Lookin' close at The Weather Channel...

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I've been getting texts, g-mails, and Fagbook notices from relatives and friends to the West of me.  Bad tornaders in Dallas.  My nephew Jon texted a picture he took of one on his phone from his office in the metroplex.

Daddy's business supplier in Mesquite shut down earlier, and issued an e-mail with photos of the damage about two blocks from them, and an apology for being shut down.

Texans CAN be courteous, sometimes...


Bad pictures out of Texas...and, headed our way!!!


Well...it might be a loooooooong night. 

But, at least there's this...

Looks like it dun "set in" for awhile...

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It started this morning at about 1030 HRS.


As of 1545...

(That little green dot is Andy's Place).

And, a little further West...

And, a little further West...

It was a long day at the soap factory!


Don't get me wrong...I ain't bitchin'!  We've got 3 or 4 years of drought we're finally gaining ground on these last few months.


Let 'er rip!!!

I got home from my "day job," and the AC condensing unit was running.

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Forecast for tonight...

Better go put the ferns in the storage house, I reckon.


Again.

Irene ain't no Katrina! Yet.

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I've been looking off and on at the news coverage of the landfall of Irene throughout the day.  And, I agree with Buck who previously commented, "Shep Smith can be THE most irritating anchor on any network, with the possible exception of Wolf Blitzer. And EVERYONE on MSNBC."

The thing that has been bugging me over the last several days in the run-up to disaster (or not) is that I have heard at least seven million times "This will be no Katrina," or "This is not like Katrina," or some such reference to the thing that wouldn't leave.


Of course it's not!  

What folks often forget is that Katrina did very little damage to New Orleans proper...oh yeah...it blew away many towns on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (including Shep Smith's hometown of Waveland)...but The Crescent City was only hit with some strong winds, and heavy rains.  Sure, there was damage, but the real problem was Dick Cheney.


Things are different now.  Dick Cheney is no longer Vice President.  So, he has no access to high speed watercraft that he can use to set dynamite charges, and then laugh with evil excitement as he pushes down the plunger, and blows bigass holes in levees...flooding ONLY the black neighborhoods.


So, y'all black folks in the path will be just fine.

Irene...

Hey y'all!  I spent a good bit of the afternoon, and early evening listening to news radio today.  The big story is, of course, the impending arrival of Irene on the East coast of the US.


You've got everything from Joe Bastardi forecasting/warning/etc. of another Ivan type catastrophe, to other meteorologists saying "ain't gonna be all that big a deal."  Well, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  Regardless of who is right, there is going to be one heck of a lot of damage.  I'm figuring that even if Irene weakens modestly, the bill on this chick is gonna be a whopper!


Irene already has been a "big deal," forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate, and forcing many millions to alter their lives, turn loose of some coins, and prepare for "whatever." 


My greatest concern is not so much the property damage (which is gonna be hefty), as it is the "people problems."  In such heavily populated areas, there will certainly be many deaths due to a variety of calamities that even weak hurricanes bring.  Then, you've got the problem afterward of looters, transportation impossible, power out for long periods of time, communications down (look for most phone service to crater...land lines, and cell towers), hospitals unable to handle the numbers (or inaccessible by first responders), and just plain old frazzled nerves that folks will be dealing with.


Y'all buckle your seat belts!  This ain't gonna be pretty.

Just a shout out to my kinfolks in North Carolina & Boston, MA & Manhattan (NY, not KS), my blog buddies in Virginia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and especially to our young friend Linda (an EMT in The Bronx).  Y'all are gonna have your hands full for a good long while.  You have our prayers.