Storm Saga

Here we go again, watching Rita.  Yesterday (Thursday), the forecast here in northern Louisiana was for Cat 2 hurricane winds.  And we're over three hours from Lake Charles.  This is unheard of!  Of course, I don't really expect it to happen, have no plans to evacuate.  In fact, the quilt show for our guild is scheduled for this weekend, and that's where I'll be, helping man the quilt show.  But our secondary forecast is for 20 inches of rain as the storm stalls over our area late Saturday evening.  I was wishing, just a few days ago, that we'd get a little rain, at least, out of Rita.  Looks like I'll get my wish....  Flooding isn't that much of a concern for us since our part of Louisiana is in rolling hills with an elevation of around 150-200 feet.  The local creeks and rivers can, and probably will, flood, however making roads impassable.  Lots of trees and branches may go down, causing power outages.  So I'll be gathering candles and lamps and stockpiling water, also making extra block ice to help the food in the freezer keep until the power comes back on.  That may take a while, since our local power company will be short-handed, with most of their employees heading south to more stricken areas.  So this hurricane season continues.