weather or not...

here's what the national weather service has to say about the next couple of days for my family:

INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT
HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT
TORNADO WATCH 752 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT MONDAY FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT

Tonight...Widespread rain. Strong winds. Lows in the upper 70s. East winds 15 to 40 mph increasing to 30 to 55 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 100 percent.

Monday...Widespread rain. Hurricane force winds. Highs in the lower 80s. East winds 50 to 85 mph becoming south and increasing to 75 to 100 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 100 percent.

Monday Night...Widespread rain in the evening. Strong winds. Lows in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 20 to 55 mph Decreasing to 10 to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 90 percent.

the short version of the story: this katrina has turned into a real bitch.

my dad, sis, and step-mom have decided to stay put in pascagoula and ride this one out. my brother and his girlfriend have driven north to avoid the madness. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't a teensy big nervous about all of this for them. i'm not so much worried about flooding as i am about potential wind damage. this is a big ol', take-no-prisoners kind of storm.

of course, part of me is insanely jealous. i wish i were there with my dad and sister, in the soon-to-be dark house, with candles and flashlights and the sounds of wind whipping around the house and rain beating against the windows. hurricanes are incredibly romantic and fantastic and terrifying and humbling.

but then, there's the aftermath... the cleaning, the repairing, the drying, the days without electricity and running water, the heat and humidity, the looting... yeah, maybe i'm not so jealous after all.

but take a look at this:

maybe this is a testament to my permanent residence in bizarro-land, but i think this image, this storm, is absolutely beautiful. it makes me feel tiny and powerless, but in very grateful way; mother nature's own imposition of humility on us wee humans.