When I was a kid growing up in Washington DC, they used to close the schools if a snowflake was sighted anywhere in the metro area. It’s true that back then DC had rather primitive snow plowing capabilities, so that a serious snow fall would in deed paralyze the city, first by panicking the drivers and then by blocking the streets, but we must have closed four out every two major snowfalls.
We don’t get much snow down here in in Miami, so the kids don’t get snow days. But it seems they do get hurricane days. The latest weather forecasts don’t show Tropical Storm Katrina hitting in any serious way until fairly late tomorrow — well after school closes — although not all the models agree on whether it will remain a tropical storm or graduate to a full hurricane around when it makes landfall. But the kids are going to get a day off from school anyway, as the Miami-Dade school system has just pulled the plug on Thursday. We used to like playing in the snow when school was closed, but there’s not much fun to be had playing in a tropical storm (much less a hurricane) and it would in any case be unsafe due to the danger of falling and flying objects. The calm before the storm is real, but before the storm hits it can be awfully still and muggy.
The law school, meanwhile, is playing a more sensible game of wait-and-see. As a result, unless something changes overnight, I’m teaching two classes tomorrow morning. But I imagine turnout will be much reduced since those who drive from far away will probably choose to stay home, and those who suddenly find they have to care for their children won’t have a choice. But until further notice, the show will go on.
