Dennis the Hurricane

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WriteRead

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The Hurricane

I thought that it'll be nice to keep you posted and unpdated from a personal POV on this major element of nature, the hurricane, which is making its appearance "en force", right now, in our neighborhood.

I intend to keep it throughout the hurricane season, meaning till November, if you guys don't mind.

Whoever is from FL, GA, AL, MS and LA has a standing invitation to add to this thread from his own experiences and accounts. On the house!

Hold us fingers, guys!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midnight here. The storm weather patterns thrown into our streets and our yards by Dennis put a multi-media show to the eyes, to the ears. Even the nose has its share, a pleasant fragrance of wet vegetation, accentuated by the scent of the ozone.

The lightpost casts its bright, yellow tentacles of light thru the pouring rain, dumping itself at the will of this monster's feeders, the spiralling arms which circle the waters, the earth and its trees and houses, the dark, starless skies, in a continuous, frantic counterclock movement.

Huge, irregular streaks of light hit the skies with rolling thunders, big bulks of noise reverberating in my ears, the early messengers of the cargos of rain that are bound to come in their wake.

The stray kittens, which we feed religiously three times a day, are hiding beneath the tool rack in the carport, frightened to death, I think, reminding me of the early humans, the cave dwellers of old, who didn't understand, much less know, which is which and where is what.

They say that tomorrow will be the worst b/c the hurricane will be at its closest range to us. Whoever crosses the bridges of Caloosa does so at the mercy of the winds and at his own risk. My wife had to do it. She's on night shift beyond the river. At my request, she took my car, a Le Sabre, big enough to sustain the winds, I hope, not her small, slanted-eyes car. I told her to stay behind for tonight, but she said that tomorrow will take care of itself tomorrow. Okay! Good to put your faith in the Universe, I subscribe to that POV.

The season had started just a mth ago and we had already four Tropical Storms, with about 11 more to come, according to the forecasts, of which a few can turn into major hurricanes. One did it already, Dennis the Bad One.

I read that Cuba has already its dead, ten unfortunate enough poor guys who didn't make it thru the 135 mph ferocity. It tore its way thru the island and now it makes its way into the Gulf, cutting right thru the western Keyes. I hope Papa's house, in Key West, will remain intact.

The other unfortunate ones, the dwellers of the Gulf North Coast, from La to Fl Pensacola region, started to evacuate. My heart goes to them. I'm lucky not to be among them, but the season is in full swing and the worse mths are yet ahead of us. August is the worst, b/c the waters get very warm and it stirs the winds into storms and eventually, into hurricanes.

Last yr, Charlie tore right above my head and believe me, it was not pleasant.

This is my first serious hurricane season. In Israel all I knew was wars, a few of them. Now, this animal, the storms, is new to me. I'm not frightened, I worry about the house. I really am. Plenty of them around with the blue tarp still on the roofs, damaged and molded by the last year's frenzy.

Quiet now outside. I'm going to see a movie, "Run Lola Run (sic)!" I always wondered how is a script written. I have a faint idea about it, but I think that script writers are a very diff and talented species of writers. My hat off to them. On second thought, maybe they think the same about the novelists, F and NF alike? Who knows...

To the movie! I'll keep you posted. Nighty night!

The Hurricaned Dan
 
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WriteRead

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The skies are gray, now, but not as dark as during a storm. Raining intermittently. The trees wave in the wind, as saying hello to it. The worst is to come this evening and tonight, but way off in the Gulf. We'll feel only the winds and the storm surge, and the heavy rains.

Dan
 

BradyH1861

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Here on the Upper Texas Coast, I ponder when it will be our turn. We are seriously overdue. The problem we have, certainly in the Houston/Galveston area, is probably similar to one experienced in Florida. We have not had a major hurricane hit this area since Carla in 61 or 64...can't remember. Anyway, we had a very weak Cat. 3 that hit in 1983. That is the one most people think of. They think that was bad! (certainly it was if you got flooded out, but it could be much much worse) So many people here have never experienced an actual hurricane.

Last September as the storms were pummeling Florida, I was in the grocery store. The man in front of me in line (a Yankee by his accent) was telling the clerk how he wasn't worried about hurricanes because we never had a major hurricane hit our area.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that a few short miles to the south of us, the city of Galveston was wiped off the face of the earth in 1900. That remains the deadliest natural disaster in US history. Furthermore, our own city (in Galveston County) was also completely destroyed in that storm. (it wasn't a city at that time, merely a settlement, but you get the idea) So yes, Mr. Newcomer, we have had major hurricanes hit here....repeatedly at that. It is not a matter of if, but when.

Brady H.
(pondering the next hurricane disaster)
 

WriteRead

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Yes, Brady, the q is indeed when. All the weather geeks say so, repeating the notion that a new cycle of more pronounced activity in the Atlantic is ahead of us for the next two decades, or so. It will bring more named depressions, which can turn into tropical storms and then, into hurricanes, which in turn can turn into major ones, like this one, now.

I take it that your sig has nothing to do w me, or does it?
icon9.gif
or
icon12.gif
, don't know how to take it.

Dan
 

WriteRead

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I agreew it 100%, though I don't know what will I do in the circumstances in which this saying of his was expressed, the Rev War, right?

Dolores Ibárruri, the legendary La Passionaria comunist warrior of the civil war in Spain, during the '30's, used to say "Better to die standing than live kneeling!" Very laconic, very true, an absolute dignified human truism.

BTW, I happen to love Samuel Adams beer very much, he-he.

Dan
 

BradyH1861

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You are correct, Rev War is the right era.

You are also right in that Sam Adams is a good beer. During my drinking days, it was one of my preferred beverages.

Brady H.
 

rtilryarms

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Dennis just clipped me but he spawned a tornado (I must be a tornado magnet!) and felled a power line leaving us sans electric most of the day.

But alas, I bought an 8,500 W generator in response to last year’s cascade of hurricanes. So I got my 2 refrigerators (filled with beer and a meat loaf) and my computer hooked up.

I am sitting in the jolly happy juxtaposition of computer by candlelight, sipping on a beer and wondering if my wife will make me do the stinking meatloaf on the gas grill..

Good luck Readwrite, hope you recover soon





 

WriteRead

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Thank you, Mike! Where are you that dennis clipped you? Not in Cuba, I take it, he-he-he!... Jamaica, maybe?
icon12.gif


If I may and it's okay w you, "alas" is an expression of sorrow, while you wanted to say, I guess, "Luckily, I have a generator!" :)

Dan
 

WriteRead

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Local update as of 21:00, NE Cape Coral

Heavy winds which sway the trees quite violently from time to time. No rain, for the moment.
After Charlie four of our trees were felled and we had to trim the remains. We witnessed one of them snapping right in its middle, as if a giant took a toothpick between his fingers and snapped it in two w/o any visible effort. So amazing, scary!

The little kitten, the only one I see from the pack of three, since the morning feeding, is not to be seen, now, though it ate the food I put at about 1700 (I think it's it which ate it).

My wife at work, night shift. Had to cross the bridges, but she took my car, so...

When I told my brother in Isr that Dennis killed ten already in Cuba, he asked me why did I pick this spot of all places? "I'm an idiot!", I told him. Well, nothing new here, he-he... BTW, fifteen already killed in all of the Carribeans, by Dennis.

So far, so good! For us, here, that is. I am so anxious about the N Gulf coast when it'll be hit by Dennis. I hope for the minimum damages and w God's help, zero casualties.

Bye, for now, guys!

Dan
 
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robeiae

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Dennis missed me, though we had some serious wind. No tornadoes and I am South of Mike. BTW, Dennis is now a Cat 3 again and expected to strengthen. I think it will be a Cat 4 at landfall. I f you're on the coast and in its path, get out! This thing is getting worse and it has slowed down (bad sign, since it's also hitting warmer water).

Rob :)
 

AprilBoo

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I feel for you guys - we seem to keep dodging the bullet in LA. We got really lucky last year when that Cat 5 mysteriously dropped to Cat 2 before hitting the coast (I don't remember the name of that one - Ivan? maybe?) It looks like we may only get some wind from Dennis. And some evacuation traffic. Hey, feel free to join us Floridians, our interstates are lovely! :ROFL:


On a somewhat inappropriate side note, I love to watch the Weather Channel when there's a hurricane. All those weathermen, standing in the rain, trying to act like the wind isn't about to blow them down, like those Weather Channel ponchos are REALLY REALLY strong....

Try to stay dry and non-windblown.
 

WriteRead

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For April

Thank you, April, for your feelings :) and for the invitation. We have a planned trip to the Big Easy for Christmas. I'm anticipate it w great excitement.

We'll take, though, the SR's to it, along the coast, like 19, not the highways (75 and 10).

Dan
 

eldragon

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I'm on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We're all boarded up and waiting to see what happens. Last year, with IVAN - we all got busy getting ready. This one has more people sitting around, not taking it serious - which means, of course - that it could be more dangerous.

Ivan hit Gulf Shores, AL ......which is less than 100 miles from here, and believe me - we had a major storm. Lost power for 12+ hours, lost a tree - lost a fence, etc. We felt lucky we only had that much damage.

Now - this one has the potential of being worse than IVAN - and my thoughts are the same as everyone elses - in that "we haven't had a catastrophic storm for too long - it's our turn."

Camille hit here in 1969- and the winds were measures at higher than 210 MPH (gusts) - which was as high as the devices back then could measure.

People still talk about it. Dead bodies in trees - (humans), houses leveled, dead animals - squirrels, snakes, alligators, raccoons, birds, cows, you name it - bloated and stinking everywhere.


A huge DOLE banana ship was brought in on a wave and had to be taken apart piece by piece to move it.

Here's hoping Dennis is as wimpy as it's name. But I'm not counting on it. I wish we had a generator - being without power is the worst part about the whole thing.
 

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Well, I live in Pensacola, which is where the eye of Ivan went through and pretty much decimated the entire city...not that there was much of Pensacola to begin with.

Ivan was originally headed straight for us (Pensacola) but then turned toward Gulf Shores. However, a few hours before it hit, it turned again toward us. The eye kinda passed between GS and us which meant the the most powerful winds hit both spots continually, as the eye provided no reprieve since it was too far away. Gulf Shores got it bad, but was somewhat spared as they didn't get it nearly as bad as us wave/storm-surge wise. I'm not really sure why. Gulf Shores and Pensacola seem to be ground zero for devastating Hurricanes these days.

I didn't stick around for Ivan, as I left once they declared evacuations (like I did yesterday for Dennis). Unfortunately, my school (University of West Florida) was so damaged (knocked down 2000 trees on campus...yes, thousand...and damaged 53 buildings) that we weren't allowed to return for just over 3 weeks after Ivan hit. The cityliterally looked like a war zone after Ivan's devastation.

Dennis will probably be bad, but may not be as damaging as Ivan. A large portion of the damage from Ivan was from the waves and storm surge. Ivan brought with it 50 ft. waves that destroyed Pensacola beach so badly, that the entire beach was closed from September until late March of this year. Santa Rosa Island (a very small sliver of beach just off the coast) was totally washed away.

Ivan was also so big and powerful that, if anyone remembers, it tore through the Gulf, went up through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and then the Carolinas then out into the Atlantic where it circled back down to the Gulf and passed through a second time about a week later (only as a tropical depression, though still with a lot of rain).

For now, even though Dennis has sped back up to around category 4 (just as Ivan did at this same stage), the waves it's creating aren't as large as Ivan's were so the storm surge on land might not be as bad. But, that could always change in the next 12 hours.

I guess we'll know Sunday night.

However, I decided to flee to TN for the week, so I won't be around to see the damage as it happens. I'm totally fine with missing the "fun."

It is kinda sad, though, to see your town destroyed at least once every year.
 
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Optimus

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Hmm...well...I take it back.

I just watched the Weather Channel and, since Saturday morning, Hurricane Dennis has jumped back up to a category 4 hurricane with winds around 145 mph.

So, it looks like Dennis may be as bad, if not worse, than even Ivan.

I guess I might be stuck in TN for a while.

Not that I mind too much.
 

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EGADS! I said alas?


[smacks self 3 times on the side of the head remembering that this is a writers board]
 

Unique

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I thought you were complaining about the 'saving' of the meatloaf. The beer would keep.:Shrug:
 

WriteRead

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Update Local

Okay!! Dennis passed us and it cleared up quite a bit, right now. So far, so good! But hey, the season had just begun!

I didn't see the last kitten of the pack, this morning. I fear for it, poor little one. It's a cute black one, w a white spot on its upper chest, an absolute beauty.

I wish you, people in the other affected states, all the best of luck w it, now.

Dan
 

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We're having almost nothing here on the MS gulf coast. Rain, and some gusts. NOTHING like Ivan. Nothing. It's almost disapointing. You get yourself all geared up for a major storm - board up your windows - stock supplies - and nothing happens.


It's a good thing - but unsettling.
 

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Yeah, I just checked the school website and apparently there's little damage to campus and Pensacola overall (relative to Ivan, that is). Dennis was category 4 all the way up until about and hour before it hit, and then fizzled right before it made landfall.

Nothing at all like Ivan. Which is good, because I can actually get back down to Pensacola in a few days rather than nearly a month like with Ivan.
 
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