Sunday, August 17, 2008

Fay Targets Florida

My parents, who live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, left their home about a week ago for an extended road trip. They travelled to Minneapolis for a high school reunion and are planning to go on from there to Denver for a wedding. They are stopping in to visit us Labor Day weekend on their way home. So they will be away from home for about 4 weeks. Before they left my dad put up his hurricane shutters. These consist of corrugated metal panels which are custom cut to fit over every window and exterior glass door. They are quite ugly but they are the best protection against the high winds of a hurricane. He tells me that his neighbors thought he was nuts for putting them up before the extended trip.

As of today Tropical Storm Fay is 350 miles southeast of Key West and forecast to take up a northerly heading that will take it across Punta Gorda and on up in to the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday. It is also forecast to reach hurricane strength before making landfall. A hurricane watch is now in effect from the Florida Keys to Anna Maria island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Somehow I don't think the neighbors are laughing anymore.

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