Any info on Charley and Orlando area?

[Terre]

My brother and sister-in-law live in Kissimmee (Orlando) and I know the eye of Charley passed over Orlando, but I'm not seeing much of anything from news reports about the Orlando area. I can't get them on the phone, but I'm sure the phone lines are down. I also know that after we were hit by Hugo in 1989 we were busy with other things after the hurricane, plus hadn't slept all night.

 

If anyone has seen a decent news report of the Oralndo area or heard from anyone there, please post a reply. I can't find out how bad it is there.

 

Please keep my bother and everyone in Florida in your prayers. We are getting lots and lots of heavy rain here and Charley is headed up the North & South Carolina coasts today, so keep those people in prayer, too.

 

Thanks,

Terre

[hstrybuf]

I found a link to the Orlando Sentinel which was just updated within the hour. I don't know how much help it is, but maybe it will have some info.

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/

[bjkeen]

Call your local law enforcement office and ask them for the EOC number. When power is restored you should be able to get through. There were 100 mph winds in Orlando yesterday. As hard as it is to imagine the weather is beautiful in Tampa today.

 

There is so much damage from Punda Gorda to Orlando it may take some time before electricity and phone service is restored. They are going to need a lot of supplies, water, blankets, flash lights, canned food, medicine, generators. Agencies will start organizing to help deliver goods as soon as the roads are passable. If you want to help you might contact your local Red Cross.

[Cotton]

Hope your family is ok. On the early weather show here today, our chief meteorologist had a 'live remote' from Kississmmee. She and her family were there for Disneyworld. She said they were all housed overnight on the lowest floor of the hotel, and could only see out at lots of debris and still could not return to their rooms, nor venture outside. This was approx. 7am. Hope you hear from your brother soon. Prayers continue for all in the path.

[bjkeen]

Here is the Fla. Div. of Emergency Management phone no. 1-850-413-9900. I hope this helps.

[MsSage]

Just thought I would let you know, I was at work in the Kissimmee area last night and there was a lot of wind and tree damage but so far haven't heard of any casualties or injuries. I got home to find my arbor and trellis arch torn up and blown over but the house was fine. The dogs were a little shook up because I had left them home to go to work, but I hadn't planned on the eye of the storm coming right through here. I have family in St Cloud and they are fine so other than perhaps a little property damage I am sure everyone is fine.

 

Things can always be rebuilt,

 

Hope this helps

[Terre]

Thanks, MsSage, for your update. It's good to hear from someone in the Kissimmee area. I still haven't heard from my brother, but will try again. I know it will take a few days to get the phones and electricity back up. It took us two weeks to get electricity back after Hugo!

 

Thanks to everyone for your info and words of encouragement!!

[Beffy1167]

My brother and sister-in-law live in Kissimmee (Orlando) and I know the eye of Charley passed over Orlando, but I'm not seeing much of anything from news reports about the Orlando area. I can't get them on the phone, but I'm sure the phone lines are down. I also know that after we were hit by Hugo in 1989 we were busy with other things after the hurricane, plus hadn't slept all night.

 

If anyone has seen a decent news report of the Oralndo area or heard from anyone there, please post a reply. I can't find out how bad it is there.

 

Please keep my bother and everyone in Florida in your prayers. We are getting lots and lots of heavy rain here and Charley is headed up the North & South Carolina coasts today, so keep those people in prayer, too.

 

Thanks,

Terre

I too have family in the Orlando area. I was able to get through to them on the telephone early this morning and learned that, other than some wind and rain, there was (compared to the west coast) relatively little damage. There HAVE been some fatalities: In Orlando, a semi was blown on top of a smaller car and a young girl (approx 5 y/o) was killed.

 

My brother is a police officer and, as of this morning, he had heard of no other fatalities in the Orlando area.

 

Prayers go up for your family, though! Hope you hear from them soon.

[Terre]

Thanks for the info. I saw the story about the little girl on the news -- terrible.

[Terre]

I just talked to my sister-in-law and they are fine. Since my brother works for the power company there, he was working. They had minimal damage to their house, but their neighbors on each side had quite a bit. She said they do have a lot of trees down and my brother said that they may be without power for 3 weeks!:eek: We were without power for 2 weeks after Hugo and that's no fun, I can sympathize!

Thank you all again for all your prayers and suggestions and info today. You guys are great.

[bjkeen]

Good to hear that your family is ok.

[cruiserlisa]

My dil lives in Orlando. They are without electricity and do not know when they will have it up. She works at Planet Hollywood and they are open. She said they had trees down but her home is relatively ok. It could take a couple of weeks to get the power back on. Even had trouble with cell phone.

 

Lisa

[dolphincruiser404]

I am from the Tampa Bay area, but we evacuated to the Orlando/Kissimee area! The storm came right through there...there were a lot of trees down, as well as signs, and some less sturdy structures. When we returned to Tampa the hotel did have phone service, but no electricity.