It's just a few hours driving time from Orange Beach, Alabama. But the Alabama area was hard hit by the Hurricane, so the family might have preferred Fla. over Alabama at this time.
Still, it's in the middle of Spring Break, so I'll BET she and her husband planned on taking the kids there on vacation.
It's all in the timing..right?
sw
Well, Ivan got both of them pretty good. That's actually why Okaloosa rang a bell with me - from helping people online with hurricane info.
I had no idea what shape Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are in now, though. I was lurking on the Gulf Shores forum at al.com and locals were saying it's packed with Spring Breakers, so I guess they got a lot done this past year.
I have family with places there, but haven't spoken to them since all of that. Have had hurricanes and hurricane consequences of my own to contend with.
I'm also thinking maybe that's why LE didn't put out the Amber Alerts to AL and MS when they did to AR and KY - because they had an idea of Mary's possible itinerary and didn't want to spook her.