All day the satellite and radar presentations of Hurricane Dorian have been rather ragged as NHC reduced his winds down to 105 MPH. However, the past several hours appear to show a better structure developing again, and if that is correct, Dorian could be back to a Cat. 3 as he passes just offshore of the Carolinas. In fact any minor deviation to the left would bring the hurricane's eyewall on shore in North Carolina. This is not the Dorian that raked Grand Bahama Island and the Abaco Islands (185 mph then), but it still is a formidable storm that will bring a 5-8' storm surge and 10-15" or rain for some. After seeing many videos and still pictures of neighborhoods flattered by Dorian, I also noted some structures faired better than others. That certainly was due to stronger construction (concrete & steel vs wood frame) PLUS window protection. I did notice lots of standing buildings with windows blown out and roofs torn off. Which got me thinking while playing golf yesterday at Oak Harbor in Slidell. The course is surrounded by many very pretty & expensive homes, yet I did not see any with window protection. $400-500,000+ homes with no functional shutters. What are these people thinking? Don't they know their biggest investment will be trashed when the "big one" hits us? By spending 1-2% ($10-15K) of their homes value, they could greatly enhance the chance of keeping the house's structural integrity intact if only they installed shutters. Geez, I thought I preached that for years during our yearly hurricane specials. I guess your can see the videos of other people's tragedy, yet until it happens to you will you understand the power of Nature's fiercest storm.
For us, the heat wave will continue through this weekend into next week. We'll have to keep watering out lawns & gardens otherwise our plants will die. Hang in there. October is coming. Stay tuned!
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