Here are some pictures of what Charlie left in Punta Gorda.

[Puddles]

The way the metal was wrapped around trees was amazing.

[Puddles]

Insulation is all over everything there, some of the houses are completely covered with it.

[Puddles]

And this is the sunset that night in Clearwater while we waited in the ER. A gentle reminder that mother nature is usually more wonderful than bad.

[urso8up]

I tell you what the pictures do not do justice until you are in the middle of it all i spent the day in Punta gorda yesterday cleaning up a friends house ..Cutting trees down cleaning up yards and gettintg him into his house to get some stuff out. We just missed this storm at our house by about 15 miles, It was scary and something i do not wish to go through again.

[carmel300zx]

I am am very happy to hear that you and your family is safe and sound. Material things can be replaced, but people can't.

[Bouncer]

Wow puddles, its almost like your moms house had a protective shield over top of it. Dosent even look like her car had a scratch on it. Someone is looking out for her!

[bad14u]

Originally posted by THE BOUNCER
Wow puddles, its almost like your moms house had a protective shield over top of it. Dosent even look like her car had a scratch on it. Someone is looking out for her!

:agree: The power of prayer! IMO:)

[Bouncer]

Originally posted by bad14u
:agree: The power of prayer! IMO:)

Im sure other people prayed to and got there house crushed. I dont know what it was but something was looking out for her.

[urso8up]

Originally posted by THE BOUNCER
Im sure other people prayed to and got there house crushed. I dont know what it was but something was looking out for her.

THe house i helped clean up was good roof intact and house was standing no damage but next to them and behine them houses were gone no windows roofs nothing inside. It is just asazing how it misses one house but gets the one next to it. No real reasons

[Puddles]

I don't know why, but my mother's house was the least messed up. Her trunk has a few dings in it, but nothing the insurance won't cover. Same thing with the siding on her house. It was kind of funny when we got there she was just finishing cleaning off her car, there was insulation stuck to it and she wanted to get it off before it dried...she loves that car. LOL Typical old lady with her Caddy!

She's very religious and believes in prayer. I'm not religious but I believe in karma and the positive energies put out by other people. Whatever it was, I'm just very thankful.

urso8up, yes, the pictures don't really express the irriness of the reality. As we got closer to Punta Gorda the air was filled with the smell of freshly cut grass and lumber from all of the broken trees. As we walked around asking people if we could help them most of them were thankful but we encountered one old man who was suspicious of us (Stromba had his shirt off at this point so the pierced nipples didn't help) and the old man said "What can YOU do for us?" I think he thought we were looters as a car of young hispanics had just gone by who obviously didn't live there. They were probably offering help but these old people are scared now. He calmed down when I told him who my mother was. It's a tightknit community and everyone knows eachother. I wish we could have done more. We offered food and water supplies and a little physical labor, but nothing we can do for their emotions. Their development will clean the yards and streets of debris but at this point, that's all that will be done until the insurance companies get down there to assess structural damages.

[redsquirrel]

I'm so glad your mother is ok....and for the most part, her home as well.

Natural disasters can be wretched. It looked just like a tornado ripped through there. Some homes touched, some untouched. It's just great to hear she's ok.

Did you all see any damage in your part?

[JUICE]

:(

[urso8up]

THe thing i hate is people some people have no heart the fucking looters need there ass kicked badly.. I heard on the radio that the fire station in Port Charlotte while the storm was going on and the wind and rain was still around people walked in and stole there brand new computers they just got and that was a fire station what a bunch of kack asses that shit just pisses me off that there are people in the world lke that.

[Bouncer]

Originally posted by urso8up
THe thing i hate is people some people have no heart the fucking looters need there ass kicked badly.. I heard on the radio that the fire station in Port Charlotte while the storm was going on and the wind and rain was still around people walked in and stole there brand new computers they just got and that was a fire station what a bunch of kack asses that shit just pisses me off that there are people in the world lke that.

I agree bro but think about this for a sec. Your walking down the street and nobody is around. You look into the fire station and there lays a thousand dollars on the ground. Would you just walk right by it? Now, I wouldnt walk into an old womens torn up home and take her ring that her husband bought her before he died because that has sentimental value. You see what im saying?

[Timma]

Man that is why i'm glad I live where I live sometimes. I would hate to have that happen to my house. I feel really bad for those people. I'm glad your mom's house did well. It WAS like someone was watching her.