I am starting to get the feeling like tropical cyclones have a bounty out on my head. Last year's hurricane barrage by Charlie, Dennis, Frances and Jeanne more than made up for the relative lack of tropical activity during the balance of my nearly seventeen years in the Sunshine State.

Then, just as I was moving to Tallahassee last year, Hurricane Katrina threatened the area but shifted course only a day or two before. Looking back on the events that followed that change in weather gives me some pause, realizing how things may have turned out had a Category Five hurricane made landfall the weekend I moved to town.

In all of those cases, luck was on my side. And now, only thirteen days into the official tropical season the first named storm of 2006, Tropical Storm Alberto, makes waves nearby. It currently looks to make landfall in the "Big Bend" region sometime early this morning, but some of the outer bands have already blown through the area.

Earlier tonight there were some gusty sustained winds and heavy rain that proceeded through the region for a good hour or so. Since then, the weather has been rather calm, with only light winds and residual precipitation peppering the area. I imagine that by the time I awaken tomorrow for work—which is still open according to the emergency status number—the situation may very well be different as Alberto will have moved inland.

Hopefully my luck with tropical cyclones did not end with the conclusion of the 2005 season.

UPDATE: 13 June 2006, 1807

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The wind and rain continued overnight and through most of the day with some stronger bursts here and there. Overall, it has been a pleasant day with temperatures in the mid-seventies. Local news reported some trees and power lines were downed before dawn, but nothing so severe as to keep any roads closed.

Now the only thing to look forward to is the oppressive heat that we have been promised. The forecast from the National Weather Service has only this to say about the expected conditions Friday: Hot.

I am pleased to be able to post this update to my family's request for information about missing relatives due to Hurricane Katrina.

Bless you Michelle in Texas for calling me, not once but twice, to make sure I received the message my family in Ocean Springs was fine. Amidst all this tragedy there are good people who go the extra mile to help someone else. I hope you find your loved ones soon. Thanks to your message I was able to help Linda's family in England via e-mail.

Many Thanks,

Carol in Florida

My mother asked me to post the following in the hope we may reconnect with missing family who live in the areas effected by Hurricane Katrina. UPDATE

I am looking for my family in Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi. In Ocean Springs, Frieda and Bill Orsi on Audrey Circle and cousins Dan and Linda Richard on Woodland Circle. In Biloxi, cousin Suzanne Palfreyman on McDonnell.

I ask that they or anyone with news or information about their status contact me either by telephone (407.766.2058) or e-mail (carolATmtsutro.com). Also, if you have been in either of these two areas, I would appreciate an e-mail to let me know the condition.

Thank You,

Carol Nichelson

I have submitted this request to Craig's List: New Orleans Lost and Found (post) and The New Orleans Times-Picayune Missing Persons Forum (post). Please feel free to link to this entry or reproduce it on any additional mediums that may increase visibility.

I would additionally like to add that I will be donating goods during a local collection campaign tomorrow and encourage you to do the same in your area. And if you have the means, the American Red Cross could use your financial support.

The drive up here to Tallahassee on Sunday was fairly uneventful, save for driving in the outer rain bands of Hurricane Katrina which, much to my surprise and delight, were substantially weaker than I expected. The rain was light, but steady and some wind gusts knocked my car around a bit. Overall, I think everyone here in Florida is very lucky, unfortunately at the expense of Mississippi.

I am all settled in here at Claire and Ashleigh's house where I have a nice guest room to myself, my computer and most of my clothing. As an added bonus, I have been enjoying their fifty-five inch widescreen rear-projection television with high definition. INHD and INHD2 are officially my two new favourite channels, even when the show is not of particular interest.

My new job with the government (herein and thereafter referred to as "The Agency") is going well, so far. I have already started to acclimate to the new environment, policies and procedures while at the same time learning some new things and hopefully proving to be a valuable asset to the organization.

Since giving it a try when it first became available last week, I have fallen in love with the simplicity and power of Google Talk, the new instant message and voice chat client. While not yet available for non-Windows platforms, this thin and resource light tool is great for standard instant messaging plus offers a wonderfully crystal-clear live voice feature. The pure digital quality of the transmission is quite spectacular. My overall fondness for this new application and my ongoing displeasure about the way Trillian runs on my older system has brought the decision that I will use Google Talk primarily. It requires a Google Mail ("gMail") account to use, so if you do not already have one and would like to chat with me, let me know and I will send you the invite to Google Mail and to Google Talk. If you already have Google Talk and would like to chat, my address is — surprise, surprise — mountsutro@gmail.com

And last but most certainly not least, my new Post Office Box is active. Feel free to send me mail, though remember that if you need to ship something using a non-USPS service, DHL is the only organization that will deliver to USPS boxes.

David July
Post Office Box 268
Tallahassee, Florida 32302-0268

CNN just reported that Tallahassee will be the recipient of strong thunderstorms from Hurricane Dennis' feeder bands in a few minutes. Having left there yesterday at around seven in the evening, Erik and I expected to encounter some inclement weather during our trek back to Orlando.

Interestingly enough, the entire ride down Interstate-10 eastbound and on Interstate-75 southbound to Gainesville was uneventful. The sky was ominously brewing as we made our way out of the city, but would not experience a single drop of rain until after leaving Gainesville at 0200. Somewhere north of Sumter County we encountered very high wind gusts and heavy rain that made driving over 45 impossible. But even that experience lasted for only ten or fifteen minutes.

For the balance of the four hour drive, the rain was intermittent and never particularly strong, however the wind continued to maintain its status as an adversary on the road. Overall, we managed to avoid any severe weather and did not feel unsafe traveling. We did see around 100 military vehicles transporting troops, generators and other supplies in addition to State Police and a convoy of Asplundh company vehicles, all traveling toward where Dennis is slated to make landfall shortly.

In other news, the trip itself was a complete blast. It was fun hanging out with Claire and Ash in their newly-purchased home and the party was quite enjoyable as well. In addition to general running around town, I finally did something I have been meaning to do for years: a tour of both the old original Capitol building and the current headquarters.

We first toured the old Capitol building, standing on its present location since 1845. The second floor rooms have been converted into sectional areas, each describing relevant periods in Florida history — such as segregation and the 2000 Presidential election debacle — and a thorough chronicle of the State's government. Of particular interest to me was the restoration and partial recreation of the original State Supreme Court chamber, which served the Court from 1845 to 1912.

Next we walked across the small courtyard to the current Capitol building, a twenty-two floor executive office building completed in 1977. While I had been looking forward to viewing the floors of the State Senate and House of Representatives, the 360 degree panoramic view of Tallahassee from the top floor of the building was an unexpected treat. Also, visiting Governor Jeb Bush's office lobby contained some interesting items, like a first-press set of the Florida quarters presented to Bush from the United States Mint. I asked the secretary working there for one of his business cards as you can see above and we all signed his official guest book.

It was a great trip and I hope I will have the opportunity to go back and hang out again before Claire and Ash's October wedding.

What can I say? It is going to get very wet and windy here (again) as now Category 3 Hurricane Jeanne moves in. No more live coverage though as I am tired of hurricanes and instead will be enjoying a good book and some alcohol during this storm.

An amusing note: as I was going through the below links, updating them as necessary from their use during Frances, I discovered that many organizations that had previously been naming the information pages "charlie" and "frances" have now just called them "hurricane." Smart move, webmasters!

» WESH Channel 2
» WKMG Channel 6
» WFTV Channel 9
» Central Florida News 13
» WMFE Channel 24

» Weather Watches and Warnings
» National Hurricane Centre
» Local Radar
» Visible Satellite Loop
» Visible Satellite (still frame)
» State of Florida Resource Links
» NASA Hurricane Stuff