Three Hurricanes In Three Weeks

On my Sept01 post I wrote about Hurricane Gustav heading for Louisiana which incidentally simmered down to only a Force 3 hurricane at the last minute. Shortly after that, Hurricane Hanna came and went.

And towards the end of last week Hurricane Ike blasted Houston after creating havoc on Galveston Island. So far the death toll had been placed at 13 dead with hundreds still to be located. So what happened here? Did the people not evacuate to safety? Why did so many choose to stay behind? Were they not warned about the dangers?

I guess one of the reason for so many opting to stay put was because they saw Gustav and Hanna and because the twain were subdued, they had the impression that Ike would be similar. Didn't the weather bureau report that this hurricane would be a Force 3 hurricane as well? I have not experienced one myself (praise the Lord that I do not have to) but I believe one cannot be too sure about the fury of a storm and it would be generally better to be safe than sorry later.

Wouldn't one be worried if one were to see 15-foot waves charging towards the shore? I know I would because I had seen such waves before when I was growing up on Christmas Island. Every year we would experience the 'gales' (as we would call them there because of the strong winds and the waves) but we knew we would be relatively safe because of the cliffs surrounding the island and we just have to stay away from the beaches on those days.

So is there a message for us through the storms/hurricanes? I believe there is... for one thing we need to recognize the fury of nature and be better prepared and that is why I would not trade anything for my safe haven of sunny Singapore. I know I am greatly blessed to make this place my home.