We have the
protection of the Indian mounds on Cape Canaveral to
keep us
safe from the worst storms. The legends are interesting,
if confused, but the gist of the story I heard is that
a group of indians called the A'is built ceremonial mounds
on Cape Canaveral. The A'is were a very large and powerful
group of Indians, rumored to be descended from the survivors
of Atlantis. (That's how they got the name A (tlant) 'is.)
They also had some ties with the Mayans and their culture
and calendar.
Some
say that the Cape was chosen for the U.S. launch site because
of the presence of these mounds. Not only do they protect
the area from the worst storms, but they supposedly are
links to some Mayan legends and prophecies concerning space
travel. (If somebody knows the whole story behind this,
please write and
let me know!)
The
A'is later moved their headquarters to Vero, and now this
whole coastal area remains under the protection of the
mounds and we seldom take a direct hit from a hurricane.
It makes
for an interesting story at the very least, and I do have
to admit we have been very lucky. Below are the paths of
hurricanes across Florida from 1995 to 1999. The storms
that came close to us were of minimal force, and caused
more damage by flooding than by wind.
Storm
paths from 1995 to 1999
Of course,
that all changed in 2004, but even though 4
large storms came close, none of them actually made landfall
in the protected area between Cape Canaveral and Vero.
Hurricane Erin in
1995 had wind gusts of 100 mph. A couple of my trees were
blown off center - this one used to stand straight up.
An Oak tree fell
on a powerline down the street, knocking out power to all
but three houses in my neighborhood for a week and a half.
(I was one of the lucky three who still had power!)
Friends a block away
had 2 feet of water in their homes from the flooding after
the hurricane. My house is on a slight ridge and only got
water halfway up the backyard.
Central
Florida got hit really hard in 2004. Four
large and powerful hurricanes came through the same
area within weeks of each other, causing incredible
amounts of damage.
The
tree that leaned during Erin came down during hurricane
Frances...along with several other big shade trees.
It clipped the corner of the roof, and another
one fell on my shed, but my house came through
quite well - all things considered.
I
did get some great photos in the marsh! See: "After
the Storms"
2008
brought us Tropical Storm Fay. It wasn't
much of a windstorm, but we got lots and lots of
rain! A trailer park 2 miles from my house made
national news for the severity of flooding they
suffered, and some of my neighbors flooded, but
water only got to within a foot of my door.
The fluctuations
in the water levels in the marsh were almost unbelievable
- as were some of the cypress scenes I was able
to photograph!
Hurricane Erin in
1995 had wind gusts of 100 mph. A couple of my trees were
blown off center - this one used to stand straight up.
