Work and weather defense has been keeping me away from almost everything else. Now, a third hurricane (Ivan) is approaching. This too we shall survive, but I wanted to make some comments for those of you who are not in the state.
I would not necessarily accuse the news media of lies, but they exist to attract your eyeballs, so they tend to exaggerate and sensationalize things. From watching the media, you would think Florida is a vast, powerless wasteland. Actually, it is the older neighborhoods that were hit hardest. Fifty or so years ago, the cities went on a tree planting binge to green up what was naturally very little forest. It was these trees which rotted and fell across the power lines.
Basically any house with a roof older than ten years suffered damaged tiles. For some subdivisions, that meant almost every roof. The manufactured and mobile homes took major hits, but then they always have. They are inherently not as strong as regular construction. The scenes of devastation you saw from Charley and Frances were generally limited to the coast near where the eye wall came ashore. Yes, agriculture took a hit, but the rest of the state is pretty much open for business.
After a birthday party tomorrow, we will be going to Disney (probably Epcot) to see some fireworks and relax. Having annual passes is a wonderful thing. We need to have a break from the hurricane preps and keeping a one-year-old occupied.