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We were lucky to have gotten through Charley and Wilma in S Florida, and also the one in 1999. I have read a few amusing posts with people saying they ENJOY hurricanes. Your A/C is off-no lights (soemtimes for 2 weeks_ Canned goods, even at Publix sell out quickly and are gross- barbecuing is not possible in the middle of the storm, if your house is all boarded up. The humidity is very gross, and after awhile getting water is a problem, esp. when you have to boil it- if you have kids the food issue is a problem too. Food stores close, electric power lines are down.
I've been lucky not to have any really bad experience but once when I was in Jamaica and a hurrcaine passed through, we had to stay in our rooms for two days. I was in FL during Wilma, driving from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale but never made it there.
We came from Ny and brought along a generator, chainsaw,tarps and ropes. (was a ff and worked in a tree service) Thank-God. We suffered from ice storms and the like up there but, never a hurricane. So this was new for us. You are right about having children and the food/water shortages. The first was Charley and the others followed after. We stocked up on plywood and did the board-up the house thing after the first. It really makes you crazy w/house dark (no lights or boards on windows for along time ) , high temps/humidity fear of the next one forecasted to hit you again and your still trying to get the basics to shelter your family. To be honest, I think that is really what put the icing on the cake for me to HATE Fl. so much and so FAST. We suffered some damage but not nearly as bad as some neighbors. Then the sink-holes started to eat up homes. I could go on and on....Hurricanes SUCK!! And they predict w/ these above temps we are having that 07 will not be good. Oh well....round two I guess for those still here.
We sat in our house through Charley, Frances, and Jeanne. We were 10 miles north of some of the worst damage from Charley. We were lucky. We had what FEMA calls "vegetation failure". That means a huge old growth tree came down in huge chunks. Missed our house by less than an inch, and missed our neighbor's pool cage by less than 2 inches. It took a week with a chainsaw to clean it up. We were also lucky that our power stayed on. People on the other side of US 41 had no power for almost a week.
The people a few houses up the street had just had one of those spray on roofs put on their house. It flipped up from the front and landed on the back of their house. They were sitting in the living room when it happened. Can you imagine?
I remember trying to buy groceries afterwards. For many weeks there was no bread, cookies, crackers, pre-packaged lunch meats, etc. We had the first grocery store near the storm area that was intact and had power. We ate a lot of frozen foods, because they were on the shelves.
I had 8 co-workers who lost everything they owned to Charley.
When the next storm formed, the lines at the gas stations were STUPID. Most of the stations had no gas for days at a time. I had my husband fill up all of our gas cans while he was an hour away because there was gas where he was.
Wilma delayed the closing when we sold that house.
I think as long as the house is left standing I will consider myself lucky (unless I have to raze it and rebuild).
Really - the house, being wood-frame, has surpassed our expectations. It rained inside the house (ridgeline vent) in the garage and laundry room and we had to replace the roof...it rained horizontally through the front door even though we had completely boarded everything (every door and window has custom-sized boards to bolt down)...we stuffed a towel in the the crevice above the door with a screwdriver and watched as the Pergo floors soaked up what came through the bottom...
Power has been restored in our area within 1-2 days after each storm passed, but many areas were without for 3 weeks or more. Traffic lights - forget it - that took years.
What we have lost in the past few storms is all the landscaping - I don't mean the Florida-mandated ugly shrubs by the window - though this did finally kill them, too...the Banyan was twisted and broken in to a testament to the winds...and the Schefflera just snapped in half. The Australian Fern tree/Tree fern still standing!!! My oasis, a full-fledged garden I'd spent years making in to what was becoming rather spectacular...was leveled. Just toast. That was a personal blow. But that's what I get for building an elaborate garden in Florida...The neighbors fence was in our back yard. Everybody's stuff was in our back yard - a lot of folks around here don't bring things in for a storm, which ticks me off because we even stow away the heavy concrete stuff...
Two large Carrotwood trees on the side were uprooted and catawampus - one was leaning hard but luckily did not damage the integrity of the house.
During the latter of the storms to directly effect us husband only boarded up half the front door (this after previously witnessing the determination of H20 when fully protected), everything else covered, and watched a large aluminum shed as it left the house somewhere 3 blocks away, tumbling and compressing as it flew down the road...It was heading right for us and all I could think is, Oooh, that's gonna hurt...but it turned and nailed the neighbor right before us. Good thing his car was not in the driveway.
Jeanne and Francis were the two that made us sweat...they officially designate Pt. St. Lucie as landfall, but the eye of both storms covered us in Jupiter as it went over...and Frances was directly east of us HERE as she sat stationary for that 24 hours prior to making landfall...we're used to them blowing through, wreaking havoc and then moving on, so this was unusual for us and not at all comfortable.
We were already stocked up on non-perishables and gassed - have always taken these seriously; always plan for a week...10 flashlights, two radios, 600 batteries, jumbo-large containers and bottles of drinking water and tubs filled for toilets...our little Coleman stove to cook dinner and lots of candles (both outside).
We have been lucky. The guy right behind me - the one who's fence wound up in my yard...well...a small tornado went right through his front yard as it danced down the street. All he heard was a CRASH. Typical sound. After the storm calmed enough, he opened his front door to find he couldn't use it - he had an older Banyan down that literally missed the house by that much. But HE was lucky, too...a lady further down had her roof completely ripped off and had to huddle exposed for the rest of the storm.
A few months after the storms we drove north in to the next county, and the view changed from being that of dismal destruction in to looking like a bomb had gone off.
I always started my storm prep about the beginning of April. Each trip to the grocery store or Sam's Club I would pick up some "storm food" or an extra case of water. By the time hurricane season would start I would have a HUGE stockpile of non-perishables, drinking water, batteries, bug spray, etc.
Everyone thought I was NUTS, until Charley hit so close by. I was able to help out some folks who were not so fortunate.
My 92 year old grandmother lives in Melbourne. I remember her being evacuated, and being moved 5 times because they could not keep power on in the shelters. Stubborn as she is, she would not let me bring her to my house. Apparently, shelter food leaves a little to be desired.......
FYI - even the slightest moisture can damage your fire alarms...little known hazard of humidity.
We had to replace ours - once the power came back on THEY WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. Annoying? Oh, yeah. Had to disconnect and buy anew once the manufacturer help line verified they were fried.
I gotta post on this one before I go to bed, I was the eye of Hurricane Rita in 2005 for about 7 hours. It was horrible!!!!!!!!!! We were at my mothers house. A big 110 foot pine tree fell in the front yard and grazed the house. Pictures fell off the wall, the house shook. We could hear things hitting the house for hours.
The only way we survived was by the grace of God. Of course the next day it was very hot and no electricity. We got back to Houston ASAP and brought my mother since she was without electricity for four weeks. I never want to do that again!!!!!
Good stories, everyone. I read a post this morning where someone minimized, even said they thought hurricanes were fun- so NOT appropriate- we count our blessings, but it is pure luck if you don't get hit- during Frances they didn't even know WHERE it was going to hit, hour to hour.
sunny
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