[Yavanie]

Inglor dear, I love ya much but did you really have to share?

Ivan the terrible pushed off the Atlantic coast after it's destructive path up the central gulf coast. The remnants then slipped back across Florida (raining all the way) and yesterday reformed in the gulf of Mexico back into tropical storm Ivan and guess where it's headed? They expect it make landfall tonight righ over Houston! Well, it's just a tropical storm and that means lots and lots of rain. It's won't move fast once it makes landfall so we should get soaked - all weekend! I wouldn't complain but it's my 6year old son's first campout with the boyscouts this weekend. The campsite is less than an hour from our house but he is going to be heartbroken when it starts raining tonight!!! I am supposed to go on a church women's retreat at a friend's lakehouse, but then we won't mind just watching it rain, the drive however, might be a bit difficult. They say we could get 5 to 10 inches of rain - I hope they mean over the whole weekend and not just tonight!!!

And hurrican season doesn't end until the end of NOVEMBER!!!!

[Amlee]

It looks like Ivan wants to make sure he covers all of the south!! Houston is a horrible place to flood.

There is still 67 days of Hurricane season. Opal didn't hit until October. So we could still see several more named storms.


Yall Stay Safe!!!

[inglor]

That wooshing sound you hear is the price of ocean front property falling...
That second wooshing sound you hear is insurance rates for said property rising...

I know, I only live close to the water and there are insurance companies that won't write new policies for us. And then there is the Hurricane deductible, 2% of the value of your home...

Every cloud has a silver lining:
Out of all the hardship that follows in the wake of a hurricane, the economies of the hit areas boom from all the rebuilding. Some down here say the best thing that ever happend to Gulf Shores was Hurricane Frederick, all the buildings that were close to the shoreline got washed away and new regulations made them build further back, not only saving property but saving the dunes and shoreline and all the critters that call the dunes home. (There has been a big stink about the endangered Dune Mouse that has severly restricted development in the Gulf Shores area. Ironically, the structures built after the restrictions survived Hurricane Ivan) As with most destructive forces in Nature, it is also a time for new growth. Those who lost homes build back new and better ones.
Right now it is real hardship (going from Airconditioning, TV and microwave dinners to the 19th Century in the space of hours) like most people, thankfully, never have to experience, but eventually, it becomes a memory and a constant source of converstion.

But for those who lost family members, though thankfully few, it is little consolation.

Here endeth the pontificating

Those of you in Texas and Louisiana, batten down the hatches, good luck and God speed.

Inglor

[Viv]

[Amlee]

My parents drove through Houston a few years ago. He said he now knew why Houston flooded. There was no place for the water to go. It was all cement!

The last time I looked at the projected path of Ivan he was set to turn south and I wouldn't be suprised if he didn't then take a back out into the Gulf. There was a Hurricane back in 1985 that did something like Ivan is. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a female named one. She would go ashore then turn around to go back in the gulf. It was a mess!!

Viv we in Alabama would let you keep all of Ivan that you would like to keep. :p

[DarkElfChilde]

Hurricane Donna was the one that did what Ivan just did.[/quote]

[Yavanie]

Well here it is Sunday evening and we all survived - uh, Ivan? Ivan came ashore friday afternoon along the Texas and Lousiana border and disappeared. Just poof, a few scattered thundershowers and gone. My husband and kids went camping with the scouts and I went to a friends lakehouse for a church women's retreat. Not even a drop of rain. the hosts dad even took us out on his boat for a tour of the lake.

Our prayers and concerns are justifiably back with the folks in Florida.

[Viv]

[DarkElfChilde]

My bad, it wasn't Donna, Gloria was the one back in 1985 because Donna was in the 70's. Donna hit Florida, went across it to go over to the Gulf, and went back to Florida again, I remember my mom telling me that...that's her name too. o_O (Hope this is right Amlee...Gloria was it?)


I hope Jeanne doesn't do anything like that...(knock on wood). Remember everyone, donations make everyone happy when you work together. We've all been effected by these storms one way or another, I have even though nothing thankfully happened where I live, but I know others have due to the flooding here in Ohio. I'm helping out as much as I can, which makes me feel good.

My prayers go out to the people of Florida right now, and maybe to more once we know where Jeanne is going.


Your friendly elf,

DarkElfChilde

[miriel361]

Glad to hear everyone is okay.

My thoughts are with you. You guys in Florida should form a partnership with Darwin in Australia. This city gets wiped out completely on a twenty year basis.

[SilverMoonLady]

Yes, port cities are always rather more exposed to that sort of thing (periodic rebuilding due to aquatic shenanigans)... Rather reminds of me of the day I realized a sand bank probably wasn't the best place to build: wading to my latin final at TU (New Orleans) right after watching a couple cars float down the street past my dorm the previous day!
Gorgeous place, but there's a price.... Still, my heart goes out to those who make that choice (or are born into it), especially the poor folks who only had a shack and what was in it and now have nothing at all. These are people with no savings or insurance... And like as not mom, dad and cousin Joe are in the same boat... *sigh*

Gah.. Sorry, didn't mean to be depressing...