Another Hurricane

Hurricane Michael came ashore at somewhere around a Cat 5. It might have been just under, but close enough that it really doesn't matter. The weather folks are saying it's the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the US.

Last spring I drove across the Florida panhandle, but we didn't go down to the coast. We did spend some time there years ago. Maybe something like 12 years ago? At any rate, I remember seeing a lot of beach condos going up. Knowing something about construction, I was appalled at the shoddy workmanship. My guess is that those buildings must have suffered serious damage -if they are still there at all.

A couple weeks ago my lovely wife floated the idea of maybe heading down to that area this winter. I don't think it's going to be a good idea. Although it's too early to assess the coastal damage, it has to be bad. Waffle house was closing restaurants, and they almost never do that. The government actually has a “Waffle House Index” to judge how bad storm damage is.

It's way to early t0o inspect the damage. In fact, as this posts, there's still plenty of life in the storm. It's heading in GA. Not only will it still be strong, it's hitting areas that have not had to deal with hurricanes before. My guess is, that at the very least, there's going to be extensive downed trees and power outages.

This storm popped up quickly and intensified faster that most people were expecting. We are used to seeing a storm churn across the southern Atlantic. That gives time to prepare. Hurricanes that pop up in the Gulf historically don't get this strong. Being prepped is not all that big a deal if all you get is a tropical storm. Those who bugged out had to make their decision quickly and act on it nearly immediately. I'm really concerned for all those who've had to bug in because they ran out of options before they even realized it.

I hope people stay safe. This is a bad one. There's also plenty of hurricane season left too.

-Sixbears