Post #194814 by codelisa on Tue, Oct 25, 2005 9:50 PM

I spoke to my sister from Margate, 20 min. due west of the Mai Tai, earlier tonight. Her home phone is out and it's nearly impossible to get thru on her cell. It sounds like they had damage similar to Chip and Andy's (amazing pictures - glad you made it thru OK). She said that 98% of Broward County and 98% of Dade County have no electric. Lots have no water also. And....it could be weeks until the electric is restored. The good news is that most the damage involves fences, roofs, fallen trees, etc. and most homes are intact. There's all kinds of debris strewn everywhere and it's a long and arduous journey to get anywhere by car. All the schools are closed for the entire week - 1st time ever! My sister & her family went to Orlando today to stay with another sister. A normal 3 hr. drive took 6½ hrs. Everyone else had the same idea I guess - head north where there's electricity, water & gas. They saw cars stranded on the side of the Turnpike, out of gas. All I can say is....good luck to all. We're thinking of you and hoping your electric comes back much sooner than expected.

Have a drink on me...

[ Edited by: codelisa 2005-10-25 21:55 ]