I've been through at least three good ones here on the Gulf Coast, plus countless minor ones, and believe me, this really gets my attention....

People keep thinking the wind and other violent weather is what's to worry about. It isn't; in my experience, relatively little damage comes from wind. The the lion's share of loss is a result of storm surge and flooding from too much rain too fast.

In my view of it -- from 23' above sea level, my father taught us to "build up and away from the river" -- the hurricane itself is actually great fun. For the enthusiastic weather watcher, you couldn't ask for a more interesting and exciting spectacle. What sucks is, as usual, cleaning up after the party. For most folks, it mostly means a lot of hard work doing lots of immediate remediation afterward, coupled with days-long power outages.

You just about have to watch the TV news to keep apprised of the situation, but unfortunately, watching the TV news is just about the worst thing you can do. They're horrendous about hyping the holy hell out of the story in their intense competition for market share or whatever, and it can scare the devil out of even the staunchest old coastal veteran. I have learned to keep the TV on MUTE, inspect the radar images and other pertinent visuals, and interpret the data on my own as best I can. They're almost criminally irresponsible for inciting panic.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone, hoping the storm weakens, hooks to the east, and whatever else might help.