| Author | Message | ||
     Sshbsn |
It was hard to get worried about this hurricane at first. A category 2 storm predicted to stay 40-60 miles off our shore would only give us storms similar to those we receive every day during the summer, never minding the yearly "Wolf! Wolf!" we hear during season. Already have a generator, so I picked up water, charcoal, lots of meat, and bags of caesar salad. Froze the meat, took a case of water to the folks and put their cars up on stands in case of storm surge. I'm a little tired so I'm unsure which day was the one before the storm hit us, but it was on that day that people began to grow more uneasy. We weren't able to evacuate to the north because of traffic and weather from Bonnie and were advised to go to Miami. I ran to various job sites until 11:00am and then began prepping my parents' house in earnest. Sometime that afternoon I went home and began cutting and installing window protection, and reinforcing perceived weak spots in the structure. 3:30 the next morning what I guess to be an outer rain band hit with amazingly sudden and short-lived force. I stopped work and checked the news to find that Charley was expected to strengthen to a category 3 giving a storm surge of 10-13 feet. My folks live directly across the river from me but must traverse a high bridge to reach my side, so it was at this point that I began calling them to invite them over. Two hours later I was satisfied with my work (there is, as I later found out, always something more to do.) I tried desperately and unsuccessfully to bring the 12R into my house and left it in the garage out back. It was 7:30am when I got an answer at my parents' and they packed up and came over. I called my son's mother to make sure she was settled in someplace safe and then waited until 12:30pm. It was at that point that Charley became a much different threat. There was a sudden strengthening accompanied by a veer to the right which aimed it, well, here. My son's mother lives 25 miles southeast (inland) and graciously agreed to host my family during the storm. Strangely there was almost no traffic, unheard of in this part of Florida, but the period of safe evacuation was ended and I guess those who wanted to leave were gone. The rain was blinding at this point but the cars who were out were speeding along handily. I saw police cruisers parked about every mile for a bit and hoped they weren't posted there throughout the storm. I got back home around 2:30 to find out Charley was a strong category 4 and soon rued my decision to stay with the house, but obviously there was no leaving at that point. I won't try to describe the next 5 hours. For those of you in this storm's path I will say these things: 1) I would not have a house if I had not been there with it 2) I don't encourage anybody to stay and ride out this storm I live about 12 miles south of Charley's landfall. Our local sustained winds were in the 80s-90s with gusts in the 110s. I watched large trees bent over and then snapped, palm trees uprooted and flown about, metal sign posts bent back like wire. I can't imagine the poor people to the north in Port Charlotte where gusts in the 170s were reported by the media. My hundred-year-old battle tank of a house shuddered and jerked, my garage out back was battered and literally swayed to and fro, and there was a constant barrage of debris. I didn't cover the north or east facing windows, and was able to watch parts of my and other's trees soaring past. The horror of Charlotte harbor is surely unimaginable to anybody who didn't experience it first hand. I hope this made sense, I haven't slept in quite a while (today was debris clean-up day). To wrap it up, the garage stood, the Buell lives on, and the storm surge was not as great as predicted. I can't say enough that I am DEEPLY impressed with the emergency response of local government agencies who were out before the winds subsided. Those folks are often the object of scorn and rarely receive the respect that they have earned. Local media seemed at first to fan the flames of panic a little, but once it was apparent that we were truly in a crisis situation they seemed to stick to facts and useful information. I don't know why I'm writing this. I didn't hear any news today, but have been told this storm will hit the Atlantic and grow strong again after its Florida sojourn. Everybody be careful! Oh yeah, and don't run generators inside your home. I've heard some folks are trying that. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Steve, thank you, thinking of you, glad you're safe. hang in there, buddy. Ferris & Denise | ||
| Henrik |
Steve ; thanks for the description. I can't even imagine ... Glad you're ok. Henrik |
