Tag: Hurricanes

Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season

Just a few days ago the 2025 hurricane began and the people down here where I live, the Gulf Coast, will be keeping close watch on the tropics waiting for that next show to fall.

I went through Katrina and the destruction was damn near complete….the Coast looked like a war zone and that was 20 years ago this year….and thanks to FEMA, MEMA and others we rebuilt….some say better than before.

But we have another worry to plague our minds…..Dear Donny and his helter skelter mindset towards any disasters….we will be able to weather (no pun intended) any massive storm like Katrina?  (Did you know that the director of Donny’s FEMA did not know it was hurricane season?)

I have my doubts because of what he has done to North Carolina….

President Trump talked a big game on the campaign about what he deemed an ineffective response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during hurricane season last year. In fact, during a trip to North Carolina in January, he made a point to criticize the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, saying, “This is totally unacceptable, and I’ll be taking strong action.”

Turns out that “strong action” would be telling the state, “Nah fam, you on your own.”

According to ABC News, FEMA has rejected a request from the North Carolina governor to continue matching state funds for efforts in cleaning up the damage left by Hurricane Helene. The Biden administration issued a cost-sharing directive last fall to match 100% of the funds the state spends on cleanup operations. Hurricane Helene was a Category 4 storm that killed over 230 people and resulted in record flooding throughout the state.

“After a careful and thorough review of all the information available, including that contained in your initial request for a cost share adjustment and appeal, we have concluded that an extension of the 100 percent federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance for an additional 180 days under major disaster declaration FEMA-4827-DR is not warranted,” acting Administrator David Richardson wrote in the letter.

Richardson is…an interesting fellow, to put it politely. A former Marine, he was named the acting director of FEMA despite having no experience managing natural disasters. In his initial remarks to the agency, he warned he would “run right over” any person who doesn’t agree with the changes being made to how FEMA operates.

His appointment seems to be yet another instance of the Trump administration valuing blind loyalty over an innate ability to do critical jobs. This isn’t even speculation, as Richardson more or less confirmed this when he told FEMA employees, “I will achieve the president’s intent. I am as bent on achieving the president’s intent as I was on making sure that I did my duty when I took my Marines to Iraq.”

North Carolina Denied Hurricane Relief Amid Changes At FEMA

How can this soulless son-of-a-bitch deny Americans the chance to rebuild their lives and communities after a catastrophic storm?

But yet he can find money to throw that the most wasteful and useless appendage of the government….the War Department.

He has no priorities other than making money for himself and his merry band of thieves.

You voted for this asshole….are you happy now?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season–2023

It is that time of the year…..we who live on the Gulf Coast dread 01 June for it is the start of the hurricane season.

If you do not live in Hurricane Alley then this post will not be of interest to you….but I would be remiss as an FYI blogger if I let it go without a post.

It’s time for residents along the southeastern US coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place: The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season formally got underway Thursday, and the AP rounds up some things to know:

  • Predictions: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in late May a 40% chance of 2023 being a near-normal hurricane season, a 30% chance of an above-average season, which has more storms than usual, and a 30% chance of a below-normal season, which has fewer.
  • Specifics: “We’re expecting a busy season with 12 to 17 named storms,” said Mike Brennan, the new director at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, adding that five to nine of those storms could become hurricanes, with one to four growing into major hurricanes.
  • Meet Arlene: Already, the first named storm of the season formed on Friday in the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Arlene is heading due south toward the western tip of Cuba, and could fall apart before reaching any land.
  • What’s new: This year, the hurricane center is rolling out a new storm surge model that Brennan said “helps push real-time storm surge prediction out to 72 hours in advance of the storm” in hopes of getting life-saving information to emergency managers regarding evacuation orders. In addition, tropical weather outlooks have been extended from five days out to seven days, providing “an additional heads up” for residents to make decisions about whether to evacuate in advance of a storm, Brennan said.
  • El Nino: The term refers to a natural temporary warming of the Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years, including this one. Generally, the Atlantic is quieter and has fewer storms during El Nino years, though Brennan noted there are other factors at play, including warm sea surface temperatures, weaker low-level easterly flows, and a more active African monsoon season. “So these forces are going to kind of fight it out over the course of this hurricane season,” he said. “We don’t know how this season’s going to play out.”

I pots every year to let my regulars know that if I disappear between June and December it could be because of a storm has hit and we are without power or internet.

AS my tradition I will sign off with a tune of the season from Jimmy Buffet….

Enjoy your weekend…..be well….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season 2023–Prologue

I realize that this means little to anyone that does not live in the path of a hurricane….but believe me, a person that has ridden out every storm since 1972…..they are scary and watching them is a necessity.

I usually post on the day the annual hurricane season begins….but I read some information that is disturbing….especially for anyone that lives in a hurricane zone….anyone that has rode out a hurricane will understand why I post on this yearly event.

The report states that the likelihood of back to back storms isn’t good…..

What used to be a rare one-two punch of consecutive hurricanes hitting the same area in the United States weeks apart seems to be happening more often, and a new study says climate change will make back-to-back storms increasingly frequent and nastier. Using computer simulations, Princeton University scientists calculate that the deadly storm duet that used to happen once every few decades could happen every two or three years as the world warms, according to a study in Monday’s Nature Climate Change. Louisiana and Florida residents have already felt it, reports the AP.

In 2021, Hurricane Ida blasted Louisiana with 150mph winds. Just 15 days later a weakening Nicholas came nearby, close enough for its wind, rain, and storm surge to add to the problems, said study co-author Ning Lin, a climate scientist at Princeton. The Ida-Nicholas combo came after Louisiana was hit in 2020 by five hurricanes or tropical storms: Cristobal, Marco, Laura, Delta, and Zeta. Laura was the biggest of those, with 150mph winds. After Laura, relief workers had set up a giant recovery center in a parking lot of a damaged roofless church when Delta approached, so all the supplies had to be jammed against the building and battened down, said United Way President Denise Durel. “You think it can’t be happening to us again,” Durel recalled 2 1/2 years later from an area that is still recovering.

Florida in 2004 had four hurricanes in six weeks, prompting NOAA to take note of a new nickname for the Sunshine State—”The Plywood State,” from all the boarded-up homes. “We found a trend,” Lin said. “Those things are happening. They’re happening more often now than before.” There’s a caveat to that trend. There haven’t been enough hurricanes and tropical storms since about 1950—when good recordkeeping started—for a statistically significant trend, Lin said. So her team added computer simulations to see if they could see such a pattern and they did. Lin’s team looked at nine US storm-prone areas and found an increase in storm hazards for seven of them since 1949. Only Charleston, South Carolina, and Pensacola, Florida, didn’t see hazards increase.

Something for us to look forward to in the near future…..I am always prepared but this year I will be extra prepared in case this prediction is accurate.

Be Well….Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season”–2022

This post does not really help too many people but I post it because I live in what is called “Hurricane Alley” and we usually have a target on our backs every season and I want to let my regular readers know that if I am off-line for awhile is because some named storm has taken my power away…..

Since hurricane season officially begins on 01 June I try to let my readers know what we can expect according to the ‘experts’……

If NOAA’s predictions are correct, 2022 will be the seventh straight year with above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic. The agency predicts between 14 and 21 named storms, compared to an average of 14. It also expects 3 to 6 major hurricanes, which have sustained winds of at least 111mph and “are responsible for the overwhelming majority of damage due to wind and ocean surge,” as the Washington Post puts it. This season could represent the continuation of a trend: Last year had 21 named storms, 2020 broke the record with 30, and every year going back to 2016 has been “above average.”

In recent years, improved computer modeling and other technological enhancements have made NOAA’s predictions more accurate regarding both the frequency and intensity of storms. Climate-related factors also make prediction easier: warmer surface water temperatures provide fuel for hurricanes, and those temperatures have continued to tick higher in the western Atlantic. La Niña is another factor: the phenomenon cools the Pacific but creates favorable conditions for hurricanes in the Atlantic, allowing more room for air to rise and reducing wind shear, which can disrupt a storm’s development. Meanwhile, in its Central Pacific forecast, NOAA says La Niña will likely bring below-average hurricane activity.

In a news conference, NOAA officials emphasized that it only takes one storm to devastate communities, including those far from landfall, per ABC7. “Hurricane Ida spanned nine states, demonstrating that anyone can be in the direct path of a hurricane and in danger from the remnants of a storm system,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who urges everyone to visit Ready.gov to prepare for storms and other potential disasters. NOAA also released this year’s lineup of storm names, starting with Alex and ending with Walter. Officially, hurricane season runs June 1–November 30, although NOAA began tracking the year’s first tropical wave earlier this month, per ClickOrlando. Although no storms have formed yet, pre-season named storms did emerge in both 2020 and 2021.

We prepare as we do every year with lots of bottled water, can goods, charcoal, and lots of batteries and make sure the house is weathered proof…..after that all we can do is watch and wait…..

If I disappear then do not fret I will return as soon as I can…..thanx for all your support and friendship……

As per my tradition I leave you with a tune that sums up how we deal with the season at hand…..

Be well and be safe…..

Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season–2021

The big news about the Hurricane Ida attack last weekend is Louisiana…once again this region is the brunt of the damage inflicted by this devastating storm.

My town was ravaged by Katrina in 2005 and this time we got heavy rain and some hard wind…..but the damage was minor compared to what it could have been…..

For those interested (probably not that damn many) here are a few photos of the town and area around it……..

https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article253829728.html

https://www.sunherald.com/news/weather-news/article253863878.html

As you can see we were fortunate this time….but there is still two months to go in the 2021 season…..so it ain’t over ’til it’s over.

On a personal note–We never lost power but my WiFi was lost for a couple of days….I had minor damage to trees….my garden is history but I was able to save 4 okra plants….2 blueberry bushes took damage and my privacy fence lost an entire section…..the house and cars made it through unscathed…..all in all I was very fortunate.

We still have about 2 months of the season so we keep a sharp eye on the tropics….hoping we have had our storm this year.

Have a great Sunday….Be Well and Be Safe……

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–30Aug21

Pls forgive the typos and such….Hurricane Ida has made it necessary to post from my phone.

Ida hit at 12 noon….our winds and rain started about 1400 hrs…..and for the last 20 hours we have been dealing with 45-80+ mph winds and heavy heavy rains….so far about 12 inches and it still continues….

I lost part of my privacy fence (yet again for Zeta took a portion of it in 2020) and some tree damage but no loss of trees……we are still trying to cope with being locked down for at least 24 hours straight.

My garden has ceased to exist…..

MoMo is coping without her normal morning walk….the gusts of 60-80 mph winds is not something she enjoys.

Sorry had to make this short but sweet…..time to make my rounds to be sure the house has no problems………..

Be Well….Be Safe…..

Trying to Reason With The Hurricane Season–2021

Closing Thought–01Jun21

Today is 01 June….and the 2021hurricane season begins…..it actually got kicked off with a subtropical storm, Ana, in late May…..

This means little to anyone that does not live in Hurricane Alley….but since I do it is a big deal.

NOAA has made its predictions for 2021…..

Subtropical storm Ana formed in the Atlantic Ocean early Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Ana was the first named storm in the Atlantic this year, though hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1, per the AP. Ana was located about 200 miles northeast of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 45mph, the hurricane center said in a 5am advisory. The system was expected to continue its slow and erratic motion, then dissipate in a few days, forecasters said. CNN and the Weather Channel note this is the seventh year in a row that at least one named storm has formed before the official start of hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

This also isn’t the first hurricane season of late that’s kicked off with a subtropical storm: That happened in both 2018 and 2019, with Alberto and Andrea, respectively. The hurricane center said Ana is a subtropical storm because it is “entangled with an upper-level low,” but still has some “tropical characteristics.” A tropical storm watch was in effect for Bermuda. The storm isn’t set to hit the US. Meteorologists expect the 2021 season to be busy, but not as crazy as the record-breaking 2020 season.

Ana is a harbinger…..now for the predictions….

NOAA announced its initial outlook for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season on Thursday.

It said an “above normal” season is most likely, at a 60% chance.

NOAA said it expects 13 to 20 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes for the 2021 season.

The 2021 hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

NOAA said it does not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020.

Forecasters with Colorado State University reported last month that they believe there could be as many as 17 named storms for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. That would make it the sixth consecutive “above normal” season.

WE have set about getting our emergency supplies together……non-perishable food, drugs and especially batteries…..

Zeta hit us pretty hard last year….we are hoping that we get a small break…..

As usual I leave you with the tune of Jimmy Buffet….

Be Well….Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season

This post probably means little to those that do not have to deal with the possibility of a hurricane….but down here we take all news very seriously.

As the weekend begins we here on the Gulf Coast are preparing for the beginning of another hurricane season…..and the news is not all that good.

A recordkeeping change has altered expectations for the number of tropical storms in an Atlantic hurricane season. The average number of named tropical storms in a year is now 14, up from an average of 12 before the change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The numbers are based on a 30-year period, NPR reports, and the agency shifted to a new time frame on Friday, effective this season—1991 to 2020 instead of 1981 to 2010. The average for hurricanes is seven, up from six. The average number of Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes stays at three, per Axios. The agency made no adjustments for the Pacific Ocean. “These updated averages better reflect our collective experience of the past 10 years, which included some very active hurricane seasons,” said a forecaster for the agency.

At the same time, with average temperatures rising in the US and precipitation becoming more erratic in places, the agency is adjusting what’s considered normal weather. As of next month, NOAA will use the higher temperature baseline of the past 30 years to reflect “normal.” Climate change hasn’t been shown to affect the total number of storms, but hotter water near the ocean surface can bring hurricanes that are more powerful. That’s been the case in the Gulf of Mexico lately. “NOAA scientists have evaluated the impacts of climate change on tropical cyclones,” the forecaster said, “and determined that it can influence storm intensity.” Storms also are being spotted sooner because of improved technology. On Friday, President Biden proposed a $1.4 billion increase in the agency’s budget, up from the current $6.9 billion

Last year we had Hurricane Zeta…100 mph winds….lots of damage…..after Katrina in 2005 we do not need anymore storms to damage this region.

I will update the prediction as the season gets closer…..

As my tradition I close with Jimmy Buffet…..

Be well….be safe….

Tale Of Zeta

After 5 attempts with storms Mother Nature finally kicked our butts.

I have been waiting for the power and cable to come back on…

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I am back!

After days of the incessant humming of generators and the irritating shrill of chain saws only broken up by the screeching of sirens from emergency vehicles….and the endless stream of on-lookers trying to see who was worse off than they were…just a few of my favorite things in the post-hurricane days.

After three days in the dark the lights finally came on at 0130 hrs this morning.

In case you have been out of it touch Hurricane Zeta hit the Gulf Coast and went right over my house.

It was a quick storm but a very powerful one…..a Cat 2 with 90+ winds it started, for us, at about 1845 hrs and was through at about 2300 hrs (in comparison Katrina lasted 13m hrs and 47 minutes)

WE had to wait for daybreak to assess the damage and that is the worst prt of the storm…the wait.

My house made it through the storm pretty much okay…but my property too a hard it in the butt. I lost a portion of my fence, a bird feeder, a bunch of tree limbs, part of the arbor and most of the orange crop for this year. The good news is that the tangerine crop made it pretty much intact.

These a few pics I took on my phone….

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I walked around a but after daylight….the damage was pretty much the same as mine….mostly tree limbs…some tree were down…this is the guy across my street….

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He also lost his garbage can and mailbox….they are somewhere around Birmingham about now.

Further down my street a guy lost his car port and the car that was parked under the shelter….more tree limbs.

All the damage assessed now were must endure the boredom until the power returns and while we wait we all pray that the food will be safe with as little spoilage as possible.  (It took 3 days for power to return)

The only good thing to come from this storm is the temperature…..after most storms it is 90+ degrees with 90% humidity but this one brought in cool temps and low humidity so sleeping was easy….50s is a real joy.

There was no joy for I missed my daily comments from my regulars….but I am back and hopefully the power will hold.

Thanx for the kind words and concern

Be Well….Be Safe.

Hurricane Zeta

Closing Thought–27Oct20

On this day in history….1809 Pres. Madison orders the annexation of my region known as West Florida in those days we had just rebelled and set up the Republic of West Florida…….https://lobotero.com/2012/09/22/the-republic-of-west-florida/

Your history lesson complete….we shall move on……

Here we go again!

MY region is in line for yet another storm….this time it will be Hurricane Zeta…..the word is that the temps are too cool for this storm to gain too power force so we will be in line for some strong wind and rain…..nothing we cannot deal with…..

Yet again, the Gulf Coast is bracing as another hurricane roars toward it. Zeta, the 27th named storm of the 2020 season, was upgraded to a hurricane Monday, NBC News reports. It made landfall on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s eastern Yucatan Peninsula late Monday, the AP reports. It’s expected to become the 11th named storm to make landfall in the US this season, potentially around Wednesday afternoon in Louisiana, which would be a record for the country. Heavy rains are expected to start in the area, including Mississippi and Alabama, Tuesday night. It’s possible Zeta could be downgraded back to a tropical storm before it reaches the US, but even that is bad news for Louisiana, which is still recovering from hurricanes Laura and Delta

All this storm stuff is getting damn redundant this hurricane season…..most of us will be damn glad to see the 2020 season come to an end…..and be put in the history books.

 

This is just a reminder that if things get hot then I may be off-line for awhile until service can be restored…..and I shall continue posting until the power runs out…..

AS usual I want to leave my readers with a tune from Jimmy Buffet…..

Be well my friends.

“lego ergo scribo”