Irma

Punta Gorda getting slammed with a 15 foot storm surge. My father-in-law is expeting a total loss of his home.
 
Neighbor says I lost the lanae screening as did she plus one overturned planter that may not be broken. Contractor called and said he was checking as well and that power lines were down on way to my house.
 
Live in Boca. A lot of trees down. No power. If I didn't go to my mother in laws house for hurricane, my car would have been smashed. Big tree fell in my driveway. I can just imagine the damage the west coast of Fl. got. Other than that O.K. So can't really complaign. That said , A hurricane really disrupts ones life. Glad to hear you are ok, Fuchsia.
 
venice reporting (70 miles south of tampa). lost 3 lanai screens & a tree. never lost power.
1/3 of sarasota county still without power since sunday.
winds came through at 60plus, gusting to 80. sounded like there was a freight train in the living room.
monsoon rain from 7:40am sunday until 11am monday.
just drove around town. many trees down. most businesses closed. half the gas stations empty.
 
I always thought a lanai was a covered area that opens up to the patio. Love my lanai can be outside in the shade or covered during rain & sun. Lost power for 49 hours. Just came back on. Very fortunate on the East Coast, some parts of the West Coast were also spared as the storm veered West. Not much you can do if you were right on the beach. Have a friend who has a restaurant on the end of the peninsula in Boca Grande. Worried about that.
 
Glad to hear you guys are ok. Gman how did your father in law make out in Punta Gorda ?
 
Glad to hear you guys are ok. Gman how did your father in law make out in Punta Gorda ?
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Minor damage. Much better than was expected! Thanks for asking.
 
Funny story now that the madness has passed. Five years ago my wife and I purchased a second home (future retirement home in Bradenton, Florida). I do the walkthrough with the Agent. I see this pile of steel in the garage and I ask the guy what the hell is that. I thought maybe the construction crew didn't finish. The answer is "well you may want to keep those as they are your hurricane shutters". Dumb ass am I. ;)

So bring it forward five years. I am down there for Labor Day weekend. Neighbors are in freak out mode. On Tuesday before the storm. I waited 1/2 hour or so to fill up rental car. We were luckily, flying out by Wednesday. Next day no gas anywhere. I see my neighbor who is from New Jersey (originally) and he lives there full time now. He comes over to me and says "I finally figured out what these things are". "Hurricane shutters but I have no f-in clue how to install them".

Needless to say I didn't even try to install them figuring if I did they may cause more damage if installed improperly. I made out with no to minor damage at least according to neighbors.
 
Funny story now that the madness has passed. Five years ago my wife and I purchased a second home (future retirement home in Bradenton, Florida). I do the walkthrough with the Agent. I see this pile of steel in the garage and I ask the guy what the hell is that. I thought maybe the construction crew didn't finish. The answer is "well you may want to keep those as they are your hurricane shutters". Dumb ass am I. ;)

So bring it forward five years. I am down there for Labor Day weekend. Neighbors are in freak out mode. On Tuesday before the storm. I waited 1/2 hour or so to fill up rental car. We were luckily, flying out by Wednesday. Next day no gas anywhere. I see my neighbor who is from New Jersey (originally) and he lives there full time now. He comes over to me and says "I finally figured out what these things are". "Hurricane shutters but I have no f-in clue how to install them".

Needless to say I didn't even try to install them figuring if I did they may cause more damage if installed improperly. I made out with no to minor damage at least according to neighbors.
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One of my relatives had a similar story. A pile of these in her garage and not sure if she even had them all. Luckily she found a handyman in her development to install them, and luckily all the pieces were there. Even better, they were brand new and apparently never used before. Her home sustained minor damage (small hole in roof) and her lanai lost several panels, the ceiling fan and both screen doors. All in all Florida dodged a giant bullet.

The USVI, especially St. John, was nowhere near as fortunate.

I wrote Father Tracy an email in reply to his "St. John's University response to victims of Hurricane Irma". I read the email to basically say we are praying for you, when I expected a strong and organized effort to mobilize the St. John's community to assist monetarily or with service trips, etc. Basically, I said prayers help for sure, but prayers aren't going to give people shelter, food, or access to health services.
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
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Thanks for sharing that harrowing story. In Florida it's easy to get a dog registered as a service dog, and even easier to get one registered as a therapy dog. It can be done online. It's a scam in many cases, obviously.

Last year I flew in and out of FTL instead of RSW to save a decent amount of money for 4 plane tix. Never again. The patrons in the airport were rude and abrasive, and were cutting the car rental bus lines. I threatened someone behind me who had edged in front of me to "not even try it, and get back".

In fla when the weather is hot and there are stressful conditions, people start behaving like animals. I settled on the west coast and glad I did. The less congested an area is, the better. Also and not nice to say, the fewer New Yorkers there are, the better. The east coast just has too many.

Sorry for all that damage. Our building management cleaned out all the refrigerators without tenants asking, which was great. Still unsure of the extent of damage to our condo, and sorry you had such a rough time of it. I canceled a trip down there this week to check things out (was going anyway) because I was told that there is still a lot of cleanup work, gas lines, restaurants closed, and supermarkets unstocked.
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
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Sorry to hear about your ordeal Ray. Hopefully. the damage is minimal.

All these so called "service dogs" is a crock. Ruins it for the few people that really need the help.

Anyone else noticed the amazing increase in wheel chair fliers? I know their are many older folks who genuinely need the assistance. True story. I am sitting at JFK they line up six wheelchairs. JetBlue offers pre-boarding even before folks who have paid extra or are Mint (premium). They wheel this one lady onto the plane. She has seat on flight right next to me. After we land, stewardess comes up and whispers to her to "please stay in your seat until we get a gate agent with the chair". She tells the lady "oh don't worry I don't need anymore help". Once the doors open she proceeds to sprint down the jetway into the Tampa terminal. Even the stewardess had to laugh. She turns to me and says, "I see that almost every day".
 
I had some damage but not like you and Beastie are describing. Still up North and she who must be obeyed wants to stay here until November but her crazy husband wants to get things fixed sooner. Ray, PM me re: where is your place.
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
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Sorry to hear about your ordeal Ray. Hopefully. the damage is minimal.

All these so called "service dogs" is a crock. Ruins it for the few people that really need the help.

Anyone else noticed the amazing increase in wheel chair fliers? I know their are many older folks who genuinely need the assistance. True story. I am sitting at JFK they line up six wheelchairs. JetBlue offers pre-boarding even before folks who have paid extra or are Mint (premium). They wheel this one lady onto the plane. She has seat on flight right next to me. After we land, stewardess comes up and whispers to her to "please stay in your seat until we get a gate agent with the chair". She tells the lady "oh don't worry I don't need anymore help". Once the doors open she proceeds to sprint down the jetway into the Tampa terminal. Even the stewardess had to laugh. She turns to me and says, "I see that almost every day".
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For the reason that you described, the daily Southwest Airlines flight from Islip to West Palm Beach has been properly dubbed "The Miracle Flight"

On a flight holding 135 or so passengers,. I have seen 30+ people boarding from wheelchairs and maybe 1 or 2 people requiring them at the arrival gate

These people are scam artists. It's their way of not having to pay the $15 fee to board first..
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your ordeal Ray. Hopefully. the damage is minimal.

All these so called "service dogs" is a crock. Ruins it for the few people that really need the help.

Anyone else noticed the amazing increase in wheel chair fliers? I know their are many older folks who genuinely need the assistance. True story. I am sitting at JFK they line up six wheelchairs. JetBlue offers pre-boarding even before folks who have paid extra or are Mint (premium). They wheel this one lady onto the plane. She has seat on flight right next to me. After we land, stewardess comes up and whispers to her to "please stay in your seat until we get a gate agent with the chair". She tells the lady "oh don't worry I don't need anymore help". Once the doors open she proceeds to sprint down the jetway into the Tampa terminal. Even the stewardess had to laugh. She turns to me and says, "I see that almost every day".
Click to expand...


For the reason that you described, the daily Southwest Airlines flight from Islip to West Palm Beach has been properly dubbed "The Miracle Flight"

On a flight holding 135 or so passengers,. I have seen 30+ people boarding from wheelchairs and maybe 1 or 2 people requiring them at the arrival gate

These people are scam artists. It's their way of not having to pay the $15 fee to board first..
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They also grab the overhead space avoiding the extra bag charge. Sad, but true.
 
Flew back into town yesterday after listening to my county government almost 2 weeks ago and evacuating my sea level home not far from the beach. As those in hurricane prone states should know, you can hide from wind but not from water. A lot of people I know that decided to stay told me they will go anywhere they can to avoid the mental trauma of going through another storm.

My fences are destroyed, all trees except for the palms are total losses. Roof damage , ceiling leaks. House stinks with humidity. Can't see what's behind the walls.

My evacuation experience was like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Drove from Southeast Florida to Orlando to catch a flight (long story) to NYC. Shuttle bus ride from from hell. Waited what seemed like forever in 94 degree heat to catch the shuttle bus from long term parking. People cut me off to catch the first. A while later another comes. No A/C. Bus driver drives for 5 minutes and shut off the bus and walked out. I looked out the window and he's running to a port o potty. People and cats and dogs are inside roasting, wondering why this guy had to take a dump at that moment. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eight hours at the airport as flight was delayed. Three dogs in tow, stuck in dog carriers. $600 RT just for the dogs. Flight home canceled, so I had to wait for the weekend to come home. With a 4 dog per cabin limit, not easy to find a flight. Orlando airport looked like the Dog Show at MSG. One note on dogs: Lots of Poms and Yorkies walking on leashes, no carriers. Turns out the owners told me they are 'companion dogs" for stress. The owners don't need a carrier and paying nothing. I asked an owner how much training her "service dog" needed. Answer: "None, he makes me feel better". So do my dogs, but I still paid the $600 and about $250 more in pet carriers. Airlines can't do a thing about it.

As one friend reminded me though, if you get your family to safety, you are ahead of the game. Hope all my fellow Floridians got through this with their mental and physical health intact, and with homes that can be repaired. I'm going to have to become a snowbird and stay away from Florida during the hurricane season. I'm too old for this.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your ordeal Ray. Hopefully. the damage is minimal.

All these so called "service dogs" is a crock. Ruins it for the few people that really need the help.

Anyone else noticed the amazing increase in wheel chair fliers? I know their are many older folks who genuinely need the assistance. True story. I am sitting at JFK they line up six wheelchairs. JetBlue offers pre-boarding even before folks who have paid extra or are Mint (premium). They wheel this one lady onto the plane. She has seat on flight right next to me. After we land, stewardess comes up and whispers to her to "please stay in your seat until we get a gate agent with the chair". She tells the lady "oh don't worry I don't need anymore help". Once the doors open she proceeds to sprint down the jetway into the Tampa terminal. Even the stewardess had to laugh. She turns to me and says, "I see that almost every day".
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Great story - that's one of my pet peeves - phony wheelchair necessity.

I also hate when people line up to board early with kids as old as 12 years old. If they need more time to board, they should also remain seated at the end of the flight because they need more time to exit.
 
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