Today has come and gone. No winds, no rain, no power outages. No panic, no flooding, no damaged, no storm surge. Evacuations have been lifted for several counties and people are free to return to their homes.
We sat in the direct path of the storm. A storm almost as bad as they come. And Fate intervened. It turned just slightly from it's due-north path to the east. Hitting land south of us and saving us from it's wrath.
So calm has it remained all day that it seems surreal. The map shows it so close and yet we sit, still, quite and restful.
The storm rips through the state, but leaves us (yellow arrow) untouched
It is nothing short of a miracle for those of us here. And a nightmare for those to our south and south-east. Many people who fled this area for points inland are not dealing with what they had thought to outrun. Orlando, while inland and as such, feeling a weakening storm, is still awash in heavy rains and high, high winds.
As the sun sets on this day, it's hard to express my feelings on it. Dread and worry and constant waiting, only to find last minute deliverance. The build-up that never gave release. Do not misunderstand, I am not saddened that the hurricane spared us, just, I feel so spent after such continual vigilence.
Spared we were though. No damage. No rain. No winds. An eerily calm day that failed to birth the monster we had all be dreading. The local NBC network is airing the Olympic Opening Ceremony after finding little left to talk about. So off I am to watch that.
So for now, this concludes the chronicalling of Hurricane Charley. Another bullet dodged and another disaster averted. The storm that could have been but wasn't. I know our neighbors to the south and south-east only wish they could say the same and my thoughts go out to them. Thank you all for your kind wishes. Who knows? Such things might have helped shape the course of this storm.
~ flowers bloom near Memory and Dream
at 8/13/2004 08:30:52 PM ~
~
