Again? Another hurricane?

Again? Another hurricane?
Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria...
Hurricane Camille hit the Gulf coast with a vengeance in 1969. Maximum wind speeds are estimated because the storm destroyed the wind recording instruments. Purportedly, speed reached 175 mph along the coast. Camille was one of three cat 5 hurricanes in the U.S. to make landfall. The eye came in near Biloxi and literally ripped the town to shreds.
I lived 'next door' in Mobile and knew little about hurricanes. This was my first. Previously, when my head hit the pillow, I dreamed of snow drifts high enough to close area schools. When Camille rolled in, I slept like a clueless baby.
After the storm, my family transported from our local church to Biloxi much-needed clothing and other donations. The trip informed me. I witnessed sections of the huge concrete slabs on the causeway that were lifted and shifted like a child's building blocks--the power of nature!
Each year, we watch as hurricanes come and go.
The generic term for a hurricane is, "tropical cyclone." The term hurricane is used for storms in the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes form near the equator over warm ocean waters. They begin as a tropical disturbance and evolve through the following stages ( https://scijinks.gov/hurricane/):
- tropical disturbance
- tropical depression
- tropical storm (beginning at 39 mph)
- tropical cyclone, A.K.A hurricane (beginning at74 mph)
As Hurricane Irma approached Florida, I heard local chatter that, "It might only be a cat 1 hurricane when it reaches Georgia." Really?
When did a cat 1 hurricane become a walk in the park?
For now, I'm staying inland and taking cover, even if it's a simple little tropical storm.
~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran
[LowTide is an eclectic collection of discoveries and reflective writings.]

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