Hurricane Ike Hits Texas Coast

Heading one of the many articles written about the earlier storm: ‘Rebuilding was ‘Galveston's finest hour.' The story of the 1900 Storm is one about the fate of people at the hands of nature… Those hearty Texans took up the challenge and turned it into their "Finest Hour." And I suspect that this generation, along with the help of others generous Americans, will do the same. For more details on the storm and damage reports click here http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080917/D938DMDO0.html

Back to September of 1945 Excerpt from The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

The eighth event of the season was a bit iffy. It is believed the tropical depression originated On September 10th somewhere between St. Croix and St. Martins before starting its trek north. In any event it was reported as a Tropical Storm and passing the Virgin Islands on the 11th with winds of 40 mph and gusting up to 50. We had a Privateer in the area on routine hurricane patrol and when they were made aware of the new storm they were just north of San Juan, Puerto Rico and in perfect position to intercept the storm. Headquarters ordered the flight to break off his routine patrol and intercept the tropical storm, which he did. They made contact about an hour later and their preliminary report gave the storms heading as north-by-north northwest and showing forward motion of approximately 14 miles per hour with wind gusts as high as 50 miles per hour. Tropical Storm VIII continued its trek north into the Atlantic.

Fortunately the storm didn't make landfall and eventually petered out somewhere west of Bermuda. Editor's note: Having studied hurricane patterns since my encounter with them as one of the original Hurricane Hunters I suspect that Tropical Storm VIII actually originated somewhere off the African coast and we simply didn't spot the storm until St. Croix reported it on September 10th. The ninth event of the season appeared on September 12th in the South Atlantic east of the Leeward Islands and was designated Tropical Storm Number IX. By the time the weather station at Martinique reported its presence late that same day the storm had already achieved full-blown hurricane status with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and was moving in the direction of Dominica and Guadeloupe… Florida 0500 EST Saturday September 15, 1945: Category 4 hurricane with current winds clocked at 135 MPH is presently covering an area that includes Nassau, New Providence, Adelaide and North Andros Island. Immediate hurricane warning is being issued for Nichols Town, the Berry Islands and Bimini.

All the aforementioned are in imminent danger. Hurricane threat warning is also issued to the entire state of Florida from Key West and extending north to Cape Hatters, North Carolina. Anyone living or traveling in those areas should closely monitor the progress of this dangerous storm. We expect the hurricane to make landfall somewhere in south Florida within the next 12 to 14 hours. Preparations to protect life and property should be completed as soon as possible. Coastal communities should expect high winds as well as storm surge and tall wave activity. You should also expect heavy rains and flooding.
Primrose and I immediately walked to the chow hall to catch up on the latest scuttlebutt. But before we got inside the place a large notice on the door stopped us. It said following morning chow all enlisted personnel report to your duty officer for hurricane related work and detail assignments. All liberty passes have been cancelled and no one is excused from the work details and assignments.

(To be continued.)

Writers Notebook: Something to think about.

Houston Smith has taught philosophy at MIT and Washington University, and religion at Syracuse University. He has written extensively on both subjects and in his book ‘The purpose of higher education Smith writes: ‘The aim of all writing is the transfer of some thought or feeling from one's own mind to someone else. Effective communication needs two things: clarity in the ideas to be conveyed, and words that serve as good conductors. Whether these two -- the ideas and the words that express them -- are really separable is a moot point.  The point is only that in writing the sole object is communication.'

About the Author

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter. Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

www.tombarnes39.com
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