Despite storm's fury, Punta Gorda ready to vote - ARE YOU?

Floridians hoping for no repeat of 2000's wrangling
Punta Gorda, Fla. -- With talk of lawsuits filling the air, the race for Florida's 27 electoral votes is already being compared to the rancorous recount of 2000. In Punta Gorda, they are comparing it to Hurricane Charley...

Read the story and then GO VOTE!!!

On our fifth weekend without a hurricane...

I went fishing yesterday. Caught a buzz, but that's about it. The water was green and glassy and surprisingly free of traffic considering the snow birds are beginning to arrive. It was sheer bliss.

Today, the boys took down the wall they framed in behind the garage door when Ivan was threatening. The shutters are stored. My car is in its home.

A nod to the hurricane gods: we know we still have one month to go.

A Poem: Twas the night before Frances

I received this via email. I have no idea who to credit for it...

Twas the night before Frances
When all through the state
Not a gas pump was pumping
Not a store open late

All the plywood was hung
On the windows with care
Knowing that a hurricane
Soon would be there

The children were ready
With flashlights in hand
While bands from the hurricane
Covered over the land

And mamma with her Mag-Lite
And I in my cap
Had just filled the bath tub
For flushing our crap

When out on the lawn
There arose such a clatter
I sprang from the closet
To see what was the matter

The trees on the fence
And the neighbor's roof torn
Gave the fear of us dying
In this terrible storm

With a little wind gust
So lively and quick
I remembered quite clearly
Our walls weren't brick

More rapid than eagles
Her courses they came
And she whistled, and wafted
And surged all the same
Off shingles! Off sidings!
Off rooftops! Off power!
Down trees! Down fences!
Down trailers! Down towers!

In the center of Florida
She continued to maul
Screaming Blow Away!
Blow Away! Blow Away All!

As wind ripped and tossed
The debris through the sky
I peeked out the shutters
At cars floating by

So go to the safe-room
My family did do
With a portable radio
And batteries too

And then, in a twinkling
I heard on the set
The end was not coming
For a few hours yet!

As I calmed down the kids
And was turning around
Through the window it came
With a huge crashing sound

A tree branch it was
All covered in soot
The wind blew it smack-dab
On top of my foot

A bundle of twigs
Now lay in a stack
And my living room looks
Like it was under attack

The wind - how it howled!
The storm - very scary!
Myself and the family
Were all too unwary
The dangers of hurricanes
Are serious, you know
They are taken for granted
As Frances did show

With the winds dying down
And the danger beneath
I noticed my tool shed
Was missing its sheath

So I grabbed my last tarp
And nailed it on down
Then I got in my car
And I headed to town

The traffic was awful
And stores had no ice
My five gallon cooler
Would have to suffice

Generators were scarce
Not one left in town
There were trees on the roads
And power lines down

FEMA was ready
With people to work
Electrical companies
Came in from New York

And in the midst of
This peculiar routine
Another storm emerged
Named Hurricane Jeanne

I sprang to the car
And gave my family a whistle
Then away we all went
Like a Tomahawk missile

You could hear us exclaim
As we drove out of sight
"The hell with this place,
Vermont seems just right!"

Queen of England Donates $5 to Hurricane Relief in Former British Territories

Undisclosed sum must be monarch-speak for paltry amount

The Queen lent her support today to the people of the Caribbean whose lives have been devastated by hurricanes in recent months.

She has donated an undisclosed sum of money to a British Red Cross Caribbean Hurricane Appeal which will go towards helping them rebuild their communities.

Maybe she thinks her generosity will bring them back to throne?

Read the story

Hurricane Relief Funds On The Way - Hope You Don't Need That Air Conditioning Any Time Soon

If you can prove that you need assistance and have exhausted all other avenues, such as FEMA assistance, you might be eligible from some of the money generous Americans from all over the country donated to hurricane-embattled Florida during August and September. But don't spend that check just yet, it's up to the Salvation Army and the United Way to decide the criteria for victim assistance, which they plan to do - next month(!!)

Read the story...

2004 Hurricane Onslaught

Florida makes the news, dubiously, as usual.

ATLANTA, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne created chaos in Florida and impacted much of the United States over the past few months. On October 31, at 8:30 p.m. ET, meteorologist and The Weather Channel stormtracker Jim Cantore will present a special half-hour primetime program titled "2004 Hurricane Onslaught," which documents this year's incredible -- and memorable -- hurricane season. The important program will take a close look at this historic and unrelenting hurricane season, while answering a number of viewers' questions, i.e. "why do hurricanes spawn tornadoes and generate extensive flooding" and "did global warming cause this active hurricane season?"

Read the press release...

Hurricane Unearths Pieces o' Eight - Yarrrgh! Avast Ye Mateys!

Holy cow! And all we did was try to protect our home! I feel like a slacker now.

(KRT) INDIALANTIC, Fla. — It is the stuff of pirate legends, but do not waste your breath asking Joel Ruth on what stretch of Florida's Treasure Coast he found his hoard of Spanish pieces of eight - waiting to be scratched out of the sand with bare fingers and toes.

Treasure hunters guard their secrets.

Especially, if like Ruth, they have just found about 180 near-mint silver coins worth more than $40,000.

To most Floridians, hurricane season is the time to board up windows and dread the worst. But to professional and amateur treasure seekers, it is the time to hit the beaches and hunt lost riches.

Read the story...

This Just In: A Stunning Underreaction From Starbucks

So maybe I shouldn't be surprised that a company whose frontline employees barely make enough to live indoors in the state of Florida (owing, in part, to our meager minimum wage) would make such a weak gesture to its employees. But I'm always surprised at idiocy and shameful behavior. Perhaps $25k will be enough, since most of their employees probably live in their cars anyway.

Starbucks Coffee Co. announced today it is contributing $25,000 to the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund on behalf of its Florida employees.

Swallow a Tums and then...Read the story...

My advice to Starbucks? Dig a little deeper. And then use that pocket change to pay your people a living wage instead of staging this pathetic attempt to get a little publicity and maybe hear your rich friends say, "Awww...aren't you generous!" Better yet, pay your employees' insurance deductibles. Or help them find a new place to live if their homes were destroyed. Do something - anything - meaningful to help your own.

Just What Floridians Don't Want to Hear

Okay, not what we need or want to hear. But we're not the only ones. Ask Haiti. Ask North Carolina.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- With four hurricanes and tropical storms hitting the United States in a recent five-week period, 2004 already is being called "The Year of the Hurricane." But this year's unusually intense period of destructive weather activity could be a harbinger of what is to come as the effects of global warming become even more pronounced in future years, according to leading experts who participated today in a Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School briefing.

The recent onslaught of four major tropical weather disturbances -- Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne -- that did so much damage in the United States and nearby Haiti have spurred new questions about the relationship between hurricanes and global warming. While experts can't say that climate change will result in more hurricanes in the future, there is growing evidence and concern that the tropical storms that do happen will be more intense than in the past. Fueling concerns about the link between global warming and hurricanes is a new study on hurricane intensity published on September 28, 2004 in "The Journal of Climate." The study used extensive computer modeling to analyze 1,300 future hurricanes and projected a major increase in the intensity and rainfall of hurricanes in coming decades.

Read the story...

[Duh] Center Line of Hurricane Forecast Track Not Always Accurate

Officials are considering removing the center line imposed on the hurricane forecast tracks we see on television and in newspapers.

Emergency planners think it's a good idea because people tend to focus on the line instead of the wider cone of probability and, if they don't live near the center line, they might fail to make preparations. (Duh. Paint a bullseye on a map and where do you think the human eye will be drawn?)
Read the full story from the Tampa Trib...

Tourism officials don't like the idea so much. "Without the line, it will look like the whole state of Florida is going to be hit," they whined. Hmmm...if we have a hurricane coming, isn't it a pretty good idea to tell tourists to STAY the HELL away? I mean, forget Floridians' angst over Ontario drivers and even forget the tourists' health and safety (provided Florida has already had one or two swipes at their Visa cards, of course) and remember this: We need every hotel room in the state because the shelters keep collapsing on people.
Read their idiot remarks...

And Watch Your Rates RISE!

Allstate, who already refuses to write flood insurance in the state of Florida, might also pull out of hazard insurance, it seems. Since they're our carrier, we're anticipating sharp rate increases and possibly loss of coverage. I hope we can afford to stay in our home when it's all said and done. The sad thing? We didn't even sustain any damage yet we might be forced to sell because insurers don't plan well.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Allstate Corp. (ALL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 U.S. home and auto insurer, warned on Wednesday its third-quarter profits would fall well short of expectations due to more than $1 billion in hurricane-related payouts.

The Northbrook, Illinois-based insurer said it now expects to earn net income of 9 cents in the third quarter and operating income of 8 cents per diluted share. Analysts anticipated the company would earn 24 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

The news came just hours after Allstate said it would make Florida homeowner insurance policies harder to obtain after four of the 10 most costly hurricanes in U.S. history slammed into the state within a span of just six weeks.

Read the Story...while you can still afford internet access.

This Just In: Sharks Don't Like Hurricanes Either!

Sharks are smarter than the average bear...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- While Floridians were heading away from areas threatened by hurricanes, biologists say sharks in the area were acting the same way.

At a two-day conference at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, biologists presented reports on the behavior of tagged sharks that they tracked as Hurricane Charley came ashore. They compared the results of the study to similar findings about the behavior of sharks during Tropical Storm Gabrielle in September 2001.

Read the full story...

Here's a Shocker: Insurance Companies Don't Want to Pay After Collecting Premiums

I know, you could've knocked me over with a feather, but it seems that insurance companies are more than happy to collect premiums, but aren't quite as excited about paying claims.

Who'd have thunk it, huh?

Read the story...

Experts Can't Fully Explain Shifts In Hurricane Activity

TAMPA - A decade ago something happened in the complex
relationship of Atlantic Ocean currents, air pressure,
salinity, temperature and other conditions not
completely understood that ushered a new era of
hurricanes.

Full Story

Florida Tries To Stop Hurricane-Forced Canker Spread

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- State officials have decided
to make a stand against citrus canker in Palm Beach
County.

Experts are worried the hurricane winds could have
spread citrus canker northward into the state's citrus
belt, which has already been raked by the storms
themselves.

Full
Story...

Hurricane puts projects on hold

In news from Charlotte County, civil projects will
have to wait for hurricane recovery...


Full Story...

Sub-Tropical Storm Nichole

Not a threat to Florida, but could bring a lot of rain to the Northeast. Since they've been getting the tail end of the Florida hurricanes all season, they don't need more rain, either.

Read more...

Matthew No Threat

Tropical Storm Matthew is no threat to Florida. We'll get some rain, which we don't need, but we won't be boarding and hoarding this weekend.

Yesterday was a beautiful day - hot and breezy. We worked on some projects so didn't get out in it much. The hurricane season has devoured our desire to do summer things. This is the first time in my life I've been ready for summer to be over. I want to take down the plywood, open my garage door (it's walled in right now) and not hear the words "Tropical Update" on the news.

Tropical Update: More On The Way?

530 AM EDT FRI OCT 8 2004 FOR THE NORTH
ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... THE
BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE WESTERN GULF OF
MEXICO LOOKS A LITTLE BETTER ORGANIZED THIS MORNING
AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION MAY BE FORMING. A
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WILL INVESTIGATE THIS
AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY
NORTH TO NORTHEASTWARD AND PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS
AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE
NORTHWESTERN AND NORTHERN GULF COAST. AN AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE OVER THE LESSER ANTILLES IS PRODUCING
CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS THAT EXTEND NORTHWARD OVER THE
CENTRAL ATLANTIC FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES. ALTHOUGH
UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT AT
THIS TIME...GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME
DEVELOPMENT TO THE NORTH OF THE LESSER ANTILLES DURING
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL STORM
FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH SATURDAY. FORECASTER
LAWRENCE $$



_______________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today!
http://vote.yahoo.com

FEMA Neglects to Pay Hurricane Victims' Rent. Polk County Victims Served With Eviction Notices

Okay, so they're living in travel trailers. They've lost most of their belongings. They have no one to turn to except FEMA. And, true to form, FEMA flips them the bird. Hey, at least they're consistently incompetent.

Story...