It is hurricane season again and as much as those who live along our coastlines enjoy having their homes near the water, they must also have a very real fear that they must face realistically about this time every year. Hurricanes in recent years have caused some terrible destruction to so many homes, businesses, and to the lives of the people who had to endure them. It can make you wonder if the risk involved in living so close to the water is really worth the danger it can entail.



As this article is being written, Hurricane Dolly is quickly approaching the shoreline of Texas and Mexico. It is expected to make landfall near Brownsville, Texas by early afternoon and will have sustained winds of approximately one hundred miles per hour. It has been upgraded to a category two hurricane so far. That might not seem as devastating when compared the last few hurricanes to make land in the United States, but have no doubt that even a category two will do more than a good deal of damage.

There will probably be many homes that will be entirely blown away because of the winds and flood water that come with it. Thousands more will likely be severely damaged as well by the wind and water. Hopefully, there will not be any loss of life, but there is normally at least a few and for a hurricane that will be a small amount if that is all. Even though people have already been preparing by boarding up windows and preparing to evacuate if necessary, there will be nothing that will stop the damage that is sure to come.

When the initial impact of the hurricane has hit the coast line, Hurricane Dolly will be downgraded eventually, but it will still have plenty of reason to be feared. It will have torrential rainfalls expected to be near fifteen inches and that may very well cause flooding along the Rio Grande River. It is feared that the levees along the river will not hold and that low lying areas may sustain a lot of damage from floods. Those who live near the risky levees were trying to get started sand bagging several days ago in anticipation of the event.

When we know that there is an impending disaster about to take place, it can make us realize just how helpless we can be sometimes when it comes to the forces of Mother Nature. We can only hope that the aftermath of this particular hurricane does not come anywhere near the devastation that was left behind after hurricanes Charlie, Andrew, and Katrina. We will just have to anxiously wait and see.