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On Friday, August 13th, 2004,
and in only a matter of minutes, Hurricane Charley chose
Charlotte County
as a target for destruction.
That unforeseen change in direction would lead to a
life-changing event that no one could have ever imagined. The
overwhelming fear and the devastation of it all affected each of
us immensely, but it did not destroy our will to survive,
rebuild and persevere. |
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How could a category 4+ hurricane (unexpectedly) rip through a
county at winds recorded at upwards of 200 mph in places, with
multiple tornado sightings, leave such a swath of devastation
without killing hundreds or even thousands of people? Were we
simply lucky? I think courage and levelheadedness has a lot to
do with it. These photos might bring
back some memories.
Do you remember as
much as we do?
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Do you remember watching
Hurricane Charley on the news as it made its way north, certain
to hit the Tampa Bay area, and thinking to yourself "Those poor
people"?
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Do you remember first
hearing that this monster was headed towards us and how little
time you had to properly prepare, and then scrambling to do
whatever possible?
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Do you remember when they
announced that all bridges were closing due to high winds? The
feeling of disbelief that we didn't get out while we could?
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Do you remember choosing
your place of refuge to ride out something you'd only seen in
movies?
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Do you remember wondering
if you were going to actually make it through this storm?
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Do you remember how it
felt as you walked out of your home and looked across the street
to see your neighbor's home picked apart as if part of a war
zone, then thinking to yourself "what does our house look like
from over there?"
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Do you remember the
initial panic of how our neighbors fared, and running over to
check on them?
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Do you remember the
searing heat that followed for weeks and the reoccurring high
winds and downpours each afternoon, as we tried desperately to
keep up with the blue tarps in an effort to salvage what we
could inside our homes?
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Do you remember the overwhelming
feeling of helplessness, thinking that we'd be living like this
for months or years even? The constant reminder of total
destruction was pretty hard to take.
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Do you remember what it
took just to get all that debris picked up and moved out to the
street for an eventual pickup from the city. Remember the
strange items found in your yard, and wondering where they came
from?
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Do you remember the hot,
sleepless nights, the fear of looting and keeping what you could
cold with bags of ice?
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Do you remember the
incredible bond that was formed between your neighbors, the help
and generosity we found within ourselves? Remember the daily
visit from the Red Cross?
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Do you remember the
feeling of hope when our local radio hosts announced the arrival
of hundreds and hundreds of out of state utility workers filing
in with their bucket trucks, coming to our rescue and actually
telling us we may have power back within 2 weeks, and did it?
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Do you remember dealing
with insurance adjusters and the horror stories of those
contractors that didn't know what they were doing, until it was
time for another payment of course?
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Do you remember the
endless lines of construction vehicles everywhere you looked,
and the condition of the roads from the excessive use? How about
the flat tires? Or the aluminum scavengers cutting up those pool
cages right in the middle of the street and driving away without
sweeping up the hundreds of aluminum screws and sharp metal they
just left sitting in the road?
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Do you remember how it
felt to hear that another storm was coming our way, and then
another and another? Would it ever end?
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Do you remember how it
felt to finally get back into normal living conditions and to be
able to use your pool again? Things we sort of took for granted
all those years.
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Do you remember hearing
that first restaurant that opened and how quickly we flocked to
it, just to reward ourselves for all that hard work? The food,
drink and service was never so good!
StoryKeepers provide the
perfect platform for you to recall and describe your experiences exactly
how they happened, in your own words, voice and personality. The
casual conversation is audio recorded and then
presented to you on CD, to be shared with family and friends
today, as well as with future generations, who will undoubtedly
want to hear just how you survived the storm, the aftermath and
the rebuilding process. After all, this was a once in a lifetime
experience.
The process is quick,
convenient and conducted in the comfort of your own home. StoryKeepers are trained
to ask the right questions that evoke the memories from those
trying days, so you don't have to work hard at this. Just sit
back and relax and leave all the work to us.
Your
StoryKeeper experience will be enjoyable and certainly
unforgettable.
Photos from Hurricane Charley
Feel free to navigate around our web site for more
information and to hear sample audio clips.
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