Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Oh No, Beta!
Friday
September 3, 2004
I talked with my parents last night, and they were glad to hear from me, if for no other reason so that they could in turn assuage the fears of some of my relatives who apparently have been calling them with great concern about my well-being in the face of Hurricane Frances. All is well so far; the storm is still well off the eastern coast of Florida, and I'm on the west coast. It looks like the storm won't be cutting through Hillsborough County (according to the latest model -- though those models are inexact things). Regardless, I'm not too terribly concerned. What is more of a concern is for my neighbors to the east, people in Polk County in particular that still are cleaning up from the mess caused by Hurricane Charley. You may not be aware of this if you don't live in Florida (since the national media has been busy covering the Republican National Convention this week), but there are people in the state who still have holes in the roofs of their homes, especially in the Lake Wales area.
But unlike Charley, which hardly did anything, we will feel the effect here in Tampa in the form of heavy rain and some wind. Hotels here are booked solid from the estimated 2.5 million people who caravaned acrossed the state to find shelter from the storm. I have relatives in the West Palm Beach area, so my main concern is for their safety (as well as the safety of friends of mine who live in the Orlando area).
I hear that Channel 10 in Tampa is having a four hour morning show tomorrow because of Hurricane Frances. One tough thing for everyone in the media is that natural disaster threats like this equal long hours on the job.
My access card was having some problems tonight at my apartment complex, which is a bit disheartening for me. Then again, the thing has lasted through 3½ years of wear and tear, and the really surprising thing is that I've managed to not lose it in that period of time.
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