Sunday, August 31, 2008

Evacuating for Gustav

Bumper to bumper in both northbound lanes of I-59.


I-59 at the 359 junction Tuscaloosa, Alabama. These folks are from points south, probably the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts. They're traveling to and through Tuscaloosa headed north, away from Hurricane Gustav. I wonder if they know where they're going to spend the night. Do they have relatives, or reservations? Or are they just going from exit to exit, town to town, looking for a place to wait. I wish I owned a hotel. They could all stay free.
Edited to add for anyone who may need to know:
There's a Red Cross Shelter at Shelton State Community College- take the 359 Moundville exit and go south on Hwy 69 - you can't miss it.
There's also a Red Cross Shelter at Belk Activity Center - take exit onto Skyland Blvd, I hope there are signs!

4 comments:

Jim Klenke said...

What a mess. During Katrina our town was a stopping point. Many would drive until they thought they were far enough away from the storm and could find empty rooms. I hope they all find a warm bed to sleep in tonight.

Virginia said...

INteresting post. We are all so willing to help if necessary. That's what friends are for after all.

Knoxville Girl said...

Wow, those shots are kind of scary. TN has over 4,000 folks fleeing Gustav, mostly in Memphis, but Knoxville has around 600 and counting.

D said...

At last count, both shelters here were full. One has 500 folks, I'm not sure about the other. I'm so glad that the evacuation plan was in place and executed this time.