No mas, Ernesto -- Hurricane open thread

Ernesto, por favor. Amscray. Adios.

Please excuse my absence of late, folks. I was suffering from a euphoric hangover after my Yankees swept five from the BoSox. Based on how they've played since then, looks like the Yanks are still hungover too.

Actually, I've been working, and when not working I've mainly been studying with my 5th grader, who started school just a couple weeks ago but I swear already has had something like a dozen tests and quizzes. His latest was review of the world map -- latitude, longitude, the equator, tropical zones and all that.

Which brings me to the topic that's potentially freaking me out. You see, I live in south Louisiana, Baton Rouge to be precise. And, well, after the events of last year, just take a gander at the National Hurricane Center's latest track map for Tropical Storm Ernesto, which essentially has it by Thursday morning coming right for us at hurricane strength.

This kind of situation brings those of us in this part of the world into that recurring moral quandary. We desperately pray not to get hit again, while at the same time knowing that if our prayers are answered it almost certainly means someone else gets hit. Self-serving? Uh, yeah. Understandably so? Again yeah, in my view. I just take one look at my three kids and feel amply justified.

Anyway, if this thing enters the Gulf, we're all gonna freak. Happy Katrina anniversary, indeed.

Which brings us, inexorably of course, to the mouth to the south of us, Mayor Nagin, who has already done his worst to kick off this wall-to-wall remembrance weekend. Consider this an open thread for all things Katrina, Rita, and, now, Ernesto.

UPDATE: Looking back over what I just wrote, I should really clarify. Yes, we do pray for the storm to move elsewhere, but we include in that prayer a genuine hope for it either to avoid hitting any populated place or to simply lose steam.

UPDATE by Pat: Hello to all those searching for information about Ernesto coming here from Google and other search engines. For current tracking information about Ernesto, I recommend Wunderground. The Red Cross has excellent guides to help you prepare for a hurricane coming to your area.

Thankfully, it appears that Ernesto is weakening and will not pose too great a danger to human life in Florida. That's no guarantee, however, and we urge you to prepare for the worst, just in case. In the meantime, please remember that tens of thousands of Americans from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana are still suffering from the incredibly vast damages of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which destroyed entire communities. If you need a reminder of just how dangerous a hurricane can be, please read the newspaper article I cite in this old post on Remembering Katrina. Also, you can still help those devastated by Katrina by purchasing the fund-raiser concert DVD I mention here, which features incredible performances from the Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Elton John, Dan Fogerty, Simon & Garfunkel, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, and many more. As a resident of Louisiana, thank you, and our prayers are with anybody in Ernesto's path.