Hurricane

Less than a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Lousiana and Mississippi coasts, another hurricane is hurtling toward Texas, and I? Am not amused.

I admit that I was mildly amused when the tropical depression now known as Hurricane Rita first developed and warranted a red banner across CNN.com. Tropical depressions happen all the time, and they usually aren't bulletin-worthy, but in the post-Katrina world, the media is a little hurricane-shy. Nonetheless, as a Cat 5 storm, Rita deserves all the press she's getting now.

And I admit that I was a bit amused (in a dubya-tee-eff sort of a way) when, while waiting for the Dalai Lama to speak yesterday (more on that another time), I heard the people sitting behind us talking about their hurricane prevention techniques. Apparently, they knew someone who was pouring love into the storm (Katrina, that is), but the more love he poured in, the bigger the hurricane got. Apparently, it was a cosmic storm and meant to be. I feel a bit foolish to admit that I had no idea people did that sort of thing. I'm usually pretty up on crazy hippie things, here in my crazy little hippie mecca, but this one was new to me. I can understand creative visualization helping in the self-actualization process, or even in the healing process, but in changing the weather? Then I found some sites full of people who say they can pray a hurricane away.

And I... just don't know. I'm from the coast, and I'm still waiting to hear whether my family is evacuating (they're in Corpus Christi, not in the main path of this storm), and I guess I was raised with a more pragmatic view on hurricanes. Sure, pray or think nice thoughts or visualize the hurricane shrinking if you'd like, but in the meantime, hand me a hammer so we can board up the windows, will ya?

It's hard to know what to hope for. There's no coast in the world entirely prepared for a Cat 5 storm. I've never been to Galveston before, and I'd like to go see it before it gets wiped out. Corpus Christi is my hometown, and my family is there. My memories are there. But Louisiana? Please, Rita, leave Louisiana alone. It's crippled enough as it is. As much as I fear and dread a direct hit, I think the Texas coast is better equipped to deal with this hurricane right now. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.