Just a few more notes about Charley and Florida:

[anarchy1999]

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=54222

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=54289

READER REPORTS IN FROM PUNTA GORDA WITH CONFIRMATIONS

Posted By: mailbag <Send E-Mail>
Date: Friday, 20 August 2004, 1:56 a.m.

Dear Raylean,

I live right in Punta Gorda Florida. I live in a Country Club Community just south of our Historic Town section. We are about 2 miles in from the harbor and about 3+ miles south of the main town. We were in the Eye of the storm.

Up until this am I didn't have access to the internet. I do now due to my husband's abilty to put an inverter on our Golf Cart so our Laptop can run on that power. We still DO NOT HAVE POWER! All around these Country Club Walls, are 3 older Moble Home Parks and the Encore RV Resort that has Park Models in it. This Encore park and the others around it are the ones that Lawgiver 1 was talking about.

Since I read his posts this AM, I can confirm that yes the damage is Far Greater than the media has shown. Today we were going all over to try to find ICE. We saw a total of 4 so-called National Guardsmen.

They were directing traffic at the Charlotte Co. Border tonight as it approached 9 Pm as we were returning from North Ft. Myers where we had our 1st healthy dinner in an A/C Restaurant.

The other 2 National Guardsment we saw this Am in Charlotte Harbor Intersection. They could be the same 2 we saw this Am. We also saw a WW2 Vintage Truck that probably was their means of transportation. (ALSO) NONE OF THE INTERSECTION'S IN PUNTA GORDA HAVE anyone Directing traffic.

In Charlotte Harbor & Port Charlotte ALL of the 4 way intesection's have Police, from all over the State directing traffic!

The Punta Gorda Isles Section (A very upper middle Class Section with big Canals Sail boats & Power Boats etc. We were over in that section today, when I found out that some people our family knew years ago - lost part's of their new residence there. We found them & saw the damage to that entire area.

The new houses there, 2002 etc. were on slighty damaged-but the older (& still lovely) homes that are there were severely damaged.

Our section, around our area of town , has totally flattened old Mobile homes. I do NOT see how the death total could be what the officials say! Our Country Club has homes that go back to approx. 14 years ago. Our section is the last and newest section.

The 2002 Homes + have everything up to code and are less damaged than the older ones. But these home's are reinfored Concrete Homes with tile roofs.

Our home was built in 2001 and we added total Hurricane Shutters. Our damage was lost tile(but not a whole lot. A hole made in the Bottle type glass (2 Squares) That is in back of the Garden Tub made by 2 missles of the Flat tile roof of our neighbor & an entire side, by this same neighbors house, that had deep gouges made by small bits of that same flat tile. We also lost a small 19' x 5' totally screened lanai. And we were prepared!!!!

Now the next thing that I totally agree with lawgiver1 about! We get our power right from the Rt.41 Power Grid that runs south to Ft. Myers. I watched TV until the storm hit and knew that the National Weather Bureau kept saying that the storm was going to hit near Tampa . But 1 Ft. Myers forcaster kept saying that he thought that the storm was turning East toward Sannibel Island.

(By the way, that is place that Porter Goss has a home).

However, even though they had damage there - the homes mostly were upscale homes and damage was mainly to older cottage type places--they showed pictures that basically showed that.

The other end of Sannibel where the Island of Captiva is got much worse damage esp. at the northern end. The storm then pased by Cape Coral (a very low lying town) and came right up Charlotte Harbor and up our beautiful Peace River etc. Terrible - unheard of damge to our historic town section and across the River in Charlotte harbor --the town! It kept right up through Deep Creek another upscale Development around a lovely Golf Course! Port Charlotte right next to it had bad damage too--especially the south western portion
(and it is a big area).

There are probaby 31 mobile home parks! But most of these parks were started in the early 50"s! I know of 2 NEW Parks with lovely manufactured Doublewide and Triplewide Homes that hardly had any damage. Yes they may have lost Carports - but the newer homes made to code since Andrew seemed to only loose external parts. the older homes in "Blue heron Pines didn't do as well. But the one we owned before we moved here just lot the Carport. The house was in bettershape then ours here. The new porch we put on was not damaged at all!!!

Ventura Lakes--near the Airport was also in the same type of siuation--and it is all NEW! This says a lot for Palm habor, Jacobsone, homes of Merit Homes that are in these new parks now! ALL OF THE OLDER PARKS THAT I KNOW ABOUT AND HAVE SEE,
INCLUDING "WINDMILL VILLAGE" are flattened!! TERRIBLE!

Another point--when the Bush family comes to visit in this area they go over to Boca Grande Island. Not too much has been said about what happened there.

But it is off Englewood--a town to the North West of Punta Gorda and Charlotte harbor and Port Charlotte. Englewood had some damage & so did that island, but I think it was minor in comparison. is housing some of the homeless!

Another Point! Up until the last few minutes they were telling up to prepare for a storm surge. The level here--in this section is 11' in the middle of our Living Rooms--they were saying it would be ,at least 10'. So we put our new sofa on top of the dining table, and put plastic bags on all the legs of the piano and Chairs etc. The bags, in fact are still there! ---What we got were 145-150 mile an hour winds and many here think tornados too!

Well--there is more, but I just wanted you to know that even before I got online I told my husband that this was the "Terror Attack' that they were planning as our economy was again really to FALL- just like 911! In the media they were even saying-after the Huricane- that this was Ground Zero!!!!!!!!!

(Now some of this is my opinion!!) Is Lawgiver1 saying this too? What do you think. I would be interested to know!

Keep up the great work that you do!



Lots more there, be discerning, or call it bs, SOMETHING isn't adding up. And yes, there is lots to not pay attention to at Rumor Mills.

But report after report verifying what we know is not sounding right?

Remind me once again, "Our government is here to take care of us, they would never lie, cheat or steal".

[freetobegay]

1. I live in North Fort Myers, I just got my power back last night.

I have to disagree with most everything said here. People were affected from Collier County all the way up to Orlando & everything in between (Thats most of Florida). I have to admit so far the Government has done a great job! This is something that should not be used politically, I will bust either side that tries to do so.

As for the National Guard, these people that i have ran into which have been many, have been nothing but friendly, courteous & helpful. I tip my hat to them.

This is my opinion from a person experiencing it first hand.

[anarchy1999]

2. Check in with snooper2, he has a friend in Ft Myer as well.

His report from his friend is a little off from yours.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=755739#757935

"I have a friend who lives in Tampa....not good, not good at all


100's of body bags ordered..

Bodies floating in the water..

he said it was real bad, talked to him yesterday morning..

80' oak tree through both sides of his brothers house (they are okay).."


Oh and by the way, who gives a damn about "SIDES"!

[freetobegay]

3. The difference between me & snooper2 is...

I don't have a friend in Fort Myers, I am in Fort Myers! Everything I see, hear & post is first hand, not second hand passed on by someone else.

[Birthmark]

6. It even went past Orlando.

My mother-in-law still doesn't have power and she lives in Volusia County.

[Misunderestimator]

4. I heard on local news (Tampa) that there are trucks carrying ice and water

that sat for days down there waiting for non-existent government warehousing to unload them. Shouldn't the guard be helping with that? Water and Ice?? Pretty darn basic needs for people with no running water or electricity.

[freetobegay]

5. I give up!

It seems like people here don't want to hear the truth, they just want to believe what some are reporting because it fits their ideology.

This is truely a sad day for DU.

[Misunderestimator]

7. Pardon me? I heard that on the local news. I'm not spinning a damn thing

Perhaps your experience is a good one. I'm glad for you. I have friends there that aren't experiencing such pleasantness. In fact, I work there every week, and won't be going down there for a few weeks because the hotel were I stayed asked me to give up my pending reservations in order for them to be able to extend the stays of people from Punta Gorda who are living there. There are 4 co-workers I know whose roofs have been completely destroyed and who will be subject to HUGE deductibles of more than $5,000 to replace them.

Did you have severe damage to your home?

[freetobegay]

9. Yes I do have damage

I am not saying life is a bed of roses for us right now either! What I am saying is that everyone involved is doing a great job on getting supplies to who needs them, Power is coming back on line everyday (it took 8 for me but I survived) there are hot meals for those who have no way of cooking Most Major banks (Bank Of America, Suntrust & some others) have been giving out free ice for days. Most grocery stores are still giving out free bottled water. Shelters are open for those who have no place to stay.

This was a category 4 hurricane it did a lot of damage! Now we are in the cleanup phase & so far I commend everyone that has helped & that includes local & state Government.

P.S. I have opened up my home to relief workers from Georgia as have many other residents, we are all pitching in to help anyway we can.

[Birthmark]

8. I disbelieve that hundreds were killed

However, I can tell you first hand that basic needs were NOT met in my area. FEMA *finally* opened an office in my county on Friday - but the office has no phones or computers. lol

Ice didn't make an appearance in my city until Tuesday. Gas was *very* difficult to find. It wasn't good. Perhaps things were better in Ft. Myers, but they sure as hell sucked from Orlando northward.

[freetobegay]

10. 1-800-621-FEMA

Has been open since 8/13/2004. It will be quicker for you than using the local FEMA office. Hope this helps you.

[Birthmark]

11. Thanks.

I don't need it personally, but I appreciate the info.