Weather

Back in 2005, when Hurricane Wilma was about to smack the Naples area, our news organization made a commitment that when it came to real-time coverage, we were not going to get beat on this story by CNN or The Weather Channel or any other news organizations.

Hurricane Dean appears to be headed for the Yucatan Peninsula. Call us crazy (go ahead… you won’t be the first) but we would take a hurricane any day over an earthquake.

I’d been to Club Med Cancun two years previously when it was an adults only resort, and after the devastation of hurricane Wilma they recently re-opened as family friendly in November of 2006. Now, I’m not one to enjoy crowded swimming pools with screaming kids and waits for beach chairs or drinks, so I was a bit apprehensive when Kevin and I got on the plane. I really shouldn’t have worried. Kev and I really couldn’t believe our eyes.

Pretty darn incredible. I remember our 11 days without power after Hurricane Wilma in 2005, 15 years is beyond my imagination. One good question remains from the above article- If her neighbors and the code inspectors never knew about the violations or her lack of electricity, where was this woman getting her power via the extension cords?

Last year’s inaugural NavAid, also held in conjunction with the opening day of the Miami International Boat Show, raised money and awareness for the victims of Hurricane Wilma which decimated the Florida southeast coast in the fall of 2005. The event, organized in conjunction with the American Red Cross Broward County Chapter, raised $7,000 through generous contributions from our co-sponsors Raymarine, Northstar, Furuno, Humminbird and Lowrance, as well as all those who attended the event. All proceeds were used to help the 21,000 victims and 46 families that were left homeless as a result of the hurricane.

Last year, Hurricane Wilma swept through the region and had its way with Club Med. It”s been closed and under renovation since. On November 11, it finally reopens after a $24 million investment. And, you guessed it; children are now allowed and family friendly facilities abound.

Just heard on the TV that meteorologists are keeping a close eye on Tropical Strom Chris which is developing some way off to the South West. With Hurricane Wilma still very much in everyones memory here in Cancun any potential hurricane is closely monitored.

These foodstamps aren't the same as ordinary ones. Families with losses and income in the $50,000 range qualified.

The sheer scale of the disaster, the vast number of custody and visitation orders impacted and an indefinitely shut-down court system all make for a volatile, frustrating mix. Post-Wilma South Florida experienced it too, if to a lesser degree.

The hurricanes that made landfall in the United States during 2005 have been by far the most costly natural catastrophes in the country’s history. The wrath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma left no industry untouched and caused extraordinary industrial and commercial property damage, which will likely result in an unprecedented number of insurance claims and lawsuits -- estimates indicate insured losses exceed $60 billion. Oil rigs and refineries were initially hit hard as Hurricane Katrina reportedly affected production at more than 50 oil and natural-gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. This fueled an immediate increase in gasoline and airfare costs, due to higher jet fuel prices. While the sticker shock at the pump has subsided (for the most part) as gas prices have declined, the impact of the active hurricane season on tourism in the Gulf Coast, especially in New Orleans, has been far-reaching, beyond the physical damage to local hotels, amenities, and tourist attractions.

AccuWeather is reporting that Atlantic surface water temperatures are high and similiar to last years' surface water temperatures which fueled the massive hurricane season. [thanks to Mike Shedlock, again] The warmer the surface waters in the tropical Atlantic, the easier it is for storms to form up and the more intense they become. There is significant risk of another really bad hurricane season in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, which could increase the shut-in risks due to the fact that not all damage in the oil producing areas have been permanently fixed.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Ledger has some opinions to vent about the upcoming assessment to Citizens’ revenue shortfall and the windfall sales tax revenue in the wake of Katrina and Wilma:

Current track brings it into southern Florida by early Monday after accelerating during the weekend. That should prevent it from reaching hurricane strength. However, the area has just now recovered from Hurricane Wilma and if the storm reached sufficient wind velocity, it will down power lines and disrupt lives. It is currently a compact storm which will limit its area of impact but will this storm be the last straw for many residents in south Florida who will seek out better climes to live?

Naples man: “I saw a bunch of stuff flying by”

As of 5:00 AM EDT.... Hurricane Wilma had Maximum Sustained Winds of near 115 MPH with higher gust... Additional weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Wilma is expected to lose its Tropical Characteristics during the next day or so...

TIn the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Senator Chuck Grassley asked the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate nursing home deaths last month. I blogged about it here. No doubt deaths resulting from Hurricane Wilma will spark more investigations.

As of 9:00 AM EDT, Hurricane Wilma's maximum sustained winds had weakened from 125 mph when coming on shore, (a Cat. 3,) to near110 MPH with higher gust… Hurricane Wilma has weakened to a DANGEROUS Category TWO Hurricane. Wilma is moving toward the northeast near 25 mph and a continued increase if forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours... Some continued weakening is also likely as Wilma crosses the southern Florida Peninsula today...

Bou, in addition to putting up her hurricane shutters while commenting (repeatedly and loudly) about The Suckiness of Hurricanes, has also managed to complete Version 8 of her Florida Blogger's map. If she loses power, The Great Omnipotent One (TGOO) is on standby.

As of 11:00 AM EDT, Hurricane Wilma had maximum sustained winds of near 100 MPH with higher gust… Hurricane Wilma is still a Category TWO Hurricane. Wilma is moving toward the northeast near 8 mph but not yet strengthening... Yet some strengthening is still possible today or tonight... Hurricane Force Winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and Tropical Storm Force Winds extend outward up to 200 miles...

Hrmph!! Another hurricane destined to change the geography of the planet. Rampaging her way through the much famed Caribbean beaches with over 140 miles an hour, she is on every other person’s mouth. In front of the soda vending machine, in the queue at the coffee shop, gas stations, departmental stores and in the small group that gathers across my cubicle at work from time to time. News channels, weather reports, websites, homepages, blogs are brimming with predictions, speculations and suggestions. Will she hit Tampa? Will we be destroyed? Will there be another Tampa version of the saga of New Orleans? There is even an interactive video of how Tampa would look underwater if there was a water surge.

As of 2:00 PM EDT, Hurricane Wilma's maximum sustained winds had decreased and are now near 110 MPH with higher gust… Hurricane Wilma is now a Category TWO Hurricane. Some additional weakening is expected today while Wilma is over land... but some re-strengthening could occur tonight or on Sunday once Wilma emerges over the Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane season really needs to end. Unbelievably at the writing of this post WILMA is a category 5 hurricane and is the strongest one yet for the year 2005 which includes Katrina and Rita. They say it is headed for the west coast of Florida and if it comes ashore would probably hit as a category 3. “Well isn’t that special” as Dana Carvey AKA the “church lady” used to say. It is on the same track as “CHARLIE” from 2004. Charlie destroyed Punta Gorda but was a very fast moving hurricane so it rapidly passed over the state and did no particular damage to my little corner of Florida. It would be nice for my little corner of Florida if WILMA took the same track though we certainly don’t deserve that particular mercy.

As Wilma enters the Gulf and strengthens, memories of Dennis enter my mind. Even though the eye wall came within 30 miles of us, we were fortunate to get the west side of the storm which is typically the lesser of the evils. In our area, Dennis became known as Dennis the Menace because it was merely an inconvenience that brought a lot of rain but little wind. It rained like crazy. More than I had ever seen with a storm of that size but admittedly we normally get the eastern part of the storm which usually means storm surge and high winds.

In my half sleep this morning, I heard my local all-news station spend a lot of time flogging tropical storm/soon-to-be-hurricane Wilma. I was dismayed when I heard it would “threaten the Gulf coast”. I couldn’t believe what those poor people down there would have to endure–a third major storm. But there was a catch. When the news station cut away to the official messages from the National Hurricane Center, I heard the storm would graze the Gulf coast of Florida. While that’s not great news by any means, the story was clearly being positioned as a direct hit on the Louisiana/Texas area. I guess that will sell more papers and get more eyeballs, huh?

We now have the 21st named storm of this hurricane season: Wilma. And she looks to be headed into the lower Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane possibly as early as Saturday.