Once again it begins. Janet volunteered to take a day off today, as business has fallen off to the point that many businesses are having to drastically scale back operations and expenses. I doubt that she'll be back to work any time soon.
So, what happens if a category 5 storm comes directly across Key West? My guess is that it all goes away. Levelled. Flattened. Start over again -- if there's any land left above water here.
Each time this happens, I think about the 'legend of the grotto'. As local tradition has it, no hurricane will devastate Key West as long as the grotto of the Blessed Virgin at Mary Star of the Sea on Truman Avenue remains standing. Here's what the church's web site has to say:
Sister Gabriel had survived three major storms since her arrival in Key West on August 25, 1897, the 11 October 1909 and the 17 October 1910 hurricanes and finally the 12 September 1919 storm. Because of the devastation and heartache she had witnessed as a result of these terrible storms, she had a deep desire to keep Key West and its residents safe from future storms; thus her passion to build the grotto to seek protection from Our Blessed Mother Mary. Tradition tells us that Sister Louis Gabriel is said to have remarked that day, that as long as the grotto stood, "Key West would never experience the full brunt of a hurricane." And as all residents can attest, there has not been a severe storm on the island since the erection of the grotto in 1922. She died peacefully on September 13, 1948 and was buried in the nun's cemetery on the convent grounds.
We're making our evacuation plans now. We'll probably leave tomorrow morning -- destination undecided yet. The landlords are boarding up the building today, and they plan to evacuate as soon as they are done. We'll likely leave in the morning so as to avoid driving Route 1 in the dark. Speaking of Route 1, it was shut down yesterday from 11:30 AM until 4:30 PM due to an overturned tanker with 2000 gallons of fuel on board.
It looks like tough times ahead.
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