Dear truth,
I felt compelled to come out of lurkdom to offer a little advice.
Please don't make that final decision yet. This is a huge storm, and at this point you are still very much in danger. The traffic will be bad, but will improve once contraflow is started.
I was on the "good" side of Katrina, and also considered not evacuating because my daughter had already gone to Baton Rouge with my parents (I had to work). My home was not damaged, but was without power for at least 10 days.
If you think the heat on the road will cause problems, imagine 10 days without air conditioning, TV, Cable, Phone. You will be at the end of a long list of people without power, so it could even be longer. Do you have a firearm? Can you stand "Mom, I'm bored" for that long (that's the one that gets me every time).
Making a choice to stay for yourself is one thing, but do you really want to subject your children to that? You are responsible for their safety, and I hope you will remember those people plucked off of roofs in New Orleans who had small children with them. Didn't you think to yourself..."Why didn't they leave?" Be careful what your prayers tell you, because they are filtered through your human self who is overwhelmed by the thought of getting on that road.
Plan to leave, prepare to leave, and if you decide not to, then don't. Just don't back yourself into the corner of saying "now its too late and I'm not ready".
Praying for your safety whatever you decide.
(and back to lurkdom)
Omegatoo
That response rocked.