Weather: August 2006 Archives

I've been waiting on Ernesto to arrive for a couple of days now. He didn't come here as a hurricane, or even a tropical storm. Ernesto is a tropical depression, and not really even worthy of a name. Still, it's a tropical cyclone and that makes today a storm day.
That's supposed to be like a snow day, for those of you who live in the great white north.

We started off with preparations. People rushed for gas, food, and home supplies. NASA even decided to roll the space shuttle back off the launch pad and back into the VAB for protection. Then, something unprecedented happened. NASA changed its decision and reversed course. Put the shuttle back on the launch pad. This storm is a pansy!

Schools were closed today, and so were some businesses. Then the businesses decided to re-open. Banks opened. Shelters closed. Weathermen were bummed out that we called for a storm and Ernesto showed up, instead. I checked out Technorati to see what the bloggers had to say, but more spoke about Katrina than Ernesto. It's really sad when last year's storm is a better news story than the one hitting home today.

Let's be fair. Ernesto was a hurricane. Ernesto killed two people in Haiti (though there's a good chance two Haitians would've killed each other, anyway. Also, some people in Florida lost electricity (maybe 6,800 from one report I read). Two people died in auto accidents due to slippery roads. Any tropical cyclone causes problems.

On the evening news, they showed people who referred to Ernesto as "a lot of hype over nothing", "overblown", or "just a waste of a workday." These are the people who probably think all storms are this weak. These are the future victims of America, because they won't take precautions for the next storm.

I believe in being prepared, being safe, and knowing that storms are still unpredictable. 2004's Hurricane Charley wasn't supposed to hit us, but it jogged right and came up the I-4 line to blow over my house, knocked out power for weeks, and generally made life miserable. My neighbor lost every tree in his yard during the 2004 hurricane season.

Ernesto is going a fine job, though. Central Florida was somewhere between 8-10 inches below our rainfall for the season. We could use a good soaking without all the damaging winds. That's what we're getting.

Good job, Ernesto.

Ah, the smell of the season's first hurricane. It's not unlike the anticipation of Christmas, only with destruction instead of presents. If you have enough small kids, perhaps the two events are more similar than you'd like to admit.

I won't pretend to give you hurricane updates. You can find that at a number of places. My favorite source is un-official, but excellent. Please check out the flhurricane blog for some interesting analysis and information. Another useful site is the Orlando Sentinel Hurricane Blog. Finally, the state operates Florida Disaster web site.

Although I should consider this good news, I'm a bit disappointed now that the experts tell us Ernesto should remain a tropical storm while over Florida. That's going to take the fire out of the TV news broadcasts. These guys get really excited showing us everything you ever wanted to know about hurricanes. This morning, the WESH weather guy was giving a Cuban history lesson about the Pico Turquino mountains.

It seems that Ernesto was passing this spot, the highest peak in Cuba. That's when he told us how Fidel Castro and his band of merry men hid out for a while. Yeah, nothing like weather and communist history in the making to complete my morning quest for information. Thanks, WESH.

Life gets mildly complicated when a hurricane (or tropical storm) approaches. Expect long lines at grocery stores, gas stations, and home improvement stores.

I started at Publix today. Things were busier than most Monday's after work, but not too cramped. Employees were stocking all over the place. The cashier told me it was busier yesterday and this morning. I figured it wouldn't hurt to get some bottles of water and some snack foods, just in case the power goes out and I can't cook. I must've picked up five pounds of grapes, too.

Next, I needed gas. I was going to hit Sam's Club, but the line was outrageous. I decided to skip the gas then and headed home. When I got there, I saw the same Sam's Club gas pumps on the evening news. Looks like I made the right decision. So I waited until 8:30 tonight and hit another station. It was busy, but I found one pump free waiting for me. The guy at the pump in front of me was filling his Civic and a 5-gallon gas can. I guess nobody told him we don't have any gas reserve problems this time around. Then again, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

As I have no desire to get in a fight for plywood, I skipped the whole mess at the home improvement stores. I hate those places, anyway.

It looks like Wednesday may be a day to stay home from work. If that's the case, I'll need more food. Another trip to Publix may suck, but I didn't want to stand in line for the deli today.