of homestead
we had taken a week for vacation and went camping in the keys
we heard a storm was coming but at the time no big deal
camping in bahai Honda state park snorkeling and diving cooking outside all the fun stuff
first night the early bands came in flooded our campsite (in the state park camp area!)
next day beautiful postcard day so we stay that night
winds and rains flood us and knock our tents down
next morning the hell with this shit and back in the car we run home
get home everyones cranky dirty hungry and the storm hits homestead
destroys it
from i95 it looked like almighty god himself took the edge of his hand and wiped most of south florida right off the earth
you can literally see 10 15 miles of nothing
my wife at the time was an rn and the red cross put the word out they needed help
off she goes I don't see her for 6 days
but on a lighter note they rebuilt homestead and painted it much better colors!

As you drove into Miami, not so bad -- downed small branches.. a lot of leaves.. that sort of thing. Once you got past Bird Road, you knew something wasn't right. By the time I got to Kendall Drive, it looked (literally) like a war zone. Buildings in ruins, and National Guardsmen with M-16s directing traffic. Street signs gone; lights gone -- you'd be amazed how hard it is to get around areas you thought you knew well when all of the visual cues are altered.

stormy weather? it sums up the florida post hurricane existence perfectly
in the year Katrina hit nola we took 4 hurricanes and 3 tropical storms
we lost power for 20 days in west palm beach....ok Riviera beach (come for the drugs, stay for the hookers! Riviera beach florida! where the slum hits the ghetto!) while across the street they had the lights back in 3 days
then they came back on our side
next day bam dead center hit
lights out for another 8 days
FML!!

we were very lucky.

I spent the night at my girl friends house in Pompano, Florida, after spending all day securing various people's properties. We had approximately 100mph winds, lots of rain, lots of downed trees, but not a terrible amount of damage. When we saw the news reports of Homestead and Miami, we were shocked, we felt very lucky and at the same time horrified by the destruction just 45 miles south.

staying with relatives, but mostly shopping for food. Many of us just put a twenty in their hands. They were shocked and pleased, many started to cry. It was such a nerve wracking time, to lose it all.. Never forget it.