This morning, as I went to the National Hurricane Center site to read the 5 a.m. update on Hurricane Laura, I thought about how familiar the places sound, even though I have never traveled to the coastal part of the Texas/Louisiana border, like Morgan City. I tried to write a poem about this idea, but it's far from finished.
I was also struck by the cone, the potential path as it moves north through the U.S., and this piece of language from the discussion:
"In the extended range, there is some chance that Laura re-intensifies as a tropical cyclone off the Mid-Atlantic
coast, instead of becoming part of a frontal system, but for now
the forecast will stay extratropical at 96 hours and beyond."
Go here to see the graphic of the cone. By the time you read this post, it may have changed--I don't know if they create a separate url for each time the cone changes. Right now it shows a hurricane coming ashore in the far western Gulf of Mexico, traveling north, and then heading east where it will exit land off the coast of Virginia/Maryland/Delaware.
I have never written to my sister, who lives in Maryland, to warn her that a Gulf Coast hurricane may be heading her way. This storm looks to be a monster.
I have Hurricane Katrina on the brain. Fifteen years ago, we'd be waking up to assess the damage. People think of New Orleans when they think of Katrina damage, but we had a HUGE ficus tree in our back yard crash down--it took out a shed, an above ground pool, and a variety of fencing. We were without power for 2 weeks.
We put everything back together again just in time for Hurricane Wilma to sweep through. The new shed held up, and there were no trees to come crashing down--and we were still without power for 2 weeks.
I don't wish that situation on anyone--2005 was one of those years, much like this one, where I wondered how we'd get through, how we'd make a way out of what looked like a very muddled path.
And those storms weren't nearly as big as the one headed to the U.S. coastline right now.
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