Big Winds vs Big Shakes

We get hurricanes here in Florida. I understand that, I prepare for them. Not like I used to, though. A coming hurricane used to mean stocking up on beer and snack food for the parties. Now I make sure I have the hardware to put up the hurricane panels and the batteries for the flashlights and gas for the generator I'll probably need.

I have been through a number of hurricanes since 1956 when my parents moved us down to Florida. None of them were scary to me. They threatened and passed us by or the rolled over us. No big deal. All the same to me when I was young. I left Florida when I was 19 (1965) for the Navy and stayed away after getting out (1969) for a lot of years. I spent most of that time away in California where I only had earthquakes to worry about.

Earthquakes are scarier. You don't get a warning so you have to be prepared all the time. And, trust me, you may have a plan but you are never prepared for one, not really. When a quake hits, it's always a surprise. Fortunately, I was never in a major one... or even a big one... just little shakers that rattled the glassware in the cabinets and shook just a little.

There's been a lot of noise about Tropical Storm Isaac. It is on track to become a moderate hurricane by the time it hits the shores of Mississippi and/or Louisiana. I hope they are prepared for it. Especially since I plan on going to Biloxi on Labor Day. I'd like it mostly cleaned up by then.... if it's not too much trouble, that is.

I don't recall any of those hurricanes of my youth being real hard to clean up after. A few downed pine trees, a lot of palm fronds on the ground, and flooded streets which dried up in a couple of days. Once a hurricane goes through, the weather is usually pretty nice for a week or so, making clean up easy enough. Nowadays, it seems like huge piles of debris sit on every block for weeks.

While all the attention has been on Isaac, southern California went through a swarm of earthquakes on Sunday. Not major ones, just moderate to light ones. They centered around a town called Brawley (near El Centro) in the county east of San Diego. Doesn't look like they have done much damage. A Good Thing.

Earthquake swarms happen. They aren't precursors to major ones though some geologists are suggesting this swarm might lead to something a little stronger by Tuesday. I hope not. California has enough problems financially without a big earthquake happening.

I'll take a hurricane any day.