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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHurricane Gloria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_GloriaIt was October 1985. My mother was living in a small Cape Cod home in Southampton, on the South Shore of Long Island. I was living and working in northern New Jersey. (My parents had a home in northern New Jersey as well.)
I was at work, typing medical reports. Mom called to tell me that her car had a hole in the gas tank and it couldn't be repaired until next week. Meanwhile reports of the impending hurricane warned not only would it hit Long Island the next day, but the eye of the storm would go over exactly where Mom was. I told her that I'd be there in a few hours.
So in my small Ford Escort, I drove three hours to Southampton. Bad rain and wind. But I made it by 5:00 and it was still light outside. My illusions of rescue were shattered when Mom cheerfully greeted me with "You're just in time for the Hurricane Party!" And no, she was sober and she wasn't kidding. She thought that I left work and risked my life on the Long Island Expressway to get drunk during a dangerous hurricane.
I had a fit of anger. Told her to look out the window at my car, because in 30 minutes, it would be leaving and I didn't care if she was in the passenger seat or not.
Grumbling, Mom decided to return to New Jersey, to safety with me. We then drove with bumper-to-bumper traffic BACK on the Long Island Expressway for four hours with greater wind and greater rain. It was amazing that I had any gas left in my tank. Mom constantly complained about missing the damned party during the ride.
Once home, Mom promptly poured herself a Scotch and attended the Hurricane Party by phone conversation. I was beyond words to express my dismay. I did the right thing. It was just the most bizarre experience I had had up to that point. (But then again, it WAS my family . . . . . )
Epilogue: Gloria did in fact hit Southampton hard. Many old trees were uprooted and laid across streets. No electricity for 10 days.
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Hurricane Gloria (Original Post)
no_hypocrisy
Sep 2018
OP
marybourg
(12,540 posts)1. Yes. The trees were still in full leaf
and it only took one 100 -year-old oak or maple to block a wide street and wreck 3 roofs! 9 days without electricity in Pt. Jeff. With all signals out, and National Guard manning the crossings, train took 3 hours to get into city. Moved to family in Queens after a few days of that!
a kennedy
(29,467 posts)2. You did the right thing........
her staying would have been......well you did the right thing.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)3. I Florida hurricanes come around all the time.
There are hurricane parties. So that nonsense likely started here. I used to love hurricanes when I was in school, I was a good student, but a few days out of school to do whatever I wanted to in the fall was primo, who cared that the days were made up later, mid to late spring and summer sucked here even back then, so staying inside in a cool classroom during middle spring was ok with me.