Introduction to Ivan
Most people have seen the 'Storm Stories' segment on the Weather Channel, where people talk about what they have experienced during some devastating weather event. Hurricane Ivan, that hit the Florida Panhandle in 2004, was my storm story. For those of you that don't live in hurricane-prone areas, have you ever wondered what a hurricane is like? If you have, I hope this storm story will help you get a feel for what being in the middle of a category three hurricane really feels like.Like so many hurricanes seem to do, Ivan made landfall during the night. The nighttime landfall adds to the stress level, because it's dark and you can't see what's flying by the window. A lot of people would probably think that this absence of vision is a good thing, but it would be better to be able to see what's going on, so that imminent danger – like something headed for the window or the roof coming loose – could be spotted. There might not be anything that could be done about these kinds of problems at the time, but at least the people in the house could be moved to another part of the house that might be safer.
Now, I'll admit that I'm strange. I've always liked hurricanes. I think that hurricanes are exciting, since I've always been fascinated by the power that weather has. Despite my weather interest, however, I wasn't really prepared for the devastation that Ivan would bring to so many people. The hurricanes I had been involved with before really didn't do that much damage, and I thought that Ivan would be the same. As the sky darkened and the wind picked up, I went over my hurricane supplies and made sure that I had everything that I would need.
Go to the Time-Series of Hurricane Ivan Images for a look at Ivan from space.By the time night fell, the wind was seriously blowing, and the power and television were intermittent. I wasn't scared, but I was apprehensive, and my dogs were walking around the house, whining. They could feel the pressure dropping and hear the howling of the wind. I didn't know how to comfort the dogs, or how to comfort my daughter. Myself, my daughter, and our pets all just sat in the living room, listening to the wind slam around the house and rattle through the chimney. Even with a flashlight I couldn't see that much outside, but I braved the elements long enough to stand on the back step and let the wind hit me full force.
I could lean into the wind, and it would hold me there, but the rain was cold and hard and stung my face. It was very dark, even with the back step light on, and the rain that I could see through eyes squinted against the oncoming storm was traveling almost horizontally. It wasn't long after I went back inside that the power went out…came on….went out….came on…and finally went out for good. I would get the power back 5 days later, after sweltering in the Florida heat and humidity.
