Stories of the Moose
Sneaking Moose into the Commons During Hurricane
Evacuated to the Commons Building.
When you live in Florida, you get used to hurricanes. I personally saw a few hit the area in the eight years I lived there.
While I was on campus, Erin hit. I think this was my first hurricane. Everyone was warned well in advance make preparations. A lot left Pensacola and headed further inland. Some went to stay with parents or friends. I had nowhere to go, so I planned on staying in my dorm room.
The dorms were low, sturdy brick structures with a single reinforced narrow window facing the inside courtyard. The inner walls were cinder block painted with some God-awful military-grade enamel paint. The kind you find in an Army recruiter's office. This dorm was not going anywhere and I felt it was the safest place I could be.
I heard through the grapevine that the campus police were going door to door, escorting people to the Commons building which had been converted into a shelter. Funny thing, the Commons had nothing but huge glass windows. They had been boarded up, but I thought they could have easily moved us to something less prone to turn into shrapnel.
I wanted to go on my own accord, so I packed a bag and stuffed Moose into her kitty carrier before the Fuzz showed up. I knew full well they had told everyone "no animals' but I didn't care. I snuck her carrier in under a blanket. Whew! So far, so good. And not a peep from the Moose. Yet.
It did not take Moose long after being in her carrier to start with the sorrowful, gurgling yowl her kind are noted for. It was increasingly obvious that people noticed this yowling box I had tucked under a blanket. I think one of the staff winked at me and said something to the effect of "What animal? I don't see any animal here."
I was really uncomfortable with the funny looks, and I was certain that if discovered, that Moose would be dumped outside while I was detained inside. I did not want to take the chance, so I gathered my things and told someone I was leaving campus as a cover story. I hurried back to my dorm and braved the winds form there.
Moose handled it like a champ. She was the brave one for both of us. We sat in the corner away from the window and watched TV while the wind howled outside. When the power finally went out, we cuddled even tighter into the corner and watched leaves and branches smack against the window. Finally something dramatic happens: the solar water-heating panels tore off the roof and crashed into the courtyard.
After an eternity, the winds had stopped. I knew better than to go out just yet (we could be in the eye of the storm at the moment), so we waited it out. By morning it was definitely safe to go out. No power, no water, no air conditioning, no phone, no TV, no nothing for two or three weeks. Erin really tore the place up bad in places like Ft. Walton Beach and Destin, but we just had a tremendous mess on our hands.