Jerry,

This will be my last email to you as Hurricane Frances is due to strike here in the early hours of Saturday morning. This hurricane is twice the size of Hurricane Andrew, actually it is the size of Texas. The eye-wall is 35 miles across compared to Hurricane Charley's eye-wall of 7 miles across. Unlike Hurricane Charley, this hurricane is moving very slowly. The National Hurricane Bureau has stated repeatedly that from the time it strikes land it will take a full 24 hours to move away.

Hurricane Frances is expected to make landfall around Melbourne, Florida, on the East Coast. The projected path takes it directly over the City of Orlando and upward toward Lake and Marion Counties, which is where I am. I will be evacuating the small trailer I live in, located in the Ocala National Forest off Highway 42 in a small development called "Sandy Acres" just outside of Umatilla - and will be going to a vacant house located in Eustis, Florida, about 40 miles away. I will unfortunately still be battling to survive in the house I am fleeing to. A house is no match against a Catagory-5 hurricane, especially one traveling so slow as Hurricane Frances.

There are thousands and thousands of poor people here in the Ocala National Forest who live in run-down trailers like I do. Because they are poor they can't afford to flee from this monstrous storm. Most don't even have cars that work, much less money for gas. My neighbors informed me today that they are staying... I went inside my trailer and wept and wept afterward. So the point is, don't let the news media BS you afterward when they claim the Ocala National Forest was 'sparsely' populated. In addition to this, back in the area of 'the big scrub' just off Highway 42 behind the little country store called 'Buck and Does,' there are countless thousands of homeless living in tents or old junky cars, if they are fortunate to have them. We are the 'disposable' of society, the 'unwanted' that no one wants to look at much less face.

I just barely survived Hurricane Andrew, somehow managed to dodge the silver bullet with Hurricane Charley, have been through two-twin tornadoes that touched down here this past week sandwiching me in-between the two as they ploughed through and literally lifted my trailer off the ground. However, I think my "nine lives" have run out on this one. One of the best kept secrets this summer has been that Florida has had more tornadoes than any other state.

Thank you for your prayers as this is the most terrifying monster in the world to have to face. k.t. Frankovich

NOWHERE TO RUN.

This may be a false alarm. I hope so. We have not yet recovered from hurricane Charley, and now a much bigger one, Frances, it aiming straight at us. The media is calling it "The Hundred Year Storm," because it's almost unheard of for a storm of this magnitude to hit Central Florida. This one is headed deep inland, and the Strike Prediction Charts aim the eye at Orlando, with the "possible strike zone" covering almost the entire state.

We plan to find a concrete block motel, and get a first floor room, in case the second floor roof blows away. I've checked out motels and maps in all directions and there is no place within a day's drive that is guaranteed to be out of the path. Nowhere to run. I'll check again tomorrow when it's closer

Gas stations have long lines waiting to buy fuel, and many of the pumps have the handles covered with plastic wrap, meaning they are out of gasoline. There are no batteries or bottled water left on the store shelves. People are actually fighting over plywood at Home Depot. Folks try to put on brave faces, but they are scared.

This storm is being compared to Andrew, which flattened the Homestead area, south of Miami. We hope we find our little home here when it's all over. We'll let you know how it goes, If we can.

Your friends,
Jack & Misty

Jerry, I am here about 35 miles from the worst hit. I could not find what they are saying the cover up is about. I was listening to the local radio all the time.

I do know that there was a rumor that hundreds where dead in Punta Gorda. That turned out not to be true. What happened was that there was a large mobile home park that they did not think was evacuated. It was flattened and they thought the people where under the ruble, and they could not get to it for a couple of days. It turned out that the people had evacuated. They had 15 dead in the city so far and I don't know if they where in the park or not. I am sure they will find more here and there, because it went thru the middle of the farm country and they have probably not been found.

They have had a big problem with looters. There are all these islands with million +++++ homes and the looters have been trying to get there by boat. One of the islands was cut into and you can only get to half of it by boat. I think Porter Goss lives out there some place. Lots of retired CIA guys who managed to retire with the ultra wealthy from government pay.

Only a few people stayed on the islands and they are accounted for. They cannot go back till today, if they left, as they checked house to house for safety before they are letting them back.

We got power yesterday as we finally got on a priority list. I live in a 50 apt. building of senior citizens and we had several stuck on the 3rd floor in wheel chairs. It was 90 + and felt like 110 outside and it was a lot worse inside. Our floors all got wet from water coming in between the walls.

We had one death in our town that we know about because a tree fell on him.

It seemed to follow my family that are located around the state. So I know that in Orlando it is pretty much up and running. Some still without electric as of last night. Some damage in Daytona Beach but mostly tree stuff and shingles off roofs.

We have had help. The Red Cross from Texas feed us all day yesterday and a power company from up north some place put in a new pole and got our electric back on. Some bodies son found us all ice cream. Our town is supposed to be up and running by Friday.

Since it came on a Thursday before payday, lots of people just did not have money. One of the nicest things was some woman who called in the radio that she had 3 kids in diapers and running out and no money. And in a few minutes a woman called and was going to get diapers and take them to her.

At first it was neighbor helping neighbor. Use my phone, don't worry about the long distance, I have two flashlights, you take one and that kind of thing. And just checking to see if they where alright.

We have all kinds of missing people and it is because they left and did not tell anyone. They are slowly being found. We had the same problem in our building. People left and did not tell anyone. So the manager was having to open doors and look to see if they where there or not. So we ended up wasting food because more people had gone than we knew.

The worry now is that people are going to die of just heat. Especially around Punta Gorda, as they don't expect electric for a month The property damage is horrendous. 10 million here and 10 million there soon adds up to big money. Punta Gorda, the hardest hit, is 30-35 miles north of Ft. Myers and on the west coast. I don't know what the people ever did there for a living, but it has always seemed to be more poorer people compared to say Fort Myers and Port Charlotte that it lies between. It was more wind damage than water damage which is the opposite of what they expected. It was full of old trees and old houses and a lot of them are just not there anymore.

Bush added to the dead rumor. Ordering all kinds of body bags from his buddy. But I think he was here before they could get in to find the people had left somehow. They where telling people to just drive east and lot a lot of them are over there someplace The storm moved so fast that when people realized it was coming it was too late. Never saw a  hurricane like it. I was waiting for it to build up and it did not do that. One minute I was on line saying that we were starting to get rain and next minute the electric went off and it was here. And the radio was screaming at people to stay where they were, it was too late.

But I don't know what kind of cover up is going on, cause it would have been called into the radio. They where great. A couple of the TV stations got together and where giving the news and how to get help. And putting together those who had and those who needed. I don't think there can be any big cover ups as people where calling in to them from all over the state.

We have been miserable, hot, wet, and stinking. Body order is the hot new fragrance in Florida. But after the 1st day no body cared. Ice was the prize and somehow we have been able to get more than you would think. 1st glass of ice water was better than any fine wine. And tap water coffee was not half bad.

Some people where wonderful and some just horrible. Good way to separate the men from the boys so to speak.

The most depressing moment was when we knew Bush helicopter was flying overhead looking down on us peons. We wanted to hug people like garbage men, Red Cross bearing ice and of course all the electric guys. You find out who is valuable in this kind of situation. And they are not in 3 piece suits.

JEAN

1) Oklahoma Council of the Blind, www.okcb.org.

2) Oklahoma Council for the Blind's Convention in September 2004. See http://www.okcb.org/Convention.htm.

3) National Federation of the Blind, www.nfb.org.

4) NFB's 2005 Convention, http://www.nfb.org/convent/convens2.htm.

The "blind" organizations are non-profit organizations.

Thanks for your help,

Jerry,

If you have any relatives or friends living in Florida, please make contact with them immediately. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT rely on what the American news media is broadcasting about the catastrophic devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Charley.

Although I do not know the exact numbers of those who perished, they are enormously higher than what the American news media is broadcasting. The number of injured survivors is overwhelming. Survivors who are trapped in the massive devastation need ALL your help and the help must be given NOW! Do not hesitate to drop what you are doing, and regardless of how far or distant you have to travel, get to them IMMEDIATELY!

Survivors urgently need to be taken OUT of the devastation and they only do this with the help of those who care about them. What the American news media is not telling you is that the 'eye' of Hurricane Charley was loaded with fierce, huge, deadly tornadoes as it barreled up through central Florida.

There is a 'second' hurricane building in strength named Hurricane Earl, which is predicted to take the same path as Hurricane Charley. Hurricane Earl is expected to be an immediate threat to the state of Florida by this coming Thursday or Friday.

k.t. Frankovich
Where Heavens Meet

I remember a particular winter night in Buffalo...

A teenage girlfriend and I were walking slowly around Soldiers Place, the snow was swirling past the old-fashioned streetlights like in those glass winter scene globes you shake. 

It was a seriously romantic moment, even thought the relationship later melted away.

I owe that good memory to Buffalo. It could not happen here in Gator Land. Storms are no fun here.

* * *

I has been a pretty tense 24 hours here in Central Florida. Charley was a category 4 hurricane and had its eye on us, so we threw each other into huge waterproof garbage bags, along with our most prized trash, and checked into the Bates Motel around the corner.

We watched the storm reports and ate junk food right up until it was getting ready to hit us. Then the power went off, along with the TV, A/C, and our sense of decorum.

The wind was howling, and electrical transformers exploded all around.

We had bought a little battery operated television, but we couldn't get any batteries, so we stared at the portable radio, by candlelight. It got hot in there fast.

On the radio they said that Charley was tearing up our town but we didn't look out the window. Things were banging on it. We later found out they were shingles and parts of trees.

About an hour later the worst was over. We tried to call our neighbors but the motel phones weren't working, and our cell phone battery was low. We wondered if we had a home to go back to.

We stood in the open motel room door with our arms around each other and watched the last feeder bands blow things around. The frogs has started saying Budweiser which Misty says is a sign that the storm is over. She's part Indian, and very good at reading Nature. I acted like I believed her.

Finally we closed and locked the door to keep out the bad guys, and we tried to get some sleep. Motel windows don't open any more.

 The first things we noticed were: It was hot... The air was still... and it was too quiet, except for the obligatory motel neighbor who likes to open and close doors all night.

We turned the radio on,  and after searching through a lot of hip hop stations and disgustingly perky DJ's, we found the hurricane reports again.  They helped us sleep a little.

Today we came home and our place looks like a spilled ashtray.

The good news is: Our power is on, and we can live here, with a tarp over the roof, until until help comes. We may get wet. There is also some other damage, but we're alive and in air conditioning. Thanks to all who called to see how we're doing.  We appreciate your caring.

Guess what... I just heard thunder.

Jack Blanchard
(c) 2004