Ah, it's that time again. Time to stockpile water, get the generator serviced, make sure the shutters close, count cat carries and little noses, make sure the car is always full of gas, and lay in fresh batteries and a supply of canned food we'll never eat unless forced by circumstances I try not to think about.
Despite some of the computer projections, Tropical Storm Chantal is not really expected to hit us. But it does serve as a wake up call, if one were needed. Chantal is the third named storm of this season. Normally, the third named storm doesn't form until the middle of August, rather than the 8th of July. Previous years when this happened included 2005 (think Katrina) and 2008 (Gustav). This does not bode well for those of us who live along the coast and have anxiety issues.
Some incidents in our lives we never really recover from, and for me, Katrina falls into that category. I simply don't want to go through that ever again.
19 comments:
Although I've experienced a few hurricanes, we've lived farther inland so the effect has largely been blunted. I cannot begin to imagine how it feels for you, but please know you have my thoughts, prayers, and best wishes.
I think anyone who lives in the southeast (hurricane country) is pretty brave - particularly since you survived Katrina. I'm a first class sissy and a Pacific Northwest girl, born and bred. If you ever run out of courage (and get fed up with the stockpiling thing), move out our way. Other than an occasional heavy snow winter, we enjoy the best weather in the nation. And are very thankful for that fact. I wish you a tranquil season, Candy, and may all the storms pass you by.
C- In many knows I know how you feel. Living on the east coast all my life first Long Island, NY and now Hoboken, NJ,I have seen a few bad ones myself. Remember Gloria, Bob, Andrew and Floyd and of course that Meanie Sandy. This time of year I keep a constant watch on all the weather sites. I have never lost my home or my possessions but I know many who have and I can only imagine how scary it is for you. Good luck with Chantal and the rest of this is crazy season! Ali
I'll be thinking of you and hoping that nothing nasty happens this season.
Yes, I'm torn between an urge to watch weather news and an urge to pretend it doesn't exist.
Candice,
Anybody living in the Southeast says, "I really hate this time of year." Who can blame them. The stockpiling and being prepared is necessary, as well as watching the weather updates.
I was thinking, back in Sebastian St. Cyr's time, people had not much warning, until the powerful storms were upon them.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we do enjoy overall good weather. What scares me is the threat of earthquakes (think Japan and tsunamis).
Wishing you a quiet season this year and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks, Barbara. And yes, it's that 25 foot wall of water scenario that gets to me.
Imhess, yes, I remember fondly the days when a blizzard was our biggest weather worry! Although I must admit tornadoes scare me even more than hurricanes, because they come up out of nowhere and with so little warning, and are so deadly. At least we can run away from the hurricanes.
Ali, Thanks. As much as I love New Orleans...
Helena, thank you. I'm always half holding my breath from midsummer to mid-October.
Charles, I wasn't paying attention when Katrina was headed toward us, so I'm now obsessive about checking Weather Underground every morning. At least your house is now out of the "bowl."
LOgalinOR, yes ,the stories of the hurricanes that hit around here before the modern warning systems are heartrending. And earthquakes scare me, too. I guess Katrina ripped away my "oh, it won't really happen" attitude!
I completely sympathize with your feelings and concerns about hurricanes. Something as devastating as the aftermath of Katrina is never forgotten: as years go by, you can sometimes deal with it better, and at other times worse.
But your post did make me think of something I had been wondering for some time in relation to Hurricane Sandy: did the Army Corps of Engineers ever complete all the work on levies they said they would? Where wetland restoration,and other "green" approaches to hurricane remediation ever attempted?
I keep thinking that if/ when these things have been completed over here in the NE coast, I guess they'd make me feel safer... but maybe its just wishful thinking...
Paz, just the other day they announced that they had "completed" all their scheduled work. Unfortunately, most people weren't very happy with what had been "scheduled", since it was designed to withstand only a Cat 3 storm. And while there is much talk about restoring the wetlands, not much is happening. The main problem is the tens of thousands of canals dredged through through our wetlands by the #$%@ oil companies, which has allowed salt water to destroy the vegetation that once stabilized our coast. I won't get started on that!
One of the big problems with the NE is all those houses built right on the beach. There's simply no way to protect them, and they either should never have been built, or people should have been more aware of the risks of building them. I guess our storms come often enough that we are always aware of the danger; when they're few and far between, people forget.
Agreed 100%: Repair and protection of beach properties, and the subsidized insurance provided, are a huge drain on resources. As an urban dweller, and one who (thanks to Sandy) just found out that she lives in a flood area, I was interested in seeing how repairs were coming along in your neck of the woods. My own home did not flood, but all around us there was huge flooding issues, and there is lots of talk of walls, and prevention, but it is hard to tell what will come of it.
Count me in as another Pacific Northwest fan (you seem to have quite a few from our area!) who is hoping and praying for the best for you this year. My high school senior daughter is thinking about Tulane for college--and though I know all the campuses there in New Orleans have hurricane contingency plans, I must admit that the hurricane threat is concern for me. Blessings to you in this season of uncertainty!
--RevMelinda
Sounds like January here, but worse. No ice storm can possibly rival Katrina (we were living in DC at that time and our schools took New Orleans students in). Hope the predictions for an unusually active season don't pan out for you.
Paz, I've come to the conclusion almost everyone needs flood insurance! Water often seems to come out of nowhere.
RevMelinda, thank you. And New Orleans is a fun city; your daughter would have an experience like no other here.
Liz, one good thing is it's been unusually rainy here lately, so hopefully that will help keep the Gulf from heating up quite so much. Although I must admit I get tired of overcast skies.
First off, Candy, my sympathy concerning your feelings about Chantal. I go through the same thing here every tornado season even though we've never been affected by one of the things except for power outages.
Second, the reason for my comment is to share a photo from 1954 with you. I'm scanning old slides and the photo at my blog is one of them: picnic with our families and another AF family (the 3 people in the foreground); I'm the grumpy kid between your mom and your sister.
While I was scanning I had the brainstorm that it would be nice to share it with your sister, and then did some minor Google sleuthing to see what popped (our moms used to write and Mom always filled me in with things so I knew who to look for).
By the time it dawned on me that I should be feeling like a stalker, I was too invested with "must share that photo" to stop.
Leave me a comment at the blog (if you wish), and I'll remove the photo straightaway. If you don't like the idea of leaving a comment, I'll be taking the picture down in a week or so in any case, just because. I realize how these 'out of the blue' comments can weird you out.
I couldn't figure out any other way to get it to you and your sister as leaving email addresses in plain sight is a surefire method for putting yourself on spam lists.
Again, all the best concerning this storm season. We used to go through the same thing on Kindley AFB in Bermuda.
Valerie, thanks so much. The picture is wonderful. I'll be sure to send it on to Penny. Sorry for not answering sooner.
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