This weather is awful!! 2008-2021

[W2R]

They got some killer BBQ in Memphis! And catfish from the river -

We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner, and I ordered some sort of fried shrimp dish off the kids' menu. They have great catfish there! But due to everything going on I didn't think I could digest anything. Only ate half of the kids meal but brought the rest to the motel room in a box, for later. We have a frig and microwave in the room. Frank found plastic silverware in the lobby.

 

[W2R]

Glad you and F made it to your destination. We were out of power for 4 days and it was exhausting. That was a picnic compared to what you’re going through. I can’t imagine the stress. I’ll be praying for your safety and that your wonderful homes are okay.

Did you and F get separate rooms Adjoining of course.

Thank you so much for these kind and understanding words. I am trying not to be a basket case due to the stress, but it's tough to deal with. We are sharing a room, which will help to make our evacuation less expensive. Plus I appreciate his faithful and constant support as we muddle through the physical and emotional quagmire of this situation.

 

[Jerry1]

Thank you so much for these kind and understanding words. I am trying not to be a basket case due to the stress, but it's tough to deal with. We are sharing a room, which will help to make our evacuation less expensive. Plus I appreciate his faithful and constant support as we muddle through the physical and emotional quagmire of this situation.

Maybe in your stress you missed my attempt at humor. The reference to separate rooms is a joke related to how you live in two houses (separate) as a couple. I figured you feel more at home if you had separate rooms.

 

[Ronstar]

Stay safe and stress free as possible W2R! This will all blow over in due time. It’s good that you got out just in case things get hectic. It’s better to get out and not need to than it is to stay and not be able to get out if you have to.

 

[audreyh1]

Glad you got safely out of there W2R. Ida is currently at 140mph and you don’t want to be on the east side of that.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Thank you so much for these kind and understanding words. I am trying not to be a basket case due to the stress, but it's tough to deal with. We are sharing a room, which will help to make our evacuation less expensive. Plus I appreciate his faithful and constant support as we muddle through the physical and emotional quagmire of this situation.

Homes are replaceable. You and your beloved Frank are not. You have found lemonade in situations where there are lemons before. Allow yourself to be a basket case and scream into a hotel pillow if need be. Then find something mindless to pass the time. Games are helpful. And since you are thrown together with Frank, why not something silly and cheap, like strip poker? If I'm out of line, just slap me. There is nothing like humor and irony to get us humans through stressful situations.

 

[Dtail]

Glad you got safely out of there W2R. Ida is currently at 140mph and you don’t want to be on the east side of that.

Now at 145 mph. Steady winds already at 60 mph in Louisiana.

 

[bobbyr]

We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner, and I ordered some sort of fried shrimp dish off the kids' menu. They have great catfish there! But due to everything going on I didn't think I could digest anything. Only ate half of the kids meal but brought the rest to the motel room in a box, for later. We have a frig and microwave in the room. Frank found plastic silverware in the lobby.

we live in memphis and could accommodate you if you need a place to stay (it would be at my mother's house)

 

[Venturer]

We left at 3:30 this morning, and as soon as we got off I-10 and went up I-55, the traffic was reasonable. It was dark and drizzling and awful. I've never been so exhausted in my life! But we got to West Memphis, Arkansas finally. We are safe and happy and staying in a nice motel here. I'll post more later but right now I haven't slept a minute in 2-3 days and I need to nap, de-stress and settle down. .

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you got out safe.

 

[finnski1]

W2R" Best of luck to you and Frank.
I hope your houses weather(pardon the pun) the storm without damage.
Can't imagine the fury that Ida will bring and the angst it is causing you.

 

[W2R]

Thanks, everyone. We are so glad we left when we did! Ida is already a strong cat 4 with 150 mph plus higher gusts, almost a cat 5 according to the NHC. I can't even imagine. I guess it is supposed to make landfall this afternoon.

This motel room is absolutely perfect for our needs right now so we will stay here (thanks for the offer, though!). Quiet, clean, with a refrigerator and microwave, and really comfortable beds. I slept a good 8 hours last night, after napping for several hours yesterday and I feel SO much better after all that sleep. F is still sleeping.

And you're right - - things (and houses) are just things, it's the people that are important. Besides, we both wanted to downsize anyway! (OK, that was my idea of a sick joke, but true I suppose). I am so glad we got out of there in time, and together. F's family, including his sisters and elderly stepmom, did not evacuate so that is a concern and we are hoping for the best.

 

[aaronc879]

Thanks, everyone. We are so glad we left when we did! Ida is already a strong cat 4 with 150 mph plus higher gusts, almost a cat 5 according to the NHC. I can't even imagine. I guess it is supposed to make landfall this afternoon.

This motel room is absolutely perfect for our needs right now so we will stay here (thanks for the offer, though!). Quiet, clean, with a refrigerator and microwave, and really comfortable beds. I slept a good 8 hours last night, after napping for several hours yesterday and I feel SO much better after all that sleep. F is still sleeping.

And you're right - - things (and houses) are just things, it's the people that are important. Besides, we both wanted to downsize anyway! (OK, that was my idea of a sick joke, but true I suppose). I am so glad we got out of there in time, and together. F's family, including his sisters and elderly stepmom, did not evacuate so that is a concern and we are hoping for the best.

If you are not going to check out on Monday morning then keep an eye on the weather. Looks like West Memphis will get heavy rain from Ida starting Noon Monday and going all the way thru Tuesday morning. Flooding is possible. Best of luck.

 

[Alan]

Stay safe W2R and everyone in this storms way.

+1

 

[W2R]

If you are not going to check out on Monday morning then keep an eye on the weather. Looks like West Memphis will get heavy rain from Ida starting Noon Monday and going all the way thru Tuesday morning. Flooding is possible. Best of luck.

Thanks for the heads up! We told the motel we'd stay for 2 nights, and they said fine, and that if we need to stay longer that is no problem. The nice thing is that we are getting some time to sleep and recover. We'll keep an eye on the weather, and if it seems like a good idea, then we can leave at that time, fully rested and ready for another long drive.

It was hard to believe how much longer the drive from New Orleans to West Memphis seemed, now that I'm 73 instead of, say, 53. It took 8 hours but felt like twice that long. By the time we got to Jackson I had to give up and let Frank drive the rest of the way.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

MebDen over on the IDA thread lives in Houma and said he would give updates as long as he can.

 

[Dreamer]

Glad to hear that W2R and Frank are safe. Hate to hear that Frank's relatives did not leave. Hope everyone in that area stays safe and not too much damage.

 

[Walt34]

W2R, so glad to hear that you and Frank got out of there and found someplace safe to wait it out. Category 4-going-on-5 doesn't sound like anything to fool with.

 

[W2R]

W2R, so glad to hear that you and Frank got out of there and found someplace safe to wait it out. Category 4-going-on-5 doesn't sound like anything to fool with.

Thanks, Walt, Dreamer, and everyone. We are glad we left, too. Our houses have lost power which would have made staying there even more awful right now. Frank just emailed his sister (who stayed) but I told him he might not get an answer, because she may not have both power and cable right now.

We just awakened from a nice 2 hour nap. That felt great. Pretty soon we'll head over to Cracker Barrel and get some dinner.

West Memphis (where we are) is supposed to get a lot of rain out of this but apparently not much more than that. We decided to stay here and Frank arranged for us to stay until at least Thursday.

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks, Walt. We are glad we left, too. Our houses have lost power which would have made staying there even more awful right now.

We just awakened from a nice 2 hour nap. That felt great. Pretty soon we'll head over to Cracker Barrel and get some dinner.

West Memphis (where we are) is supposed to get a lot of rain out of this but apparently not much more than that. We decided to stay here and Frank arranged for us to stay until at least Thursday.

Glad you both made it to a safe place and hope you’re able to return to a home undamaged.

So, how does Cracker Barrel compare to your usual local meal?

 

[W2R]

Glad you both made it to a safe place and hope you’re able to return to a home undamaged.

So, how does Cracker Barrel compare to your usual local meal?

Thanks! We hope so too.

We like Cracker Barrel, even though it is a different style of food than our normal New Orleans food.

He just texted his sister and she answered! She says that she and his elderly stepmother are together, and OK so far. They feel lucky that they only just now lost power. She says it's been bad and they have roof damage.

 

[Dawg52]

Thanks! We hope so too.

We like Cracker Barrel, even though it is a different style of food than our normal New Orleans food.

He just texted his sister and she answered! She says that she and his elderly stepmother are together, and OK so far. They feel lucky that they only just now lost power. She says it's been bad and they have roof damage.

Good luck to y'all. Hopefully no more than a few shingles lost when you get back.

 

[street]

Yes, I hope everyone involved are safe. Absolutely terrible destruction.

If I may ask another dumb question. When those flood waters come inland does that salt water kill all living vegetation?

 

[W2R]

Entergy, our electric company, reports that every single customer in New Orleans has lost electricity due to complete failure of all the big transmission lines into the city. It looks like the same is true for our suburb; all I see is red, and no green, on Entergy's map in our suburb. Hurricane Ida has slowed down as it passes slightly west of New Orleans, right now.

Street, in answering your questions the best I can: sometimes flood waters come from rain, and rain is fresh (not salty) water. Sometimes flood waters come from storm surge, and often storm surge is saltier. Some plants are sensitive to salt, others are adapted to estuary conditions. Flood waters can drown plants if their roots can't get enough oxygen. You can probably Google this better than I can, since I am stuck in evacuation in another state with the world's SLOWEST free motel internet. It's good enough for browsing but not for graphics or searching. Here's what I got from Mr. Google:

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_...m is similar to,damaged or killed by drowning.

 

[street]

W2R, thanks for taking the time for that explanation. I wish you you both the best darning these though times.

 

[SecondCor521]

We left at 3:30 this morning, and as soon as we got off I-10 and went up I-55, the traffic was reasonable. It was dark and drizzling and awful. I've never been so exhausted in my life! But we got to West Memphis, Arkansas finally. We are safe and happy and staying in a nice motel here. I'll post more later but right now I haven't slept a minute in 2-3 days and I need to nap, de-stress and settle down. .

Glad you and F are safe!!