FL DG'ers - Hurricane Charley

Just spoke with my brother in Jacksonville. They are buttoning up and worried about more tornadoes being spawned.

This from my optimistic brother-in-law..he sent this to all in his email box..


Hello,

It's 5:15 on Friday the 13th. A category 4 storm has made landfall 50 miles to the SW. We are 3 hours away from whatever Charley has to give us. If we go off-line for a while... this is why.

Realistically, we are in excellent shape. We have a cinder-block rancher on a low hill. We have a case of beer, a 40 amp motor-generator, 40 gallons of gas, 40 dollars worth of batteries and enough food to last us a month.

See You On The Other Side,

john

Pati and Vic I hope your families will return home to find all is well.

It looks like we got really lucky here in Tampa. It is very frustrating to get such conflicting reports on the same TV channel. We hear we will still get some wind and we hear that it's basically over for us. It's strange to stand outside in a blustery bit of rain and realise how close we are to such terrible weather. We're still keeping an eye on things...

Stella, have you heard anything at all about or from your friend?

Considering all the the people I have met these past 3 weeks as a Newbie - I would certainly offer my home to anyone that would need it in the future.. We have a lot of hard rain from this one and let's not mention Hugo - messed us up pretty good in Charlotte, NC... We should create an emergency list of people if you need to get away and don't want to stay in a shelter or get price gouged by a hotel!! You should however expect to give advice and assistance on any gardening issues for your lodging LOL!! I am serious though.

I am just checking in, the evening news is showing nothing nice :0(

Where is the eye of the hurricane now?

Not a bad idea... I certainly would open my home to offer shelter too. We really are like a family here.

Let's brainstorm some. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Do you have something we can call you that's shorter than ncgardenaddict? That's a lot to type, LOL.

I suppose you may get lots of rain from Charley, too.

Not yet, and I'm checking constantly on his website, where he said he'd post an update. At 10:48 last night he wrote "From Randy: Hey guys, I posted earlier, but my computer crashed. Swell timing. I've been in the writing cave, working away on DEAD OF NIGHT, a freaking intense book. But, after reading it, I think you'll understand and like Tomlinson (and Ford) better. They have a very complicated relationship -- a death dance, in fact -- that, after 11 books, culminates in this, the final book in Part One of the series. (Hope there's a Part Two). Big blow tonight; clouds scudding beneath fast stars. Hurricane Charlie is due to hit the island tomorrow early, PM, and my old house sits on a mound facing the bay -- so I'll be right here to see what a Force III or IV blow is like. Spent the day boarding the house with my sweet, grown sons. Reinforced the dock, secured boats, bought a portable generator, filled the oil lamps, bought several bottles of wine. But alone now, and it feels okay. I have a sail rigged in the back house, and if the wind settles to below 40 tomorrow, I'm going to hop on my windsurfer. I'll try to post tomorrow off and on, describe the storm, Randy" I'd sure like to hear some news, Charley hovered over Pine Island for a good long while today at 145 mph winds! Go to his site and look at the journal photos to see a shot of his goregeous old home: rwwhite.com Hoping she calms down soon and none of our DG members and/or loved ones suffer too much damage.

My Neice is in Casselberry...North of Orlando.
She's Alone with Her 13 Year Old Daughter.
(Their Daddy's Stranded in the Bahamas)
We're Doing Alot of Praying.

Can You Beleive...
Over 1 Million Homes Without Power Already.
And That's Just in the Fort Meyers Area.

Stella, that's a cool old Cracker house. Those were well-built!

ZZ, the ultimate damage toll will probably be incredible. Let's hope the loss of life is not.

We have lots of family in Orlando and it appears to be headed there after Lakeland.

Weeds, my first thoughts when Pati posted her daughter was evacuating to Lakeland was that Charley would be following her.

I have family in Orlando and Kissimmee, too.

Oh, MERCY. A Shelter in DeSoto county has collapsed with 1,000 people in it. Triage has been set up across the street.

Just talked to my sister. They have shut their computer down. They are getting ready to shut off the electric at the panel bc it's browning on them and they are worried about refrigerator, hvac unit, etc...The wind is blowing everything sideways, the rain is torrential, and Charley is 30 minutes south of them. They have been told by the authorities to stay where they are. She said they are in the bands but the full brunt of it hasn't gotten their yet.

Where are you getting your info Darius? I can't find anything about it!

Just announced as a breaking news bit on the Weather Channel

Ok, been flipping around and missed that..

They just gave some damage reports and listed a stadium that collapsed. That may have been used as a shelter. The first blip said no details on the people inside or loss of life but that Triage had been set up across the street.

Aslo some hospital has been damaged but no other details.

They Just Announced the Collapsed Shelter on the Weather Channel and...

They Are Making Mandatory Evacuations of Horry and Georgetown Counties in South Carolina NOW.
The Myrtle Beach Area.

I have news. I just talked to my sister. Charley is on his way to Orlando and is breaking up and not as strong as he was. Their neighbors tree fell, all her fences fell on her flowers but the roof is on, the windows are there and everybody is ok. No electric of course and very little water pressure. They had filled the tub to flush toilets with. She said she would call tomorrow with an update on the damage outside but it's too dark outside for her to see right now. I'm really encouraged that the storm is breaking up. I'm hoping by the time it gets to Jacksonville it will be a normal rainstorm.

Thanks for the update, Vic. I know you are relieved about your family.

I hope this might help.. it's just a satelite thingie.. which I'm sure you guys already have, but it'll hopefully keep everyone informed. http://www.weathercenter.com/radar/doppler.htm

My thoughts are with everyone in the Orlando area and beyond.. and with everyone already hit.

We got really lucky here.

I'll be glad when some of our DG'ers also post that they are safe. Of course those in the worst hit areas will be likely without power.

What about y'all in the Tampa Bay area?

Pati, you hear from your family yet?

Any more news, especially about the shelter? I've been out with my mom this evening and am just now checking back in.

My newly wed niece lives in Orlando and according to her latest email is scared out of her wits. She has only taught 2 years so it quite feaful for her young charges.
My brother who lives in Vero Beach having recently moved from Fort Pierce is in Chile on a business trip. How about that for timing? His other daughter is in San Diego for a couple of weeks and my SIL who is a Flight Attendant for Air Canada is on a trip and layover to Tel Aviv. Goodness what a blessing their busy lives are!
My thoughts and prayers are with you all as I continue to watch the updates on these storms.
Darius are you sure you would rather have a hurricane than a flash flood? Having never been through either thanks to the cold Canadaian climate I have no idea. Got a chuckle out of filling the bathtub because that is what I do when a severe ice or snow storm is on the way. Now we have a generator that is not such an important factor but I still do it.
Keep safe everyone, please don't take any chances. Remember things can be fixed, people can't be replaced.
Dianne

If anyone hears of damage reports on Pine Island, please post. Thanks.

Dianne, the thing about hurricanes is you have (usually) some notice and can make preparations... or leave the area. Flash floods are more like tornadoes... no notice then Bam.

Stella, haven't heard anything but a comment that about half the homes on a couple of the barrier islands have either lost roofs or worse. Didn't say which islands, but I think it was the FT. Myers weather channel guy so I assume maybe Pine and Sanibel. They expect helicoptors in the air at daylight to film damage.

There are many reports coming in of buildings that lost roofs in the Ft Myers/Port Charlotte areas... a nursing home, the Emergency Management building, a hospital, a fire station and an EMS building.

I imagine the pictures we will see tomorrow will be terrible.

wonder how BT and family are? Isn't sebring between Punta Gorda and Orlando??

Just read all the posts on this thread...wow. So many of you guys down here. To answer the question from waaaaaay up. Crimsontsavo is fine, she is still in TN, having the time of her life. We live in the same area as Weeds and Ginger_H and Bonnie fizzled out as you already know.
My prayers are with y'all and your families down south and also on the extended path of this storm. Isn't it a mighty power? No controlling it, reminds us just how much we need a higher power in our lives.
I found this site that is giving damage reports for different areas in florida. Reports on 100 injured in nursing home. Two killed somewhere else and more.....I guess they'll update it as they can.
http://www.local6.com/index.html
Okay, it didn't turn out to be an actual link but that is the addy in my browser so you may just have to paste it in yours for it to work.
Stay safe,
Jackie (crimson's mum)

weeds, someone said earlier that he moved a month ago... but just where is in question. However, the last post he made he said it wasn't bad where they are and they were packing up and going home within the hour.

With such widespread power outages it leaves us hanging to wonder if it's just no power, or damage, for everyone.

I'm hoping there are some folks out there that can access the internet with their cell phones, hence trying to give as much info. as I can here, with everyone's help.

Darius,
I just read that cell phones will be out too in alot of areas due to the towers being out? damaged? I'm unsure the reason..my memory is so bad, I just read it!
Jackie(crimson's mum)

Jackie, that's probably true, at least in the worst-hit areas.

I don't know where Fountain is, but I assume you are well out of the way of Charley?

My brother lives in Orlando and after much effort, I was able to get through on his cell. They boarded up earlier, have lost power, but by the time Charley got there it was a weak II or strong level I. It's gone now and he thinks its headed for Jax.

So they are doing good, Jimmy will have to go to work (Orange Co School Board) tomorrow to review damages and make any repairs.

We had some strong winds here today, but no rain.

Hope all of our Fla DG friends are doing good as well.

:^)
Molly

Hi Jackie!, Keep us post about crim too!

What all happened at Naples? Aside from DG friends around there, my friends live there, but are back in Ohio for some time this summer.

Darus, Fountain is basicaly just outside of Panama City, about, what, 3 hours to the west of Jacksonville. am I right weeds?

p.s. I cant believe I remembered all that, woohoo, not a blonding moment. : D

Haven't really heard anyhing, GW, but since Naples is south of Ft Myers, they perhaps only got a glancing blow.

OH and Jackie, thanks for posting and letting us know about Jocy.

My best friend's mum lives in Myrtle Beach just off of the ocean and has evacuated to Conway (sp?), 12 miles away but the hotel (the only one she could get) is on a river and she is alone tonight. We are very worried for her.

Draven....what a memory! Yes, that is correct.
This Charley is gonna wreck havoc all the way up the coast.....ya'll get ready north of florida.