The USS Alabama, which is now a permanent museum in Mobile, AL will also serve as a Storm Shelter as Category III Hurricane Dennis makes landfall. The mighty battleship is securely anchored there and did not budge during Ivan since it has pylons going deep into the grounds. The Battleship Tour is definitely worth a visit on your next trip to Mobile Alabama. There are World War One and World War Two artillery guns out front similar to the outdoors exhibit in Waikiki, HI at the beach adjacent Museum. There are also some Cold War Jet Aircraft out front. We had a great time on our last visit there.
http://www.aircraftwashguys.com/tour2.shtml
The tour is inexpensive with a killer gift shop, which will survive the storm. If Mobile, AL takes a direct hit, it will not be the first Hurricane to hit the town. Many parts of Mobile are prone to flooding including the underground tunnel. If the Storm gets well into Category IV Hurricane winds it is possible that it could also take out the I-10 causeway completely. If this happens FEMA efforts will have to come in thru the North and as the flooding resides use the once great and mighty USS Alabama as their headquarters. Many Hurricane experts are thinking it is possible that Hurricane Dennis may slow down in forwarding speed and make a slight deviation in direction. The water temperatures are warmer nearshore and this could mean a tough punch.
One of the biggest issues is the flooding as many cities in the AL, GA, LA, TN, FL panhandle and Mississippi area are saturated. Imagine a Ten-mile wide Tornado, which has additional Tornadoes escorting it and ocean waves of 15 feet and there you go. Hurricane Dennis is an early-season warning of things to come, as two more rotating Tropical Storms come in behind it at 5 and a half day intervals and the water off the African Coast along with the stormy seas there are inflamed in fury. Maybe those who live in California much prefer the Earthquakes to the disastrous effects of these ever intensified Hurricanes in this decade?
