Hurricane Fran

Life is slowly returning to normal.  Last week, all things related 
to entertainment, amusement, and, heck, just plain convenience took 
a powder when Hurricane Fran [insert one: slammed/tore through/did 
the Wild Thing with] the Triangle.  Even a seemingly safe 100 miles 
inland and we *still* felt Ms. Hurricane's early-morning fury.  "No 
soup for you," she said and promptly disrupted services such as 
power, water, phone, and cable.  Hundreds of thousands were sent 
scrambling and the most seemingly simple of tasks-- such as finding 
where in the Hell the batteries were stored-- took on a whole new 
meaning.  Of all the staggering sights I saw, of splintered trees, 
submerged cars, crushed homes, and, even, the Haw River lapping at 
I-40 in Alamance County, the image that lingered the longest was 
that of a face.  On Friday morning, we passed the Raleigh Fire 
Department on Milbrook Road.  Peering from the back window of Truck 
16 was the pallid, exhausted face of a firefighter.  His twenty-
four-hour-plus-change workday was ending and we both knew that once 
he returned home, to his own family, his work would begin anew.  
Unforgettable.

Originally posted in triangle.movies in MOVIE HELL: September 9, 1996