Storm warning

Honduras just became the 46th country to join the BYE League of Nations. I think I'll celebrate this momentous addition by making a brief League of Nations goodwill visit. How does next month sound?

I've never been to Honduras, but, as it happens, Teri I will go there in just a few weeks. Honduras, I'm looking forward to meeting you in person at long last.

In 1969, Honduras got into a war with El Salvador over a soccer game. You've got to love a country that takes sports that seriously.

In 1998 Hurricane Mitch tried to wipe Honduras off the map and darn near succeeded. That storm killed about 5,000 people, left many thousands homeless and took out most of the country's roads and crops. I remember that one. It was bad.

I'm glad we'll be visiting in happier times.

Speaking of storms, there's some chance my home will be destroyed by a tornado on Saturday. Okay, I'm being a little overdramatic, but the weather guys here are saying that Saturday is shaping up to be a real doozy for us.

We can get powerful tornado-spawning storms in Alabama this time of year, and the forecasters are saying that the conditions are setting up just right for that kind of weather here on Saturday. If you go to weather.com and check out the forecast for Suburbingham, you'll see they've already posted severe weather alerts.

I feel sorry for the hundreds of thousands of fans already descending on nearby Talladega for a big weekend of stock car racing. When those storms do come, there's no way to shelter them and they will be exposed to the elements. The timing is awful since the weather here has been sunny and mild for several weeks and will be nice again as soon as this storm blows through.

Teri and her students will be driving home from Mobile on Saturday, and I'm a little nervous about that. We'll have to wait and see how this thing plays out.

People lose their homes to tornadoes around here from time to time. All in all, I'd rather live in tornado alley than a hurricane zone.

I've lived in two places that have been devastated by hurricanes. For several years I lived in Homestead, Florida. A couple of years after I left, the place was creamed by Hurricane Andrew. When I went back for a visit a few years later, almost everyone I knew was gone and I barely recognized the place.

I wasn't as lucky with the second one since I was still living in New Orleans when Katrina came to call.

The thing about hurricanes is, when a bad one comes your way, everyone around you also takes the blow. The infrastructure for miles around is damaged. Nobody has electricity and stores don't open for days, months or even years. Basic services like mail delivery or garbage pickup don't operate normally for a long time. Everyone in the area who still has a house needs to make repairs, so there are long waits for skilled laborers and they come at a premium. Post hurricane living isn't fun for anyone.

Tornadoes are different animals since they create a narrow path of destruction. A tornado might flatten your house, but it won't hit everyone else you know. You might get wiped out by a tornado, but most people in your town won't be. You might suffer a devastating loss, but you'll still be living in a functioning community with the resources to help you rebuild your life.

I'm as attached to my home and the stuff inside it as anyone I know, but the biggest lesson from Katrina is that you don't need a ton of stuff to live. Stuff can be nice to have, but it doesn't define you.

I've known several people who have lost their homes to fires, and of course a bunch of folks who lost everything to Katrina. The psychological blow of that kind of loss is enormous. I remember how everyone was a little crazy in the months immediately following Katrina. Friends and acquaintances would break down in tears in the course of a normal conversation, and people would have spectacular meltdowns in the middle of the grocery store. Too many people committed suicide.

The cool thing is, when disaster strikes, life somehow regenerates and goes on. Most everyday people are more resilient than you might think. They carry their scars for life, but they do heal. It's an amazing thing to see, really, the way people can start from scratch and rebuild their lives.

I don't want to live through a tornado or go through another Katrina. Once in a lifetime was more than enough, thank you. But it's good to know that I could start over if I had to. Empowering too.

So, bring it, Mother Nature. I'm ready for you.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!