The Big Storms

Looks like the hurricane Ernesto has
been down graded to a tropical storm again.

By this time last year, they were getting
their 11th hurricane. This seems to be the
first one, and they aren't even sure that it
is a hurricane.

As a person who grew up in hurricane lane,
I can tell you, you never can tell what to expect.

Every year is different. There is no such thing
as normal year. And the one's that scare the daylights
out of you, can come ashore and wimp out with
just rain. Heavy rain granted... but just rain.
And others come up as a tropical storm and
skirt around Cuba, and gather speed and hit
Florida hard and heavy.

R.I. hasn't gotten any real bad hurricanes lately.
They have gotten a few over the years.
But nothing compared to the one of 1938
and 1954.

1954, I was alive, and got to see it first hand,
as my mother and I went down to the dock to
secure our boat. Watched the trees falling behind
us as we went down the roads. Watch the
water raise up the dock feet at a time.

And then sat and watched the things fly, then
some ships and boats break loose from the docks.
Luckily not ours.

When I was in Florida for 9 months, I was lucky
enough not to see any. Most Florida people
take it in stride. It is the new comers that get
upset. Just like it is here with our snow storms.

We talk about the last big one (snow storms).
1996 I believe. The really big one was 1968.
But the old timers will tell you of others, where
you walk across the roofs of the buildings.

The more it changes, the more it is the same.

Hey, aren't we due for a big one here this
winter?