Thursday, Aug. 12
After 2-1/2 days of driving we got to Orlando at about 4pm. I wasn't too concerned about Hurricane Charley because it was forecast to go through Tampa and basically miss Orlando. I told my family not to worry, the most we would get is some tropical storm type wind and rain, it'll keep the crowds away and we'll still have lots of fun, blah, blah. We just missed getting some tornado action in the Jacksonville, Flagler County, and Brevard County areas - remnants of tropical storm Alex. We saw a huge anvil thundercloud pass to our south, heading towards Cocoa Beach, as we drove down I-4 from Daytona to Orlando. You can't help getting a little bit edgy as you hear those warning sirens going off on the radio - YOU ARE URGED TO TAKE COVER NOW!! That night it was pretty calm in Orlando and no one seemed very concerned. We stayed at the Microtel Inn and Suites on Canada Ave. (near I-Drive and West Sand Lake Rd.). A nice little hotel, clean and friendly. The 2-queen beds plus a window-nook sleeping bunk were plenty of room for our 2 adults and 3 kids (6, 9, 10). The hotel next door lets Microtel guests use their coin laundromat.
Friday, August 13
There was more excitement in the air this morning, as a lot of people who were evacuating Tampa (the expected landfall for Charley) started to arrive. Just to be safe, we visited the Publix on West Sand Lake Rd. (west of I-Drive) and got some groceries, candles, etc. We had planned to visit MK today, but then thought we better not, in case they close early for the storm (which I understand that they did). Around noon the predicted track of Charley was changed to heading directly for Orlando - and then I heard rumors floating around the hotel lobby that it was a Class 4 hurricane - soon confirmed on the TV. Good heavens!
Around 2pm a storm band preceding Charley rolled through Orlando and there were more sirens on TV and warnings of a possible tornado - TAKE COVER NOW!! The storm didn't seem too bad but in the lull afterwards we saw that a large oak tree had fallen down across Canada Ave. near the hotel. The hotel was absoutely buzzing as people milled around waiting to experience the first hurricane direct hit of their lives. Employees in the stores and restaurants were pretty concerned about their families and homes, so most places were scheduled to close by 5pm at the latest. Early in the afternoon we had a brainwave about this and had the presence of mind to pick up some pizzas to eat in the hotel room. Good thing too - anyone looking for a restaurant by 5-6pm was probably going to have to make do with chocolate bars and potato chips from vending machines.
The actual hurricane hit after 8pm, with heavy rains being blasted through by strong winds from the east. It built up in steps until by about 9pm, there was a solid wall of rain screaming through the air with winds that I think hit about 100 mph for a minute or so. The trees were flailing in the wind, the light posts were dancing, and there were lots of flashes, explosions and sparks from electrical wires and neon signs getting shorted out and smashed down by the rain and wind. Incredibly, there were still people driving around at the peak of the storm. Thanks to these idiots, rescue crews had to go out at great risk to attend to many, many accidents all over town, especially on I-4. Our lights and TV popped off and again half a dozen times, but there were no prolonged outages in our neighborhood.
Around 9pm, the eyewall passed right over our heads. The dead center of the eye of the hurricane passed only 5 miles to the east. I rather enjoyed the excitement of it all but nevertheless I hope that this was a once in a lifetime experience.
Within 15 minutes of the peak of the storm the wind and rain dropped to almost nothing (relatively speaking) and then the wind picked up again from the opposite direction, but it felt like a mild breeze compared to what had preceded it on the leading edge of the storm. For us, Hurricane Charley was over.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
After 2-1/2 days of driving we got to Orlando at about 4pm. I wasn't too concerned about Hurricane Charley because it was forecast to go through Tampa and basically miss Orlando. I told my family not to worry, the most we would get is some tropical storm type wind and rain, it'll keep the crowds away and we'll still have lots of fun, blah, blah. We just missed getting some tornado action in the Jacksonville, Flagler County, and Brevard County areas - remnants of tropical storm Alex. We saw a huge anvil thundercloud pass to our south, heading towards Cocoa Beach, as we drove down I-4 from Daytona to Orlando. You can't help getting a little bit edgy as you hear those warning sirens going off on the radio - YOU ARE URGED TO TAKE COVER NOW!! That night it was pretty calm in Orlando and no one seemed very concerned. We stayed at the Microtel Inn and Suites on Canada Ave. (near I-Drive and West Sand Lake Rd.). A nice little hotel, clean and friendly. The 2-queen beds plus a window-nook sleeping bunk were plenty of room for our 2 adults and 3 kids (6, 9, 10). The hotel next door lets Microtel guests use their coin laundromat.
Friday, August 13
There was more excitement in the air this morning, as a lot of people who were evacuating Tampa (the expected landfall for Charley) started to arrive. Just to be safe, we visited the Publix on West Sand Lake Rd. (west of I-Drive) and got some groceries, candles, etc. We had planned to visit MK today, but then thought we better not, in case they close early for the storm (which I understand that they did). Around noon the predicted track of Charley was changed to heading directly for Orlando - and then I heard rumors floating around the hotel lobby that it was a Class 4 hurricane - soon confirmed on the TV. Good heavens!
Around 2pm a storm band preceding Charley rolled through Orlando and there were more sirens on TV and warnings of a possible tornado - TAKE COVER NOW!! The storm didn't seem too bad but in the lull afterwards we saw that a large oak tree had fallen down across Canada Ave. near the hotel. The hotel was absoutely buzzing as people milled around waiting to experience the first hurricane direct hit of their lives. Employees in the stores and restaurants were pretty concerned about their families and homes, so most places were scheduled to close by 5pm at the latest. Early in the afternoon we had a brainwave about this and had the presence of mind to pick up some pizzas to eat in the hotel room. Good thing too - anyone looking for a restaurant by 5-6pm was probably going to have to make do with chocolate bars and potato chips from vending machines.
The actual hurricane hit after 8pm, with heavy rains being blasted through by strong winds from the east. It built up in steps until by about 9pm, there was a solid wall of rain screaming through the air with winds that I think hit about 100 mph for a minute or so. The trees were flailing in the wind, the light posts were dancing, and there were lots of flashes, explosions and sparks from electrical wires and neon signs getting shorted out and smashed down by the rain and wind. Incredibly, there were still people driving around at the peak of the storm. Thanks to these idiots, rescue crews had to go out at great risk to attend to many, many accidents all over town, especially on I-4. Our lights and TV popped off and again half a dozen times, but there were no prolonged outages in our neighborhood.
Around 9pm, the eyewall passed right over our heads. The dead center of the eye of the hurricane passed only 5 miles to the east. I rather enjoyed the excitement of it all but nevertheless I hope that this was a once in a lifetime experience.
Within 15 minutes of the peak of the storm the wind and rain dropped to almost nothing (relatively speaking) and then the wind picked up again from the opposite direction, but it felt like a mild breeze compared to what had preceded it on the leading edge of the storm. For us, Hurricane Charley was over.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
