Friday, July 08, 2005
And so it begins...
Following several predictions that this year's Hurricane season would be worse than last year's, the first storm of the season is about to strike.
Dennis is already a Category 4 'cane, with max sustained winds of 135 mph. Cuba lies directly in it's current path, but it must pass through some very warm water before that, likely causing it to gain strength. Then it will enter the Gulf, and what is does from there, no one can really tell. Charley and Ivan did the same thing last year. My hometown is right there. Jeb has declared a state of emergency. We're not ready for this again. The last time I was home and drove I-75, there are tens of thousands of people still living in FEMA trailer cities, people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed last year and have yet to get back on their feet altogether. Two large trees in my yard, Dad informs me, we cut down in preparation for this season. Trees I grew up with. But better to cut them down than to have them blast through the roof. Last year we got lucky, only a small branch punctured our roof, and that over the garage. We, as the state of Florida, are not ready for this again. Hurricanes - leave us the hell alone! And I can do nothing, sitting here in Chicago. Well, what could I do if I was home? Help prepare. Help clean up. Attend the Hurricane Party my family is throwing this Saturday! (That means getting the generator out, battening down the hatches, stocking up on supplies, setting up the fans, and all while
drinking hurricanes.) Just...leave us the hell alone...
-R
2 Comments:
One little correction - Cindy (the previous tropical storm) has already made her mark as the season's first storm to cause major damage. It spawned a half-mile wide tornado that ripped through the southern suberbs of Atlanta Wednesday, causing among other things more than $40 million worth of damage to the Atlanta Motorspeedway. And yes, we shall be drinking up this weekend - the 151 hasnt been touched since September, but I suppose there is no better time for it. Our thoughts and prayers should extend to Pensacola more, however, as they have already experienced Cindy this season, and look to face the brunt of Dennis (after Ivan literally broke its outer island in two last year). We should have fun with little more than strong tropical storm force winds and lots of rain, unless of course it turns...
We did batten down the hatches and the generator cranked right up on the trial run. Thank goodness we didn't need it. Just wind and rain here for 2 days. We pray for those in its path as it has gained strength. Love you, Mom
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5:37 PM
