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Hurricanes do have a wicked twist. The very first hurricane we went through was exciting for us. That met going over to Publix and picking up a hurricane tracking maps. Kids in my son's age group 24 yrs. ago and at the tender age of 5 yrs. were learning about barometric pressure, latitude, longitude. First time I ever owned a barometer was here in Florida. Our house was the hurricane tracking center for the neighborhood 5yr. olds. That met, yarn, and map tacks. Godda have the treats, heavens this is a big major project. It was lots of fun, and I'm sure there doing the same thing with their kids.
...The only aspect of hurricanes I like is if they make landfall about 100 miles eastward of our locale because we mainly get the north winds and drier air that makes it seem less like we reside in this natural sauna.
Other than that, I don't like them.
No power not only means no television, computer and Internet, but most importantly no air conditioning. That leaves us to stew in the misery that locals call weather around here.
"Forced community?" No thanks. After more than two decades here, I've ended up reducing my circle of interactivity mainly because I'm exhausted from putting up with the relentless shower of ignorance, racism and general xenophobia from the residents.
As unenjoyable as life normally is here, hurricanes only compound it.
I'm guessing SIS is in Fla.? I'm originally from NW of Chicago (tornado & ice-storm country), but was dragged down to Fla. when I was 13. Lived there for 11 years & constantly heard that I was a G-D Yankee & should go home (I was even told to go back to my own country once - sheesh). I crossed the Fla./Ga border on August 29, 1980 & haven't been back since. Maybe things have changed since then...
My only Fla. hurricane was David, when I lived in Jacksonville. I was the manager of a pizza restaurant in Orange Park (across the St.Johns River from the then South end of Jax). We were given the option of closing early. However, with all the hurricane parties going on (we were surrounded by apt. complexes & one of the Navy bases was just down the street), no one wanted to go home. Since it looked like we were going to get just a glancing blow, I agreed (we did more business that night than we did in a normal week).
Everything was fine until the tornado warnings went out. Being from the midwest, I'm way more terrified of tornadoes than hurricanes. So, I sent everyone home. Since I lived across the river, I had to drive over the Buckman Bridge to get home. Well, either the winds suddenly gusted or one of those tornadoes went overhead, because my car started to slide sideways, right to the rail of the bridge. Oops. Maybe I should have stayed in Orange Park... I managed to get control of the car again, but that was the last time I tried to navigate a bridge during a strong storm, lol.
Other hurricanes were Agnes (I was in Atlanta for the heavy rains, flying paper airplanes out the window of a room at the Sheraton Biltmore, listening to every radio station play "Rainy Night In Georgia" non-stop), Alicia here in Houston (no power or water for 5 days, I was lucky to live upstairs from the pool, for flushing water), & Rita (far Western edge, no power for 18 hours & the neighbor's mailbox was pulled from the ground), Edouard a few weeks ago (some rain & cloud cover), and of course the wonderful TS Allison, when we had heavy rain for two weeks straight. We didn't flood, but 1/2 a mile in any direction did. Knocking wood furiously for a repeat with Gustav (which still looks like it's going to hit closer to Houston than NOLA, although all the reports say it's definitely NOLA).
To answer the original question, I like getting the cloud cover from any kind of tropical system that comes this way, we can always use the rain (but not too much, thankyouverymuch), & it makes for good conversation in the extra-long check out lines. However, since the five days of WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE leading up to Rita (a few weeks after Katrina & forecast by some to make a direct hit on Galveston/Houston as a Cat 5), I don't get worked up about any of it. I live 70 miles from the coast & if we have to worry about storm surge up here, then everyone between here & the coast is undoubtedly dead & everything's wiped out. Can't do anything about it, so why go nuts? No clue if our house would stand up to the winds, but I'm not leaving. Alicia stayed a hurricane all the way up to Dallas, Allison went North & then came back South & then went East for several weeks & this year's Fay has been hanging on longer than anyone thought. So, where are we going to go to get away from it?
I'm still terrified of the spawned tornadoes, though.
Don't fear the hurricane, be prepare and follow the state/local guidance and we can survive. I experienced Andrew and was not a walk in the park, but the light came on, we don't control Mother Nature so be prepared and follow directions.
I don't fear the hurricanes, but do respect their outcome....
Totally agree Sunrico. I went through Hugo here in Charleston, SC. From the looks of things we may have a visit from Hanna next weekend. I hope she turns and goes out to sea, but if she does hit I hope it's during the daylight this time so I can see what is going on.
Nope that poster is in Alabama, not everyone is flogging Florida when they are complaining about a place they are living.
I don't automatically assume they are. Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.
I never had that problem (of the residents "hating" me because of where I was from) when I was in any of the other Southern states, only Fla. As I said, it may have changed since I was last there.
I don't automatically assume they are. Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.
I never had that problem (of the residents "hating" me because of where I was from) when I was in any of the other Southern states, only Fla. As I said, it may have changed since I was last there.
Don`t know where in Florida you were it`s a large state and every area is different.
Bradenton, Tampa & Jacksonville. 11 long years. Again, it's 28 years & 2 days since I left, so it may have changed.
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The very first hurricane we went through was exciting for us. That met going over to Publix and picking up a hurricane tracking maps. Kids in my son's age group 24 yrs. ago and at the tender age of 5 yrs. were learning about barometric pressure, latitude, longitude. First time I ever owned a barometer was here in Florida. Our house was the hurricane tracking center for the neighborhood 5yr. olds. 
That met, yarn, and map tacks. Godda have the treats, heavens this is a big major project. It was lots of fun, and I'm sure there doing the same thing with their kids.
No, I don't like them...
