Ted,
I stayed, in fact other folks that were in evac zones stayed here as well. Frankly, I've never been scared by a hurricane before this on. It's interesting waking up at 4AM in the morning, turning on the TV, and seeing this massive storm still making a bee line for you house. I went to the grocery store and folks were like zombies, everybody had a deer in the headlights look on their face. Not a smile anywhere.
You run like crazy nailing everything down, getting ready and stocked up as best you can, and then you wait, and wait, and wait watching TV, as the storm slowly gets closer and stronger. Then they call it a category 3, and you know there is going to massive damage and no water, no electricity, no phone. Then they call it a category 4 and you know your life is at grave risk, but it's too late to leave. The best roof in FL is rated for 130 MPH and the winds in the storm are 145 MPH. Your house as refuge is worthless.
Then the SOB Charley takes a turn, and EVERYBOBY in the 'hood is in the streets celebrating, frankly getting sh-t faced, drinking very heavily... smiling, laughing, exhausted. And you are thinking, and even saying, "better them than us". Until you watch the news the next day... and the days ahead and realize that folks that had a nice reliable life now have absolutely nothing, zero but the shirt on their back. And you look at the look on their faces and you realize that was what you feared.
But the good news is that Bush will be in Florida tomorrow, with his phoney sympathy. The local news says he doesn't usually visit disaster areas, but he's coming to FL. I'm sure we'll see Kerry as well.
It's been a hell of a couple of days.
John |
