Storm Victims (Ocala: mobile home, construction, schools)

Jammie · 02-05-2007, 08:33 AM

Were the victims of the storm living in the trailer park that was wiped out or did some live in houses?

MyHomeIsInOcala · 02-05-2007, 08:58 AM

Jamie,

Some where Site-Built houses and even a 31 yr old Church was leveled.

One of my husbands coworkers lost his house (Block home) flattened and his car crushed.

He and is Daughter are both unscaved physically.

Jammie · 02-05-2007, 09:04 AM

Hi Ocala, we saw the church on tv yesterday and it was so neat because the congregation still gathered to have service at that site. You could tell by their determination that it won't be long and they'll have another building there soon. Wow, your Gov. even gave up his Super Bowl tickets to visit the congregation there.

Have you heard where the victims were at during the storm? Were some living in houses or was it strictly in the mobile home park? I ask this because I never thought of mobiles as being that unsafe, but the pics of the park were awful.

MyHomeIsInOcala · 02-05-2007, 09:15 AM

Most everyone was at home, sleeping. The storm passed over us (I am closer to the Villages than downtown Ocala) at about 3:15-3:20 AM, I could not sleep, I was glued to the TV (when the signal did not go out, I hate satellite TV!). Hahaha

We noticed, that the cameras seemed to focus on mobile homes, even though allot of damage was done to block / site-built construction with equal force.

One of my Aunt's has a block home in the Villages, it got half it's roof ripped off and lost the garage while another Aunt has a Modular in the same area and has no damage at all. It really doesn't matter what you live in.

BlueWillowPlate · 02-05-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyHomeIsInOcala

It really doesn't matter what you live in.

I think there is some truth to this. I saw a photo of a brick home; that house did not make it through the tornado very well at all.

ElkHunter · 02-05-2007, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammie

Have you heard where the victims were at during the storm? Were some living in houses or was it strictly in the mobile home park? I ask this because I never thought of mobiles as being that unsafe, but the pics of the park were awful.

The biggest reason that you saw all the destruction on mobile homes is because the "NEWS" wants to sensationalize and they show you the pictures of the 27 mobile homes destroyed because there's insulation everywhere and well, it makes sensational footage. They didn't show you the other 300 or so homes that were damaged or the over 100 site built homes that were leveled. They just want to give you a shock value.

Jammie · 02-05-2007, 06:52 PM

Well, they sure did give me shock value.

And I'm inclined to agree with the fact that it may not matter what type of building you're in where Mother Nature is concerned.

FL_TN_Nana · 02-05-2007, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammie

Were the victims of the storm living in the trailer park that was wiped out or did some live in houses?

Unless I missed something on the news or in the paper, I think all the deaths were people who lived in mobile homes. Yes, there were some site-built homes that were destroyed and many damaged. A lot of those in one of the worst hit areas were older mobile homes that did not meet any of today's building codes. But with an F3 tornado, I'm not sure what could stand up to winds that strong.

The church was built to withstand 150 mph winds, but you saw how all that steel was twisted and on the ground. It was nice seeing the strength of those people and their wonderful outlook for the future. Sure makes some of our everyday complaints look ridiculously petty.

Dee2e · 02-06-2007, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammie

Hi Ocala, we saw the church on tv yesterday and it was so neat because the congregation still gathered to have service at that site. You could tell by their determination that it won't be long and they'll have another building there soon. Wow, your Gov. even gave up his Super Bowl tickets to visit the congregation there.

Have you heard where the victims were at during the storm? Were some living in houses or was it strictly in the mobile home park? I ask this because I never thought of mobiles as being that unsafe, but the pics of the park were awful.

I laughed about your comment about our Governor. First, he was a guest as the Governor of the State of Florida, not a ticketholder for the game.

I'm not impressed with how he responded to these tornadoes. I am impressed with the victims, however.

Christ failed to ask for Federal help until Friday afternoon. Even I knew watching TV from 2:45 am Friday on that we'd be needing help. There were five different cells with tornadoes being confimed for three of them and they are looking into the others. The path width and length and windspeeds told me that these winds would do as more damage in the affected areas that Charley did in 2004. The winds were stronger than Charley when they crossed Central Florida. The difference was that Charley covered more territory, but we had warning to prepare with Charley. Those tornadoes didn't provide much warning during the night.

Christ and the local school boards failed to close schools in the affected areas once daylight hit. They closed one school in the Villages but then during the day, closed others which caused more traffic because parents had to leave work to get their children. Our schools serve as shelters for those in need. Plus opening schools puts a lot of traffic on the road which hinders emergency vehicles.

Christ did not order non-essential businesses affected areas shut down, again causing more traffic on the roads to hinder emergency vehicles.

The result was gridlock at time when we needed the roads to be clear in order to facilitate rescues. The local officials were on TV begging people to stay off the roads. From the past, we know asking this of people doesn't work. However, we know from the past that when the Governor orders people off the streets, it works.

There were accidents on mostly every major roadway, including on shutting down I4 involving 4 tractor trailers, a moving van towing a car and a car! That happened hours before daylight. The secondary road around that mess had several accidents too.

What amazes me is how grateful the victims of these tornadoes are for the help that FEMA, the Red Cross and regular citizens have all provided. They are not crying "whoa is me" but they continually expressed how grateful they are to be alive and grateful for the generosity of those helping them.

Jammie · 02-06-2007, 07:50 AM

What amazes me is how grateful the victims of these tornadoes are for the help that FEMA, the Red Cross and regular citizens have all provided. They are not crying "whoa is me" but they continually expressed how grateful they are to be alive and grateful for the generosity of those helping them.//Unquote

Yes, that's the part that is really impressive. They seem so thankful just to be alive and aren't complaining about the help they're receiving. They seem thankful for every little bit of help and that says a lot about their integrity.