Friday I called my office to check on workstaff and get a sense of things. I was told that they couldn’t tell me to come in but it sounded like there was disdain for me not coming in. And then the whole office site was closed by 11am. It would’ve taken me 2 hours round trip just to go to there and back (on a normal day).
I was doing storm prep and the closure time (my voluntary choice or office demand) is all covered out of my own PTO (vacation/sick leave hours).
The companies aren’t going to tell you “go” until it is too late.
On 9-11-2001 if I was working in the other WTC tower, I would’ve already been out of the building before it got hit. A major incident like that occurs next door, no work will get done, traffic will be impacted, and the building could well fall on yours (that was a designed goal in both WTC terrorist attacks).
I’ll take personal time if I have to, but when work isn’t going to get done (checking for updates) you might as well take the safest path.
He was amazed at how vulnerable the Japanese staff in his office were when their building stopped shaking and everyone understood that this was a major, catastrophic event. Nobody got up and left on their own. He asked one of his fellow workers why the hell everyone was sitting there doing nothing, and the guy said to him: "We can't leave until the boss comes and tells us to leave."
The American guy practically burst out laughing, got up from his desk, and headed to the emergency stairway. He convinced all of his Japanese associates to leave with him when he said: "Does it occur to you that our f#%&ing boss might be dead right now?!"