Tracking Fay Crazies

NEWS ALERT!!!! Tropical Storm Fay approachs South Florida! Read all about it! Read all about it!! Crazy weather, crazies everywhere! As a South Floridian I am used to hurricane season and all that it brings...but people watching during theses storms is as interesting as keeping an eye on the system itself!

As per usual, local channels are flooded with reports of the storm but one of the wildest report is the one of the surfers out at Haulover Beach! I can almost hear the surfers "Awesome waves dude!" The swells are excellent and more surfers arrive. Then more reports from the beach. The surf is gettting rougher and it's become time to close the beach. Get all the surfers out of the waters. Cut. Next story. NOW, back to the beach and a handful of surfers are still in the water but are now racing to get OUT. Crazzzzzzzyyyyy! Seems Fay's feeder bands are now too strong to surf in at all....still some surfers linger..hoping....

Flipping the channels, it is being reported that at Fort Lauderdale Beach some folks are still trying out the surf and then some! Seems one guy thought it would be really, really good weather for KITE surfing. Boy, was he wrong! A sudden gust of wind picked him up and slammed him all the way accross the street into a building! A-yup. You read it right. THUD! Right into the side of a building. Luckily "Fay" was just warning him. He's injuries were minor as he reportedly told paramedics he was ok while being transported to the hospital anyway. Coo-koo! Coo-koo!

Then there is the madness that extends beyond the beach into the suburbs of South Florida. As I set out to run an errand before the day deteriorates, I notice an obviously homeless man by the side of the road. He is shirtless, dirty and looks totally demented. He is camped out and taking shelter from the rain under a beach umbrella. All his worldly possessions in a shopping cart. He is totally out of place in this area! Hmmmmm...anyone tell him Fay is on it's way????

And it gets even nuttier. People scurry around like mice in a maze racing to gather supplies in case the storm does damage. Gathering what??? As a long time resident, I think it rather crazy not to be prepared! How can you not be! With a few simple rules I keep my insanity at a minimum during these storms. I stock and rotate water, powdered milk, instant coffee, canned goods, meds and whatever else is necessary to survive as a part of my regular grocery shopping routine. I have collected candles over the years with each passing storm and batteries are always in the drawers. Portable radios, first aid kits and generators should be staples in every South Florida home! The only thing left to do is insure a full tank of gas in the car. Not so hard! Not so necessary to break the bank and your budget. And a great way to stay out of the insane asylum at these times!

Finally, after what turns out to be a very long day of news watching and storm tracking, we are still tracking Fay and her path is not quite clear. She is doing this and she is doing that. With chances of strengthing and tornado activity threatening out night, Fay is for sure one of the craziest storms I've seen in a while.