So what did we learn from this weekend's (thankfully) aborted hurricane?? A few things, I suppose, but nothing that changes my fear of what could have happened.
- These storms rarely turned out to be a malevolent as advertised. Of course, the local media creates ratings by creating hysteria, and their balls-to-the-wall "storm team coverage" can often create a perception that is far worse than the reality. (Of course, it was kind of fun hoping that Jessica Willey would get sucked off the Galveston Seawall.) Even so, from what I knew on Friday, and as bad as the weather was, I still think it was prudent to fear the worst. Hurricanes scare the hell out of me. I grew up with tornadoes in northern Minnesota, which are bad enough. Tornadoes, though, are generally localized and short-lived. Hurricanes are generally anything but.
- I would certainly agree with http://www.whiterose.org/ginger/">Ginger Stampley that I have not lived here long enough to be totally blase. Frankly, I hope I never get to that point. I would still rather worry and be proven wrong, than to not take a storm seriously and pay for my nonchalance.
- No good deed goes unpunished. Sad, but true.
- Sometimes having a "Good ol' boy" truck is no guarantee that you won't end up stuck as badly as that idiot driving a Kia.
- Never, never, NEVER jump into a fire ant bed (even a wet, muddy one) wearing only flip-flops. You will NEVER win that battle. Trust me on this one....
- If you're going to get yourself stuck in axle-deep Texas clay muck, at least making certain you're not wearing one of your favorite WHITE t-shirts.
- The life of an intrepid reporter is never an easy one. Of course, it could have been worse. I was only dodging boards with exposed nails- not mortar fire in Afghanistan or minefields in Kosovo.
- People on the Todville Road waterfront build houses on stilts, and then park their vehicles on the lowest part of their properties, which then floods their vehicles. What the hell is up with that??
- ALWAYS remember to profusely thank the kind folks who were kind enough to pull your sorry ass out of the mud. You just might need them again down the road.
