The next Hurricane Katrina/Emily/Wilma/You name it: Dean

[Magmar]

It looks like the tropics are going a bit crazy again. Mid-August and we've already had 5 storms (which is above average) in the Atlantic, and now we have our first *major* hurricane of the year: Dean!

With winds of 145 mph and strengthening rapidly, it's heading towards Jamaica and should arrive there late Sunday. After that, there's no telling where it'll go, but most models are predicting a trip to Cancún, Mexico, then a Texas rodeo.

But there's no telling, seriously. And it could intensify a lot more.

So people in Texas, Mexico, the Caribbean, Louisiana and south Florida need to keep their eyes on this monster.

Let's make this topic less like a Livejournal entry. Anyone ever been in a hurricane?

I have, Hurricane Bob I was about 5. It was really, really windy, very dark, and my Little People flew out the window and lodged themselves in trees!!

[Drusilla]

I have... Hurricane Claudette a few years back took about the same path that Tropical Storm Erin took yesterday, and I went through the northern part of the storm. Waist-deep waters went down the street, because the sand dunes on the beach had all ready been washed away. It was pretty cool... We didn't even lose power. My house shook a lot, though.

As far as Dean goes... If you hear something about it going just south of Houston, you can bet that I'm getting the fuck out of here. Bye bye, Galvatraz...

[Toxicity]

Considering I didn't move to Florida until, ahem, 2004...

Betty, "Charley," Frances, and Jeanne. And I had quite a few relatives in Katrina's mess and fortunately went unscathed. So, yeah.

My experiences were pretty cool in some ways. I think the small, "no worries" amount of flooding Frances made in the street caused the last time I'll ever used a sled - crazy, but still awesome. And even after the outage affected our neighborhood, at night I specifically remember sitting and just watching and listening to the rain and wind outside; and never had I really seen such a dark blue sky before. It was eerie, but still rather calming.

I think we sacrificed a total of seven days in school that year. And even then, the first one (Charley) was a false alarm, but pretty weird considering we had a day out only a week after school started.

Well, Dru, all I can say is I hope that Dean doesn't affect your area. Or Louisiana. I'd willingly take it in my part of Florida given we don't see the fall of another bridge like this part did in Ivan.

[RedStarWarrior]

I was, but I don't remember what the storm's name was. It happened in 2003 and I was forced to evacuate my university, so I traveled about 5 hours inland (my school's on the coast), but it still wasn't far enough.

[Drusilla]

Well, Dru, all I can say is I hope that Dean doesn't affect your area. Or Louisiana. I'd willingly take it in my part of Florida given we don't see the fall of another bridge like this part did in Ivan.

Last I watched the news (Thursday... <_<;; ), the weatherman said that the high that's been sitting on our asses is supposed to move out over northern Florida, forcing Dean into the Gulf... It was going to speed bump over the Yucatan and then start plowing towards us. Given, this was just a model for what's supposed to happen in the middle of next week... but I've got a feeling about this one. We're overdue by several decades for a big ass storm. It would figure that, just as I move back home and try to find work again so I can get an apartment, I've got to up and go because some monster storm comes roaring along the coast here...

It's been two years since the evacuation from Hell for Rita, but I think I could go a loooong time without another one of those. Anyone see the footage of I-45 turned into a parking lot back in 2005? I was there. Took a day and a half to get through to the other side of Houston, all because they decided to hell with the evacuation plans, let's try to get 3 million people onto one damned highway. I was in the first zone that they evacuated, because out here, our property's at three feet above sea level or something like that. Once the storm surge comes in, there's no escape for us because the road into town goes underwater. Saltwater + car = BAD

I'm spraying my hurricane repellent in hopes that it goes to the south of us. I don't mind the outer thunderstorms; actually, I like them. It's the winds in excess of 100 miles per hour that I don't like.