Thursday, September 11, 2008

Hurricane Flurry

Hurricanes in Texas are somewhat of a novelty. We are not strangers to the occasional beach-lashing, but said lashings are so few and far between, that when one does decide to head for Texas, hustle and bustle breaks loose.

So right now, the highways are a veritable jam of people fleeing low ground in search of higher ground, which happens to be Central Texas. It was comical, when I was getting gas after work, to see the big city drivers frustrated with the laid-back attitude of the locals. Honking your horn at the driver in front of you may get results in Houston, but in little ol' Rockdale, it only illicits a raised eyebrow.

For someone like me of course, who has a morbid fascination with storms and inclement weather, a hurricane is nothing more than free entertainment. I love nothing more than to drive through high waters, be drenched in rain, buffetted by high winds, and have that dangerous element of disaster lurking nearby. One of these days, I WILL be a stormchaser, in my decked-out Hummer with all my gear, gallavanting around in all kinds of storms.

Rain, rain and more rain! Which means floods. Which means I get to rescue and aid people, which I also love. Helping the local fire departments is always fun, and helping others during a natural disaster is even better than the weather it brings. There's always aftermath, but that's what I love about this state. Neighbors may be hundreds of miles apart, but rebuilding doesn't take long in the Lone Star State, and everyone wants to help.

There's just that element of preparing; the storing of supplies, checking of flashlights, gear, and buildings, and battening down the hatches to brave the foaming onslaught of a hurricane, tucked away in your fortress, or roaming the wild weather to lend aid and frolick in the rain.

Call me crazy, but this shall be an adventure. Of sorts.

My internet company is headquartered in Houston, so I shall probably be without internet for weeks. 0_0