The Aftermath of Hurricane Charley
Aug 18 '04 (Updated Jan 25 '05)
The Bottom Line Natures fury is great indeed.
Hello everyone. For those of you who don't know me my name is Scott and I have been a Epinions member for many years. In all my time here, I have never submitted anything but reviews but after what I saw last sunday (8-15-04) I just felt compelled to write a little bit about it. I am talking about the aftermath of Hurricane Charley.
I am a law enforcement officer in Sarasota Florida and have been for the past 10 years. When we learned that Charley was heading directly for Florida's west coast, the wheels of preparation started spinning. Every officer was called in to work, plans were abandoned, homes boarded up, and family goodbyes were said punctuated with kisses and hugs. Despite all of these things, the worry factor was relatively low. After all Charley was only forecast to be a category 2 storm right? Moderate damage at most. Well, as we soon learned, things were about to change.
About 2-3 hours before landfall, Charley was bumped up to a category 4 storm and projected to land dead center in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. The change in everyones demeanor was immediate. Fear was now in everyone's eyes. We knew that instead of a large cleanup job, we were in for Hurricane Andrew scale destruction. Not a pleasant thought. But at the last minute, Charley took an abrupt jog to the east and hit the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area head on. The entire area was devastated. The sad thing about it is that many folks there had relaxed their guard as they were told the storm was going to strike north of them. So as a result, many were unprepared for the strength and fury of the storm. What turned out to be our good luck resulted in their misfortune.
After the storm had passed, the need for assistance was immediate. There was just about total destruction in the areas hardest hit. Hundreds of people were trapped and injured....many critically, buildings destroyed, vehicles and mobile homes overturned. Charlotte County's law enforcement and fire rescue units were no match for the cries for help that came pouring in. Aid began streaming in to the area from all across the state. I was one of the officers who volunteered to go. I was in no way prepared for the scope of the devastation.
I first noticed just how strong a storm Charley had been while driving down on the interstate. About 10 miles outside of Charlotte County, trees were flattened, highway signs torn away, and light poles knocked down. This was but a sample of what lay ahead.
Imagine losing everything you own. I mean everything right down to your clothing. Well thats what thousands are going through right now in Charlotte County. There is no power or running water. That means no air conditioning in 90+ degree heat, no water to brush your teeth or shower off with. There is no food because it was either lost in the storm or now rotten from lack of refrigeration. No gas, no ice, and none of even the simplest comforts like blankets or pillows. This was the scene immediately after the storm.
The destruction caused by Charley was worse than I could ever have imagined. Total ruination for as far as the eye could see. As horrifying as the images on TV are, they in no way compared to seeing the damage first hand. Entire buildings leveled, cars on top of houses, cars in houses. I remember saying a silent prayer to myself that the storm missed my home. Selfish I know, but I couldn't help it. It was with tears in my eyes that we began pulling trapped survivors out of the rubble.
Hardest hit were the mobile homes. And what age group makes up the largest percentage of mobile home tenants...the elderly. Many of whom had no insurance because they couldn't afford it. Thousands had ridden out the storm in their trailers as they had no where else to go, or had no way to get there if they did. Blind, arthritic, ill, or mentally challenged.....Charley didn't discriminate. Thousands now have nothing....not even a trailer to call home.
And the looters. The worst of the worst. Despite being a cop, I just can't fathom how a human being could be so evil as to steal the last remaining possessions from someone who had just lost everything. Patrols are running day and night trying to deter these.....bast*rds, from stealing. I can only hope that these people someday get what they deserve.
Mercifully, there has been an outpouring of love and support for victims of the storm. Supplies of every kind are being shipped in by the ton. And every one of them is needed. Power isn't expected to be fully restored for 6 weeks. Law enforcement, fire rescue, and public utility crews are working around the clock as progress is slowly being made. But for many people, things will never really be quite the same. How can they be after a disaster such as this? My heart goes out to them.
Well enough of my rambling. I'm not sure why I wrote this. Maybe it was to help me come to terms with the horrors of what I saw (much of which I didn't mention here)....maybe it was to help those of us who were fortunate enough to have escaped the storm to realize just how lucky we were.....I don't know. All I can say is if you are somehow able to donate or help those poor people, please do so. Anything you can offer is greatly needed and I know from first hand experience that it is even more greatly appreciated.
The following website and numbers have been graciously provided by the absolute sweetheart jev04again. They are numbers you can call should you wish to donate anything from a roll of toilet paper to cash. As I stated earlier, anything you can do is greatly needed. A special heartfelt thanks to you Sunni....you are the best :)
1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) English speaking.
1-800-257-7575 Spanish Speaking.
1-800-220-4095 For TDD Operator.
Donate by using their secure web site:
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html
Thanks for reading.
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Epinions.com ID:
scotte1218
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Location: Bradenton, FL
Reviews written: 99
Trusted by: 18 members
About Me:
A penny saved is......not much.
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