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Hurricanes still on the horizon

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published July 29, 2006

If you're tempted to feel that we've made it safely over the hurricane hump - after all, nearly one-third of the season is gone and we've barely had a puff of wind - then think A-B-C, as in:

Andrew (Category 5, Aug. 24, 1992);

Betsy (Category 4 - just one mph short of Cat 5 - Sept. 9, 1965), the nation's first billion-dollar hurricane; and

Camille (Category 5 - 190+ mph winds - Aug. 17, 1969).

Then, of course, there are Katrina (Cat 4, Aug. 28, 2005), and, from Aug. 13 through Sept. 26, 2004, Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

In fact, of all the destructive-to-catastrophic hurricanes that have hit Florida since 1961, only last summer's Hurricane Dennis happened before mid-August, according to records kept by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And the worst ones to hit from 1900 through 1960, including the deadly Okeechobee Hurricane (Sept. 17, 1928) immortalized in Zora Neale Hurston's great novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, happened in September and October.

Of course, there's Tropical Storm Zeta, which added anxiety to our 2005 Christmas and 2006 New Year's celebrations.

All of which means, we have a long way to go in this hurricane season.

If you want a look at what a strong storm might do to those of us who live along the coast, look at the "before and after" photographs made by lifelong Bay St. Louis, Miss., resident John Wilkerson (http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/daily_dispatches.html and click on "before and after").

As Katrina was approaching his home town, Wilkerson drove around taking photos of landmarks - a historic home converted into a bed and breakfast, a lovely old white Catholic church, a landmark coffee shop, an adorable, bright yellow gift shop created from an old gas station, and other well-known places.

He went back after the storm. And found many of them totally gone, the sites wiped as clean as the palm of your hand.

Wilkerson narrates some of the shots, explaining how difficult it was to find some of the locales. For many, his only guide were the trees, which had lost most of their leaves and many branches, but were still recognizable. (Those tempted to take down big, old healthy trees for fear they'll fall during a storm, please note that the old oaks are standing, even as the homes and businesses behind them have crumpled or been washed away.)

The photos are as dramatic as the famous shot of the three-story apartment building that was washed away by Hurricane Camille, leaving only a bare swimming pool with a refrigerator in the bottom of it.

As I write this, the front lawn at the Port Richey Times bureau looks as though a purple, rose and white blizzard has hit.

It's 5,000 one-gallon crape myrtles, which are going on sale at 7 a.m. this morning at our Port Richey office, 11321 U.S. 19, a half mile south of State Road 52, for just $3 apiece (cash only). As editor Bill Stevens pointed out, the trees are selling for the price of a gallon of gas, with all proceeds going to our Newspaper in Education project for literacy.

There are 14 different varieties, from the dark red Victor, which grows to only 3 to 5 feet tall, to the watermelon red Tuscarora and white Natchez, which grow to more than 20 feet. They're grown in Ocala by a nursery wholesaler, so they're acclimated to our area.

The plants are grouped by color and variety. Some bright orange information sheets will be available to give mature height, growth habit and special features. (Hint: Those with American Indian names have been specially bred to be mildew resistant.)

A crape myrtle will grow just about anywhere except full shade, but the more sun it gets, the bigger and better the blooms. Just notice the medians on Little Road, where rows are in full bloom right now.

Crape myrtles need a little babying the first few weeks - daily hand watering (the sprinklers won't do) - but after that, they seem to thrive on whatever moisture the sky sends and a good meal once a year.

If only real babies were so trouble-free.

You can buy a 5-gallon crape myrtle for about $7 at local nurseries and discount stores, but think of the size of the hole you have to dig in order to plant it.

The little, hard-to-find one-gallon size is just about my right planting size.

Besides, my $3 might help some young person grow up to be an avid St. Petersburg Times reader.

[Last modified July 28, 2006, 22:38:23]