The weather this year has left me befuddled. Some days, I think I am in one of those disaster type movies that have a big, unexpected event as the base storyline.

Have you ever seen one of those movies about droughts? Not so much. But my home state is in a major drought. Even if your Governor is running for President, he still can’t manifest raindrops from the sky.

The State of Texas is baking. Infrastructure from the municipal to the state level is being seriously affected. A couple of months ago, one of the major highways in Houston just crumpled. The damage to farms and crops is severe and taxpayers will be long footing the bill for repairs that will be needed as a result of the hottest summer on record.

Meanwhile, the East Coast experienced an earthquake. Really? I didn’t know that earthquakes were much of a threat in Virginia. Apparently, neither did most of the builders. Virginia and neighboring states were not prepared for even the small quake that hit them. Meanwhile, Californians smiled indulgently. But we must remember that their construction codes require they build to survive earthquakes.

Now, a major hurricane is heading towards the East Coast. And those of us who live along the Gulf Coast – from Florida to Texas – are asking “what’s the big deal?” A reporter recently noted that this may be the biggest storm to hit the U.S. since Ike. I remember Ike. Ike was evil. It wiped away parts of Galveston Island and damaged homes from League City to the Woodlands. My own home was hit hard and we’re still finishing up some of the repairs.

You know one of the things I remember most about Ike? The East Coast media gave it about a day or two of coverage. It wasn’t considered a big deal or very newsworthy. People weren’t flying in from the East to examine the damage. In fact, they seemed to have you used a media pool as they were all showing the same shots. They just ignored it. There were bigger news stories than some hurricane hitting Houston and Galveston.

To be fair, they also aren’t prepared for major hurricanes. I’m sympathetic about their impending experience. When a major storm hits an area like ours, where hurricanes are a part of our normal life, we know how to prepare and homes are sturdier. They definitely are not prepared and will have a difficult time if this storm lives up to expectations.

Interestingly, the mere threat of Hurricane Irene has taken over the news of the nation. How can a densely populated area prepare for a major storm? You’ll be in our thoughts. We can also send some experts up to help you.

Meanwhile, what’s up? Why is the weather so weird this year? I don’t know but I pray for rain every day while other parts of the country wish it would go away…….