Chapter 16

Dad was on the radio and calling for us and for George and the Lavacans. His satellite imagery showed a big storm heading for them from the Gulf and, by the nature of things, us as we traveled toward Port Lavaca.

As we listened to his report, I whispered to Jen, "When we get home, how about some real peace and quiet?" She giggled and nodded.

Dad's report continued, "This is a typical hurricane pattern and it looks to be a big one. It's my opinion that you should begin preparations for it. It looks like you have two and a half to three days though the edge should start tomorrow. We need to get you better data direct but I'm not sure how. Jim, do you have any ideas?"

"I don't know Jack but we can look at possibilities when we arrive. However, I think we will have to find shelter. We would only arrive at the same time as the storm. We are close to Victoria and will stop there, prepare good shelter, and wait out the storm there. George, what about you folk?"

"Thanks for the warning, Jack. Jim, there are shelters in Victoria and we will have a number of people meeting you there since we have a good warning. Jack, we will need more information on direction of his storm to know where to best move our boats. From your description, it is a hurricane and we have some experience with those. It sure helps to have a warning."

We talked "round robin" for a while longer. Then, we exchanged personal messages with parents and close friends as was our habit. We were preparing to close the net when I heard a voice say, "Contact."

Dad answered with his powerful signal. "This is Jack in Preservation in the old state of Georgia. Go contact."

"This is Carlos calling from Puerto Cortes in Guatemala. We had not tried to tune this radio and antenna for this band previously. We talk to people in South America on twenty meters some. I am glad to hear some new voices. Over to you, Jack."

"It's good to hear you, Carlos. We live in Preservation south and west of Atlanta. We have a few hundred people here. Atlanta had the Weather Channel and we have powered it to give us access to the weather satellites. That is very good for Port Lavaca in Texas. We meet on this frequency every night to talk. Please join us. We share information and friendship. I see from my maps that you are on the Gulf coast. How many people in your community?"

"We have over two hundred here and know of three large communities in South America. There are more but that is what we have heard. We are on the coast with beaches. We also fish but don't go out far. Inland, we farm and hunt. We have also talked to Australia sometimes in the past. Tell me more of the storm, please."

"The storm is currently centered just northwest of Cuba. It is headed northwest. If there is anyone on Cuba, they experienced it. The Yucatan peninsula will get rain and some wind as it passes. Looking at a different view, I see nothing else at this time. Your area looks clear tonight. Carlos, we have doctors here and much information. We have been able to keep electricity for houses and some work. We use the radios to communicate with all the farms in our community. We built a two meter repeater for that purpose. We have three others from before the Day that we maintain. We also have friends in England. We are on this frequency every night and go to 14.300 Mhz on twenty meters once a week. We also use eighty meters for the general area here. Please join us on this frequency and twenty meters as often as you want. Over."

"Yes, thank you. I will visit. I must sign now. I fish in the morning and must be early. Thank you for talking to me. Carlos out."

"Thank you and come again. Jack out. Good night, Mike, Jen, and George."

"Good night, Dad, Mom." I said.

We went to bed. In the morning, we checked the maps and prepared to go to Victoria to take shelter from the hurricane. We also radioed to Ted in San Antonio warning him of the storm and suggesting listening on forty meters tonight for updates from Preservation.

Ted said, "We don't want to become a piece of Preservation though you folks are nice. We need to support ourselves."

"Ted, from Georgia, we couldn't make that happen any way. We talk to help each make our own ways in the world. We can use your help just as you can use ours for both of us to be more successful in our own ways."

"Okay, I'll be on tonight. Warning about hurricanes would be useful. Thanks."

Everything was hitched up and we started out for Victoria moving at a reasonable pace. We arrived that evening and just set up camp for the night. After talking to Dad and George, we settled in for the night. The Lavacans should arrive tomorrow.

George's father led the Lavacans to shelter in Victoria arriving in the early afternoon. According to my dad, we had two days to prepare with the second probably in the rain. George and his brothers were taking the Rose out with the other seaworthy boats to skirt the storm. The plan was for us to ride the storm out here. Everything in Port Lavaca was shut down and tied down. George's dad, who was also George or Capt, knew hurricanes from long experience. Based upon my dad's information, he decided that anyone not required to be with a boat or on shore doing something vital, should head inland. We gathered together that afternoon and he explained what we needed to do and why. He also explained how a hurricane operated and the eye.

We began that afternoon to find safe stabling for our horses and, secure from wind and flooding, spots for our wagons. Only after we had our possessions safe did he set us to preparing shelter for people. He explained to Jim, Jam, and I that people will take care of themselves but the animals and possessions will not. He went around checking every single thing and making recommendations about some things he thought might be inadequate.

One of the couples that came with him ignored what he said. Jam wanted to make the recommendations more forceful but Capt said not to do that. He said, "I know you mean well but his father wouldn't take advice either. He died before the Day. Little Joe is the last member of that family and this may prove to be the end of that set of genes. People who won't listen sometimes get what they deserve and we shouldn't apply force unless it will hurt us. Leave them be."