Jeanne report from Palm Bay

[Chuck Waters]

Wow, that was fun. My family and I rode out the storm at our post Andrew designed house in Palm Bay. I didn't board up the windows, but moved bedding to the safest room in the house. Before the storm, it's all fun and excitment. "Daddy, how fast will the wind blow"? "Daddy, can we go outside when it's blowing"? etc, etc. But as the wind start to pick up, Daddy (me) starts getting nervous.

Here's my number one discovery about what to do just before and during a hurricane...... TURN OFF THE FRIGGEN TV. Good grief, I'm a rational and mild mannered person, but I was really getting worked up. When I turned the TV off, my stress level dropped to nothing and we chated and sang songs.

The kids went to sleep around 9:00 PM. The winds were probably blowing around 50 by then. I don't have an annometer, so I'm just guessing.

It started to get pretty bad (I thought) around 1:00 AM. My calculations showed the winds going down after about 2:00 AM, but my calculations were wrong. It just kept going faster and faster and faster.

You could see eiry blue lights outside as transfermers gave up the ghost. And that sound..... "bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzpop'. Creepy.

Lost power around 2:30, which amazed me. Those lines were taking a beating for sure. Our neighbor still has a pine tree laying over their power lines and on their roof. FPL (Florida Power and Light told her that they couldn't cut it down yet, because she had power and it wasn't an emergency).

Around 3:30, the wind was blowing right into my screen in back porch, the roof of which is part of my houses roof. It was basically a 10' X 20' pocket of roof for the wind to get under and lift.

The sound of the gusts was really frightening. I couldn't sleep and started to pace. My wife had some Xanax that were given to her by her doctor and which she never found a need to use. I popped 1/2 of one and was finally able to sleep.

I woke periodically to more and more notice until it all subsided around 6:00 AM. We ventured out at 8:00 AM. Lots of trees down and a tremendous amount of flooding, although no water came into our house.

We lose about 5 shingles and the house, built by Holiday Homes, was just great the whole time.

On Sunday, I spent the time playing with my kids in the flood water. I dragged them around on a boogie board with my bicycle. Power was restored about 5:00 AM this morning. (Thanks FPL).

Would I stay again? Yes, but I would take greater care in preparing the house next time. If I had performed some simple observations, I would have know that the winds were approaching from the east and I would have chosen a western room to make it more comfortable from a noise perspective. Goodness, these things are LOUD.

[tronbunny]

Good observations.
and amazing about power restoration!!!
Nice to have a modern (post Andrew) home.

[windwatcher]

My friend lives in a Holiday Home just west of I-95, in your area, and he said the same thing you mentioned about them, but after the last storm. I tried to get in touch with them yesterday, but they have no power, I will try again today since you have power over there. He also mention that some of the other new builders in his area did not do as well, and the ones under construction were actually blown down, but the Holiday homes new and under construction had little or no damage at all. Looks like you guys picked a great builder!.