The USS Alabama, now a permanent museum in Mobile, AL, will also serve as a storm shelter when Category III Hurricane Dennis makes landfall. The mighty battleship is firmly anchored there and didn’t budge during Ivan, as she has pylons reaching deep into the grounds. The Battleship Tour is definitely worth checking out on her next trip to Mobile Alabama. There are World War I and World War II artillery cannons on the front similar to the outdoor display in Waikiki, HI at the adjacent Beach Museum. There are also some jet planes from the Cold War on the front lines. We had a great time on our last visit there.
http://www.aircraftwashguys.com/tour2.shtml
The tower is expensive with an amazing gift shop, that will survive the storm. If Mobile, AL does take a direct hit, it won’t be the first hurricane to hit the city. Many parts of Mobile are prone to flooding, including the underground tunnel. If the storm reaches Category IV hurricane-force winds, it may also completely destroy the I-10 roadway. If this happens, FEMA’s efforts will have to reach through the north, and while the flooding lingers, they will use the once-great and mighty USS Alabama as their headquarters. Many hurricane experts think it’s possible that Hurricane Dennis will slow down and veer slightly in direction. Water temperatures are warmer near the coast and this could mean a serious blow.
One of the biggest problems is flooding as many cities in AL, GA, LA, TN, FL Panhandle and Mississippi area are saturated. Imagine a ten mile wide tornado, that has additional tornadoes escorting it and 15 foot ocean waves and voila. Hurricane Dennis is an early season warning of things to come as two more rotating tropical storms come up behind it at 5 1/2 day intervals and the water off the African coast along with the stormy seas swell with fury. Perhaps those who live in California prefer earthquakes to the disastrous effects of these increasingly intense hurricanes this decade?