Hurricane Post #12: Saturday, 12:30 am
Houston didn't dodge a bullet. We dodged a cannonball.
It's nearly 12:30 in the morning, and we never even felt particularly strong winds here. The rain is yet to come -- the eye of the hurricane hasn't yet come parallel to the city of Houston -- but the damaging storm surge and furious winds aren't likely to have an impact on us here.
What a letdown.
Don't get me wrong; I wasn't looking forward to broken windows and missing shingles and tattered gutters. Nor was I looking forward to comforting my wife through a night of howling winds and crashing thunder. But after days of preparing for the worst, and anticipating the worst, to find out that ... NOTHING HAPPENED ... is an incredibly anticlimactic way to end this vigil.
But make no mistake. We're going to hear a lot more about the effects of Hurricane Rita, because it is now predicted to make landfall (in about two hours) just east of Cameron, Louisiana. Cameron is not heavily populated by people. It is heavily-populated by petrochemical facilities, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals and part of the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas are also heavy petrochemical centers. Those cities are expected to flood under a 20-foot storm surge. Cameron is expected to get a 15-foot surge. This isn't going to be good for any of us.
* * *
My thanks to Mr. KABC for letting me be part of his show for a couple of evenings. I spent about ten minutes chatting with him and Dr. George Fishbeck on KABC Radio in L.A. tonight.
Dr. George and I have something significant in common. Neither of us knows who the heck the other of us is.
But Mr. K, I appreciate the forum. And if you're in L.A., my radio stint is probably over, but please don't let that make you a stranger to this blog!
I'll post again in the morning.
It's nearly 12:30 in the morning, and we never even felt particularly strong winds here. The rain is yet to come -- the eye of the hurricane hasn't yet come parallel to the city of Houston -- but the damaging storm surge and furious winds aren't likely to have an impact on us here.
What a letdown.
Don't get me wrong; I wasn't looking forward to broken windows and missing shingles and tattered gutters. Nor was I looking forward to comforting my wife through a night of howling winds and crashing thunder. But after days of preparing for the worst, and anticipating the worst, to find out that ... NOTHING HAPPENED ... is an incredibly anticlimactic way to end this vigil.
But make no mistake. We're going to hear a lot more about the effects of Hurricane Rita, because it is now predicted to make landfall (in about two hours) just east of Cameron, Louisiana. Cameron is not heavily populated by people. It is heavily-populated by petrochemical facilities, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals and part of the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas are also heavy petrochemical centers. Those cities are expected to flood under a 20-foot storm surge. Cameron is expected to get a 15-foot surge. This isn't going to be good for any of us.
* * *
My thanks to Mr. KABC for letting me be part of his show for a couple of evenings. I spent about ten minutes chatting with him and Dr. George Fishbeck on KABC Radio in L.A. tonight.
Dr. George and I have something significant in common. Neither of us knows who the heck the other of us is.
But Mr. K, I appreciate the forum. And if you're in L.A., my radio stint is probably over, but please don't let that make you a stranger to this blog!
I'll post again in the morning.
Comments
By now you should know a more about the damahe Rita Caused.
Dr. George Fishbeck was the lead weatherman on ABC Channel 7 television in Los Angeles. He was a very caolorful charactor. He is 84 years old. I think he was above his head when he spoke with you. He did take take some calls when you were not on the air. Mr K should not have had you both on together.
How is your brother? I am thinking we shall have inflation from these latest weather patterns. Hope you life style does not change too much.