Year after year a similar drama plays out as Wyoming residents defiantly remain in their homes to face the cold winds alone.
"The folks around here are tough and they're sure they can brave this storm on their own, but we have to remind them," says Evanston mayor Mark Harris, "Once you've ignored an evacuation order, we won't be able to come in and rescue you."
"Oh, I don't know about that," says Volunteer Fire Chief Ken Drevin. "I'll be around and I think most of the guys will be in town except for Daryl and Skinny Joe who have to go clown at the Laramie Rodeo this weekend, but we should be able to help anyone who needs it."
Business at the downtown hardware store was much busier than usual today.
"We've been selling a lot of plywood to the local businesses," says clerk Frank Bredehoft, "They all are building makeshift tables and shelves for
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| Experts disagree on which state actually is Wyoming, but most concur that it is somewhere in the highlighted block of states on this map. |
Despite the brave face the town is putting on, the shelves at the local supermarket are almost empty indicating that residents might be taking the hurricane warnings seriously this time.
"It's been very hectic," notes store manager, Roy Acorn. "We're out of almost everything. There was a screw up with our delivery last week, which normally wouldn't be a problem, we just change as many of the expiration dates as we can to get through to the next week. But then this week our delivery truck flipped over and caught fire on [Interstate] 80 about an hour from here. That screwed us over big time."
Asked if he's seeing extra business due to the impending hurricane, Acorn stated, "No, dumbass."
Officials at the National Hurricane Center in Miami are becoming unsympathetic.
"Every year we play this little cat and mouse game with Wyoming," says Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. "And every year they come off looking pretty smart, but mark my words, some day they'll be sorry they ever doubted the NHC. Very sorry."
