Offline for a few days this weekend, I was unaware of the hurricane when it was happening. That changed Saturday morning when E. got a message from my parents in Fort Myers, who (with thinly disguised irritation at getting voicemail) thought we'd like to know that they'd survived.
We read the newspapers and watched a few minutes of Headline News, but I didn't really get an idea of the intensity until I looked at the photos here. The local paper, which normally doesn't impress me, has done compelling coverage on its Web site, including forums, specific updates for various communities, harrowing photos, etc.
A first-hand account can be had here: the blogging of the hurricane.
The human damage is being well documented, but here's a striking statistic that leaped out at me:
The Edison-Ford Winter Estates said the most recent estimates are that 60 percent of the estates' trees are gone.
My parents did not go to a shelter, nor did they board up their windows or do any of the things you see people doing on TV. They stocked up on batteries and sat out the storm on cushions in the bathroom (although my mother confesses to getting up a few times and sneeking peeks out the window). Their condo wasn't hurt, although their power was off for a couple of days. This passage reminded me of their reaction:
Bob said that he endured the wrath of hurricane Charley in his home on the outh side of Cape Coral. His wife had gone to an emergency shelter, but he did not. He thought that the hurricane would switch paths and that it would not be much of a threat in the end. He was wrong. He said the house cracked and popped during the highest winds. There was also a loud roar. Amazingly, the house suffered very little damage. Other homes in that same area suffered major damage. Bob said that he will never again ignore warnings and will go to a shelter or evacuate elsewhere. He never wants to go through something like that again.
Like Bob, my folks are fine, but many people are homeless or hurt. Here's how to help.
Posted at August 16, 2004 07:01 PM