Florida islanders burn storm flags to end season

Reuters ^ | 11/30/05 | Laura L. Myers

[presidio9]

Storm-weary residents on the Florida island of Key West celebrated the end of the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record on Wednesday by ceremonially burning red and black hurricane warning flags.

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Stiff breezes thwarted repeated efforts to set the flags ablaze with a blowtorch until an emergency management official doused the flags with rum.

Hurricane Wilma flooded about 3,700 of the island's 15,000 residences with a foot or more of water in October and the resort island off the southern tip of Florida was also brushed by Hurricanes Dennis, Rita and Katrina.

Islanders gathered at the official end of the six-month Atlantic hurricane season for a beach party and flag-torching ceremony. Renowned local storyteller Finbar Gittelman, clad in a pirate's costume, blew a honking tribute on a conch shell to commemorate lives lost during the season that produced a record 26 tropical storms, 13 of which strengthened into hurricanes.

A band dubbed "The Barometrics" sang, "It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day," lyrics from the song "I Can See Clearly Now."

Some islanders were sober despite the merrymaking, mindful that meteorologists expect several more years of above-average hurricane activity.

"I don't see any reason why next season will an easy season," said Matt Strahan, top meteorologist for Key West's National Weather Service. "This historic season was the strongest ever on record."

"It's been traumatic. It's been hard," added Police Chief Bill Mauldin.

[presidio9]

The senior emergency management director for Monroe County, Billy Wagner (C), sets fire to the hurricane warning flags in Key West, Fla., November 30, 2005.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) satellite image shows Epsilon, the 26th Atlantic tropical storm of the year, that formed earlier 29 November, one day short of the official conclusion of a record-breaking hurricane season, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. Epsilon formed in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 1,360 kilometers (845 miles) east of Bermuda and was moving west on a track that would not threaten land, according to NHC forecasts.

This story has d'Oh! written all over it.

[JoeSixPack1]

Sheeesh! Glad that's over!

[SouthTexas]

And the congregation said AMEN!.

[metmom]

It's not over yet, Epsilon is out there although it looks to be heading towards Portugal. Did Delta really hit Africa? It was headed that way last I saw.

[Flyer]

Ping. . .

[JoeSixPack1]

I don't know.
I usually catch up to what I missed here:

http://html.orlandoweather.com/sh/idi/weather/hurricanes/hurricanetracker.html

Nice pick-a-storm site. The link opens epsilon. :-)

[jocon307]

"Stiff breezes thwarted repeated efforts to set the flags ablaze with a blowtorch until an emergency management official doused the flags with rum."

Now that is Florida, baby!

God bless the great state of Florida, and, God bless America!

[festus]

I'm surprised they ahve any flags left that haven't blown away........

I bought my father-in-law a wind meter for Christmas so he can keep track of how fast each hurricane that passes by is.

[NautiNurse]

quietly waiting for Iota...