Saturday, September 24, 2005

Hurricane Target Key West

It's not just random luck that has kept Key West above water all these years!

It can and may happen one day "The Big One " might remove Key West and or the Florida Keys but, there are reasons that we have dodged many hurricane bullets over the years.

Many of the tropical storms/ hurricanes that develope to the south under Espanolia are blocked by ( Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Castro's Cuba, these islands do a good job of blocking or defusing the punch of these storms before turning north in our direction.

Many large hurricanes that cross Cuba are knocked down and dont have the time to rebuild before striking the keys but once into the Gulf of Mexico and the much warmer Loop Current
that forms west of Key West, these storm can reintensify into the monsters that invade the
Gulf coast.

Many of the storms that approach over the Bahamas are swept by the Gulf Stream currents north, taking them to the east coast of the US and the Florida Keys dodges inpact again.

All the years that I've lived in Key West hurricanes have been part of my life, many summer
Conch conversations included some hurricane talk.



The most amazing thing to me is how while we are picking up the debris, repairing down power lines, replanting palm trees and stop signs for weeks- the Tarpon, Barracudas, Sharks and bird life are back in their usual routine a few hours after the tempest.

We, are here..... still.

And the Flats fishing resumes