Calm before the storm

So… there is this Tropical Storm brewing out in the Gulf, and if you can believe the NOAA predictions, it’s supposed to intensify into a hurricane sometime late, late Sunday night or very early Monday morning. Tracing the little black dots on the NOAA tracking map, Hurricane Isaac should be knocking on my backdoor sometime early Wednesday morning.

Squee!

I’ve been nesting this weekend, prepping for the storm. Forecasts predict Isaac won’t get bigger than a Category 2 storm (96-110 mph max. sustained winds), which means we won’t be required to evacuate. We’re in an AE Flood Zone, which does mean if a storm is a Cat 3 (a major storm with 111-129 mph max winds) we are, by law, mandated to leave the area. I’m not expecting that to happen.

Still, I’m packing up valued electronics and escape bags for the menfolk and me. The Mister made a midnight run to Sam’s Club for bottled water and Alka-Seltzer (to avoid the crazies at the grocery stores earlier). I’m cooking perishables for breakfast, lunch and dinner in an effort to finish clearing out the fridge and freezer in anticipation of power outages.

We’ll be putting away patio chairs and the grill, they tend to bounce around a lot in high winds. We also have cut and numbered plywood boards to cover south-facing windows… you know to protect against shattering glass.

The only other thing left to do was a drive to the beach for my weekly photo hike.

Saturday was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, buffered by a light cloud cover, and breezes were cool and perfect for kite flying. I hit several of my favorite spots, hoping to get some ‘before’ shots and lucked out at a ‘not-so-well-known‘ public access where I was the only person on the beach.

I try to be nonchalant about this storm, but by Tuesday, I’ll be more than a little freaked out… if it does indeed make landfall nearby. The good thing about hurricanes is that you know they’re coming. The bad thing about hurricanes is…  you know they’re coming. I have four days to get worked up into a hot mess.

In the meantime, here are a few shots from my “What, me worried?” tour of local beaches.

For those who have asked… I probably won’t try to get out to take photos during the storm. If Isaac does develop into a Hurricane, getting to the Gulf will be difficult with residents and tourists making a mass exodus.

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

To see other city scenes from around the world, check out Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City. Don’t forget to show the love to Mami and the other City contributors.