Update

Well. really it is all about the same for us in this part of Pensacola. We are so far west of Pensacola's city limits we are closer to Orange Beach, AL.

We are waiting for Katrina to make landfall. We are expecting to lose power as we already have once. It was brief, but not a good sign to lose power this early in a hurricane. I still have not figured out what was up with all of the sirens I heard earlier today.

The rest is just random thoughts or observations. My earlier emails have info and those that actually read this have told me they are watching the news to see what is going on. I have spoken already today with the one or two people that actually check this site.



Katrina's Storm surge could be up to 10 feet here.

The neighbor's (Annette and Leslie) will probably have to resod their lawn. They just put in a new sea wall and had the yard sodded (is that a word?). The canal waters will kill it they are too salty.

The Pensacola Civic Center is open - not as a shelter - but as a refuge for travelers needing a break from the wind and rain as they try to evacuate. This means they will have doors open but no cots or food or any minimal provisions. It is however a place to be without rain and wind blowing your vehicle around on an interstate.

The I-10 bridge ( the main east - west thoroughfare) east of Pensacala closes once 45 mph sustained winds are reached. At the center Katrina is/was 185 mph.

This means anyone not past Pensacola and Escambia Bay on I-10 (several miles of the bridge crosses the bay - it is large) may get stuck sitting at the Civic Center.

This closing is due to the fact that a few sections of the I-10 bridge blew out during Ivan. Killing at least one person in a semi (he went over the bridge in one of the gaps) and leaving one family stuck on a section of the bridge for the duration of Ivan (with pieces of the bridge missing on either side of them).

Here we may have up to 50-60 mph winds and 8-10 foot storm surge.

Tornadoes will be plentiful in this storm.

Katrina's winds are like those of a F-3 tornado - imagine an F-3 lasting for 4-5 hours. That is how long the winds could be traveling over Biloxi, MS. They are in the north east quadrant of the storm - the worst place to be.

That is all. I need to continue my watching of the Weather Channel. I hear CNN has pretty good coverage as well. I stick to the Weather Channel. I feel as though I have gotten to know some of the reporters pretty well this year. Especially considering the fact that prior to moving to FL the ONLY time I watched the weather channel was when I worked at Hidden Greens and the golfers wanted to know if they would be rained out for the day.

Ciao! (If the previous email sounds odd keep in mind I ate very little food today. I was busy taking care of anything regarding the house that would require electricity or water and was too busy to eat. Then I had two drinks prior to, and during, a late dinner with Rusty - Sorry!)

B