Hurricane Charley

Passing on my thoughts and prayers to all our stitching friends in Florida.
Here is hoping that they all are safe and their property didn't get too
badly damaged.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

Thanks, on behalf of us in Florida, for all the thoughts and prayers. DH and
I returned from a two-month trip away on the Wednesday afternoon, and
scurried around getting ready for Charley. We also have the MIL living with
us, and three pets. Since it was supposed to be a Cat One storm, and heading
to the west of us, we decided to stay in the house.(Pets aren't allowed in
shelters, and MIL woldn't leave her cat). It is a manufactured ( but very
immobile) home, but was built just seven years ago to the post-Andrew specs.
Well, the direction of the storm changed, and it was heading our way, and by
then it was a Cat 4, and too late to move out..........Other than north and
south, Florida is a very narrow peninsula! By 7.30pm the eye was scheduled
to cross over our house, just east of Lakeland, and I was pretty antsy. By
some strange quirk, it veered to the east just beforehand, and we were safe!
The maximum wind gust that I measured was 54 mph, and we had 4 inches of
rain. The power wenr out about 8pm, but came back on sometime during the
night. We have very minor damage; part of the Motorhome Port has lost it's
awning, the TV antenna is down, But we are all well and fine!!

A quick report from Lakeland, FL on this calm Saturday morning!!

Gillian.


"Fred" wrote in message
...
Passing on my thoughts and prayers to all our stitching friends in
Florida.
Here is hoping that they all are safe and their property didn't get too
badly damaged.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

HURRAH
If only everyone else was safe as well.

Cheryl

It appears that rctn floridinians have come through the hurricane rather
nicely. Having spend time in Florida I would pass on a word of caution -
There are probably a vast number of displaced alligators and other creepy
crawlies roaming around wondering what hit them and looking for a new home
or tasty meal.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

"Fred" wrote in message
...
Passing on my thoughts and prayers to all our stitching friends in
Florida.
Here is hoping that they all are safe and their property didn't get too
badly damaged.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

Thanks for that cheerful thought, Fred. However it is 80 degs, and 77%
humidity outside (8.41am), so I don't think I will do any skulking through
the underbrush today! just stay in the nice a/c!
Gillian

"Fred" wrote in message
...
It appears that rctn floridinians have come through the hurricane rather
nicely. Having spend time in Florida I would pass on a word of caution -
There are probably a vast number of displaced alligators and other creepy
crawlies roaming around wondering what hit them and looking for a new home
or tasty meal.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

"Fred" wrote in message
...
Passing on my thoughts and prayers to all our stitching friends in
Florida.
Here is hoping that they all are safe and their property didn't get too
badly damaged.

Fred
http://www.stitchaway.com

W.I.P. - "Fiddler on the Roof",
"Oriental Maiden".
W.I.L. - "Romantic Venice",
"Ocean Princess", "Southwest Charm",
"Rainbow Trail", "Indian Pottery", "One Earth",
"Spirit of the Full Moon"
and "+?", "+?", "+?".

Hi Fred

My wife, her sister and niece are all now scattered somewhere between
Orlando and Daytona Beach, wherever they could find room. Originally
enroute to Clearwater, as the weather changed, plans were altered.

To make matters worse, the Days Inn they had reserved rooms at for the
first night was battoned down and closed. The one they were sent to
was without electricty so they were closed too. They finally found a
flea bag rat infested motel to stay at the first night, after Days Inn
renigged on their agreements.

The last time I heard from them, they were going to try to make it
from Daytona up to St. Augustine or else try to drive back home
without ever meeting the obligations that took them to Florida in the
first place.

Despite the hurricane that swept through Florida, they never traveled
on one wet road the entire trip, dry the whole way, until they neared
Orlando and found still damp roads.

My cousin who lives near Clearwater, supposedly their first stop,
never saw hide nor hair of them at all and was more worried than I
was. My only concern was that I never heard from them due to the
lousy telephone services in Florida, including Cell Service which was
also out.

I lived about 3 miles from Tornado Alley, there is nothing we can do
to change the weather, but there are things that can be done so as not
to suffer the aftermath of a natural phenomenon to seriously.
Such as owning your own generators, stocked storm shelters, etc.

Tornado's cannot be predicted with any accuracy, but hurricane's come
with plenty of warning, they are EXPECTED, they are COMMONPLACE, yet
the majority of Floridians make no real preparations for same.

It is unfathomable that someone who makes their living by providing
lodging (eg Motel), build it to withstand 150 mph winds, yet fail to
install a simple generator so they can stay open when the electrical
service is out, which seems to be quite often in Florida.
It seems to me, installing a generator to provide electricity should
come ahead of installing a pool or weight room that nobody ever uses.

I just found out that the Days Inn will be closed for this entire week
due to lack of preparation for a storm! The gals found a Ramada right
on the beach with ocean view for only 59 bucks for all three, so they
will be staying all next week and fulfilling their obligations, maybe
even get in a little vacation time at the same time if they are lucky.

TTUL
Gary

I beg to differ with you Gary. Most Floridians I know do prepare for a
hurricane. And this particular hurricane didn't come close to being on
track and the major damage was in an area that had only a couple of hours
warning; hardly enough to evacuate or get out of its way. Remember too
that few if any Florida homes have basements so where are people supposed to
go to get out of the way of a tornado or a hurricane?

I don't know very much about generators, but I've been told that they are
usually powered by gas. Where might you suggest many Florida homeowners,
with either a very small house with just a little land around it or a
manufactured home with no garage and almost unused land put said generator
and the gas to power it in a storm? I personally can't imagine having a gas
tank in my garage so how would it work for me???

It sounds like a nifty idea but I can't see how it would work for some of
us.

Lucille



, or"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr."
wrote in message ...
Hi Fred

My wife, her sister and niece are all now scattered somewhere between
Orlando and Daytona Beach, wherever they could find room. Originally
enroute to Clearwater, as the weather changed, plans were altered.

To make matters worse, the Days Inn they had reserved rooms at for the
first night was battoned down and closed. The one they were sent to
was without electricty so they were closed too. They finally found a
flea bag rat infested motel to stay at the first night, after Days Inn
renigged on their agreements.

The last time I heard from them, they were going to try to make it
from Daytona up to St. Augustine or else try to drive back home
without ever meeting the obligations that took them to Florida in the
first place.

Despite the hurricane that swept through Florida, they never traveled
on one wet road the entire trip, dry the whole way, until they neared
Orlando and found still damp roads.

My cousin who lives near Clearwater, supposedly their first stop,
never saw hide nor hair of them at all and was more worried than I
was. My only concern was that I never heard from them due to the
lousy telephone services in Florida, including Cell Service which was
also out.

I lived about 3 miles from Tornado Alley, there is nothing we can do
to change the weather, but there are things that can be done so as not
to suffer the aftermath of a natural phenomenon to seriously.
Such as owning your own generators, stocked storm shelters, etc.

Tornado's cannot be predicted with any accuracy, but hurricane's come
with plenty of warning, they are EXPECTED, they are COMMONPLACE, yet
the majority of Floridians make no real preparations for same.

It is unfathomable that someone who makes their living by providing
lodging (eg Motel), build it to withstand 150 mph winds, yet fail to
install a simple generator so they can stay open when the electrical
service is out, which seems to be quite often in Florida.
It seems to me, installing a generator to provide electricity should
come ahead of installing a pool or weight room that nobody ever uses.

I just found out that the Days Inn will be closed for this entire week
due to lack of preparation for a storm! The gals found a Ramada right
on the beach with ocean view for only 59 bucks for all three, so they
will be staying all next week and fulfilling their obligations, maybe
even get in a little vacation time at the same time if they are lucky.

TTUL
Gary

I believe Gary was saying that hotels/motels should have generators. He
wasn't saying every homeowner should.

One thing that is disturbing is how the warnings were given way in
advance for the area that was hit but the media latched on to the
concept of Tampa being the center of the storm track and ignored
everything else. Since that is where the media focused, that is where
the storm was taken most seriously. If everyone in the original warning
area took precautions whether they were in the "center" of the warning
or not, they would have had plenty of time.

Lucille wrote:
I beg to differ with you Gary. Most Floridians I know do prepare for a
hurricane. And this particular hurricane didn't come close to being on
track and the major damage was in an area that had only a couple of hours
warning; hardly enough to evacuate or get out of its way. Remember too
that few if any Florida homes have basements so where are people supposed to
go to get out of the way of a tornado or a hurricane?

I don't know very much about generators, but I've been told that they are
usually powered by gas. Where might you suggest many Florida homeowners,
with either a very small house with just a little land around it or a
manufactured home with no garage and almost unused land put said generator
and the gas to power it in a storm? I personally can't imagine having a gas
tank in my garage so how would it work for me???

--
Brenda
"Nothing...I got nothing for sale."

Sorry but I really don't agree with you that the people had plenty of time.
Even if they had been warned in a timely fashion, where were they supposed
to go. Florida is a very narrow peninsula and unless they were told they
must evacuate, and/or they were assured they would be the hardest hit, it
isn't an easy task to pack up and go when you don't have either the funds to
try and get a hotel/motel, or family or friends at a far enough distance to
be safe. And the shelters, which didn't hold up anyway, won't take pets.
Would you leave your cat or dog or bird to fend for themselves?? I doubt
that I would. Also, there hasn't been a storm like this in that area for
the last 40 years so I suppose right or wrong people get out of the habit of
listening.

I'm also not sure which weather people you listened to. Here in Florida
most of the reports that came directly from the National Weather Service
seemed to think the storm would hit Tampa and they suggested the evacuation
there. There were constant updates across our screens no matter what we
might have been watching on TV and for me most of the ones I paid attention
to were not from regular reporters, but rather from execs at the weather
service.

As for Gary's remarks, I know that where I live there are a lot of small,
old, mom & pop motels. I doubt that they could afford to have a generator
large enough to be of use. I think some of the newer, bigger ones might be
able to do so, and probably could afford to do so, but the little guys, I
doubt it.

Just my opinion.

Lucille



"Rhiannon" wrote in message
...
I believe Gary was saying that hotels/motels should have generators. He
wasn't saying every homeowner should.

One thing that is disturbing is how the warnings were given way in
advance for the area that was hit but the media latched on to the
concept of Tampa being the center of the storm track and ignored
everything else. Since that is where the media focused, that is where
the storm was taken most seriously. If everyone in the original warning
area took precautions whether they were in the "center" of the warning
or not, they would have had plenty of time.

Lucille wrote:
I beg to differ with you Gary. Most Floridians I know do prepare for a
hurricane. And this particular hurricane didn't come close to being on
track and the major damage was in an area that had only a couple of
hours
warning; hardly enough to evacuate or get out of its way. Remember too
that few if any Florida homes have basements so where are people
supposed to
go to get out of the way of a tornado or a hurricane?

I don't know very much about generators, but I've been told that they
are
usually powered by gas. Where might you suggest many Florida
homeowners,
with either a very small house with just a little land around it or a
manufactured home with no garage and almost unused land put said
generator
and the gas to power it in a storm? I personally can't imagine having a
gas
tank in my garage so how would it work for me???

--
Brenda
"Nothing...I got nothing for sale."

I didn't listen to any weather people. I watched every update online.
The graphics show the full warning area including warnings/watches all
the way up the coast 48 hours out and don't name any cities so there
isn't the bias of tv/radio reports.

So you are saying the people are just sheep and won't go unless someone
says they must. That is like people under a tornado warning thinking
"it will only be an F0 because that is all we've ever had around here"
who then get plowed under by an F5. As for my dog, yes I'd leave her
behind. She might make it on her own; my DD, who just learned to climb
stairs, couldn't. I'm also not certain I would trust a public shelter
or if I would just get in the car and drive as far as I could. I guess
the thing that irks me is all the griping about "only an hour or two of
notice" since people in danger from a tornado or flash flood might have
literally only a couple of minutes of notice or none at all. You don't
have time to think about saving property from those storms so why do
people think they should be able to save everything from a hurricane?

Lucille wrote:
Sorry but I really don't agree with you that the people had plenty of time.
Even if they had been warned in a timely fashion, where were they supposed
to go. Florida is a very narrow peninsula and unless they were told they
must evacuate, and/or they were assured they would be the hardest hit, it
isn't an easy task to pack up and go when you don't have either the funds to
try and get a hotel/motel, or family or friends at a far enough distance to
be safe. And the shelters, which didn't hold up anyway, won't take pets.
Would you leave your cat or dog or bird to fend for themselves?? I doubt
that I would. Also, there hasn't been a storm like this in that area for
the last 40 years so I suppose right or wrong people get out of the habit of
listening.

I'm also not sure which weather people you listened to. Here in Florida
most of the reports that came directly from the National Weather Service
seemed to think the storm would hit Tampa and they suggested the evacuation
there. There were constant updates across our screens no matter what we
might have been watching on TV and for me most of the ones I paid attention
to were not from regular reporters, but rather from execs at the weather
service.

As for Gary's remarks, I know that where I live there are a lot of small,
old, mom & pop motels. I doubt that they could afford to have a generator
large enough to be of use. I think some of the newer, bigger ones might be
able to do so, and probably could afford to do so, but the little guys, I
doubt it.

Just my opinion.

Lucille



"Rhiannon" wrote in message
...

I believe Gary was saying that hotels/motels should have generators. He
wasn't saying every homeowner should.

One thing that is disturbing is how the warnings were given way in
advance for the area that was hit but the media latched on to the
concept of Tampa being the center of the storm track and ignored
everything else. Since that is where the media focused, that is where
the storm was taken most seriously. If everyone in the original warning
area took precautions whether they were in the "center" of the warning
or not, they would have had plenty of time.

Lucille wrote:

I beg to differ with you Gary. Most Floridians I know do prepare for a
hurricane. And this particular hurricane didn't come close to being on
track and the major damage was in an area that had only a couple of

hours

warning; hardly enough to evacuate or get out of its way. Remember too
that few if any Florida homes have basements so where are people

supposed to

go to get out of the way of a tornado or a hurricane?

I don't know very much about generators, but I've been told that they

are

usually powered by gas. Where might you suggest many Florida

homeowners,

with either a very small house with just a little land around it or a
manufactured home with no garage and almost unused land put said

generator

and the gas to power it in a storm? I personally can't imagine having a

gas

tank in my garage so how would it work for me???

--
Brenda
"Nothing...I got nothing for sale."





--
Brenda
"Nothing...I got nothing for sale."