So far, we've been relatively fortunate...
We received 17 inches of rain in two days from TS Fay, and it hasn't completely run off yet, nor has the ground absorbed it either. Folks to the north of us received even more. The street in front of my house that was under 3-1/2 feet of water at the highest is still wet...because the water table is still just below the surface of the road and the water is still "sweating" through the surface. This from a "mere" tropical storm about three weeks ago.
All last week we watched Ike, not knowing what it was going to do. We were all pretty dismal about it as hurricanes that take Ike's track usually turn north before getting to us, or end up slamming into us...and a high pressure ridge wouldn't let it turn north. But, God has been looking out for us as Ike has taken an unprecedented WSW track through the eastern caribbean, and is now over Cuba with no projected threat to Florida in the forecast.
Still, I spent Saturday putting up my hurricane shutters just in case. If Ike had turned our way, it wouldn't have made landfall here until early Tuesday morning of this week (about 2 am). I would not have had the time to shutter the house after the weekend in that event as I would have been very busy at work until just before Ike hit, and I would have been back at work as soon as it was safe to drive right after the storm passed.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those living along the gulf coast now from New Orleans to the central Texas coast. After Ike clears Cuba as a Cat 1 hurricane or possibly (hopefully) a TS, it's projected to strengthen and head NW or NNW.
Since they're already up, I think I'll leave the hurricane shutters for another couple of weeks...just in case...
