Preparing for Ida

Shutters on the Cape St. George Light were closed in anticipation of Tropical Storm Ida.

The Cape St. George Light "battened down the hatches" in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ida on November 9, 2009.

Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Jim Dunkin and SGLA officer Jim Kemp closed the shutters on the historic lighthouse to protect her windows from storm winds. It was the first time that the shutters, built to replicate the original shutters on the lighthouse, were shut. A simple system of iron brackets on the shutters accommodate a brace to keep them open in good weather. When the shutters are closed, the same brackets enable an interior brace to secure the shutters during storms.

Ida, which approached the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 hurricane, weakened over the cool Gulf waters before making landfall in Alabama as a tropical storm. While the threat to St. George Island turned out to be less serious than anticipated, securing the lighthouse for Ida was a good test of security preparations for the Cape St. George Light.

Posted by Administrator - Monday, 11/09/09, 07:28 AM - Comments - Category: News