What I did on my summer vacation

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It was cheaper than a cruise ship and also more exciting. Look at it this way. Only a few deaths and few injuries resulted from Charley. Property damage - it looked something like a war zone, but without casualties. Thursday, August 12 at three PM our recreation hall in our trailer park became an Emergency Shelter. Some 47 people had come with their food, bedding and supplies. We each had our little section in the 60x60 foot dance hall area. We had the patio pool lounge chairs to sleep on and keep our gear under. There was a young family, with two small children. Flight was cancelled. A young woman visiting her father was with us, her flight cancelled. There were park residents who were just down for a few days with their friends, they were with us. But mostly we were the summer residents who had not escaped to East coast, Georgia, Myrtle Beach and other places. Charley arrived Friday 13th afternoon. First rain, then wind, the power went out, the standby generator went out. The wind picked up. The rain picked up. The generator restarted, the TV went out. The double doors in front started to puff in and out. The guys were pushing on the door. The bookcases from the library and the sofas were piled up against the front doors. They held. The wind weakened, strengthened, and then started slowly to die down. The roof began to leak. People had to move beds and gear. Place buckets, empty buckets. Our small kitchen still worked enough and the kitchen crew served some food. We had made it. But we were still locked down. We made plans to stay where we were. Those who had some, brought their toilet paper and paper towels to the front of the room and piled them up. We kept our two toilets supplied as long as we could. By now we were one big family. Most were happy, some were bitchy. The young couple caught a late Saturday flight from Tampa. The daughter visiting got a Sunday flight. Some time later on the recreation hall was open again, but there was no power or water in our park. So we all went home just to check out our property and bring back our freezer contents and refrigerator contents. We pot-lucked for days as the kitchen crew cooked up whatever and did three meals a day for many days. We started receiving help. Volunteer people began coming by with bottled water, ice, cooked food. It all got piled on tables. We each took what we needed when we needed. The three meals a day kept coming. Volunteers came by offering work. They helped us pick up our property and pile along the side of the road. The newspapers started coming in bulk. Plop. Have a paper. By the next Friday things were going fairly smooth. We had a routine. Some people had left, other had returned to the park but couldn't live in their homes. A hose was hooked up to the men's and women's showers fed by a small force pump feeding out of our pool. Showers, yeah. I was a newcomer to the park, after moving in the park two and half years before Charley. Now I knew a lot of people. I had actually been in the eye of a Category 4 Hurricane. I had an outstanding experience, at no cost to me. It just happened. This is my summer vacation story.

a trailer park

an outdoor lounge chair

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