One of the better FREE meteorology websites out there . . . Dr. Jeff Masters. Hanna is heading towards South Carolina it appears, and IKE is running into some Big Time wind-shear that is eroding away the northwest portion past the eyewall. Trough of Low Pressure will be the key as to whether or not IKE will turn it North, or farther West into the Gulf of Mexico. Stay tuned! http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html
The computer models are zeroing in on the Key's. One of my best friends from Chicago is living on his sailboat in Marathon. This will be the THIRD time in THREE weeks he's had to evacuate.
I live out there and am looking for a beach house that is not too close (target of 2010--the real estate bubble has really burst out there). I remember seeing those homes on the beach road on MP 3 or so crumbling to the sand. I hope you were not one of those homeowners who had their house condemned by the city for septic reasons and then had their property become just another place for the public on which to sun themselves.
I am 2 blocks outside of an evacuation zone...(the evac zone is east and south of US1)...I have seen what a cat5 can do if its a direct hit.....and it aint pretty....I am planning on heading north to Orlando or Tampa if it looks like it will strike anywhere near me.....peace...
To put things in perspective: though Katrina and Andrew were exceptions because of direct hits on very built up area by exceptionally powerful storms, the cost of cleaning up after many of these hurricanes is small compared to a year in Iraq. The latter is what we can't afford. P.S. I also experienced a nearly direct hit from Katrina so i understand what you are talking about. Lost a friend in Bay St. Louis. But I was lucky because I am far enough inland that we only had tornadoes and severe wind damage, no buildings washed away as on the coast , Just missing roofs and many crushed by trees. The majority of damage was repairable. I lost 1 garage, 1 truck crushed, 4 houses with damaged roofs, and between 40 and 50 large trees gone, plus assorted other damage. Spent a month with a chain saw after the storm.
Thank you! Yes, God has blessed me in more ways than one... I lived through combat in the Desert, and combat in the markets. They're very similar. One kills, the other gets killed.