Ahoy, Maties:

"Fantasy Fest" in Key West, the annual nude body-painting, gay-parading, bead-throwing, blind-drunk-having-fun event had to be delayed until after Wilma passed but is going strong now.

Check out this site for a narrated, aerial slideshow of local damage.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/

"Tis an evil wind that blows no good"

We didn't have enough damage last year to exceed the 2% hurricane deductible, so we never filed a claim.

We weren't smart enough to get a new roof last year, when many of the neighbors did. Now we're smarter. I'm sure we lost enough shingles this time from our 17-year old roof to qualify for a replacement. Of course, it might be a couple years. One roofing company still has a backlog of 100 houses from last year and that was before Katrina. Still lots of houses with blue tarps on their roofs from last year.

I hadn't quite gotten around to replacing the screening on the pool enclosure since last year (cheapest quote was $1,400) and this year we might even get a new frame as a couple pieces came loose. Our next door neighbor lost their whole, new screen enclosure again this year. Former Marine on the corner lost roofing down to the plywood and water intrusion brought his ceiling down in three rooms, hit him in the back, and now he is walking with a cane.

Other than the roof, pool enclosure and the trees Barbie wanted gone, we have no damage, except the front yard post light for which I had previously bought a replacement.

Also have a broken torsion spring and cable on the garage door - darned if I can see how the hurricane did that - but it must have as it was ok before and bad after.

Last year we had no generator, it was August hot and humid, and I couldn't find the propane stove nor the adapter for the spare propane bottle for the bar-b-q. This year we have a generator, it's October with a cold front and temps in the 60's and 70's, got the stove and bar-b-q working. Actually saw the Milky Way the other night without the normal light pollution.

Florida Power & Light is gaining ground and we HOPE to have power within a week. BellSouth got the landline working the day after the hurricane and the cell phone has been working, but overloaded, during and after.

Gasoline is a major problem for many people. We had full tanks in the cars before Wilma and had another 15 gallons on the boat which we have been using for the generator, which we co-own with our neighbor. We have refrigeration, lights, TV, hair dryer and even this computer on the generator. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, our fuel entry port, has been without power which has stopped deliveries to gas stations. Most gas stations have no power and can't pump out of their tanks. I waited in line for 50 minutes at 5:30 am today, Thursday, and the station ran out when I was 10 cars away. Lines on the Turnpike have been 10 miles long (5 hour wait) and limiting people to $20 of gas.

Barbie went in to the hospital (on the Intracoastal in West Palm Beach) Sunday evening and stayed until Monday evening after Wilma. Her hospital had only limited generator power, some broken windows and a lot of leaks. They had to move patients around for safety from the wind. As the eye went right over us, we had winds from opposite directions before and after the eye. Unusual for a hurricane crossing land, the second half was even stronger than the first half, probably because it was moving about 25 miles an hour and that speed added to the circular eyewall speed. It was nice of Wilma to come during daylight hours Monday so we could watch the roots of the Ficus tree in the back yard heaving the ground up and down about a foot when the gusts hit. Surprisingly, it held. Couple houses down a really big tree lifted the whole back yard up vertical and left it hanging there.

My son Aaron helped put up plywood Sunday, stayed the night with me, and helped take down plywood Monday evening. Couldn't have done it without him.

Our boat is OK. This year we left it at the sailing club about 50 yards from the Intracosatal Waterway instead of bringing it home. The new trailer has a capacity of 6,000 pounds so we can put 1,400 pounds water in the ballast tank without having to block up the trailer frame. We also had it rachet-strapped down to a couple of tie-down points screwed into the ground. Mast was down and furled genoa well secured to it and the wheels blocked. Wilma stripped the cloth cover off the spare tire - cost: $2.50

So, we prepared well and were lucky. No Katrina for us.

Jack

Wilma puts West End's lights out
By Cheryl Blackerby
Palm Beach Post Travel Editor
Sunday, October 30, 2005

Hurricane Wilma hit Grand Bahama's West End, the western tip of the 96-mile-long
island, Monday, blowing off roofs, snapping trees and flooding buildings.
It was a replay of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which also hit both Grand Bahama and West Palm Beach, only 56 miles apart across the Gulf Stream. West End was without power for two months and without water for one month after Jeanne.
After Wilma, West End's main hotel, the elegant Old Bahama Bay, had water damage to
rooms and the marina and is expected to be closed for at least a month. The inn, a popular stop for boaters from Palm Beach County, was closed for several months after Jeanne and Frances, but its $500 rooms were fully booked last winter.
Many homes on the western end of the island were destroyed by a tidal surge whipped up by Wilma.

Grand Bahama's airport opened to commercial flights Wednesday.
The island's largest resort, Our Lucaya's Westin and Sheraton hotels, had minor damage and opened Thursday in time for the Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival with Lou Rawls. The festival will continue through today.

Pelican Bay, a luxury boutique inn, and other Grand Bahama hotels are also open.
Nassau was unaffected by the storm, and the port is getting cruise ships that were
redirected from Cozumel and Cancun, Mexico — cities severely damaged by Wilma.
Other Bahamian islands were safe from Wilma with the exception of South Bimini, where homes and the Bimini Beach Club were severely damaged. North Bimini's hotels had no damage. The Abacos were unharmed.