The next one may not be as kind as Ernesto
- From: PL <pl.nospam@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:12:31 GMT
Posted on Thu, Aug. 31, 2006
The next one may not be as kind as Ernesto
OUR OPINION: ONLY CERTAINTY ABOUT HURRICANES: THEY'RE UNPREDICTABLE
Tropical Storm Ernesto spared South Florida on its way north, where it will spoil many a family's Labor Day weekend. We owe it all to Cuba and Hispanola, whose rugged terrain took some starch out of the storm.
Some here who dutifully did the pre-storm drill may be asking themselves what all the fuss was about. But don't fret: Consider all that careful storm preparation a dry run for the two busiest hurricane months just ahead.
The silver lining here is that more South Floridians are preparing well when a storm approaches. It's a good bet that Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma have a lot to do with this year's good response to Ernesto. On the anniversary of Katrina's shredding of the Gulf Coast, South Florida could well have had a similar fate. Katrina really is an unforgettable event for anyone living in hurricane territory. It was kinder to Florida than to Louisiana and Mississippi. But it wreaked havoc here with power outages and ripped up trees and roofs. Then came Wilma with a stronger wallop.
Survival lessons
Every hurricane causes its victims to learn a lesson or two about survival and recovery. With Wilma's widespread power outages in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, one lesson was to fill your gas tank before the storm strikes. Almost predictably, the day before Ernesto arrived, long lines queued up at gas stations.
Gov. Jeb Bush did his part by cautioning residents not to panic. Don't top-off your car's tank if it already is three-quarters full, he said. But many of us did just that. Others filled six or more five-gallon gas containers rather than settle for, say, two. This kind of selfish behavior can cause shortages for people who truly do need gas.
Hurricanes unpredictable
The predictions of Ernesto's intensity and where it eventually would make a U.S. landfall changed daily. It was a tropical storm that became a hurricane. It was supposed to steer toward the Gulf of Mexico but then it bounced around the mountains of Hispanola and Cuba before emerging on a path toward Florida.
Ernesto reminded us of this timeless truism about hurricanes: They're unpredictable. Example: If not for a last-minute wobble to the east that spared New Orleans the full force of Katrina's Category 5 fury, that city would be in even worse shape today.
Because hurricanes are so unpredictable it is imperative that everyone within the broad cone of a storm's projected path always prepare for the worst. It is better to wonder afterward what all the fuss was about that prompted all those preparations than to regret having gambled that the storm would go elsewhere.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/15402230.htm
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