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5 1/2 Things I Like About Hurricanes - Wussicane Earl

Well, we survived Hurricane err... Tropical Storm Earl. He was sort of a wuss compared to his grandparents Bob '91 (Cape Cod, MA) and Gloria '85 (CT).

I have lived in New England all my life; most of it on the coast. We have some pretty severe weather from time-to-time. I survived a tornado or two in Connecticut. We have Nor' Easters that pound the coastline and drop huge amounts of rain and/or snow - one nearly wiped out the Bush family home in Maine during the Nor' Easter of October 1991 with hurricane force winds and 39 foot waves.

I survived the Blizzard of '78 where we had snow drifts that completely covered every car in the driveway and rose 6 or more feet about the ridge of the roof on the house! Sometimes winter storms don't get much credit, but we had 42" of snow in 32 hours back a few years ago.Massachusetts/Rhode Island recently had torrential rains that flooded malls and washed out all sorts of bridges. Hey we even had an earthquake in Boston a few months ago.

I have to admit, as dangerous as hurricanes are, and even with the damage they can cause, I really like them - here's why.

-1 WIND, WIND and more WIND! I like to get right outside and experience the high winds. It's an amazing experience as the winds whip around faster then the speed limit on the interstate highway. The best experience is out at the beach... but I wonder where the sea gulls go?

-2 Giant Waves! The day after a hurricane the waves can be taller than a 3 story house. The magnificent surf simply leaves me standing in awe of the raw power of the ocean, and our Creator.


Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"


-3 Power Outage: It's a good reminder of how much we depend on electric current to run our lives. I sort like the eerie quiet and the smell of candles.

-4 Rain: There is nothing more spectacular then to see "horizontal" rain blasting by at over a 100 miles per hour. It has such a distinctive sound.

-5 The Eyewall: One of the most spectacular things about a hurricane is the eye. The sky suddenly changes from the ominous blackness and driving winds, to a beautiful calm with a blue cloudless sky. As it passes overhead the "eyewall" is like looking up from the bottom of a giant empty milk glass - the wall of clouds extending into the heavens.


-5 1/2 Pop-Tarts (the largest selling item at Wal*Mart before any major storm.) ...

Comments

photogr said…
David:

I though about you when I heard the Hurricane was heading up your way. Wondered how you would cope with it.. Sounds like you had a good time. LOL.

Having lived in the panhandle of Florida, We have been fortunate to experience the super hurricanes over the years. Camile, Ivan, Katrina, and many of the minor ones come to mind. Always did enjoy being in one but had enough sense to be off the coastal areas when one came on shore. The tidal surges can be killers if not careful.

Oh by the way, seagulls and pelicans take off in Florida and end up many miles inland. Smart birds they are.

Best to always have a power generator as the power will be off for a long long time. That is only if you can get gas to power them easily.
Tracy said…
I had to actually laugh that pop tarts are the largest selling item at Wal-Mart as folks are stocking up for the storm!

Having lived in southern California for almost all of my life (aside from half a year in Tennessee, and spending time in Arizona), the weather you talk about here sounds so SCARY!

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