As a kid, I remember having (or reading) a book on natural disasters throughout history—from Pompeii and Krakatoa to the San Francisco Earthquake the Johnstown Flood—I found that stuff riveting, and read it over and over. One of the stories that stuck with me was that of the storm that destroyed Galveston, Texas in 1900.
In the '90s, I spent a small fortune on books from amazon.com, and nonfiction stuff from Jon Krakauer and Sebastion Junger were staples in my reading diet. A lesser-known book was Isaac's Storm by Erik Larsen. Centered around an early meteorologist, Isaac Cline, it was a fascinating look at the destruction of Galveston and the hubris and folly of man in the face of the overwhelming power of nature.
From what I just read here and here, Galveston might be looking like 1900 all over again...
Except Ike is now playing the role of the power of nature, and these Darwin Award contenders will be representing the folly of man.
Look, I'm a weather nerd with the best of 'em. Love a thunderstorm, and pined to see a tornado while I lived in the Midwest—so I can understand the temptation to experience a hurricane... But, when the National Weather Service forcast contains the words "face certain death" and a mandatory evacuation is ordered and the police drive through in dump trucks to take everyone out and tell anyone who refuses that they need to write their names on their arms in black marker so their bodies can be identified, it's time to get the fuck outta Dodge.
3 comments:
write their names on their arms in black marker so their bodies can be identified
I don't know, though. If I were single, I might stick around and see what happens.
There are morons with kids staying there. They sent their kids to Austin (or wherever) but are staying...
We will evacuate in a Cat 1 or higher. It's mandatory on our island. I think people who ride this stuff out with their kids should be arrested for child endangerment.
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