The Hurricane

In Today's Issue

The Hurricane by Sharon Shields
Hurricanes
A Thank You
Random Joke
That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Finish with a Song

The Hurricane

This was it, this was my big moment. Up to now I'd done county fairs and hot dog eating competitions, but as the only reporter in this part of Florida, I had to cover Hurricane Bertram.  I could hear Steve, the studio anchor, in my earpiece, finishing his piece to camera about the hurricane.  I could see my cameraman counting down on his fingers to me, my heart rate increasing as the numbers decreased.  Three. Two. One.

"Over to Becky who is in Naples.  How are things there?"

"Hi Steve.  Well as you can see, its a little gusty out here today!  Gusts have reached 110 miles per hour and there are reports already of trees coming down on Highway 41.  The streets are empty, with some residents taking shelter in their own homes, but the majority have evacuated upstate, out of the path of Hurricane Bertram."

I was struggling to stand against the gusts and shifted my weight from foot to foot, trying to stay upright.

"You ok there Becky?" Steve laughed, a deep throaty chuckle in my ear.  I grimaced.

"Yeah I think so Steve but  I've had easier days."  I turned slightly to the side, allowing the camera to see the ocean behind me, the waves had come up the beach and onto the boardwalk where I stood.  I moved forward slightly as the waves covered my feet, spray blowing into my face.  I shook my head, trying to get my wet hair out of my mouth.  At least now my interview was over.

"Back to you in the studio Ste..."

It hit me side on, without warning, knocking me over.  I heard Steve gasp and say "Was... was that a fish...?"

Sharon Shields

Hurricanes

(Dosomething.org)

Before I go any further my thoughts go out to all my American readers.....keep safe.

1. Hurricanes are large, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 mph and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain a day.
2. The deadliest U.S. hurricane on record was a Category 4 storm that hit the island city of Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900. Some 8,000 people lost their lives when the island was destroyed by 15-ft waves and 130-mph winds.
3. Over 1/3 of cat and dog owners don't have a disaster preparedness plan in place for their animals. Help neighbors and friends come up with a hurricane plan for their pets.
4. In the Atlantic, hurricane season starts June 1, while in the Pacific it starts May 15. Both end on November 30.
5. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. The heavy waves are called a storm surge.

6. 0% of the hurricanes that occur in the United States hit Florida.
7. The difference between a tropical storm and a hurricane is wind speed – tropical storms usually bring winds of 36 to 47 mph, whereas hurricane wind speeds are at least 74 mph.
8. Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around the eye. The rotating storm clouds create the "eye wall," which is the most destructive part of the storm.
9. Hurricanes are classified into 5 categories, based on their wind speeds and potential to cause damage. Names can be "retired" if a hurricane has been really big and destructive. Retired names include Katrina, Andrew, Mitch and most recently Sandy.
10. When the National Hurricane Center began giving official names to storms in 1953, they were all female. This practice of using only women’s names ended in 1978.
11. The costliest hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 storm that slammed Louisiana in August of 2005. Damages cost an estimated $108 billion.

A big thank you to all my visitors.

My readers for the last 24 hours are :-

United States
527
United Kingdom
502
Germany
57
Czechia
40
Ukraine
31
Ireland
30
Canada
27
Portugal
27
Poland
24
France
22

Thank you all sooooooooooooo much

Neville

Random Joke of the Day

I've started my own cremation ashes storage business. It's a nice little urner

The first toy ever advertised on TV?......Mr Potato Head !

Finish with a Song

For the storms, This is Garth Brooks with Thunder Rolls released in 1990