The big story about Tropical Storm Chris, at least from a U.S.-centric perspective, is that it could wind up hitting Florida or intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico, and then going God knows where. AccuWeather put that plainly with its latest report:
Those residing in South Florida and the Keys need to monitor the storm's approach carefully. There is a good chance that Chris will be churning through the Straits of Florida over the weekend and could bring strong winds and some heavy rainfall. Chris should then move into the Gulf of Mexico by early next week. It is possible Chris' eventual destination could be the western Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
Meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas drillers are already putting in place their evacuation strategies. This is called PLANNING AHEAD. Yet what is our beloved FEMA up to? Well, here's the agency's "National Situation Update" for today. You will note that although the update does warn southern Florida residents about the storm, it says nothing about the possibility of Chris winding up in the Gulf (whose warm waters essentially provide a kind of trampoline for hurricanes to bounce off of). Is this agency on the ball? We certainly have grounds for wondering.....
UPDATE: Well, perhaps this is a non-issue, as Chris has started to weaken dramatically.....
