Monday
Sep202004
Hurricane Ivan
Monday, September 20, 2004 at 12:14PM
In other news, we had an exciting weekend in Atlanta...my Florida Panhandle refugees (mom- and dad-in-law) made it up from Pensacola Wednesday afternoon, and we all watched the Weather Channel (old people's MTV) all day and night as Ivan hit Florida and cleared a path on up into Georgia...until our power went out Thursday night through late Friday. Fortunately, Mom and Dad had brought their generator up with them, so we had power for the essentials on Friday. It's so strange in Atlanta, though, to have these things hit and lose power (happens every time in our neighborhood), so you feel like a disaster victim...until you drive down the street to get coffee at Starbucks and spend the day at the Mall because the businesses surrounding our neighborhood never seem to lose power.
Unfortunately, Ivan hit Florida and Alabama much harder--Pensacola was devastated, and there is no Starbucks or Mall down the street to ride it out. My in-laws had early reports of severe damage to their house from their neighbors who stayed, and the power outages are expected to continue up to three weeks down there. Friday and Saturday were very difficult days for the people who were down there--no power, no water, and for a time they couldn't even go outside due to the danger of high winds and flying debris. Nobody knew what to expect, and my in-laws had images of a huge hole in their roof, with the rain pouring in ruining walls, carpeting, furniture...They were in constant contact (by cell phone) with their neighbors and out-of-state family and friends who were worried about them. They spent Saturday shopping in Atlanta, loading up their SUV with groceries, water, gas, and roofing supplies to take back down to Pensacola for themselves and their neighbors. They made it home Sunday afternoon and discovered the damage was not so bad--the big hole in the roof is over the garage, not the kitchen, and there is a lot of debris and a lot of shingles missing, but all in all, not too bad.
Who knows what the future holds for Florida? Three major hurricanes within weeks and so much devastation--our thoughts are with all the people in Florida and the Carribbean who are recovering, rebuilding, and wondering what's next.
Unfortunately, Ivan hit Florida and Alabama much harder--Pensacola was devastated, and there is no Starbucks or Mall down the street to ride it out. My in-laws had early reports of severe damage to their house from their neighbors who stayed, and the power outages are expected to continue up to three weeks down there. Friday and Saturday were very difficult days for the people who were down there--no power, no water, and for a time they couldn't even go outside due to the danger of high winds and flying debris. Nobody knew what to expect, and my in-laws had images of a huge hole in their roof, with the rain pouring in ruining walls, carpeting, furniture...They were in constant contact (by cell phone) with their neighbors and out-of-state family and friends who were worried about them. They spent Saturday shopping in Atlanta, loading up their SUV with groceries, water, gas, and roofing supplies to take back down to Pensacola for themselves and their neighbors. They made it home Sunday afternoon and discovered the damage was not so bad--the big hole in the roof is over the garage, not the kitchen, and there is a lot of debris and a lot of shingles missing, but all in all, not too bad.
Who knows what the future holds for Florida? Three major hurricanes within weeks and so much devastation--our thoughts are with all the people in Florida and the Carribbean who are recovering, rebuilding, and wondering what's next.