There are cops directing traffic at every gas station in my part of Charlotte. Every one that is open, that is. The governor of NC made a request of everyone to do their best to conserve gasoline this week, until the pipelines that were damaged during Katrina can be operational again.
This announcement was not met with kind resignation. It's actually a little bit scary, when you drive around to get a burger. And yes, I did get in line and fill up when I read the announcement that Charlotte may see a gas shortage by the weekend. But it's a little scary to see flashing blue lights at the entrance to every convenience store. This feels a little like something out of a movie, and brings home a little bit how far-reaching the impact of this storm is going to be, when just a couple of days later my routine 10 hours away is affected.
This is one of those milestone events, where people of a certain age in 20 years will reminisce about how this storm affected their day-to-day life, no matter where they were. I feel like I've witnessed three of these events in my life - the Challenger explosion, the attacks on NY and DC in 2001, and now Katrina. I wouldn't mind a little delay before the next one.
I know - I'm lucky. I'm not one of the million or so people that used to live in a city that is now part swamp, part cesspool, part DMZ. But it's a little chilling to realize the connectivity that we all share.
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