Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Off work again tomorrow - kind of a no-brainer. As of 2pm, Isabel is still a Cat 2, with sustained winds at 105mph. Still looks like she's going to slam into the NC coast near Morehead City sometime tomorrow afternoon. Stopped by the grocery store this afternoon to pick up some Pepsi (caffeine, very important), extra bread, and Spam (we've got a gas stove, which means one thing: Spamburgers!) Our apartment windows are crosshatched, so I'm not taping them up; we've got all the blinds closed in front of them, as well. And we finally got (quite a bit of) bottled water; I also emptied some 2-liter bottles and filled them up, just in case.
Talked with my buddy Hef today (not Mr. Hefner, in case you're wondering), who lives in Miami and rode out three hurricanes when he was in the Air Force, stationed at Eglin AFB on the Florida panhandle. The biggest storm he had to deal with was Opal, a "marginal" Cat 3 back in 1995. Based on our proximity to water (and most notably, the oceanfront), Hef said that while there'll be quite a bit of wind and rain and flooding, by the time Isabel comes a-callin', she'll essentially resemble a really, really big & bad severe thunderstorm (which we Hoosiers are well accustomed to). He also echoed my thoughts of excitement before the storm - I've got so much adrenalin pumping right now, it's ridiculous - and bets I'll pop my head outside at some point during her stay, just to experience it. [Can you tell this is my first hurricane?]
Had a second date last night - the first one was Saturday - and this was just as lovely as the first. This guy lives in Virginia Beach, not incredibly far from the oceanfront, and voluntarily headed to Richmond this afternoon. I helped him move some furniture around (he's in a little bit of a flood plain), mostly to his second floor, and put bigger stuff (couches) up on cinderblocks, in the event of interior flooding. Brought his patio furniture inside, as well (potential projectiles are bad). You can feel the anticipation in the air everywhere you go, and not just 'cause a lot of homes and businesses are boarded up. The air is nearly crackling.
And for me, as far as Hurricane Isabel goes? Honestly, I feel ready. And pumped.
[For those who want more info on how Isabel could/will effect a metro area of 1 million-plus, the best resource is the Virginian-Pilot's website.]
Talked with my buddy Hef today (not Mr. Hefner, in case you're wondering), who lives in Miami and rode out three hurricanes when he was in the Air Force, stationed at Eglin AFB on the Florida panhandle. The biggest storm he had to deal with was Opal, a "marginal" Cat 3 back in 1995. Based on our proximity to water (and most notably, the oceanfront), Hef said that while there'll be quite a bit of wind and rain and flooding, by the time Isabel comes a-callin', she'll essentially resemble a really, really big & bad severe thunderstorm (which we Hoosiers are well accustomed to). He also echoed my thoughts of excitement before the storm - I've got so much adrenalin pumping right now, it's ridiculous - and bets I'll pop my head outside at some point during her stay, just to experience it. [Can you tell this is my first hurricane?]
Had a second date last night - the first one was Saturday - and this was just as lovely as the first. This guy lives in Virginia Beach, not incredibly far from the oceanfront, and voluntarily headed to Richmond this afternoon. I helped him move some furniture around (he's in a little bit of a flood plain), mostly to his second floor, and put bigger stuff (couches) up on cinderblocks, in the event of interior flooding. Brought his patio furniture inside, as well (potential projectiles are bad). You can feel the anticipation in the air everywhere you go, and not just 'cause a lot of homes and businesses are boarded up. The air is nearly crackling.
And for me, as far as Hurricane Isabel goes? Honestly, I feel ready. And pumped.
[For those who want more info on how Isabel could/will effect a metro area of 1 million-plus, the best resource is the Virginian-Pilot's website.]
# posted by Thomas : 1:43 PM
