First off, my condolences to anyone who was effected by Charley and Francis. I'm sorry to hear if you've lost anything or anyone.
Does anyone here live in Florida or know of someone close to them who does? What have you/they experienced? What/whom have you lost? Does anyone here have any amazing stories of how they were spared any damage or loss of life or injury?
It's raining really, really hard here in Buffalo, NY and we're experiencing some flooding. Did anyone else have have any problems with flooding?
And now Ivan is on the way...
How do YOU prepare for a hurricane if you live in areas effected by them?
My aunt and uncle were on holiday in Florida and the hotel they were staying in had all its windows blown out when Charley hit. No-one there was hurt thankfully.
Hurricane Ivan is proving to be quite terrible. Already a Cat. 5 w/ 160+ MPH winds (257 KPH for my European friends). The storm is growing stronger and is headed towards...drum roll please...FL!
Several computer models show the storm bisecting the state and hitting right into some of the areas where Charlie and Frances have already caused considerable damage.
Nearly half the state is without power or telephone service.
The advice of the experts? If you have relatives who live outside the already damaged areas...go there now. This one ain't going to be pretty.
Here is one of teh few things that some people are thanking the hurricanes for. I know someone who lives in FL, (Actually, he was with me in Israel, when some of the hurricanes were coming through FL). And he said that as soon as there is a hurricane along a beach where there was an ancient shipwreck, they can scan the beach with a metal detector, and find pieces of eight, and other interesing artifacts.
Just thought I'd share one of the upsides of the hurricanes.
(By the way, it did no damage to his home, while he was away)
While man may not understand hurricans, they have a way of restoring the natural balance to the ecosystem in Florida. When man came in an dammed up the Everglades, toxins started to build up in the jungles, killing essential microsystems of animals and plants. When we figured that out, we have tried for twenty years to pump out our mistakes. It seems the floods from the hurricans will do the job for us, in little over a month.
I'm a storm watcher, and storm lover from way back. Ever since I was a kid I have been interested in, and thrilled by Extreme Weather. With condolences to anyone harmed by any of the recent hurricanes in Florida, this is a very exciting time for meteorological buffs (nerds) like myself.
During my time in Japan I always tracked all the storms during the Typhoon season, and was privelidged to experience two major Typhoons that hit the Tokyo area in 2000, and also in 2002.
What is very interesting is that the Typhoon season in Japan, and the Hurricane season on the US east coast, are almost identical in terms of the time period (July through October) and the paths that the storms take. They always track westward, and the later it is in the season, the earlier they swing northward in their journey. It is amazing how similar the tracks are. Just imagine Japan as the southeast US coast and it is almost identical.
What is also interesting is that storms tend to go in cycles, and I mean loooong cycles. But the cycles seem to always repeat. Florida, and the Southeastern US is now entering a cycle that it hasn't experienced in about forty years. It is a cycle of particularly numerous and violent storms. Not just this year, but for several years to come.
I have gotten somewhat lazy lately with regard to new movies. I have adopted the trend of waiting for them to come out in DVD, and then buying them, rather than watching new releases in the theater.
Day After Tommorrow looks like a great movie though. Can't wait to see it. I'm not sure exactly though what is the premise. Is it a major weather disaster, or an asteroid, or a shift in the earth's crust? What exactly causes the cataclysm?
Originally posted by Pale Horse While man may not understand hurricans, they have a way of restoring the natural balance to the ecosystem in Florida. When man came in an dammed up the Everglades, toxins started to build up in the jungles, killing essential microsystems of animals and plants. When we figured that out, we have tried for twenty years to pump out our mistakes. It seems the floods from the hurricans will do the job for us, in little over a month.
Yes, much like the wildfires in CA. The ones that occur naturally, I mean. They also get rid of dead wood (sorry, no pun intended) and stimulate the growth of new plant life. There are some conifers ie- pine trees (I believe that's what they are called) that need extreme heat to open up their seed pods, if this is true. Can someone confirm this?
Sorry for this post, but for some reason I'm not able to edit my own posts-- moderators, help!
Anyhoo, another thought just occured to me. You know, we think of hurricanes and wildfires and we talk about how terrible they are because of the destruction they cause, when really they themselves aren't terrible. I mean, yes, if you've lost someone because of one or have seen one barreling down on you, it is terrible. But really, they are just a force of nature. I personally think it's nature's way of "cleaning house." But still, it isn't the hurricane's fault that humans are stupid enough to build right on the coast where they occur, and it isn't a wildfire's fault that we are dumb enough to build homes in a known area where they happen. Granted, sometimes it just can't be helped. People have to live somewhere. Unfortunately, human beings aren't known for making a lot of wise choices-- especially when it comes to nature.
Hurricanes in FL-- let's talk...
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