Hurricane Bertha (1996) (16 km/h) on July 10 and July 11. On July 12, Bertha made landfall between Wrightsville Beach and Topsail Beach. Bertha lost hurricane intensity just after landfall. It then accelerated to the northeast along the East Coast of the United States, producing winds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h). It moved north, and lost all of its tropical characteristics by July 18. In the United States Virgin Islands, rainfall from Bertha peaked at 3.28 in (83.3 mm) on Saint Thomas. Winds from the storm were reported to be sustained at 85 mph (140 km/h) with an unofficial observation of
What Were You Hoping For? in 2008. Two songs from those sessions, "Moving Targets" and "Eyes Like Pearls", were included on "What Were You Hoping For?". After setting up his own label in 2009, Hunt began a new process for "What Were You Hoping For?", writing and recording songs for 10 months. In an interview for the "Chicago Tribune", he said of his expectations for the album's recording: "I really wasn't sure what it would wind up being sonically. I love Bach cello suites, I love punk music, I love old blues, negro spiritual quartets, Muddy Waters' 'You Need Love.' There is a simplicity but