Wilma blows ......and SUCKS! Observations.

wallyburger · October 27th, 2005, 05:54 AM

I waited 50 years for the White Sox to make a World Series and the Wilma Bitch wiped ouit my series. Saw 1st game only. No biggie. I'll just wait another 50 years.

This storm kicked some serious hiney. My neighborhood looks like Beirut Lebanon on a bad day. My house is fine. Maintenance paid off.

My business building did well. No damage at all.

My Car restoration shop got seriously wounded. Mini tornado hit the roof and blew chunks out. It was Niagara Falls for 2 days. The '66 Mustang project car I just finished painting and color sanding took the roof pieces like shrapnel. The 39 Ford survived unscathed. Again no biggie. Called FEMA and they offered me a Small Business Administration Loan Packet. No thank you. They are the same people who laughed at me 24 years ago when I tried to get an SBA loan to start my current business. They said I didn't have a chance of succeeding. Well 24 years later, the business is doing just fine and has paid the bills unhaltingly and put food on the table for me and my employess without so much as a fart.

The people in storm centers fall into 2 main categpries, with a few exceptions.

Totally helpless or maniacs.

Night before the storm, shuttered up the business. Battened down the domicile. Whipped oot the portable lighting and power. Dusted off the canned goods. Locked up the water. Gassed up the vehicles.

Monday floated between the 3 locations and helped friends and son prepare. I get cabin fever real quick. Had to keep busy.

Tuesday storm started hitting in the middle of the night. Lost all power by 6:30 AM. So much for communications. Cell phone service took a dump. Hand crank radios worked well. I live in Boca and my businesses are in Deerfield. My son lives in Deerfield. Wilma started to get real personal by about 8:00. My girlfriend started doing the St Vitus Dance and freaking out on me. She took a Valium and or a Xanax. Had a little effect. Actually it was hilarious watching her run around in her Halloween jammies from room to room with a hand towel
mopping up water yelling about death and cursing God. She's an atheist. Go figure. Cabin fever took over and I went outside on the lee side. Very awesome. At 100 MPH crap started coming loose and flying. Then it got hairy. Kicked up near 150 mph and the Marriott across the pond started losing their corners about 12 stories up. The building started peeling away like a cheap hairpiece. Everything started rocking, literally. CNN doesn't show jack. This was the real deal. 2 hours later after steady pounding the eye started passing right ove Deerfield /Boca. Got hold of son on a rogue cell phone. He was taking a worse beating. Blown out windows et al.

Went out during the eye. Time to defacate and wonder how in hell anything was standing. People walking the street like a scene from the Night of the Living Dead. Believe me, the eye is a respite. The psyche needs a 20 minute break and the experts can kiss my big white hiney with this stay inside crap. If the storm doesn't kill you , the claustrophobia will. Now the wind starts kickin in again after about 45 minutes. The second half / back side was worse than the first side. It was steady pounding for about 2 more hours. I had to move my daily ride into the wind as it started tipping over from broadside hits.

Started subsiding by 1:00. Time to hit the road and bail son out. He was freaked but okay. Boarded up his blown out windows and started checking out business. Chain sawed my way into the business. It was an oasis in the middle of mayhem. Breathed a sigh of relief. Went over to the restoration shop and knew my luck was used up.

Checked on friends and started making plans.

95 % of 3 counties have no power. Why my ten block business area got ours back is astounding. No power at house. Telephone and internet service at office.

People are digging out. Fortunately, no water in this storm. 2-3 weeks for power restoration. Plenty of gasoline but no power to pump and these ass clowns are too greedy and /or stupid to use generators or hand pumps at the stations.

6 million freaked out people without a plan or sense.

See ya. Gotta go dig out some more.

Dback Jon · October 27th, 2005, 07:20 AM

Thanks for the blow-by-blow account of the storm - amazing stuff.

Glad you and your family are safe - and your main business is ok.

Djaughe · October 27th, 2005, 08:00 AM

Wow thats incredible stuff.

Hope to hear better (i.e. good) news!

40yearfan · October 27th, 2005, 11:27 AM

Good luck Wally. Glad to see you made it through. Too bad so few Floridians have as much common sense as you. You planned your survival and made sure it happened with minimal damage.

I salute you my friend. We might be polar opposites in political matters, but in life we are brothers.

swd1974 · October 27th, 2005, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40yearfan

Good luck Wally. Glad to see you made it through. Too bad so few Floridians have as much common sense as you. You planned your survival and made sure it happened with minimal damage.

I salute you my friend. We might be polar opposites in political matters, but in life we are brothers.

What a thing to go through. Hey Wally, remeber who it was that thought of your first

BTW how is it the most liberal guy I know plans his survival and handles his business like a good citizen does. But the other liberals use it as a great reason to siphon some government cheese.

Wally, you sure you dont have an elephant in your garage?

Just ribbin the liberals a bit.

CardLogic · October 27th, 2005, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallyburger

People are digging out. Fortunately, no water in this storm. 2-3 weeks for power restoration. Plenty of gasoline but no power to pump and these ass clowns are too greedy and /or stupid to use generators or hand pumps at the stations.
6 million freaked out people without a plan or sense.

Glad you are safe wally!

I have been saying for years that we Americans have had it so fat and sassy for so many years that when the crap hits the fan the majority of us will be unable to cope. New Orleans and what you report are evidence of it being the case.

"It's a hard rain gonna fall!"

wallyburger · October 27th, 2005, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40yearfan

Good luck Wally. Glad to see you made it through. Too bad so few Floridians have as much common sense as you. You planned your survival and made sure it happened with minimal damage.

I salute you my friend. We might be polar opposites in political matters, but in life we are brothers.

Thanx Pally.

wallyburger · October 27th, 2005, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swd1974

What a thing to go through. Hey Wally, remeber who it was that thought of your first

BTW how is it the most liberal guy I know plans his survival and handles his business like a good citizen does. But the other liberals use it as a great reason to siphon some government cheese.

Wally, you sure you dont have an elephant in your garage?

Just ribbin the liberals a bit.

I did note that response from you SWD and know it was sent with concern. We ain"t totally different. Thanx for the best wishes. It is appreciated.

P.S. Liberal in politics , survivor in life.

wallyburger · October 27th, 2005, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardLogic

Glad you are safe wally!

I have been saying for years that we Americans have had it so fat and sassy for so many years that when the crap hits the fan the majority of us will be unable to cope. New Orleans and what you report are evidence of it being the case.

"It's a hard rain gonna fall!"

Thanx for the concern, and I can't find faut in your assesment.