It's been awhile, but I have pretty much been out of the area pretty consistently since about the last week of July. Most recently it was as part of what I've been calling the "Great Hurricane Chase of 2008." I was sent down with a number of other folks toward New Orleans and Louisiana in preparation for Hurricane Gustav's landfall. We had only made it as far as Knoxville, Tenn. when it became apparent that Gustav wasn't quite the danger as originally advertised.
From there it was on to Columbia, S.C., for Hurricane Hannah. We ended up staying in South Carolina for a few days until it became clear that Hannah wasn't much of a threat. We headed south to St. Augustine, Fla., as a place to stage until it was figured out what Hurricane Ike was going to do and where it was going to do it. We made plans for folks to head to South Florida, but then it looked as if Ike was going to skirt around the bottom edge of the Sunshine State, or the Plywood State as one of the video folks I was with referred to it because of the number of hurricanes and storms that roll through.
As Ike made its way through the Gulf of Mexico, we were making plans to go to Texas. Then, we got word from the bosses to just come home. So, as Ike was barreling down on the Texas coast we were busy driving up I-95 to Washington, D.C. Sort of an anti-climatic conclusion, but it was nice to essentially be on vacation for two weeks driving around the lower portion of the country. Upon return I was told I would be given three days comp time for having to "work" during days I would have normally had off.
So, in all that running around the only hurricane related images I made were at a press conference at FEMA headquarters a few days before we left where various agencies talked about how they were preparing for hurricanes. At least it was raining a bit as I walked from the metro station to the FEMA building, so it was a little hurricane-ish in a sort-of, but not really kinda way. So, here's the obligitory guy-behind-podium photo, and the only hurricane-related image I shot. Exciting stuff, I know.
From there it was on to Columbia, S.C., for Hurricane Hannah. We ended up staying in South Carolina for a few days until it became clear that Hannah wasn't much of a threat. We headed south to St. Augustine, Fla., as a place to stage until it was figured out what Hurricane Ike was going to do and where it was going to do it. We made plans for folks to head to South Florida, but then it looked as if Ike was going to skirt around the bottom edge of the Sunshine State, or the Plywood State as one of the video folks I was with referred to it because of the number of hurricanes and storms that roll through.
As Ike made its way through the Gulf of Mexico, we were making plans to go to Texas. Then, we got word from the bosses to just come home. So, as Ike was barreling down on the Texas coast we were busy driving up I-95 to Washington, D.C. Sort of an anti-climatic conclusion, but it was nice to essentially be on vacation for two weeks driving around the lower portion of the country. Upon return I was told I would be given three days comp time for having to "work" during days I would have normally had off.
So, in all that running around the only hurricane related images I made were at a press conference at FEMA headquarters a few days before we left where various agencies talked about how they were preparing for hurricanes. At least it was raining a bit as I walked from the metro station to the FEMA building, so it was a little hurricane-ish in a sort-of, but not really kinda way. So, here's the obligitory guy-behind-podium photo, and the only hurricane-related image I shot. Exciting stuff, I know.
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