Big Bad John - the hurricane, that is

[PirateJohn]

Now that Ernesto has been a bit of an underachiever, let's not forget that Hurricane John is off the western coast of Mexico and is currently hovering somewhere between a Cat. 3 and a Cat. 4. It looks like it's going to glance off of the southern tip of Baja, where there are scads of gringos and other tourists hanging out.

As related to the sphere of things Buffettesque and the realm of Parrotheadism, this hurricane advisory is out of the Consulate at Hermosillo. You may recall that Mark Mulligan's wife was recently killed in a traffic accident in Hermosillo. There is a large contingent of Parrotheads just up the road in a sailing community called San Carlos. They aren't directly threatened - yet - but will be getting some high winds and plenty of rain. Let's say a few prayers and hoist a few margaritas for them.

~~~

Consulate of the United States of America

Avenida Monterrey 141

Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

WARDEN MESSAGE

August 30, 2006

This Warden Message is being issued to inform U.S. citizens that
Hurricane John, a Category 4 storm (Dangerous and Severe), was
located off the Pacific coast of Mexico as of 11:00 hours Mexican
Daylight Time on August 30. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued
for areas in Hermosillo´s consular district along coastal areas in
the state of Sinaloa, which indicates that tropical storm conditions
are possible within the next 36 hours for these locations. The U.S.
Consulate in Hermosillo and the U.S. Consular Agency in Mazatlan are
in contact with Mexican civil authorities and continue to monitor the
situation.

U.S. Citizens living in areas that may be affected are encouraged to
contact their local ¨Proteccion Civil¨office for updated information
about the storm and preparedness measures, including possible
evacuation and shelter information. U.S. citizens in the projected
path of the storm are urged to monitor media reports and follow all
official instructions. Visitors should be familiar with their hotel
or cruise ship evacuation plans. Flights into and out of Mazatlan
International airport may be suspended at any time.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: All U.S. citizens currently in the affected areas
should secure their travel documents, i.e. U.S. Passport, Birth
Certificate, picture ID´s etc.) by placing them in a safe waterproof
location and if possible carry them at all times.

Mexican authorities anticipate high winds, heavy rain and possible
flooding and landslides in affected areas. According to the latest
projections, the storm is predicted to pass to the west of coastal
areas of the Mexican State of Sinaloa. For the most up-to-date track
of the hurricane and updates, please visit The National Hurricane
Center´s website http://www.nhc.noaa.gov .

The Mexican Communications & Transportation Agency has alerted all
maritime transportation on the west coast of Mexico north to Nayarit
and Sinaloa States about possible effects from the hurricane such as
heavy to intense rain, electrical storms, hurricane force winds, high
wave tides, and the possibility of minor flooding in lower coastal
areas.

The U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo will be open for business during
regular business hours on August 31 and September 1. The Consulate
will be closed for the weekend on September 2, 3 and on September 4
due to Labor Day in the U.S. However, Consular personnel are
available at any time for emergency American Citizen Services,
although our ability to provide assistance outside of Mazatlan may be
limited by weather and travel conditions. FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY,
please contact the duty office in Hermosillo at 01-662-256-0741 and
in Mazatlan locally at 044-669-918-0303 or from outside the Mazatlan
area 01-669-918-0303. If unable to reach any of these emergency
contact numbers due to inoperable telephone service, please contact
the duty officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City at 01-55-5080-
2000.

Americans living or traveling in Mexico are encouraged to register
with the nearest U.S. Consulate through the Department of State´s
travel registration website at http://travelregistration.state.gov .
Additional information on travel in Mexico may be obtained from the
Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United
States or 001- (202) 501-4444 from overseas, by consulting the
Consular Information Sheet for Mexico available via the Internet or
at www.travel.state.gov or by contacting the U.S. Consulate in
Guadalajara 01-333-268-2100 or the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City at 01-
55-5080-2000 during regular business hours.

~~~

--PirateJohn--
www.PirateJohn.com

[miphinz]

I am sitting in my office right now waiting for ernesto to arrive. Not much at all going on just a little rain and no wind. They say it will be in myrtle beach around 6 tonight. Lets pray for the people in Mexico.

[Soraya]

My friend's mother lives a bit off the coast where John is coming in at. When Fabiola called last night her Mom said that the wind and rain were starting already that far inland.

As for Ernesto...it is suppoused to come right over Raleigh, but I am pretty confident that it won't be much more then rain and some moderate wind. This does not, however, excuse anyone from their mandatory presence at the grocery store for beer, bread, water and milk....if there is any left!

[PirateJohn]

My friend's mother lives a bit off the coast where John is coming in at. When Fabiola called last night her Mom said that the wind and rain were starting already that far inland.

As for Ernesto...it is supposed to come right over Raleigh, but I am pretty confident that it won't be much more then rain and some moderate wind. This does not, however, excuse anyone from their mandatory presence at the grocery store for beer, bread, water and milk....if there is any left!

Good luck in Raleigh. In about 1997 or so I helped run the ice handouts for the Red Cross Triangle Area Chapter for several days. Wilmington had been hit (was that Hurricane Fran? My memory is a bit foggy and the plaque is at home so I cannot look it up) but folks down there were prepared. Raleigh, however, was not expected to be hit and consequently things were pretty miserable and quite a bit of the power was off for over a week. Couple tremendous heat, periodic very heavy rains, no air conditioning, and that makes for some mighty miserable times.

Anywho, that was one of the toughest weeks of my life and I hope that no one in Raleigh has to go through that nonsense again any time soon.

[SMLCHNG]

Thanks for the info, John. I moved this to the "Off Topic" area, rather than the travel area.. just so more folks would look at it.

[PirateJohn]

Thanks for the info, John. I moved this to the "Off Topic" area, rather than the travel area.. just so more folks would look at it.

My pleasure. I don't post here that often and frankly was struggling to find an appropriate area.

[Soraya]

Good luck in Raleigh. In about 1997 or so I helped run the ice handouts for the Red Cross Triangle Area Chapter for several days. Wilmington had been hit (was that Hurricane Fran? My memory is a bit foggy and the plaque is at home so I cannot look it up) but folks down there were prepared. Raleigh, however, was not expected to be hit and consequently things were pretty miserable and quite a bit of the power was off for over a week. Couple tremendous heat, periodic very heavy rains, no air conditioning, and that makes for some mighty miserable times.

Anywho, that was one of the toughest weeks of my life and I hope that no one in Raleigh has to go through that nonsense again any time soon.

Fran was in 1996...so it probably was. Bertha also hit that year. (I am a bit of a hurrican junkie....lol....never thought I'd live somewhere that actually HAD them!)

Fran really tore up the power lines, and what she didn't get, an ice storm in early 2003 did. But due to this, they seem to have upgraded things in many areas....so it's less of an issue.

I think Raleigh is overpreparing from what I can see right now...but after last year's 1/2 of snow/ice that shut down the city last winter, and what Alberto did earlier this year (LOTS of flooding) they are trying not to get caught with their pants down. I believe some emergency shelters are already open.

[PirateJohn]

Good luck in Raleigh. In about 1997 or so I helped run the ice handouts for the Red Cross Triangle Area Chapter for several days. Wilmington had been hit (was that Hurricane Fran? My memory is a bit foggy and the plaque is at home so I cannot look it up) but folks down there were prepared. Raleigh, however, was not expected to be hit and consequently things were pretty miserable and quite a bit of the power was off for over a week. Couple tremendous heat, periodic very heavy rains, no air conditioning, and that makes for some mighty miserable times.

Anywho, that was one of the toughest weeks of my life and I hope that no one in Raleigh has to go through that nonsense again any time soon.

Fran was in 1996...so it probably was. Bertha also hit that year.

I think that you are right. I had moved from Raleigh to Wilmington and was getting ready to move to northern Florida when a hurricane (Bertha?) hit Wilmington. It was a Cat. 2 and came right over my house. Let's just say that was quite an experience.

Here are some photos and hey ... the title even says "Bertha." So I guess that you are 100% correct: http://www.fototime.com/inv/308ADAAAF881F26

Anywho, I had moved from Wilmington and was in Florida when Fran hit. I had been active with the Red Cross when I was in Raleigh, so I hopped into the ol' Rover and headed north. Here was my sailboat that used to be over at Masonboro Boat Yard -

Before Fran:



After Fran:



Since Bertha and Fran followed the same course and were perhaps 6 weeks apart that was an excellent opportunity for me to see first hand the difference between a Cat. 2 and a Cat. 3. Results: A direct hit of a Cat. 2 is likely survivable in a well constructed building, especially if you are prepared, but you are a fool if you hang around for a hit of anything bigger than that.

As you said, I too have an interest in hurricanes. I was an active Red Cross Disaster Relief Volunteer for several years. Currently I have been making noises about hooking up with either FEMA or a FEMA contractor. It's sad, but as the population density increases along the coasts and our lifestyles change more and more people are going to need help when something like a hurricane hits them.

Good luck with the hurricanes this year. I am glad to hear that Raleigh is trying to be better prepared. Personally, I think that's a move in a positive direction.