world has heard about the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. It’s been one of the worst for the East Coast and it’s not over.
When the storm hit the Atlantic shore, we were on the road, heading home (which is where our RV is) in Winchester, VA after visiting Bernard’s mom and my mom for her 70th birthday.
As we approached the customs at Thousand Island / Interstate 81, we noticed that we were the ONLY ones there. When I pulled up, the officer asked us WHY we were going back on a day like today.
We figured that if we could get home on Monday, we would not be driving too long in the storm. It ended up that the storm was stronger than we thought but still, our minds were made up.
All through Pennsylvania and Maryland, the winds were very strong and rain poured. I must admit, there were times when it was a tad bit scary, especially when we saw the lighted bulletin board warning “Trucks, Trailers and RVs BAN on 81. Speed limit now at 45”.
We’re thinking, “Thank God we’re in our Prius and not the truck and RV”. Along our route, we saw at least 50 to 60 utility trucks going North, towards New York. We are assuming they were getting ready to help out. We saw several electrical transformers blowing up but the road was good.
We finally arrived at our RV and noticed there was no electricity. By then, the wind was very strong. Bernard enters our RV and as soon as I entered behind him, he tells me, no in fact “orders me” that we’re not staying. It was really cold and as we’re standing in our kitchen/dining room, we could feel our Tin Can Home rocking. Not a very comforting feeling, especially when you have a huge tree just beside you.
We had noticed one tree uprooted not far on the campground but Bernard didn’t want us to take a chance of us being inside if the tree decided to slice our home. So off we go, across the street, to a hotel, where they welcomed us to a warm and cozy room.
Although we don’t regret our decision to drive back home on the day Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast, we were happy that we stayed in a safe place. It’s important to know when to pack up and go to safer ground and when to stay put.
So many people decided to stay in their homes, where the danger of flooding and devastation was more eminent, because they felt it was the right choice to make. We never know what can happen.
We made our decision based on the fact that we didn’t want to have our kids worry about our safety and not take unnecessary chances on our lives. Stuff can always be replaced but not people.
Stay warm and be safe.