Floridians, I want you to know you are in my thoughts. I hear the water

[umtalal]

is getting contaminated etc.. Please be safe and use bleach ( seriously) We are having a rash of West Nile Virus in California and bleach has become my best friend.

Be safe.

[Dudley_DUright]

1. 8 drops per gallon of water

http://www.ci.poquoson.va.us/to_sterilize_water.htm

[sidestreamer]

2. Actually, fire, a kettle, and boiling might do better ((n/t))

[umtalal]

3. In Earthquick Country the first thing we can't do is start a fire.

[ilyashl]

4. hurricanes and politics

I'll second that.

At least I hope the hurricanes turn Floridians against Bush: such severe weather might be the result of global warming, and Bush has stalled on curbing emissions that cause global warming. He acted pre-emptively on Iraq, but no on global warming; and global warming is turning out to be the bigger threat.

[iamjoy]

5. It's Not Global Warming

I mean, I believe global warming is a threat, but the hurricanes are not the result of global warming.

Hurricanes move in cycles, sometimes more active, sometimes less. These cycles last about 20 - 30 years. The years of the baby boom were a very active period, the following few decades very inactive. Now we are going back to an active period but, many people are too young to remember the active time before.

As for hurricanes being more intense, well, Labor Day 1935 a hurricane hit the Florida Keys and it is estimated there were gusts of 200 mph. More deadly? A hurricane hit Galveston in 1900 and killed 8,000 people. More costly? Yes. We have more expensive homes and we build on barrier islands. Duh.

We do not yet have the evidence to blame the hurricanes on global warming or any type of human factor.

Now those nasty little (and growing) "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico...