A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Gustav is in the Gulf

He's a Category 4 hurricane now and mandatory evacuations have begun in some of the areas expected to be hit. Unless he turns and heads more toward Mississippi (where I live), it looks like Louisiana and Texas are in for it.

We are as prepared as we can be. We have plenty of everything we should need. We expect more rain and tornadoes than anything else. My heart aches for those on the coast who are going through the evacuation process. When Katrina hit I worked in a Red Cross shelter our church had set up in our family life center. It wasn't home, but it was comfortable. Many had no homes to go back to. It was a sad sad time watching the concern of the people there, especially those who had relatives who had opted to stay and ride it out. Many who did stay last time have said they won't do it again. Who can blame them?

I would pack up what I could (including animals, important papers, pictures, as many books as I could - yeah, I'm like that, but we have room since there are no kiddos to pack) and head inland.

Homes are replaceable, lives are not. As far inland as I am, 2.5 hours, I have felt the ravages of the wind and rain and gone through the power outages, etc. I just can't imagine staying in harms way, but many do. Why is that? What are they thinking? I'm sincerely asking, not putting down anyone who chooses to stay...I know the methods of transportation are there for those who cannot afford it. They took school buses from our state, and I'm sure others, down today and had trains ready to take people out. I just can't wrap my head around it and was wondering what some of your thoughts were.

What's a home, really? What are you staying for when you choose not to evacuate when you know in advance that a major storm is headed your way? Would you stay? Why or why not? If you had a day to pack, what would you carry with you if you chose to leave?