Hurricane Charley

[entirelyturbo]

What a ride! Hurricane Charley slammed into Florida as a Category 4 hurricane yesterday (winds approx. 145mph). When it got to Orlando, it weakened considerably, but still had 105mph winds. It hit here around 8:30pm, power went out about 9:30pm, and the weather susbsided around 10:30pm.

I awoke this morning to find the expected: branches and leaves all over the neighborhood, but I also found a tree in my backyard that used to belong to the high school behind me . I could have fared worse though, the guy across the street has TWO trees on his roof Power wasn't restored until about 3pm, just when I was getting concerned about food in the refrigerator.

I took my Legacy to my college's parking garage and just picked it back up an hour ago, it was fine. My XT rode the night out in my 1-car garage.

All in all, it wasn't terrible, definitely an experience being my first hurricane and everything, but it was more thrilling than scary. I don't mean that I am asking for another, more thrilling hurricane however

[legacy92ej22t]

Wow, that would be carzy. I'm glad you and your girls made it through ok.

I've been in blizzards that put down about a foot of snow an hour out west, I've seen tornadoes up close and personal, been in lightening storms that made me shake they were so scary (I've come very close to being struck on 2 occasions) but I've never been in a hurricane.....

[petridish38]

It was a close call for me in Gainesville. Earlier, we were right in the middle of its projected path, but it decided to turn earlier than expected and hit farther south. If it would have taken the projected path, it looks like I would have got it pretty bad.

Subyluvr is right though, hurricanes can be pretty thrilling, but they can easily go from thrilling to downright scary.

I got this pic from AOL news or something.... is that an XT in the carport? its hard for me to tell....

http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/ ... 3109990001

Andrew

[THAWA]

good to hear you guys made it out okay

[entirelyturbo]

is that an XT in the carport?

It is! An 87.5 or later...

I know none of us remember Hurricane Donna, which came right through Central Florida in 1960 (two hurricanes converged to form it, had two eyes)? Well, for the longest time, it was regarded as the most destructive hurricane to hit this area, but now, simply because of the number of fallen trees and the damage resulting from that, I'm hearing Charley may have been worse!

[evolutionmovement]

I thought Andrew was the worst.

Steve

[THAWA]

naa, andrew's alright, once you get to know him

[BAC5.2]

My buddy lives in FL now, and said he was driving DURING the hurricane.

He said it was NUTS. He NAILED a cone that was literally flying across the road. Put a scuff in the bumper of his brand new 2004 Dodge Hemi Ram 1500 (Rumble Bee Package).

[Yukonart]

Damn. . . last time I was in FL was back in August of 1992. By the time I caught my flight home from being there 10 days, I got out of there less than a week before Andrew hit.

All I really remember well are all the large thunderstorms that would hit the Orlando area almost daily. One was so violent, they closed much of Disney World for that day.

[isotopeman]

I got this pic from AOL news or something.... is that an XT in the carport? its hard for me to tell....
Andrew

Aaaahhhhh. I couldn't get past knowing that kid is making hub and bottom bracket rebuilds on his bike necessary sooner - much sooner. Sorry, I now let you return to the on-subject replies.

[isotopeman]

then again...
I just saw some pics on CNN. I thought only tornadoes picked trailer parks to attack.

[THAWA]

it was a hurricane though

[isotopeman]

right. I'm just not used to associating pictures of torn-up mobile homes with hurricanes.

[entirelyturbo]

I thought Andrew was the worst.

I just meant the Central Florida area, Andrew hit South FL. Andrew is to this day, the most destructive natural disaster in world history. It caused over $26 billion worth of damage.

[evolutionmovement]

Ah. Yeah, I knew it was really bad, just didn't realize what part of Florida. Still waiting for a reply from an ex girlfriend I emailed to see if she was OK. She's works in a camp for troubled kids (and drives a WRB WRX) somewhere in the Orlando area (I was down there once, but dammed if I can remember exactly where).

Steve

[isotopeman]

Andrew is to this day, the most destructive natural disaster in world history. It caused over $26 billion worth of damage.

How does Andrew, with a death toll of less than 50 people, weigh in as more destructive than other natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, whose deaths and homeless number in the hundreds of thousands? I understand that the homes we build today are a little more complex than most of those of centuries past or even those of less developed regions of the world today, but we're also more resilient (spelling?) from such disasters. We would be able to rebuild and resume normal living without risk of exposure to the elements or starvation from temporary loss of crops or livestock. It would seem odd to guage a disaster's destructiveness with an ethnocentric monetary system. This reasoning could be taken too an extreme though. Such as, when does a mass-extinction event no longer count as destructive, but as a means of forcing life or even society to progress?
I do realize too that I'm rambling about opinions. So long as it's clear that I'm not trying to argue, I would like to hear other thoughts and opinions about it.