My Experience with Hurricane Frances

Florida has made it through one of God’s fiercest forces, Hurricane Frances. She produced high wind gusts and steady rain, but as far as I can tell the central part of the state fared well. Most folks were fearfully and strongly motivated to prepare as much as possible for Frances after their experiences with Charley's wake. Certain shelves at WalMart were carefully picked clean of needed back-up items, batteries and such and I understand that Home Depot sold quite a few plywood sheets to folks who wanted to board up their windows. There's much money to be made from these hurricanes. My girlfriend Melissa, who works at Teen Challenge, a home for troubled girls, helped to evacuate thirty-one teenage girls to the local high school where they safely stayed the night waiting for Frances to pass. I spent the day with her and the girls on Sunday. It was quite a site. Hundreds of people lined the halls of the school, sitting on blankets and pillows, chatting with one another and played games while they impatiently waited for the barely moving hurricane to pass. Everyone finally left the shelter at about six or seven that evening. Though the winds still seemed to be blowing fiercely the worst of the circling personality had strolled its way on through Lakeland, Florida.