Yeah, It's a Post On Charley

So much to post. First, about the Hurricane. If you want to know what it’s like to go through one, no shit, no kidding, the best place to go is Blog Sis Tammi, at Road Warrior Survival. Hurricanes are scary and until you’ve been through one, you just never know how horrible they are.

As for what can be done for the people in FL, that’s a tough one. Right now, as Tammi and her friend LeeAnn posted, Red Cross is the best place to go for monetary donations. You can’t ship things to the areas, where are these folks going to keep them? Many have lost homes. The types of things these folks need you can’t provide. Things like ice, generators, and gasoline those are things that will be provided over time. Caravans full of people will show up from neighborhood to neighborhood bringing ice. I did it after Andrew. My sister in law and her husband lived in Kendall and lost damn near everything. They had evacuated up to us, so one day I took off work, we filled up my car with ice and she and I hauled ass down to Miami to her neighborhood delivering ice for coolers. Others were doing the same.

The thing is, it’s hot and sweltering now in Florida. It’s frickin’ August. These people have no power, their roofs are leaking, their windows are blown out, they are afraid for their safety, it is a frickin’ mess. Miserable is a huge understatement.

This is going to be a long damn haul for these folks. Long.Damn.Haul. When you drive through their neighborhoods you’ll eventually just see their insurance companies spray painted on their homes so the adjusters know where to go. Construction will be ongoing for months and probably years. Shysters come out of the woodwork and people price gauge. It is a stressful time both monetarily, mentally and emotionally. Honestly, some of these folks may never be the same.

As of now, there is not much you can do, although I know everyone wants to. As time progresses, there will be a call for things and I will do my best to keep you updated on what I hear. Right now, everyone is evaluating. It’s a bad situation. Period.

On a positive note, there is an outpouring from humanity. Linesmen from all over the country will come to help restore power. The local supermarkets will be doing what they can do to get people what they need. The community really pulls together and the nation helps.

So, to those of us on the outside I say, sit tight. The Red Cross knows what is needed now and as much as we want to help, there’s nothing much we can do other than DONATE TO THEM. But you can also send nice e-mails to Tammi. She needs something to lift her spirits. Doing a Cat4 is scary. Doing it alone is incredible.

I have a long ass post coming out tomorrow about Florida, hurricanes, what my big concerns are for our future, etc. I’m still getting it squared away.