Glad to hear so many have been mostly spared. Still waiting to see LilMsFoodie and GoTravel check in. Patrick, glad you're ok. That phone lesson was learned just a year ago today by many in the northeast when we lost power.

I'm so happy to hear that so many of the Fodorite voices that we've been "hearing" for the past couple of years are alive and well. I know what you mean about the tears welling up - one of my closest friends narrowly escaped getting killed in a terrible traffic accident at the beginning of the week, and both she and I get caught by wells of huge emotion from time to time. It's a life-changing experience. Our thoughts continue to be with you and with all of the others who had to face this.

Katherine:
One thing you and others could do is contact the Red Cross or local hospital about giving blood. Surely the number of injuries will be cutting into the blood supply. All it takes is about an hour or less of your time, and it is virtualy painless.

It's so good to hear from the Florida folks that you came through it intact. I do hope we hear good news from others soon. My heart breaks for those who've lost so much.

Thanks Scarlett for the good wishes! We're sitting tight and hoping for the best.

I'm so glad to see that everyone checking in thus far was spared. Let's hope we continue to have good news like this.

The Red Cross is asking for $
1-800-HELP NOW

Also, just in case, we're keeping our home in it's present 'hurricane prepared' state for the time being. At least until we have a better idea of what is going on the other side of Barbados.
Keep your eye on the sky!

I'm so happy to hear that many of our florida fodorites are doing ok!! And obxgirl, too! Here's hoping we hear from GoTravel and JAYNE soon, also. Prayers continuing for ALL in their recovery and rebuilding.

We live on the SE side of Orlando. Some pool enclosures blown over (not ours), trees down, etc. House faces south and the rain was actually blowing under our front door around 10:00 last evening. I just read on the Florida Sportsman Fishing Forum that Captiva Island is now split by a new channel.

Correction: That is North Captiva Island that is split in two.

I'm here.

I hate these storms. They change direction, speed, and force and people die.

My heart just breaks for those people in Punta Gorda.

I don't know why I did not think to do this sooner! I've come "over" from the Europe board , and I am so glad I did.

Ronkala, we have an elderly friend who lives alone down in St. Augustine so it is good to hear your report.
I still need to hear from a few others who live down there before I breath more easily.
You experienced the 1938 hurricane ?!!!

OO- until i read your post, I was "OK" ,but reading your words ddefinitely dampened my eyes.

Hibicushouse- I can not even begin to imagine what that relief felt like to you , to find that all was still standing.All I could think of was how I would feel tucking my children into bed
My thoughts are with all of those affected by this storm. It is so sad to hear about the damage and loss of life .

Hibiscushouse

oops, computer had mind of own and posted my reply before I was done. :(

anyway, I just wanted to finish up by saying I am glad that those of you who live down that way are checking in and relieving the anxieties of those of us far away.

Wish you all the best in the coming days ahead .

Hospitals blasted, crush injuries, bleeding bodies, inadequate government warning/response, 100's missing. Way Awful!
If the terrorists have anything to say, stick around, mis amigos.
M

A little more information on that mention of North Captiva Island being split into two parts.
Sanibel and Captiva used to all be connected. Hurricane Donna in 1960 created a new channel cutting between the two sections. This channel still exists today and is spanned by a bridge.
North Captiva Island was already separated from Captiva Island itself, and could only be reached by boat (or small plane). The new channel created yesterday by Charley doesn't affect a whole lot except for those people living on the island. Perhaps they will need to build a bridge to span that new channel.

Patrick, I am glad to hear you are OK. Sounds like you all came close to disaster. I haven't heard anything about Sanibel, one of my favorite places. Is it totally destroyed, or have you heard? I am on the East Coast, and we were spared by Andrew by less than 30 miles. My heart goes out to the people on the West Coast of Florida.

I'm so glad to see posts from all you Foridians. Hope LilMsFoodie's OK too.

Patrick, that phone advice is good for anyone anywhere. You don't need a hurricane to have a power outage and cell phones are only good as long as they are charged.

Just wanted to send thoughts & best wishes from here in Scotland. I've been lucky enough to visit Florida a couple of times, including a stay in Bonita Beach which I guess must have been close to the stricken area. I was shocked to see the scale of the damage & my heart goes out to all those affected.

All the best,

Jim

nanb,
Yes I was there for the '38 one. I remmember the stream behind the house flooding into our back yard and big oak trees having been blown over in the woods behind the house. I remember the ones in the forties better. My father would cut the trees up and I would have to help drag logs home through the woods
so we could have firewood for the furnace.

My sister lives about five miles north of St Augustine in a mobile home and said her only damage was a little water that seeped in along one window.

OK here in Gainesville, where we had only rain, no wind.

Thank you to all who expressed concern, it did help. When faced with potential devastation, unsure of the outcome of the next few hours, we who waited did take heart from a sense of connection with others.

Millions of Floridians remain without power. Many of those in the hardest hit areas may not be able to check in.

They may not be able to read our posts right now, but I believe that they can receive our thoughts, benefit from both nearby and far away prayers.

Perhaps for someone reaching the last of their strength, someone overwhelmed by loss, facing the immensity of the effort it will take to rebuild lives, our concern will help them hold on.

Well said, Croque Madame.

Hi ronkala...well actually I do give blood on a regular basis since I have a rare blood type I get a lot of calls.
I just feel that I can do more in addtion to donating blood and giving money to Red Cross...oh well I will stay on the look out and see if there are any specific needs

Stopping by from the Canada board to send thoughts to Florida posters.

My prayers are with you.

Judy_in_Calgary, it is nice to hear from you. Thank you for your thoughts.

Anyone looking for their loved ones, here is a number issued by the Red Cross: 1-866-GET-INFO.

Patrick, thanks for taking the time to give us that information. Sanibel and Captiva are two of my favorite places. It is upsetting to think of the destruction, loss of lives and injuries due to this storm. I send my thoughts and prayers to you and all the other people who were/are in its path.

Checking in from Alachua, a few miles NW of Gainesville. We prepared for the worst and at 5 AM this morning it was absolutely beautiful and cool outside, with a million stars showing. Just moved here from Orlando, and I wonder if my 50 foot oak tree in the front yard there survived the storm. My relatives there tell me there are a lot of missing roofs.

We all SO appreciate our fellow Fodorites in the path of the storm checking in, and know that others may not have power to do so at this time.

Still haven't heard from LilMsFoodie, Jayne, and a few others. So, let us know how you have fared when you can.

In the meantime, it's still so heart wrenching to watch the news and see how so many have suffered.

This evening I spoke with a friend whose brother lives north of Daytona, just off highway A1A. He got power back on right about 9 PM this evening. He rode out the storm at home and was glad he was there, the winds almost blew out a large window but he was able to do a quick fix to keep it from being blown out. He was glad Charley had weakened so much by the time it got to Daytona.

Whew, finally finished putting house & business back together (25 acres of containerized trees had to be untied, laid down, stood back up and re-tied). But thankfully, as others have said, we dodged the bullet once again. It's been a stressful week worrying about whether to evacuate our home with so many geriatric pets but double stress worrying about possibly losing our livlihood. Even though both husband and I are native Floridians and have been through many hurricanes, I don't think I'll stay put the next time one is bearing down on us. Yet, deciding where to evacuate to is daunting-my neighbor left for Orlando yesterday morning assuming she'd be out of harms way and ended up in 90 mile per hour winds, tornadoes, etc. If Tampa is a cat with 9 lives, I wonder how many she has left? I think I might be experiencing post-storm blues (definitely exhaustion): relieved for the Tampa Bay area but saddened for those who were not so fortunate and humbled by Mother Nature's wrath and unpredictability.

Jayne and family are fine, thank God. See her touching post under "Hurricanes, oh my".

My continued thoughts and prayers are with you all.

How is everyone today? You are all still in our thoughts and prayers. The loving concern within this forum just touches my heart. Anyone hear from LilMsFoodie?

We are planning a trip to Florida next winter so I have been accessing the Florida board regularly and recognize so many of the screen names of those in the area. We also have good friends who have a mobile home in Fort Myers area. I am still waiting to hear from her as to how they fared.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you Floridians.

Thank you for the thread...It began 9pm Friday for us and I have been through storms before but no one thought it would be like this...we still do not have power at the house (central FL)....by 9:30 I was in the hallway frightened...we awoke the next morning to very few birds singing, but singing nonetheless..the air was as still as could be and it was like Christmas morning but the opposite-you don't want what you get when you wake up and run to the window...debris everywhere as the 3 oak and magnolia trees in the yard dumped large branches all over...part of the chimmney was in the backyard and the wooden fence was down...but the neighborhood came alive with the sound of saws and rakes, everyone pitching in and cleaning up....I found what I was made of during this and the people close to me...it is sad it takes such a disaster to bring the best out in people, but I am thankful even so....we went to the local store around the corner and in the parking lot saw a small tree tipped over..on the ground next to it was a baby dove that had been ejected out of his nest...he was alive and now lives with us...we had syringe fed one of our parrots since birth so we still had the supplies and knew what to do...he is getting some flight feathers and is eating and going to the bathroom....so we have hopes he'll make it...we named him Charley....

Anyone have any info on Northport? Have an uncle there in a trailer park.

Glad to hear our Floridian Fodorites are doing fine. I was thinking about you all. I also feel a connection with the Floridian Fodorites. Been so helpful to me for planning my Florida vacations. DH & I were just in shock at the devastation from Charley. Hope Lil Ms. Foodie is fine. She probably doesn't have any power. I know Heartburn is another Floridian. But I think she lives in Ft.Lauderdale area. Don't think that area got hit? You all have my thoughts and prayers!!

I am visiting from the Europe Board to say that it's so good to hear that many of you are OK, and to thanks everyone for all of your personal reports which are much more vivid than anything in the news.

To Croque madame, yes, I have learned firsthand the importance of sending messages of concern.

I have a really strong sense of how this event helps us know the preciousness, and unpredictability of life. The sense of the level of destruction in some areas is just heart-breaking. I think of all those folks left homeless.

Some of the posts have brought tears. As the days pass, I continue to keep all of you foremost in my thoughts.

Ronkala, My mom and aunt were there for that 1938 hurricane too!

Take good care of yourselves, especially in the coming weeks.

Life is a blessing!

Glad to hear many Floridians are okay. My heart goes out to those suffering from the storm.

Charley did little in Durham, NC. The storm Friday night (not hurricane related) was worse, and it's raining again today, but no damage.

Maybe we should plan some type of Florida GTG after the recovery to boost the local economy?

I would like to add my thanks here that everyone made it through the storm in good shape.
It does bring to mind what is important in life.

Ronkala - :O

Wednesday - good touch with your (naming) adopted baby bird :)
Glad to hear that things were not worse.

Thanks for all your well wishes.
We finally have our power back although we have a number of friends that still do not have power. The mess is big (and I'm in Orlando - not Ponte Gorda). Even though we have some significant damage, we are so lucky - it could of been so much worse. I've been watching TV this morning (haven't had TV since Friday about 9pm) and it gives me chills. My thoughts and prayers go to all in the Ponte Gorda area.
Thanks again for your thoughts.

Thanks nanb....everyone is still in a daze here, it's an odd feeling between stress, relief, and complete helplessness...power may take a week to be restored...it's very surreal...I am SO thankful I don't have physical or major property damage...it's devestating....we can't find ice anywhere, most traffic lights are out and you'll drive down a road only to find it blocked by a tree and have to turn around....the healing begins...