‘Hurricane expert’: Savannah overdue for hurricane

Georgia dodges hurricanes like Paula Deen dodges cholesterol screenings, but maybe not for much longer.

The coolest driveway in America would be under water if a hurricane hit Savannah.

The prognosticators at The Weather Channel, based in Atlanta, are picking on our neighbors to the south, saying Savannah is the 4th most hurricane-overdue city in the U.S.

I’ve lived in Georgia all my life and remember a scare or two, including one-way traffic on I-16, but there hasn’t been any serious hurricane damage since way back in 1893, when the “Sea Islands Hurricane” killed more than 1,000.

The most damage I’ve ever seen personally was when tropical storm Alberto stalled atop the west side of Georgia, flooding Albany and other cities.

The most-overdue for misery is Honolulu, which, despite sitting smack-dab in the middle of  warm ocean, has never been hit by a cyclone.

Other cities on the fear-mongering list are:

#2: San Diego. Cool water off the coast seems to deter hurricane’s visiting that beautiful place. Only one hurricane, in 1858, has ever struck California.

#3: New York City. Seems weird to think of a Yankee hurricane, but it has happened twice before, in 1821 and 1893, so it can happen again. If it does, Manhattan could see 30 feet of storm surge, according the The Weather Channel.

#5: Tampa. How is a Florida city on this list? A few years ago I thought every city in the state had hurricane damage, but apparently the second home of Cuban cigars is lucky, it’s not been hit since 1921.

Here’s hoping Dr. Rick Knabb, whose job title is “hurricane expert,” has got this one totally wrong.