There was no reason to concern ourselves with him. He passed over the islands of Puerto Rico and Santa Domingo, already hard hit and hurricane-weary from predecessor David. Still, for Mobile, Frederic remained a flurry of clouds on the satellite picture and an item in the weather report. But Frederic was not to be denied. Tuesday we talked, but we did not begin to prepare.
Hurricanes move slowly, and they change direction.
With the dawning of Wednesday, September 12, the sense of urgency came quickly. And Mobile does know how to prepare for a hurricane alright. Yes, Wednesday morning, we needed to prepare again and then wait for Frederic to call on some other area. Long lines formed at service stations. It took an hour to check out of the grocery and no stores seemed to have any candles or batteries.