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The Pacific Northwest is known as a temperate rainforest, despite its denuded forests. Learning that in a book did not prepare me for the rainy season when I lived near Portland in 1994. Just prior to the advent of the rainy season, we were in drought conditions so severe that flash fires posed a constant danger. Driving I-5 north toward Portland one morning, we watched someone's hubcap spin off and strike the curb. The dry grass whooshed into flames from the spark. Try staying in your lane when you see a 100-foot fire ignite right next to you. When the rains finally started, they didn't stop for three weeks. We went from drought-driven fires to flash floods in a matter of weeks. Who knew? None of the books said the rains didn't stop. After that experience, I fully appreciated the Pacific Northwest's penchant for water-absorbing mulch.So, moving to the subtropics (South Florida) in 2007, I knew that I'd learn a thing or two about tropical storms that none of the media would have prepared me for. Tropical storm Fay hit South Florida late last night, and the rains haven't stopped since. Just as in Oregon, the rains abate to a fine mist at times, but then return to a solid wall of water. As of 7:30 pm, wind speed is still pretty low.
More surprising to me is the preparation. Long time residents remember Andrew (1992), and newer residents remember the 2005 hurricanes, Katrina and Wilma. I visited South Florida in late November of 2005, and debris still lay in piles everywhere. Much of the structural damage was still apparent. In 2005, very few stores or gas stations used back-up generators. Power was out for weeks in most areas, creating extreme food shortages. A statewide law passed in 2006 now requires gas stations with more than ten stations in any one county to own generators. That way those with generators have gas to heat their food and water.
After suffering substantial losses during Wilma, Florida's largest grocery chain promised to spend $100 million to provide generators to all its stores in hurricane prone areas. Wilma shut down 226 of Publix' south Florida stores, leaving only ten open. Food spoilage due to storms reached $60 million in 2004. Winn Dixie lost $60 million during Katrina, amid its bankruptcy reorganization. (W-D emerged from bankruptcy in November 2006. Second quarter earnings for fiscal year 2008 mark the fifth consecutive quarter where Winn Dixie "posted a positive surprise," according to the Motley Fool.)
Widespread enduring power outages render TV, telephones and the internet useless, when communication becomes especially vital. In the 50-person department where I work, we were provided with everyone's phone number in case someone is able to get through to someone. How this is going to help remains a mystery, but what does this snowbird know? We spent this afternoon unplugging everything electrical, stuffing each piece into plastic bags. This seemed so odd to me, I had to ask. Apparently, this is done to protect the equipment should the roof blow off.
More odd to me was that folks at work teased me for wearing a raincoat and rain hat this amid a downpour! "Don't you dress for the weather?" I asked. "No, it's too hot for raincoats we use umbrellas." When in Rome, I guess.
Thanks to the high-tech world, we knew this storm was coming. Over the weekend, my folks instructed me to fill my gas tank and wash all my laundry. Everyone pulls out a stash of cash from the banks - ATMs don't work during a power outage.
What I really wonder about is the wildlife immensely profuse down here compared to Ohio. Florida lizards are as common as Ohio mosquitoes. I wonder where they hide during a hurricane. A wide variety of exotic iguanas have colonized the region, thanks to irresponsible owners. I wonder what they'll do during high winds. I wonder how much wildlife is lost during a hurricane.
Meanwhile, we're all snug inside. No one thinks Fay is going to be serious, so none of us put up shutters. There's a kind of excitement, tho, as people prepare for a hurricane; a definite sense of community pervades all relationships. We are no longer individuals living out private lives; now we're all in the same boat getting ready to ride out the storm together.
