Movers in short supply

I'd heard rumors that movers are in short supply. They say that people are leaving the south in droves, enough to cause a shortage of movers. Rumor has it all the big moving companies are out straight.

Today I received possible confirmation. There's a local moving company that's been hired to move a family out of the Florida Panhandle. This is a small company that rarely leaves northern NH. They are the sort of guys you'd hire to move your belongings across town or maybe to the next town over.

This move is way out of their normal operations, but the people moving are paying big money to get the heck out of Dodge. Not only that, they are moving during the holiday weekend, so the rates are even higher. I guess if you are desperate enough to get out, you do what you have to do.

The first people who leave the Gulf can use normal methods. The second wave has to be creative, but since there's no big panic it can be done. I believe that's where we are now. From here is can go two ways. The Gulf region could solve its problems and there would be no reason to move. Those who've left already might even be ridiculed for being hasty.

Should things continue or even get worse, the exodus from this point on gets ugly. Third wave: moving companies are unavailable, so it's stuff as much stuff in your personal vehicle and drive north. Fourth wave: You can load up your car, but gas has run out and the roads are blocked by abandoned vehicles. This group's last option is to try and walk out, in the southern heat.

On one hand we have early movers who might look silly. On the other end of things is a death march. Do you feel lucky?

If you do live in the Gulf region, don't take my work for it. Give a moving company a call and see if they have anything available. My information could be wrong. That company hired to drive 1600 miles one way to do a move might be a fluke.

. . . or it could almost be too late. Don't want to cause a panic, but I don't want to sit on this information either.

-Sixbears