The Emerald Rose

       The late Karen carpenter I believe, but as part of my “pathetic stupid life”, I guess I better not count on it.

    Mr. Guinness: Say kids, what time is it? 
    Kids: It’s Tropical Storm Time!

    It’s Tropical Storm Time.
    It’s Tropical Storm Time. 
    Mr. Guinness and T.S. Fay Do
    Say Howdy Freakin’ Do to you. 
    Let’s give a rousing cheer,
    Cause T.S. Fay is here,
    It’s time to start the show,
    So kids let’s go!

    Aaaah yes, back in the old time machine. (A little liberty on the actual Howdy Doody words here)

    Now it looks like the silly damn storm is going to make a westward run, and I also noted the projected path is dipping a little more southward,….that’s a bad thing, I’ll tell you why.

     Not that the winds are going to be super high (25 to 40 m.p.h. isn’t much) , but when it was further north that would bring huge quantities of to the northern part of the Panhandle, but on the Southernly track it’s looking like now, that is going to dump all those rains (perhaps upward of a foot) on the direct Gulf Coast! (Remember Hurricanes/Tropical Storms move in a counter-clockwise motion, therefore it’s going to be picking up moisture directly from the Gulf of Mexico, and swinging around and dumping it on us.) The damage is going to be erosion, major erosion. All the ferocity of the Hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 were NOT the major “damage machines”, it was the steady one after the other Tropical storms we got in those years. They just kept gulping up the beach like so much Onion Dip at a party.

       One of my projects, clients, whatever, is first of all directly on the Gulf, and secondly still fragile after ’04 and ’05, and all the work we’ve put into them. If we have a “significant rain event” the washout between these units is going to be huge. During a regular heavy Thunderstorm it is definately weakening the grounds. Even without any “significant events” I’ve already had driveways collapse, etc. so this could be a little tricky, but that’s how I earn my pay.

      Picture if you will a giant skil saw laying on it’s side turned on and just moving right down the beach chewing up everything in it’s way. That’s the wave and water action of this type of storm, particularly in the direction this one is headed. That is what casues our major damage. After 14 million dollars to “re-nourish” the beaches, a storm like this will wipe out half that in six hours!

       It’s like the old comedian, may even have been the late George Carlin, said, “You’ll never die flying in a plane,…it’s that sudden stop against the side of the mountain that gets you!”

       The other thing that “makes my day” is the idiot tourists who, because it’s sunny and warm and nice don’t understand in twelve hours it is definately like “Who let the dogs out?” and all hell breaks loose. That’s when we don’t need them panicking and trying to evacuate. Besides when winds reach a sustained 40 miles an hour all the bridges (and that’s the only way to get to our little paradise, over a bridge) are completely closed, lest the possibility that they collapse. “So if you ain’t gone, you ain’t goin'” , hunker down and enjoy the ride, but stay away from windows, don’t even think about playing Frissbee on the beach, and if you are planning to go out to dinner tonight,….forget it, those folks left a day ago! Would you like some peanut butter with that Jelly?

    Well enough jawbonin’, time to “make it happen,….and take pictures. Like the man says on TV, ….”stay tuned, pictures at 11.”

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