Katrina

Weather fascinates me. It's amazing to see the forces of nature at work. It really puts in perspective how *little* we are on this planet. And to get an idea of just how little we are, all you have to do is look at a US Satellite Image map - As Frodo pointed out, Katrina is as big as Texas. If you wanted to drive across Texas, it would be 800 miles as the crow flies. If you kept a constant speed of 15mph (the current speed of Katrina), it would take 53.3 hours. So by the time one side of Katrina hits, it would be 53 hours until the other side was leaving. That's a long time to sit thru a storm.

Why do people stay behind during such a strong hurricane? If I knew for certain a tornado was headed for my home, I wouldn't stand outside and watch. (At least, not for long, lol.) I'd head to safety. So what is it about people insisting on "riding out" a hurricane? I can imagine staying put for a weaker hurricane. Part of me at one time considered going on vacation during a category 1 or 2 hurricane just to experience it. (Hey, I'm a weather freak. What can I say?) Maybe some of you that live in hurricane areas could enlighten me on this. Being from the upper Midwest, we don't see hurricanes much.