I live about 30 miles from where the eye of Hurricane Charlie traveled through. My area in Brevard County Florida received little damage. Recently I had a chance to drive over to Orlando, and was able to assess some of the damage from driving on the main roads. 5 days is barely anytime in regards to recovery, and there was still plenty to be seen.
Pictures do a much better job in showing the damage, but they make it difficult to gather the scope or magnitude of the damage. I was so disheartened when I saw old oak trees, probably 50-80 years old turned over on their sides. It was as if vandals of a higher order came into town and just wrecked havoc everywhere. I saw hundreds of trees turned over, but signs and roofs were seriously damaged as well.
I was so impressed to see a command center at the Florida Mall, with hundreds of trucks, being dispatched to make repairs throughout central Florida. Yet, I wonder. I can only imagine how hard the lineworkers are working to restore power, in both the extreme heat and rain.
I wonder what will happen to all the trees that have fallen over. Will there be any priority to remove them from their location, or if it is even possible to save the trees. To see the damage will weigh you down, because it seems never ending.
I’ve survived Earthquakes and now Hurricanes, and can count myself very lucky.
http://www.cfbb.org/
http://www.redcross.org/