Hurricane Isaac's welcome

When I accepted this job as Public Affairs Specialist for the Supervisor of Shipbuilding (Gulf Coast), Naval Sea Systems Command, Pascagoula, MS, one of the first things that came to mind was we will be moving into hurricane country. I didn't expect we'd be tested so early though. Hurricane Isaac chased us out of our home and back to Memphis for a few days while it slowly plodded through the Gulf Coast and on up through Louisiana, dumping feet of rain in some cases along its path. As I mentioned in my earlier post, we'd made our hurricane preparations. We'd become comfortable with staying put in our second-floor apartment in Gautier -- about a mile from the Gulf Coast. Isaac was apparently going to come ashore as a Category 1 hurricane -- possibly a Category 2 -- and local people we talked to didn't get too worked up over a Cat 1. Most that we talked to said that unless it was a Cat 3 they stayed put. Besides, the hurricane -- which at that time was still a tropical storm -- was tracking more westerly toward Louisiana and making it less of a direct hit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Well, Isaac was also about 800 miles wide and its effects were felt from Florida to Louisiana as it strolled through the Gulf. Barbara was making banana breads, cupcakes and blueberry muffins as we prepared for the possibility of losing electricity by stocking up on food. This day -- Monday, August 27 -- was my first day working for the Navy, so early that morning I drove into work and began filling out the paperwork and listening to briefings about my new responsibilities. But storm preparations were already underway here, too, and by noon it was clear the approaching tropical storm would shorten my first day. I was sent home with a copy of the local hurricane preparedness policy and told to stay tuned. As we were preparing to wait out the storm, I checked a local news site and discovered the Jackson County Supervisors had issued a mandatory evacuation for everyone living south of Hwy. 90 and in flood-prone areas. We live in an apartment complex about 50 yards south of Hwy. 90, so we were in the evacuation zone. This was confirmed with a call to the apartment complex manager, who also called the Gautier Police Department, which is right across the street from our complex. So Barb finished her baking and we pulled out the suitcase again, threw clothes and a few mementos in the car, and by 5:30 were backing out of the parking space to leave. We didn't know what kind of traffic to expect, having never done this before, and knowing that the evacuation was only mandatory for those close to the water and many locals didn't consider it powerful enough to leave. Pleasantly, our escape route was no busier than a normal day's commute, and so we arrived in Millington (near Memphis) to stay with our friends at about 12:45 a.m. And it was from here we watched the live-streams as Isaac began with strong winds and heavy rain, pummeling the shore and then moving inland. For the next three days it dumped 12 to 15 inches of rain locally, and up to 30 inches in isolated areas. One online photo showed Hwy. 90 underwater in Biloxi with no indication, except for the highway information signs, where the highway actually was. Despite the devastation, which included tornadoes reported on the cities to both sides of us, the casinos in Biloxi were reopening already Thursday night. It might be a stretch to say life was getting back to normal, but people were wanting to put Isaac behind them. I am looking forward to going back to work next week (finally) without having to think about Isaac. Now we've had our intro to the Gulf Coast and we'll fine-tune our plans for the next storm that heads our way.

Preparing for Isaac

As I write this, I should be working on my inprocessing paperwork for my new job with the Supervisor of Shipbuilding (Gulf Coast), Naval Sea Systems Command, which begins on Monday in Pascagoula. Instead, I'm checking weather forecasts and websites for information on approaching Tropical Storm Isaac. We became aware of Isaac's approach early this past week with reports of a 'developing storm to watch' out in the Atlantic; and then on Wednesday Melissa texted this message, "Sounds like u could be seein' a hurricane soon." And the Isaac-watch began. I credit the local television stations which have tracked this storm doggedly and continually. And as we continue to unpack, put things away, and explore this beautiful area, we are also now joining in the hurricane prep. Our new 5-gallon gasoline can is filled, as is the Toyota. There's a grill and charcoal in the trunk. We've bought bottled water and resupplied our stock of batteries. I examined our important documents to decide which ones we need to take if an evacuation occurs. Next we'll begin putting everything together. And, finally, Barb emailed friends in the Memphis area should we need a place to stay in the event we leave. Isaac's track through the Gulf is still a work in progress, but its projected path puts this section of the Mississippi Gulf Coast squarely in the way, so we may not miss its effects. As of early Saturday afternoon, it is southeast of Florida, moving through the Caribbean. Current projections have it changing from a "Cat 1" to a "Cat 2" in the Gulf and then back to a Cat 1 after reaching inland some time on Wednesday next week. During all this I've learned more than I ever knew before about hurricanes. And we arrived here smack in the middle of hurricane season, which runs from June 1st through November 30th. The "Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale" lists five levels, with the Category 1 causing the least damage with winds of 74-95 mph, Cat 2 (extensive damage) at speeds of 96-110 mph, Cat 3 (devastating) with speeds of 111-130 mph, Cat 4 (catastrophic) at speeds of 131-155 mph, and Cat 5 (also catastrophic) at speeds topping 155 mph. During our travels through the Pascagoula-Gautier-Ocean Springs-Biloxi area this past week, we've visited with folks who survived Katrina, which became a Category 5 hurricane and the second-strongest hurricane in US history. One gentleman we talked to said he and his family lost 3 businesses and 2 homes during Katrina. The only item recovered from their Biloxi antique store was an Indian sculpture that was located six blocks away. Katrina's death toll was 1,836, with 705 people still reported as missing. Of course, having lived in the Midwest most of my life, I'm familiar with tornadoes and their destructive tendencies. It was always my goal as an amateur photojournalist to photograph a tornado. I haven't achieved that goal, although I've seen the destruction tornadoes cause. I have no such compunction to get up close to a hurricane. If the order comes, we'll be on the road and heading north next week.