I was in Hurricane Andrew in 1992? in Lafayette LA,its like a Tornado that lasts for a really long time. After we decided to hunker down in the condo (first job working for CONOCO Oil)about 6 hours in we started wondering if we made a mistake staying.
Also, I was in a continuing education seminar, and the first night (Monday) my wife called and said she was worried because they were really hyping it up. We were OKIES, so this was new to us. I called my manager, and he said it was no big deal, some people were throwing their patio furniture in the pool but that was it.
Tuesday morning at 10:30, we got a call during the break, and they said everyone who lives in Lafayette needs to go home and get their family. I drove from Houston on I-10 to Lafayette, and me and 2 other cars were the only ones going East on I-10. It was kind of surreal, because all the traffic headed north to Alexandria was bumper to bumper, looked like some apocalypse movie where 1000s of cars had choked out the freeway to get out.
High sustained, strong winds that last for hours, and flooding. It was really something to see.
I’m familiar with the area and have lived in SW La. & SE Tx for most of my life. I’ve been
thru a few ‘canes and have had one home unlivable for some months while dealing with
insurance companies and contractors. And have been in traffic congestion headed north
evacuating the area as you described. We went north towards DFW.