In the Aftermath

WOW! I'm not sure what other words to use. I haven't ever experienced anything like that before and I hope I don't have to again. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the people in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area when Hurricane Charley came ashore at full force because it was more than I wanted to experience when it hit Orlando rated at a 2. You could fill the tremendous force of the storm as it swirled around our house. It's hard to produce words to describe it. The lights kept flickering in and out but thankfully we never lost power for more than a few minutes. As we tried to catch glimpses of the storm outside it was obvious that the rain was coming in horizontally and changing direction at every whim. There was also an eerie glow illuminating the night sky and the windows rattled with every gust.

The next morning we got up and got our first look at the seriousness of the aftermath. Trees were pulled out of the ground, billboards destroyed, houses damaged, roads blocked, power lines down, traffic lights out. It was a feeling of mass chaos and utter disbelief. My heart goes out to those that experienced much worse. WOW! What an unbelievable exhibition of power and force. I'm thankful that God is ultimately in control of something so unpredictable as nature.

If you would like to check out some pictures from my parents neighborhood check out the link below. Then click on the "2004 photos" link and then on "hurricane charley." The pictures might be best viewed in a slideshow format.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v214/darlingmc/

Blessings