We were supposed to have a tropical storm make landfall this morning but, to everyones surprise it turned into a category 1 hurricane! About three o'clock this morning I awoke to gusts of wind up to 90mph! There are about 100,000 people without lights but damage was surprisingly light. Gonna be a crazy day!

I am glad you are safe.

I've only heard of 1 fatality so far. Some 80+ year old man's carport fell on him. Hurricane Rita hit here (Beaumont, TX area) 2 years ago this month. Rita took out the weak trees and bad construction. There are supposed to be power outages for 3-4 days. It's just so freaky that a little tropical storm intensified into a healthy hurricane after everyone went to sleep. I've been seting up large generators and working on some other logistics. The roads are clear so there is really no further danger.

Hurricanes only hit the Americas. In Asia they are called Typhoons and somewhere else in the world they are called Cyclones.

Seems it would be easier to just agree on one name.

MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:13 pm Hurricanes only hit the Americas. In Asia they are called Typhoons and somewhere else in the world they are called Cyclones.

Seems it would be easier to just agree on one name.

CycloTyCanes.

I asked Google:

hurricane = North Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean

typhoon = Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the International dateline

severe tropical cyclone = Southwestern Pacific Ocean west of 160 E and Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E

severe cyclonic storm = North Indian Ocean

tropical cyclone = Southwest Indian Ocean

Now we know what the International Weather Service does on boring days.

The major utility ordered 10 shower units at 5pm... Guess what i'm doing all night? Driving, plumbing, wiring etc. The joys of disaster response! The bad thing is that I'm already tired. OK, enough whining...

MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:43 pm I asked Google:

hurricane = North Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean

typhoon = Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the International dateline

severe tropical cyclone = Southwestern Pacific Ocean west of 160 E and Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E

severe cyclonic storm = North Indian Ocean

tropical cyclone = Southwest Indian Ocean

Now we know what the International Weather Service does on boring days.

Don't some of them spin in opposite directions too. Like North vs. South hemispheres?

I'm glad your OK. It kind o surprises me that they didn't give more warning. 90-mph is still a pretty serious storm. I know I'd sure hate to get hit by a street sign being blown along at 90.

kristoff wrote: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:20 pm Don't some of them spin in opposite directions too. Like North vs. South hemispheres?

In the northern hemisphere the drain and hurricanes spin in one direction, but in the southern they spic the opposite direction of the northern.