Charlie Jones checked in

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Said it was all over, and he had no damage.  He's kinda sleepy, though. 

[Riley Smith]

That's good news. One of those storms will wear you out from all the preparation and the nerves that go with it. I remember sitting with my brother during hurricane Georges. A post storm review showed we had ran right into the heart of the storm to take shelter. It's always a gamble unless you get totally out of the path. Everyone was in the hall on matrasses and it was raising hell outside. Every so often it sounded like a freight train was coming and our eyes looked like saucers. I remember looking at him and saying, "If I could have a wish, it would be that I was ANYWHERE but here."

[Norm L.]

Hurricanes leave memories. But one was from not being there. Ida was nine days on the road, sleeping five nights in different places while hauling a dog and 90-year-old cousin with a walker.

I don't know what was worse, on line searches and making phone calls for a place to sleep or the primary diet of gas station food. I would have been happier by myself living in the house for nine days without power.

[Captain Kidd]

Glad to hear. Looked like Port Lavaca was just about dead center.

Worst I've experienced was Floyd. We were100 miles inland but had 70 mph winds all night. Trees down every where. Drove water through the church walls! Ground was saturated from Dennis. Lost 2 huge oak trees in church yard. Fortunately they fell away from the building. I lost 5 big trees in my yard. Again, came close to my house but it was spared.

[Frank B.]

I rate hurricanes based on how they affect my life, immediately or in the future.

Camille - Mostly positive.  just married, lived in apartment, didn't own much, Company I worked for shut down for a week, but called in anyone who wanted to work cleanup and repair.  I went.  Later they paid all employees for that week so double dipped.  FIL's business was struggling a bit, construction equipment sales and rentals, the storm shored him up.  Best was prior to the storm my Marine Corps reserve unit had been told to get our affairs in order, call up was imminent.  After the storm they switched to a west coast unit not wanting to add to the aftermath hardship. Then Vietnam started winding down and we never got called up.

Katrina - Mostly negative and I didn't even live there, but it changed the entire trajectory of my life, where I lived, what I did for a living, and much more. But that's life, As Rosanne Rosanadana was known to say, "It's always something"

Opal- neutral, Michael - very negative.

[Jim B., CD-25]

Hurricanes leave memories. But one was from not being there. Ida was nine days on the road, sleeping five nights in different places while hauling a dog and 90-year-old cousin with a walker.

I don't know what was worse, on line searches and making phone calls for a place to sleep or the primary diet of gas station food. I would have been happier by myself living in the house for nine days without power.

You are one tough dude, Norm.  Making it through the storm is one thing, but that aftermath of no power,  the heat, and gawd-awful humidity, make the clean-up miserable.  On the island where we lived, water was pumped on, sewage pumped off... and with no power, there is no "pumping."  Adding to the misery.  I'd take gas station food over "no pumping" any day.   

We're rolling across Tennesee currently, heading east.  There was a steady caravan of power company trucks going west on I-40, no doubt enroute to Texas.  One of the things in the plus column when moving to the desert was: no hurricanes.  Beryl is moving northeast and will be on our tail tomorrow.

Really glad to hear all Charlie got out of this one was... tired.

[Spot]

+1 also heard from CJ and he's OK.