Hurricane Chasing and Isaac & Storm Stayers
I've chased a lot of Florida storms, mostly in the Miami area. That's the easy part for storm chasers who live in Florida... the storms come to you.
It's not easy or rather it is not as easy as it looks online. Okay, Cantore sort of over does it dramatically screaming and looking like Charlie Brown with a log of angst (love Cantore realy) but the truth is it is wild, crazy and exhausting but exhilarating. Sometimes it's boring, you wait between squalls and debate moving up or down the coast for a better shot. You talk to other chasers.
Here's a pic from Haulover a few years back... a few pics from storms I have chased in Miami that I have access to here this minute.
Every one's lined up for the sexy shot to show the public how wild the beach looks. Then they tell the viewers do NOT come out here... (rolling eyes) and note ...very few people there, a lot windier than the picture looks.
Look at those palm trees... Cantore had just left for Naples as the storm moved west.
A beautiful day, a minimal storm and no real danger ... just a great day at the beach for a local girl who loves storms.
We stayed, anchored ourselves on the rocks and no there are no pictures of me because do you have any idea what I look like in a hurricane? Wind blowing in different directions, make up blown off and the only thing on my face is a silly grin ...
By the way.... had I known we were going to climb out onto the rocks I probably wouldn't have worn the shoes I did but hey.... got great pics and I have great balance!
This is one of my favorite pics... not because it shows anything other than where I was hiding during a strong squall ...as the sand was blasting my face and my body was exhausted. A sudden squall... passed fast. Another point, your body really takes a beating while chasing.
A little building where they stored the deck chairs.... served as a great place to hide although I did get soaked.
The police trying to shut down the beach. A good Tee Shirt from a Hurricane site and a business card and a big smile often assures you they will leave you alone. Press passes only work so well, a smile works much better trust me... maybe a little bit of flirting as well...
So.... as I watch people online chasing the reality hits me that I am almost as tired and eating the same junk food as I do on the road... and I am grateful for the images, the information and the help that storm chasers give us while they are doing their job and enjoying it in ways. Not enjoying their jobs because they love to see death and destruction ... nah... because they love the weather... that is why we do it. We love every detail of weather, especially tropical weather as we are in total awe of Planet Earth and the many changes that can occur, before everything goes back to "normal" and because it just is what we have a passion for... weather and various things with me...when you are driving in the middle of nowhere... 4G does not work... sometimes the cell phone does not work.
The most chasing I have done this time is stopping to look at TVs along the road at coverage from TWC, because despite all the APPS in the world was chasing a good TV feed for Isaac.
Now I am home... and here blogging about Isaac.
I am lying in bed, well sitting crossed legged in gray Victoria Secrets Sweat Pants with a little blue peace sign on one leg, a thin gray tee shirt hanging down over one shoulder ...sort of Flashdance style, nibbling on Kroger Protein Bars while sipping a Protein smoothie and watching Bryan Norcross on TWC and Reed Timmer and others on http://live.tvnweather.com/ and that's okay. Actually, it's about as good as it gets and if a storm comes this way... I'll be at the beach I hope... either before or after.
I'll chase another day. I'm glad to be here, back home after my long road trip able to collect information, post it here to share and talk on Twitter to my friends.
https://twitter.com/BobbiStorm
Again, the strongest weather has been in Gulfport and La Place as the bands circle around the "eye" of Isaac a bit south of Morgan City. I love the city. I love that name... conjures up hurricanes.
By the way I really do think Isaac is moving... s l o w l y ... but moving.
His bands are slamming into Biloxi and swirling around, a band is about to come through Baton Rouge.
http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=LIX&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes
Really... slowly but moving.
Over 100 people in a nursing home are being moved as water is rising in
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2012/08/hospitals_nursing_homes_better.html
https://twitter.com/GOHSEP
Keep watching... and keep praying for the people in Plaquesmines Parish who have lost their homes, livelihood and hopefully not their lives.
Besos Bobbi
Tweets
Louisiana GOHSEP
Gov @BobbyJindal: We're spending approximately $2.9 million a day on #Isaac response.
Gov @BobbyJindal: 5123 National Guardsmen active in Louisiana, Gov authorized another 3,200 this morning to assist with #Isaacresponse
Gov @BobbyJindal: St. John parish is having problem with water. St. Bernard parish phones are out. Unconfirmed death in Gretna. #Isaac
Gov @BobbyJindal says he will be going to Plaquemines parish later this afternoon. #Isaac
Gov @BobbyJindal: LA National Guard will use highwater vehicles to evacuate a nursing home. #Isaac #Plaquemines
Gov @BobbyJindal: Plaquemines estimates around 3,000 remaining in an area that must be evacuated. La National Guard assisting.#Isaac
Watching the storm on TV and online.
BRAITHWAITE is in real trouble. They may do a controlled breach on a levee.
http://www.wwltv.com/weather/hurricane-isaac/Plaquemines-Parish-levees-overtopped-near-Braithwaite-167805265.html
Trees are down on homes and cars and on the ground across much of coastal Louisiana and power crews are holed up waiting for the storm to pass to try and restore power to over a half a million people.
Some minor looting in Slidell but not much else reported.
And, okay a lot of people stayed in Plaquesmines Parish... so get over it, let's move on and take it as a lesson. It bothers me that everyone is so judgemental about people who have lived their whole lives down in the bayou and decided to stay where they were... thinking the storm would really hit New Orleans and not affect them. People stayed in New Orleans in Katrina. I stayed on Miami Beach. People always stay... I spoke to someone yesterday in Kill Devi Hills, he told me he always stays... they scare the hell out of him but he stays and he stays often to help others. He figures one day he might die in a storm... though they usually curve away just off the coast but it's the way he has lived for 50 years and he is going to keep on being himself.
What would you really do?
Easy to judge others........and what about people far west of the storm who are dealing with extreme danger in intense bands coming ashore at forward speed of 75 miles per hour. That is the irony, Isaac is barely moving, but the weather in his bands are circulating around his center faster than anyone can imagine. By the time the storm in the band hits you, it has moved on.
Do you know why so many people stay? Because they have evacuated often in the past and nothing happened. In Miami during Andrew.. many people stayed because they evacuated for Hurricane David in 1979... they took motel rooms on i95 up state and the storm shifted and slammed into them up there and rather than being in their own homes they were in a cheap Motel 8 with the AC coming out of the wall and they spent the night hiding in the bathroom as water leaked through the motel's roof.. So, they rode out Andrew in the safety of their own home, they took their best shot and prepared as best as they could and they prayed that Andrew like David would turn... but he didn't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_David
After David they decided they would never evacuate again...
What would you do?
People in Wellington Florida were not told to evacuate. They are STILL under water.
This picture was posted online:
Wellington, Fla. still flooded after roughly 15-16" of rain from #Isaac. (Thanks to Adam Bernstein). http://wxch.nl/NX0LXP
What would you have done? Flown to Paris maybe? Nah... it's the luck of the draw sometimes with these things.
Note... downtown New Orleans is suffering the same problem Ft Lauderdale and downtown Miami did with the glass in downtown hi rises being shattered.. it will be a messy clean up.
After Wilma in FL
The same reports are coming in from Nola.
So....what would you have done? If a band finds you far from the eye you are going to get flooded and I have a feeling people very far from the coastline will be flooded by the time this is all over. That is my biggest fear. I don't fear Twisters and I don't fear Hurricanes... I do fear Inland Flooding.
And, as a Tropical Storm (which he is now as I type this) he will continue to cause tremendous amounts of flooding...
Downtown Biloxi is partially underwater... in some parts anyway.
And, the beat goes on...
Besos Bobbi
posted by BobbiStorm @ 12:02 PM
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