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I Love Teddies South Florida
Posts: 1,684
Website

Hi everyone,

I have no idea how I'm going to get caught up on all these posts.  It's Monday and we received power last Thurs; we were out about a week and a half.  The boil water alert was lifted last Thurs. or Fri.  Our satellite TV is still out but I'm just happy we have power.  I still know some people who don't have power.  After a couple of days of no power, we went to Orlando with my mom, who also didn't have water or phones.  She got power first so then we stayed with her when we got back.  Damage down here was widespread.  I know 2 people who lost their roofs; I know at least one of those houses will have to be rebuilt (these weren't mobile homes either).  A tree fell partly on my car but luckily it's just a lot of scratches.  A power pole and transformer was leaning on our building but now it's been fixed.  Many windows on high rise condos were blown out as well as many buildings in downtown Ft. Laud were really damaged.  We saw many windows blown out in retail stores and offices.  Every yard has huge piles of debris in it, and now all that vegetation is dead and brown.  DH said it looks like winter up north because so many leaves are gone.  Everything looks a little depressing still.  There was a lot of tornadic activity.  We saw cars piled up.  A neighbor across from my mom has a bar and tarp in their backyard; the tarp was picked up and put in the front yard and the bar went over my mom's house and into her neighbor's roof.  Lots of things like this happened.  Many of the major intersection stoplights are working now but many smaller intersections still don't have working stoplights.  It's been weird driving around without stoplights.  Many trees are just stumps now.  Non-native trees don't do well in hurricanes.  Life is slowly getting back to normal except for those who have roof or other severe damage.  Grocery stores still don't have everything in stock yet but most things are there.  My fridge is very clean (b/c I threw everything away so it was easy to clean when it was empty).  I'll try to post some pics if I can figure it out.

Added: During the storm, our windows were shaking.  We had the eyewall and then it got quiet when we were in the eye.  Then we went through the other eyewall and it was much worse.  I had never been through the eye.  I've lived across the street from the beach so we always evacuated when storms came (I stayed for one when I was a baby but I don't remember that). 

I hope everyone is doing well.  I hope you didn't have too much fun while I was away.   bear_original

Dilu Posts: 8,574

Awww Chrissie so glad you are empowered once again!!!  Welcome home!

bear_tongue

Jennskains Posts: 2,203

It is good to have you back!  My Grandma lives in florida as well. :hug:

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,683

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Oh wow, Chrissie . . . that all sounds just awful!!  The power of natural disasters is overwhelming!  So glad you are back with us and that you have your electricity back on.  Guess it will be awhile before everything is back to normal . . . if it ever is.  Take care and big hugs.

Laura Lynn Teddy Bear Academy
Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 3,653
Website

Laura Lynn Banner Sponsor

Oh Chrissie!

I'm so sorry!!!  BUt glad you are OK!   :hug:

Just Us Bears Just Us Bears
Australia
Posts: 940

What a frightening experience for you all Chrissie! I have never experienced a hurricane or seen a tornado personally, but your description sure helps my imagination...scary!
I can't imagine how it must be to be many floors up in a highrise and have your windows blown out.....ugh!
Glad you're back and safe and sound. :clap:

WildThyme Wild Thyme Originals
Hudson, Ohio
Posts: 3,115

Glad to hear that you are safe and sound!!!! My aunt and uncle live in Naples..... their home did just fine.... built to withstand things like that, but all their trees are ruined....  :cry:
Good to see you back... knew you were in FL, so I assumed that it was just gonna take a while to get the power back.   :rose:

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Deb Upstate New York
Posts: 1,650

Glad you're back with us Chrissie!  :hug:

Delartful Bears Delartful Bears
Australia
Posts: 3,518

Welcome back Chrissie, sorry to hear about your terrible time.

Danni

kbonsall Kim-Bee Bears
Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,645

Glad you are ok....  :hug: a couple that got married the same day that my hubby and I did went down around S. Florida the last week of Oct for their 1 yr anniversary and said it was still a mess.  They couldnt find gas or anywhere to eat (a restaurant) so they ate cookies and junk food for a couple days....

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

:dance: Chrissie,

I'm so glad you're okay and back with us. What a frightening experience (shudder). Let's hope the season is over for a while.

Eileen

doodlebears Doodlebears
UK
Posts: 7,414

doodlebears Celebration Ambassador

Yeesh Chrissie, that sounds so scarry. I experienced one lot of bad weather some years ago and we lost the roof off of our house. My neighbours huge tree fell done and crashed in through their kitchen. The whole area for many miles was disrupted with thousands of trees uprooted, roofs damaged and hundreds of cars smashed by debris. My husband wasn't able to get to the school where he taught for three days and when he did four of the classrooms were flattened. It was a blessing that the storm came a night.

Jane.

I Love Teddies South Florida
Posts: 1,684
Website

Thanks for all the well-wishes.  Only 22 days left of hurricane season! I think all Floridians will be having a party.  :bday:

Jane, that sounds like scary weather you had a few years ago. 

Kim, glad your aunt and uncle are fine in Naples. 

I'm going to add some pics we took.  I'm not sure how to add them yet; I'll think I'll figure that out tomorrow.

Carolyn Green Draffin Bears
Auckland New Zealand
Posts: 5,354
Website

Oh Chrissie - how terrible for you and so glad that you have the power back on and you
are ok. Here's hoping that the weather, will be calm and you can get back to your normal life.

Hugs Carolyn

I Love Teddies South Florida
Posts: 1,684
Website

Wilma-pic-7.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-6.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-5.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-4.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-3.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-2.300x225.jpgWilma-pic-1.300x225.jpgHere are some pics.

1. This is a road by our home.
2. Utility pole that fell on our building.
3. Bank that had its large windows blown out.
4. Building that stored boats collapsed.
5. Cars that got overturned.
6. A limo that got overturned.
7. My car.

rufnut Rufnut Teddy's
Victoria Australia
Posts: 2,725

Chrissie, Wow what devastation, glad your o.k.  :hug:

Terrie Terries Bears
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 3,614

Chrissie, It is nice that you are home again. Wow! it is hard to imagine the devastation in your area. It is going to take a long time for everyone to get back to normal. Thanks for all of the imformation you have given us, it would be aweful to be without  power for that long let alone all of the rest of it.

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Geez.  I just took a look at this thread for the first time and those pictures really speak.  I ccan't imagine facing nature's fury like that, all hurrican season long, every season.  Do people feel so tied to their homes near the coast that they just take it, year after year, never thinking seriously about leaving for less turbulent areas?  I guess so; home is home, after all, no matter how rain-saturated.  Wow.  I just had no idea.

Chrissie, I'm especially glad you're okay now that I've seen these pictures.  It's hard, being so unfamiliar with how these things work, to get my head around the kind of damage and destruction possible from these big storms.  Now I know.

Thanks for posting these -- very informative and interesting -- and for letting us know you're back and okay.

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