Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday as the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season quickly gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico. And standing ready is Fernando Garcia. that has lived in Miami for over 46 years and is a practicing santeria voodooist in the Miami, Dade area.

Fernando received his Voodoo Baptism and initiation in Cuba. As a Cuban exile and refugee his family settled originally around Miami’s Calle Ocho.

Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to produce hurricane conditions within the next 24 hours. Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes.

Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.

It also was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a records 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes. Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names _ beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma _ and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

The first named storm of 2005 was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9 and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

This year is the 22nd Hurricane Protection Voodoo Ceremony that will be performed in this quiet Miami suburban neighborhood of Bird Road this year. This particular Voodoo ritual has been done each time a hurricane forms in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico and is to summon the protection of the spirit world against each hurricane individually. Each time there is a hurricane we perfom the hurricane ritual at a moments notice. Each year it is practiced with special prayers and chants to their Vodoun, the Loa Agwe. The personification of the ocean, and the patron of sailors and fishermen.

Rituals for Agwe, (Agoue) are held near the Ocean, and offerings to him are floated on hand made rafts or small boats. Agwe is associated with the catholic St. Ulrich. Earlier today as the first light of dawn kissed south beach Fernando and his group of 5 dozen followers set afloat 300 small boats and rafts into the Atlantic ocean as they will do many more times this year.

Hurricane Warning Issued for Hurricane Alberto A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Longboat Key to Englewood. At 11 a.m., Alberto's winds had increased to 70 mph, up from 50 mph just three hours earlier. The storm was centered about 190 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola and was moving north-northeast at about 7 mph, National Hurricane Center forecasters said. Alberto's core wasn't expected to reach Florida until Tuesday, but with tropical storm-force wind stretching 230 miles from the center, powerful gusts may be felt long before it makes landfall. Tropical Storm Strengthens as It Approaches Florida 2007 Hurricane Names Andrea Barry Chantal Dean Erin Felix Gabrielle Humberto Ingrid Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Noel Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy   For every year, there is a pre-approved list of names for tropical storms and hurricanes. These lists have been generated by the National Hurricane Center since 1953. At first, the lists consisted of only female names; however, since 1979, the lists alternate between male and female. Hurricanes are named alphabetically from the list in chronological order. Thus the first tropical storm or hurricane of the year has a name that begins with "A" and the second is given the name that begins with "B." The lists contain names that begin from A to W, but exclude names that begin with a "Q" or "U." There are six lists that continue to rotate. The lists only change when there is a hurricane that is so devastating, the name is retired and another name replaces it. A tropical storm with winds of 74 miles per hour or greater is called a hurricane.

As a Santerio or Cuban voodoo priest Fernando, through divine aid, offer help such as healing through the use of herbs or medicines (using knowledge that has been passed down within the religion itself), or healing through faith itself as is common in other religions. "Voodoo teaches a respect for the natural real world." says Fernando." It is very much related to the Voodoo that is practiced in Benin." "In Cuba, the Lucumi transformed Voodoo into Santeria. " In Miami you will find also many Haitian voodoo hurricane ceremonies and rituals taking place also."

 

AGWE Loa of the ocean, of ships and boats, patron of seafarers. husband of Maitresse Erzulie in her aquatic aspects.

 

"Wilma, you know now was a Category 5, before it hit the Florida coast as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, that potential for large loss of life was with us," said Fernando, "We had heard on the news that well over 1,000 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina and Rita. And I never want to see this happen here to us Miami, Florida or anywhere in the world."

" Voodoo is one of the world’s oldest known religions, thriving in Africa since the existence of human civilization." "Some experts have estimated it to be around for over 10,000 years" states Fernando." Although its essential wisdom originated in different parts of Africa, the structure of Santeria Voodoo, as we know it today, was born in Haiti during the European colonization of Hispaniola." During the immigration of enslaved African ethnic groups to the new world that provided the circumstances for the development of Voodoo. European colonists believed that by desolating the ethnic groups, they would not come together as a community and become a force against them. However, in the misery of slavery, the transplanted Africans found in their faith a common thread.

They began to invoke not only their own Gods, but to practice rites other than their own. In this process, they shared a common cause, resulting in the combination and modification of rituals of various ethnic groups. The fusion that came about, as a result, is the different religious groups were integrated in their beliefs, thereby creating a new religion: Voodoo. The word "Voodoo" came from the West African word "vodun", meaning “spirit”. This Afro-Caribbean religion mixes and practices from many African ethnics groups such as the Fon, the Nago, the Ibos, Dahomeans, Congos, Senegalese, Haussars, Caplaous, Mondungues, Mandinge, Angolese, Libyans, Ethiopians, and the Malgaches.

Haiti's government has officially sanctioned voodoo as a religion, allowing practitioners to begin performing ceremonies from baptisms to marriages with legal authority. Many who practice voodoo praised the move, but said much remains to be done to make up for centuries of ridicule and persecution in the Caribbean country and abroad.

Practitioners of the Santeria Voodoo faith believe that nothing and no event has a life of its own. Each thing affects something else. Many spiritualists and believers of the faith agree that we are not separate; we all serve as parts of one. We are the mirrors and reflections of each other’s souls. God manifests through the spirits of ancestors who can bring good or harm and must be honored in ceremonies. There is a sacred cycle between the living and the dead. Believers ask for their misery to end. Hurricane Rituals include prayers, to Agwe.

Agwe Pronunciation: Ogg-way • (noun)

Alternate Spellings: Agoué, Agoue, Agouet

Santeria hurricane services like these are designed to make people feel good, not scare them. special prayers are offered at each morning mass during the five-month hurricane season. The Loa form a pantheon of deities that include Damballah, Ezili, Ogu, Agwe, Legba and others. During Voodoo ceremonies these Loa can possess the bodies of the ceremony participants. Loa appear by "possessing" the faithful, who in turn become the Loa, relaying advice, warnings and desires.

A crowd of devotees' and neighbors each time gather in a circle around the huge altar in anticipation of the approaching divine hurricane protection ritual. Holy candles burn near large statues of the saints, five men and 6 woman sit together pounding their huge conga drums, and a Man begans to sing aloud in a cuban tongue, beckoning their great voodoo god Agwe to come to them and protect them from the ravges of Hurricanes to come.

The solemn calm drum beat intensifies, and suddenly, one by one, women and men and children leap up, dancing, shouting and spinning wildly out of control. Collectively, they are becoming possessed by the spirit of Loa Agwe and, while in this mystical trance they will embody his great power, strength and courage to ward off the impending devastation of this powerful record breaking hurricane.

With their eyes fixed wide, and great beads of sweat pouring off them, drenching their white clothes in the hot afternoon 90 plus heat, they dance madly and frenzied and shout, and each takes his turn bowing down in front of the altar to Agwe. Praying and chanting for his protection and devine intervention.

"When we are mounted by the gods, possessed as the American says." Fernando explains, "We are not any longer ourselves, no longer one soul, no longer human beings." "We are the gods." "It's not magical halucinations, it's very real." "It shows us the power of Agwe and our Santeria Voodoo beliefs at work!"

For centuries, an infamous seaport in the West African Gulf of Benin was the wretched epicenter of the slave trade to the Americas. A group of slaves comprised of the Nigeria and Dahomeyan Yoruba people were shipped to Cuba (almost certainly through Benin), where they became known as the Lucumi. As it happens, the ancestral cradle of Voodoo is also in Benin, a West African country that sits between Togo and Nigeria. From Benin, Voodoo spread into other countries in the region. And so it transpired that Voodoo was also shipped from The Gulf of Benin to the gulf of Mexico, and into many other parts of the New World. In Cuba, the Lucumi transformed Voodoo into Santeria.

Santeria is but one of several spiritual descendants of Vodun, Vous Deaux, or Voodoo. It is a religion said to be many thousands of years old that still flourishes today in many parts of the world. Just in West Africa, Voodoo currently has over fifty million followers. Voodoo is a rich, valid, religion, and not some Hollywood movie world of Zombie's and pin pricked voodoo dolls.

The Lucumi simply superimposed the Catholic saints and theology of their Cuban slave masters upon the spiritual beliefs of their native homeland. The merging of Voodoo and Christian beliefs produced Santeria. This deft maneuver kept the ancestral Yoruba cultural identity alive -- as well as the Lucumi, for how could their intolerant slave masters find fault with such apparently proper Christian worship?

The same superimposing of Christian beliefs upon Voodoo happened almost everywhere in the New World that the peoples of West Africa were shipped as slaves. Thus, various dialects of the orally passed-down Voodoo tradition are practiced today in many different places. Known Santeria in Cuba, Vodu in Haiti, as Umbanda and Candomble in Brazil, Jamaica it is known as Obeah, as Hoodoo in New Orleans and southern parts of the United States. a version of Santeria is also practiced in Puerto Rico and in a number of big cities throughout the United States.

The Miami Hurricane Ceremony slowly winds down after 6 hours of wild dance and frenzy, with a cool down period of gentle drumming. Fernando sits quietly and says aloud to all that are near. "The Voodoo drums weaken so do the winds of Wilma." " Hurricane Wilma Beware of Agwes' power, you are cursed and doomed to become powerless."

Last year as Wilma approched, on the local news station a forcastor stated that, Floridians braced for the impending storm and were boarding up windows and stocking up on hurricane supplies, although forecasters at the hurricane center said the forward motion of the Category 5 storm appeared to be slowing, which could cause it to eventually weaken.

The fringes of Hurricane Wilma lashed Caribbean nations on Wednesday, forcing schools to close and thousands to evacuate as it churned toward Mexico's Cancun resort and Florida after killing at least 13 people and becoming the most intense storm ever to form in the Atlantic and enter the Gulf of Mexico.

In my heart I pray that this is true, and maybe by the will of God and or the power Lwa agwe this will all pass.

Religions: Candomblé • Hoodoo • Kumina • Obeah • Palo • Quimbanda • Santería (Lukumí) • Umbanda • Vodou

Deities: Babalu Aye • Eshu • Iansan • Obàtálá • Ogoun • ?l?run • Orunmila • ??un • Shango • Yemaja

Roots: Ifá, Ori?a (Yorùbá) • Lwa (Dahomey) • Nkisi (Kongo) • Catholicism (Spain, Portugal)

HURRICANE SEASON 2006 FLORIDA VOODOO

Gov. Jeb Bush signed a declaration of emergency allowing him to call up the National Guard and put laws against price gouging in place if necessary, and evacuation orders were posted for people in mobile homes or low-lying areas in at least five coastal counties including about 21,000 residents of Citrus, Levy and Taylor counties.

Homeowners gassed up their vehicles and stocked up on chain saws, plywood and other emergency supplies. Alberto also prevented the crew of space shuttle Discovery from flying Monday to the Kennedy Space Center from Houston for several days of dress rehearsals for their expected launch in July.

The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the June 1 start of the hurricane season. The storm's winds accelerated with startling speed Monday from 50 mph to 70 mph in just three hours. The minimum for a named storm is 39 mph.

Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes. Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record and the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a record 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes.

Even though Alberto wasn't expected to become a major storm -- it wasn't until Monday, when it jumped from 50 mph to 70 mph in a three-hour period, that forecasters thought it might become a hurricane -- Florida officials weren't taking any chances after last year's deadly hurricane season. And neither was Fernando or his cuban voodoo associates.

 

HURRICANE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center
National Hurricane Center site providing detailed location and forecasting of tropical storms and hurricanes.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Hurricane and Tropical Storm Tracking
Tracks hurricane and tropical storm activity for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In English and Spanish.

http://hurricane.terrapin.com/

Hurricane Central
Updated 24 hours a day with the latest hurricane coordinates and data. Includes an interactive tracking...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/storm/

Hurricane Hunters
Fly into the eye of a hurricane with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters.

http://www.hurricanehunters.com/

Miami Museum of Science-Hurricane Main Menu
CLICK on any title above to find out more about hurricanes. Or see the current weather data at the Miami Museum of Science. For current hurricane data, ...

http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/

Hurricanes: An Online Meteorology Guide
Sequenced web sections covering definitions and mechanics of a hurricane, stages of development, physical...

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml

Weather Underground Tropical
Atlantic satellite map, sea surface temperature and hurricane advisory providing links to weather...

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

weather.com - Hurricane Central: Today's Outlook
Hurricane warnings remain in effect of the Florida Gulf Coast but there is only the slimmest possibility that Alberto will become strong enough to become a ...

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/

Hurricanes
Storm surges are very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning or hurricane. ...

http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm

Tropical cyclone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hurricane Katrina encountering the Gulf Loop Current and Eddy Vortex. ... A tropical cyclone (or hurricane or typhoon) is a system with sustained winds ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane

United States - Hurricane and Tropical Storm Reports
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM LONGBOAT KEY TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE ...

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/us/hurricane.html

HurrWarn National Hurricane Center, Warnings and Watches, Tracking ...
Hurricane Watches and Warnings, News, Storm Tracks, Broadcast Quality Satellite and Radar Imagery.

http://www.hurrwarn.com/

Hurricane Warning!
Hurricane Warning! will be a state of the art, innovative learning experience that will entertain visitors as they become immersed in educational ...

http://www.hurricanewarning.org/

National Weather Service
A Hurricane WARNING is in effect for the gulf coast of Florida from Longboat Key to the Ochlockonee River. A Tropical Storm WARNING is in effect south of ...

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Fla. issues hurricane warning, evacuations - Hurricane Watch ...
Tropical Storm Alberto could become a Category 1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said Monday as it issued a hurricane warning for northwest Florida ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13272123/

BBC NEWS | Americas | Florida given hurricane warning
US hurricane monitors issue a warning for parts of Florida's west coast as the first storm of the season approaches.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5072350.stm

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Bahamas put on hurricane warning
The Bahamas and Florida are readying themselves for the latest savage hurricane to hit the region.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3687938.stm

Hurricane Warning Issued Along Fla. Gulf Coast - New York Times
Evacuations were ordered in some areas as the season's first tropical storm intensified in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/us/11cnd-s ... ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Hurricane Watch and Warning
Hurricane Watch and Warning - Hurricane Watch - A hurricane watch means residents in a designated coastal area could experience hurricane conditions w.

http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Hurrica ... _Watch_and_Warning--T1252.html

Be Prepared For 2006 Hurricane Season
Release Date: March 13, 2006
Release Number: 1605-196

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- With the June 1st start of hurricane season less than three months away, and work still being done to recover from the 2005 season, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Alabama Emergency Management Agency urges Alabamians to prepare early for the upcoming hurricane season.

While all Alabamians should have a plan for when natural disasters strike, those who live in mobile homes and travel trailers should be particularly alert to approaching tropical storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. According to the 2000 census, over 300,000 families live in Alabama mobile homes, making the need for disaster preparedness a priority. Currently, FEMA is temporarily housing more than 6,400 people in travel trailers throughout the state.

Disaster preparedness begins with each family and household having a plan. FEMA recommends that you have a ready-to-go emergency kit that will allow you to survive unaided for three days. A kit should include the following:

First aid kit (including prescription medicines)
Food and water for up to 72 hours
Extra clothing and blankets
Flashlights and extra batteries
The following supplies are recommended:

NOAA Weather Radio and extra batteries
Whistle to signal for help
A camp stove with extra fuel
Foldable ladders for second-story escape in a fire
Photocopies of credit and identification cards
Food and Water

In addition to an emergency kit, families should be prepared with up to three days of food and water for each member. Basic foods, like canned foods, dry foods, and other non-perishable items are best to have because if electricity goes out, they will still be edible. Here are some tips:

Keep foods on hand that everyone in your family will like to eat
Avoid foods that are high in fat and protein
Don't stock salty foods, since they will make you thirsty
The average person requires two quarts of drinking water per day. Some individuals, like children or nursing mothers, may require more. A gallon per day for each person in your family is the recommended amount, say American Red Cross officials. If you are running low on water, don't ration. To lessen the amount you need, reduce your activity.

If water is unavailable from household sources, water from rain, streams or rivers, and natural springs can be used. However, water from any outdoor source must first be purified before it can be used for potable or hygienic purposes. Boiling, disinfecting (by means of adding 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water) and distillation are the three recommended methods of purification.

Be Ready to Evacuate

Mobile homes and travel trailers are particularly vulnerable to severe weather because of their instability. Since hurricanes can trigger quickly forming tornadoes, residents should be prepared to leave at a moments notice.

A mobile home can overturn very easily even if precautions have been taken to tie down the unit. When a tornado warning is issued, take shelter in a building with a strong foundation. If shelter is not available, lie in ditch or low-lying area a safe distance away from the unit. Never stay inside a mobile home or travel trailer if a tornado warning has been issued.

Evacuation is a real possibility that your family might face if a natural disaster threatens your home. Every family should have an emergency plan that outlines what to do, how to communicate with family members when evacuating, and how the family should re-connect in case they get separated.

Know the location and best route for evacuation out of the area
Practice your emergency evacuation plan with your family
Heed local and state-issued evacuation orders

Be ready to leave at a moment's notice
"Natural disasters are unpredictable, but if you are prepared, you and your family will know how to deal with them when they happen," said Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Bolch.

To learn more on how to prepare your family for the upcoming hurricane season, visit www.ready.gov or call 800-BE-READY. Materials, including supply kit suggested supplies and family communication plan templates are available on the website. The website also provides information on how to prepare for all disasters, including man-made and other natural disasters.