I am no Harry Truman.
Not the cranky president. But the cranky old coot that stayed on Mount St. Helens in 1980, declaring: “The mountain ain't gonna hurt me.”
And when the volcano blew, Harry Truman became a legend.
But, as I say, I am no Harry Truman.
Nature is absolutely amoral when its forces are at work. Hobbes suffered from understatement when he declared that life in nature is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” (A friend of mine once dated an Englishman, who she described as “solitary, poor, nasty, British, and short. But that is a far different tale.)
And I keep that in mind as I keep an eye on the reports of hurricane Jova -- back up to a category three, with the possibility of category four status tonight. Landfall should be around midnight tomorrow.
Out of curiosity, I took a stroll through the village today to get a feel for what my neighbors are doing.
The Mexican governments -- federal and state -- have dispatched medical teams, firemen, and police to the area. When I stopped in the little grocery store to buy a few canned goods, the firemen were there buying large quantities of vegetables. For themselves or the local evacuation shelter, I have no idea.
There is an evacuation shelter here. In central San Patricio at a school -- that four years ago was partly under water during our last severe flood. If I stay, I am going to see if I can volunteer to assist at that shelter.
So far, the state government has kept us very well informed of evacuation options. We are currently in a yellow status. I know that because the official voice from our space age towers tells me so.
Three years ago, Jalisco installed the towers along the coast primarily as tsunami warnings. But they are now being put to good use as the storm approaches.
Where I live, I can hear the Oz-like voice from the towers in Barra de Navidad, Villa Obregon , and San Patricio. Because of the distances, it is almost like living at the bottom of a giant barrel.
The voice first speaks in Spanish, and I get to try to guess if an evacuation order has issued -- or if evacuation centers will be available. The voice then corrects my test to 100% by repeating the message in English. A nice touch since a very small percentage of the people here speak English.
So far, the state government has kept us very well informed of evacuation options. We are currently in a yellow status. I know that because the official voice from our space age towers tells me so.
Three years ago, Jalisco installed the towers along the coast primarily as tsunami warnings. But they are now being put to good use as the storm approaches.
Where I live, I can hear the Oz-like voice from the towers in Barra de Navidad, Villa Obregon , and San Patricio. Because of the distances, it is almost like living at the bottom of a giant barrel.
The voice first speaks in Spanish, and I get to try to guess if an evacuation order has issued -- or if evacuation centers will be available. The voice then corrects my test to 100% by repeating the message in English. A nice touch since a very small percentage of the people here speak English.
I also stopped by the church today to see how the palapa construction is progressing. The workers have almost completed framing the roof. That, of course, is good and bad.
Good because we were planning on being in the new building when our pastor returns the first week in November.
Bad because it now looks like a house of matches facing the winds we are expecting.
I still have another day to decide whether to head out or not. My instincts are to stay and volunteer in the evacuation shelter.
But there is time to make that call. I do not need to be the answer in a Trivial Pursuits competition.
Good because we were planning on being in the new building when our pastor returns the first week in November.
Bad because it now looks like a house of matches facing the winds we are expecting.
I still have another day to decide whether to head out or not. My instincts are to stay and volunteer in the evacuation shelter.
But there is time to make that call. I do not need to be the answer in a Trivial Pursuits competition.
