This storm is worse than anyone expected. Frequently forecasters see a hurricane of such magnitude so far away, and the endless projections and spaghetti models attempt to pinpoint the exact time of impact and the magnitude of it all. It's all in the news cycle, with satellite imagery and government pleas for residents to get out of the path of this potentially devastating storm. And then it fizzles out. Not to say that Hurricane Florence wasn't all bad, but there were projections of it possibly being a category 4 storm, and there was a big deal made out of it. So when it hit the coast, at what I believe was a category 1, there was a collective moment that we as a nation thought, "Oh, that wasn't that bad." And prayers could have had a great deal to do with it. Again, there was damage and there were people's lives affected in tragic ways. But it could have been much, much worse. And this happens a lot. You just have to be prepared, because you never know when that next storm could be the one that brings the wrath of a hurricane category 4 or 5.
This is what is happening along the panhandle of Florida now. Hurricane Michael was not really in the news a week ago. Unlike Hurricane Florence, which had this long path to travel, Hurricane Michael moved a short distance, comparatively speaking, and it moved very, very fast. Surely it wouldn't strengthen to a category 4 that quickly? No one was paying attention. It wasn't news, really, as we were all pretty much tapped out from hurricane warnings and footage for the year. But Michael didn't care about all that, and news of this hurricane's devastation are grim. It was one mile an hour short of being labeled a category 5 hurricane, the strongest to hit the US coast in over twenty years, and the third strongest hurricane to hit the US coast in over a hundred years of recording these things.
Unlike Irma, this hurricane will not be visiting North Georgia. But South Georgia is suffering greatly. We heard stories from some of our college kids who have parents and grandparents down there - some have lost homes already. It will be some time before estimations are made about losses, but the sheer power of this one hurricane was immense. The ones that hit Texas last year and North Carolina this year were not as powerful, but the rainfall that accompanied them was such that mass floods came sweeping through, making it impossible to live in homes that were four feet or more deep in water. This storm, Hurricane Michael, simply obliterated houses. It is stunning to see the images of foundations, these large rectangles of concrete on the ground where houses used to stand. They were literally all blown away.
We were praying tonight for those in the path of this storm, especially those already affected. Tonight we were studying for tests, reading, and of course it is Wednesday night: Daddy was at church, running a great small group with some college kids here. We prayed together for those in the path of the storm. It's going to be a long night for some.
This is what is happening along the panhandle of Florida now. Hurricane Michael was not really in the news a week ago. Unlike Hurricane Florence, which had this long path to travel, Hurricane Michael moved a short distance, comparatively speaking, and it moved very, very fast. Surely it wouldn't strengthen to a category 4 that quickly? No one was paying attention. It wasn't news, really, as we were all pretty much tapped out from hurricane warnings and footage for the year. But Michael didn't care about all that, and news of this hurricane's devastation are grim. It was one mile an hour short of being labeled a category 5 hurricane, the strongest to hit the US coast in over twenty years, and the third strongest hurricane to hit the US coast in over a hundred years of recording these things.
Unlike Irma, this hurricane will not be visiting North Georgia. But South Georgia is suffering greatly. We heard stories from some of our college kids who have parents and grandparents down there - some have lost homes already. It will be some time before estimations are made about losses, but the sheer power of this one hurricane was immense. The ones that hit Texas last year and North Carolina this year were not as powerful, but the rainfall that accompanied them was such that mass floods came sweeping through, making it impossible to live in homes that were four feet or more deep in water. This storm, Hurricane Michael, simply obliterated houses. It is stunning to see the images of foundations, these large rectangles of concrete on the ground where houses used to stand. They were literally all blown away.
We were praying tonight for those in the path of this storm, especially those already affected. Tonight we were studying for tests, reading, and of course it is Wednesday night: Daddy was at church, running a great small group with some college kids here. We prayed together for those in the path of the storm. It's going to be a long night for some.
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