Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

When I was a little kid, my parents & I were vacationing on Hilton Head Island when Hurricane Hugo swept in. I was only 5 years old, but I remember a few things distinctly: I remember evacuating the island, leaving early in the most torrential downpour I've ever seen, in pure darkness. I remember an alligator in the road. I remember how damn scary the whole thing was. And I remember how badly the hurricane decimated the island - destruction that even now, 10+ years later, hasn't fully recovered.

So maybe you've heard: Irene is coming, with New England on her radar of potential wreckage. And I have no idea what to do to prepare for a hurricane. I'm from Ohio, guys. Hurricanes are, like, the ultimate villain of all natural disasters.

Nathan's ship was set to deploy next Tuesday, but because of the storm, they're heading out on Saturday instead. Apparently it's safer to be at sea in a hurricane. Yeah, I don't get it, either.

This means that I'll be ridin' the storm out solo - whatever that means. Nathan made a few suggestions, all of which would entail my getting the hell out of town. He recommended I stay in Boston with a friend until we realized Boston is further south & will likely be hit harder. He was thisclose to buying me plane tickets back to the safe haven that is the Midwest, where I could wait out the storm with my mom, but I doubted I could find anyone to watch our cat mid-hurricane. He actually made me reservations at a Raddison in Manchester, which is 50 miles inland instead of, you know, two, & I could take the cat with me, but I can't decide if it's ridiculous to spend two nights in a hotel for a storm that might not happen.

So... am I being a baby? Should I just stay home? We bought renters' insurance today (um, you shouldn't wait as long as we did), & if I decide to stay, I'll go shopping tomorrow, to buy things like bottled water, candles & foods that don't require electricity for preparation or storage. I have a few real, live, non-electronic books on hand in case the power goes out - & I'm a real good sleeper, if all else fails. I was also thinking of putting plastic over the windows, or something - how does that even work?! And of course, I'll be stocking up on booze to keep me company in the big, scary storm.

I'm so far north that it seems entirely likely that whatever hits Portsmouth will be nothing more than a really windy thunderstorm. But what if it's more? The news stories are really freaking me out, & the Jewish mother that lives not-so-deep inside me is out in full force, worrying up a, well, storm. I'd rather be ready in advance - or not in town to experience it.

What should I do? Floridian friends, teach me your ways!

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