Things are way worse in Florida than the news has led us to believe. Hurricane Wilma was pretty devastating. A co-worker who lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida send the list below to me. It's nice to hear from her as she had no phone for two weeks. We all knew she was OK as her daughter relayed messages to us periodically. Here is part of her email:
Thanks for your patience and help. It is not pretty down here! Got my phone back yesterday but even more important was the electric. Finally came back Thursday late night. My development is about 7 years old...It looks like winter here, not a leaf left on a tree (those trees that are left standing!) Every single house has lost at least 2 trees (I lost 4!) I used to have a shade garden...now it's sun, but no big deal since all the plants were shredded and squashed. We had no water for 2 days, then a boil water for 10 days. Not fun! Luckily we had a generator and kept the fridge going and I take "hurricane season" seriously had lots of water, batteries, candles and food. Lost some roof tiles and gained an new respect for the tree cutters of the world, took us 3 days to cut the fallen trees and drag them to the street...75% of the traffic signals are still out...no stop signs standing...but we are all OK and that's the most important thing!
You have FEMA's number on your speed dialer.
Your SSN isn't a secret, it's written in Sharpie on your arms.
When describing your house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths, and one safe hallway.
You have more than 300 'C' and 'D' batteries in your kitchen drawer.
Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti O's.
You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering your windows.
You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.
The road leading to your house has been declared a 'No-Wake' Zone.
You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the pool.
You own more than three large coolers.
You can wish that other people get hit by a hurricane and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
You rationalize helping a friend board up by thinking "It'll only take a gallon of gas to get there and back".
You have 2-liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your freezer.
Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
You catch a 13-pound redfish ---- in your driveway.
You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner's insurance policy.
At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest chainsaw.
There is a roll of tar paper in your garage.
You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at the Weather Channel and every single newscaster and reporter at all of the major stations in town.
Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof.
Ice is a valid topic of conversation.
Relocating to North Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea.
You spend more time on your roof then in your living room.
You've been laughed at over the phone by a roofer, fence builder, or a tree worker.
Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it's Christmas.
The hurricane shutter guy and your roofer are driving BMW's.
You know the difference between the "good side" of a storm and the "bad side."
You go to work early and stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning.
A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center.
A chain saw, generator or a gas grill comes as a free gift with every new Florida mortgage.