Chasing the Wind

The Lord doesn’t tell us to be stupid, though. Hurricane Ike is coming; where I am, they say we can expect 80 mph winds for about 12 hours. Right now, it’s the calm before the storm. Bright blue skies, a gentle breeze. Within 12 hours, though, we should be having 30 mph winds at the edges of the hurricane.

Technically, it’s a himmicane, not a hurricane. Ike is a male name.

I was in Houston in ’83 for Alicia and was treated kindly; I lost no power or water. Others were without power and water for weeks, though. I expect that I’ll lose power this time. Heck, I lose power during summer sprinkles.

For those closer to the coast, the situation is more grave. The National Association of Um Weather Stuff…. ok, ok, I’ll go look up their real name. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) runs the National Weather Service, and has this to say about Ike –

LIFE THREATENING INUNDATION LIKELY!

ALL NEIGHBORHOODS…AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES…
WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONS
NOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY
HOMES MAY FACE CERTAIN DEATH. MANY RESIDENCES OF AVERAGE
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY ON THE COAST WILL BE DESTROYED. WIDESPREAD
AND DEVASTATING PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE IS LIKELY ELSEWHERE.
VEHICLES LEFT BEHIND WILL LIKELY BE SWEPT AWAY. NUMEROUS ROADS
WILL BE SWAMPED…SOME MAY BE WASHED AWAY BY THE WATER. ENTIRE
FLOOD PRONE COASTAL COMMUNITIES WILL BE CUTOFF. WATER LEVELS MAY
EXCEED 9 FEET FOR MORE THAN A MILE INLAND. COASTAL RESIDENTS IN
MULTI-STORY FACILITIES RISK BEING CUTOFF. CONDITIONS WILL BE
WORSENED BY BATTERING WAVES CLOSER TO THE COAST. SUCH WAVES WILL
EXACERBATE PROPERTY DAMAGE…WITH MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF
HOMES…INCLUDING THOSE OF BLOCK CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE FROM BEACH
EROSION COULD TAKE YEARS TO REPAIR.

Notice the “MAY FACE CERTAIN DEATH” line. NOAA, unlike the looney local weather forecasters that stand on the beach and yell into the winds that this is a dangerous storms, NOAA is not given to panic. If you’re within a mile of the beach and your house is at sea level, a 12-15 foot storm surge will absolutely ruin your day, not to mention your HDTV and your life. Move inland.

For the rest of us, though, we just hunker down. I’m in a brick townhome that should weather 80 mph winds just fine. I’m spending the day preparing for a bible lesson tomorrow. I’m still assuming I’ll be teaching it come Sunday. Depending on whether we have any electricity, though, it may be a few days before I can post it here.

I still need a new propane tank for the grill, just in case.