Storms in the Islands

The news reports indicate the Turks and Caicos Island took a devastating blow from Hurricane Ike. If you would like to help, please donate to the American Redcross.

Haiti, once again is suffering from the deluge of rain.

The destruction in Haiti has been described as catastrophic.

Police said 500 people were confirmed dead from recent Tropical Storm Hanna but that others are still missing and the number could rise.
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said hundreds of thousands of people had been displaced by the flooding.

Denuded mountains are one of the reasons Haiti suffers such devastation from the torrential rains of tropical storms and hurricanes. There is nothing to hold back the rampaging waters. Political turmoil doesn't help matters. Dr. Masters at the The Weather Underground recommended donating to the Lamdi Fund. This organization helps t build up the lives of Haitians and has a goal of planting 1 million trees to counter the rampant deforestation.

In the US, Louisiana took the brunt of Gustav. If you would like to help, click here for the Red Cross.

Is Your Life Worth It?

Some of the commetors at Weather Underground are saying they will not evacuate if Hurricane Ike threatens their area. Some are just tired after Gustav and don't have the money to leave. It worries me.

I'm fortunate that I live in a zone for which I don't have to evacuate for even a Category 5 storm. Still, I too lack the energy to prepare for another storm so soon after Hurricane Gustav.

However, I will do what is necessary, as will my son. My offices are still the trailers we've been renting since Hurricane Katrina. We know the drill well and even though my muscles are still aching from the flurry of activity of first clearing all equipment, files, etc, and then replacing them once the threat was over, this week, if Ike threatens the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we'll do it ago. I view the preparations we did for Gustav as a practice run. If next week, we have to do it all over again, it will be easier.

The mental fatigue of worrying and the thought of "Oh no, here we go again" takes its toll. But it isn't something that can be wished away. It has to be dealt with.

Staying in a area that is prone to floods is just plain stupid. I was so angry at those in Pearlington and Pass Christian Mississippi who stayed during Gustav. These two areas are like water magnets and flood severely during hurricanes. They not only put their lives in danger but those of rescuers.

If money is a factor, don't let a false sense of pride keep you from using the options that are available. Mississippi and Louisiana offer buses for evacuees that need transportation. Pets are allowed as long as you have proper medical documents showing your pets are vaccinated and have no communicable diseases . I'm sure Alabama and Florida do the same. There are also shelters, some for those with pets, available.

In short, if you are under a mandatory evacuation order, there is really no reason you cannot evacuate.

Right now, the thought of redoing everything that was done before Gustav seems overwhelming. There's the lost work, the stress and strain, the constant worry of what damage will occur if your area is hit.

The thing to remember is isn't your life and that of your loved ones worth more?

Gustav: A Normal Hurricane

I suppose it may seem somewhat strange to characterize a hurricane as normal. It was normal in the sense there wasn't massive damage and destruction like we saw with Hurricane Katrina. It was with a sense of relief that when we look around, there were only a hundred homes flooded in Mississippi and not the tens of thousands that were reduced to slab after Katrina.

It was a normal hurricane in that there were no pictures of boats in trees, just a few tossed on Highway 90.

It was a normal hurricane in that Highway 90 was closed due to sand being washed onto it and not because large sections were washed away.

Instead of casinos being closed for months, they will reopen today.

Damage assessments ares till being made. When completed, they will be in the millions of dollars and not the billions after Hurricane Katrina.

I'm so thankful Gustav wasn't as bad as it could have been. But I'm fearful that people will become complacent and won't heed the evacuation warnings or prepare for the next hurricane. Even after the devastating storm surge from Hurricane Katrina, there were those on the Jourdan River and Pearlington, both in Hancock County, who didn't heed the mandatory evacuations for Gustav. Some had to be rescued. Not only did they put their lives in danger but those of the National Guard and police and fire and rescue teams as well.

Pass Christian is one of those towns which can expect to be inundated by a storm surge. Even in that most vulnerable city, people stayed and had to be rescued.


Tine and again, when hurricanes move across the Gulf of Mexico like Gustav did, they push water from the south east and water accumulates at the Louisiana and Mississippi line. It goes into Lake Ponchatrain. It goes up the Pearl River. It goes up Bay St. Louis. And until the winds recede and the storm passes on, the water piles up and has no where else to go but on land.

Memories of Katrina are still fresh and raw three years later. These memories will tend to fade as the Mississippi Gulf Coast experiences another normal hurricane. Already there are those who say since their homes didn't flood or wash away from Katrina, they have nothing to fear from the next one. It was this fallacy over the belief that no storm surge could equal Hurricane Camille's which led to many people dying from Katrina's storm surge.

Even with a normal hurricane like Gustav, if evacuation orders are not heeded, loss of life can occur. Thankfully, no one in Mississippi lost their lives in Gustav.

People must remember each hurricane has the potential to be a Betsy, a Camille, an Ivan, a Charley, or a Katrina. It may be a pain in the ass to prepare and to evacuate each time warnings are given. But that pain in the ass may very well save your life.

Gustav: Reflections

In Mississippi, we prepared for Gustav like it would be another Hurricane Katrina. Preparations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast started in earnest when Gustav was a Category 4 and the potential was there for it to become a Category 5. The National Hurricane Center's projected path of Gustav proved very accurate with landfall expected along the central Louisiana coast. Mississippi has been experiencing the tail-end of Gustav all day. Even at 11:00 pm Monday evening, the occasional gust would go through. The storm surge spread across the Mississippi Coast and was greater than expected.

Mississippi started preparing for Gustav on Wednesday, August 26, 2008. Containers at the Port of Gulfport were moved inland. People began stocking up on water, food, and materials needed to secure homes. Businesses took the threat seriously and secured inventory, equipment, and files. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Hancock and Harrison counties for those living in flood zones A & B. Mandatory evacuations were also ordered for those living in FEMA trailers and Katrina cottages. The National Guard was called in.

It was an eerie repetition of what we all were doing three years ago in preparation for Hurricane Katrina. Lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina were employed, hence the containers being ordered inland. School buses were used to evacuate those who needed transportation and pets were allowed to go along. The Mississippi Department of Transportation did a great job of handling the contraflow of evacuees from New Orleans and other areas of Louisiana.

Some may say the threat of Gustav was hyped up. That all the time and energy put into preparing for Gustav was wasted effort since we did not have a direct hit or because it was not a major hurricane when it made landfall in Louisiana. Hurricanes can be very unpredictable. You can never know what to expect until it hits land. Hurricane Camille which struck the Mississippi Coast in 1969 intensified to a Category 5 just before it made landfall. Hurricane Georges which struck us in 1998 was a Category 2 storm. The rains it dumped caused major flooding in Jackson County.

With other disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, and wildfires, you don't know when they will occur. When a tornado threatens, you may have only a few minutes warning to seek shelter. With hurricanes, you have days to get prepared. And if you don't, it can cost you your life. Everyone should have a basic emergency kit consisting of food and water to last at the minimum of three days. It's best to prepare for a longer period of time.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. That is what we in Mississippi and Louisiana did for Gustav and by doing so, lives were saved.

Gustav:Starting to Calm in Gulfport?

Since the weather radio is not sounding tornado alarms every 20 minutes and the gusts are becoming less frequent, I dare to hope the worst is over.

I lost power for about 30 minutes. I love the utility crews down here. The work around the wind gusts and the storm surge.

Gustav:Current Conditions in Gulfport

Winds are really gusting. Horizontal rain on occasion. There are sporadic power outages across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The storm surge is coming across Highway 90 in low-lying areas. These areas usually experience flooding in tropical storm conditions. It is nothing like Katrina.


My brother reports a tree fell on his shed. My Mom and sister in Biloxi are doing fine.

Louisiana is taking the brunt. Again, my thoughts and best wishes are with those in harm's way.

Day Has Dawned

The winds are increasing. The gusts now last longer and are stronger. With the daylight, I can the winds effect on the trees. It isn't too bad but power may go out at some point. I was able to go outside and check on things. The roof on my shed looks like an accordion. Tree branches and leaves are littering the yard. My blue car is now green with its plastered leaves.

Still as things go, it isn't bad. News reports indicate New Orleans has lost power. It looks as if Gustav may make lanfall over Grand Isle, which is just west of the Mississippi River. My heart goes out to those in Louisiana who are taking the brunt of this storm. I know good people are in its path. I'm hoping things will be okay for them.

Windy Morning

The wind woke me up. It is steady about 30-40 mph with higher gusts. I checked the radar to see where Gustav is. It looks close(20 to 3 hours?) to landfall just west of the Mississippi River. Winds will probably be picking up more in my area as the morning goes on. Currently Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties are under a tornado warning until 6:00 am.

Hoping for the best for Louisiana and New Orleans.

Everything Got to Ride

The wind is stirring ever so gently, so far. I have three cats. One goes a bit bonkers whenever a storm threatens. I brought him in early this afternoon. He is almost climbing the walls wanting to go outside. Every time I get up, he runs to the door.

I was checking on the latest and saw this at the Sunherald:

South Mississippi residents continue to evacuate and seek shelter from Hurricane Gustav on Sunday night. CTA reported 440 people, three cats, one dog and two parakeets were evacuated on school buses to Jackson

Going to try to catch some sleep. It looks like Gustav has sped up and will be making landfall sometime in the morning. It looks bad for Louisiana and New Orleans.

Gustav: Making His Presence Known

The wind started picking up about 30-45 minutes ago. A squall came through about 15 minutes ago.



It has quieted down.

Bad, Bad, News: I-10 eastbound to Mobile closed

MDOT: I-10 eastbound to Mobile closed
SUN HERALD

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced that hurricane evacuees will be unable to enter Alabama on I-10 eastbound due to major delays from the Biloxi-Ocean Springs area to the Mobile Tunnel. Drivers will be diverted north on Mississippi 63 at exit 69.

Click on the Mississippi Department of Transportation web-site for traffic updates.