Floridians, did Charley or Jeanne or Frances hit you hard?

[nytemare]

What did you do during the storms?

Charley went by so fast, but caused a lot of damage.

Francis dropped a whole lot of rain here, and Jeanne just took forever to go by.

The first two storms I was at my folk's house, and for Jeanne I went to my sisters. Funny thing is, my condo never lost power through any of the storms, but my folks and sister did for all of them. I am in Orlando, walking distance to a big theme park, so I must be on the same grid.

Chime in, Florida DUers!

[saltpoint]

1. Charlie came the closest to where I was, at least at the time.

But just beyond his path in some places, he just wind-brushed things. In his immediate path, buildings were smushed pretty good.

[nytemare]

2. Where were you at?

That was a pretty creepy storm, but it went by us in like 40 minutes. Parts of Orlando got 108 mile gusts.

[saltpoint]

3. Visiting a friend just south of Venice, not far from U.S. 41.

We tried to spend some time near the airport but the wind got so strong we really couldn't justify being out.

[nytemare]

5. I suppose it was a little strong!

I haven't heard much on the news about the coastal towns that were hit, and how they are recovering.

[saltpoint]

7. Down at Punta Gorda, where Charlie made landfall --

-- there are several visible places where the storm just mowed stuff down.

At the same time a lot has been rebuilt and is coming along pretty well.

You got some powerful winds up your way, too. Are you and yours all ok?

[nytemare]

8. Yes, there are some houses with blue tarp in some places

The roofers have been making a killing. I think my complex had maybe an F1 tornado, because less than a mile away where my folks live the damage was not half as bad, and here you could see a swath with huge downed trees, and the roof damage.

Orlando made it through ok, and at least we voted blue!

[saltpoint]

9. Yes. That blue vote! Keep up the good work, too.

We need ya!

[nytemare]

10. Yes, unfortunately the hurricanes didn't blow Florida blue!

I think the hurricanes hurt Kerry here, really. Doesn't make sense, but I think it was a good opportunity for Jeb to get his Brother to come down for all the photo ops.

[saltpoint]

11. Well, let's hope it's the last time any Bush carries Florida.

Next time, I hope Florida goes blue.

In 2006 I think Jim Davis will be the next governor and I think Nelson will hold on to his Senate seat. That should set it up for a 2008 presidential win for the Democrats.

My fingers are crossed!

[nytemare]

12. Yes, we need some good candidates!

That has been the problem with congress, I think. We need to get good, quality candidates on the dem ticket!

[El Fuego]

16. I think the storms hurt Kerry too.

I was working on the campaign, and we had to shut down all activities for weeks.

[nytemare]

20. Yeah, he was supposed to come to Orlando after Charley

and cancelled his trip. :(

[lpbk2713]

4. All three went right over my house.

We got the most damage from Jeanne. My power was out for four days. Lost all the food in the refrigerator and freezer. Some trees were down or damaged. Lost a few roofing shingles. Six moths later there are still signs of damage almost everywhere you look. Trees down, blue tarps still on roofs (roofers and/or roofing materials are still hard to come by). I fared a lot better than many others and I count my blessings. Not an experience I want to go through again any time soon.


Ed: I live in Lakeland, BTW.

[nytemare]

6. I hear Lakeland got a lot of rain from Frances.

Jeanne just didn't seem to want to go away!! The wind just kept going for like a day and a half here!

During Charley, my condo building and the next over lost big chunks of roofing, looked to be about 10 4ft by 10ft slats, with all the shingles stapled on them. I don't know how none of them hit a car.

[Akoto]

13. I had quite an adventure with both storms.

Frances was the first to hit my area, and my area took a direct hit. The storm basically came over us and then stalled, so we were trapped inside for two or so days. You wouldn't believe how bad that is when the entire house is boarded up and you can't see what's going on, but you sure can hear the noises! Afterwards, our house was intact, but it was two weeks before we had power again.

Jeanne was the worst for us. She came in and hit fast. Though it was unknown to us prior, our roof had been rather shoddily redone months before, leaving rotted wood up there. The ceiling began to leak heavily as the eye wall came over. We found ourselves grabbing what we could and running to our neighbors' house at 2am, where we rode out the rest of the storm. Luckily, most of our house survived, except with two gaping holes in the roof. We're still living in a rental place, but we're likely going to be selling our home to an investor and moving north.

I'd have to say that the hurricane season of 2004 was one of the most hellish experiences of my life, especially given my anxiety issues. :P

[nytemare]

14. Aww I am sorry!

:hug:

Are you near Stuart area? I know they got hit by both pretty bad.

I remember when we were thinking Ivan was going to hit us too. Florida was just a battering ram for these storms!

I hope all goes well for you if you move up north, and I am sorry to hear of all the crap these storms caused for you.

[Akoto]

17. Yes ...

I am very near to Stuart, though I actually live in another city.

I think the biggest irony was the power situation. Our neighborhood is sorta out of the way, so after Frances, we didn't get power back for two weeks. It was so, so hot, especially at night. We mostly slept under the open windows, and I had to take showers (ice cold though they were) to relax enough!

We still get a laugh out of what happened after Jeanne, though. We went to stay with my grandmother for a while because we obviously couldn't live in a house with two gaping holes. The irony? Our house survives the first storm and we have no power for two weeks. It gets turned into swiss cheese by the second one, and our neighborhood gets power back the very next day (because they needed to restore the line for a shelter). Don't it figure?

[nytemare]

19. I can sure understand how that would be nervewracking!

I am glad you made it through safely, though!

[El Fuego]

15. Jeanne was the worst.

We were without power for eight days. For the first couple of days it's like you're camping, and you can pretend it's fun, but after 3-4 days the depression sets in. It was weird because it was like civilization had shut down.

The weekend following Jeanne, we went to Universal in Orlando and had a fantastic time, and the storm and the power-outage just seemed like a bad dream.

Then right after we got back, Francis was on the map, and we had to go through the whole thing again! It was unbelievable. We were only without power 3 days the second time though.

[nytemare]

18. Was it the other way around?

Did I put them in the wrong order in my OP? Francis came first, right??

I live right near Universal, and I think I lucked out because of that. I didn't lose power. I am glad you had fun here!

[El Fuego]

21. Yes, it's the other way around!

I've tried to black it all out....

[nytemare]

22. LOL, they all seem the same after a while!

I hope this hurricane season isn't as bad. Dealing with getting food, shelter, preventing flooding, getting gas, all that shit got so old!

[Akoto]

23. Best advice I can give ...

Prepare for the storms weeks before the season begins. The biggest problem is that nobody gets themselves ready until they know a hurricane is coming, and then there's such a rush that everything is wiped out. The hurricanes - especially the bad ones - disrupt travel and make it so that local establishments aren't fully restocked for a while afterward. I can't tell you how many people we heard on the radio after the storm asking for someone to bring them food, because they waited until it was too late.

Get lots of canned and dry food, snacks, and as much bottled water as you can. Batteries are important as well, and a portable TV or radio if you can afford it. If you have more than one car, fill them all with gas, and also get propane tanks if you have a grill. Our grill was a lifesaver after both storms. We were able to cook dinner on it when we had no electricity otherwise. Granted, soup and what little meat was coming in got a little old, but it was something!

Oh, and most of all, plywood!! It became next to impossible to find plywood as the storms approached. We learned that, if we're here for mroe storms, we need to stock up on it beforehand.

[7th_Sephiroth]

24. IVAN

the eye wall was over our heads for 36 hours

[Akoto]

25. Yep.

I can sympathize, man. We were under Frances for so long, we really lost our sense of time. I guess that happens when you only have boarded windows and candlelight for three days, eh? :P

[7th_Sephiroth]

26. and the 6 months afterwards and our yard STILL isin't fixed

[Akoto]

28. Don't feel bad.

We're still living in a rental house, and roofers/materials have been scarce enough that our real house is pretty much as it was after the storms. Chances are, we will be selling it as-is to an interested investor and moving north. Last year was more than enough for us.

[nytemare]

36. Welcome to DU, by the way!

I hope the move goes smoothly for you, and I was thinking of moving too a couple of times!

[nytemare]

27. That was a big storm

It is an awful thing, human nature, but after Charley, Frances and Jeanne, I was so glad not to have to deal with Ivan too. Bless the people who did have to deal with it!

[7th_Sephiroth]

29. the storm was a true category 5 when it hit here

i don't care what the official reports say, i have seen 3's and 4's, this was far more powerfull

[nytemare]

30. Are you near Panama City, or in the bottom of Alabama?

I am glad you made it through allright!

[7th_Sephiroth]

31. Pensacola florida

bout 5 miles from the alabama border

[nytemare]

32. Ahh ok, it seems the panhandle gets the hurricanes worse

People talk about Miami getting hit all the time, but it always seems the panhandle gets at least 2 a year.

[7th_Sephiroth]

33. thier not that frequent

but ours do get a couple more days to brew ofer the water before they hit

[nytemare]

34. I suppose so!

I do think the panhandle gets hit more than anywhere in the US, but I would have to look that up.

[7th_Sephiroth]

35. atleast us in pensacola dont get hit that often

[graywarrior]

37. Jeanne blew my roof off and my ceilings caved in

Water ran down the inside walls and out the electrical sockets and a/c vents. I had to find another rental immediately. Lost all my furniture and clothing, personal papers, etc.

Because I was staying with my sister-in-law and not on her lease, I could not get anything from FEMA. She did, but shared nothing with me.

[Misunderestimator]

38. Wow... that sucks. I had only some minor roof damage, but you

are closer to the coast than I was. I can't believe that your sister-in-law didn't help you out.

[graywarrior]

39. I believe anything evil actions from that witch

It was a blessing in disguise to get away from her. We found a better place and caller ID is a wonderful thing. I never answer the phone when she calls. And I think the place we're in now will hold up to hurricane winds.

[nytemare]

40. Crap, I am sorry to hear that!

:hug:

Glad you are in a stronger place!