Information Links, Photographs and News
» WESH Channel 2
» WKMG Channel 6
» WFTV Channel 9
» Central Florida News 13
» WMFE Channel 24

» Weather Watches and Warnings
» National Hurricane Centre
» Local Radar
» Visible Satellite Loop
» Visible Satellite (still frame)
» State of Florida Resource Links
» NASA: Frances from the ISS
» Rough Seas and Surf at Fernandia Beach, Florida
» 17.9 MB QuickTime video; Filmed by Marty Hoskins

Monday, 06 September 2004, 1453
Power has been restored! With any luck it will stay on this time. Our camper has a leak, we lost a few screen panels and a side fence/gate, but that is all. Very fortunate, indeed.

I will now be resuming somewhat normal operations here and and discontinuing further updates to this thread. Thank you for visiting and please come again.

Monday, 06 September 2004, 1300
Although power was restored while I was out enjoying breakfast at a very, very busy Perkins restaurant, it went out again before getting home. Damage in the northern part of town where I live is minimal to moderate, with some structures taking some heavy damage but for the most part not. Charley basically wiped out most unstable structures and trees so Frances had little left to destroy. I have heard, however, that in parts of southern Orlando the damage is much more severe. I will write again in more detail once I again have power.

Sunday, 05 September 2004, 1650
The worst seems to be over here. It is still wet and rainy, though. We continue to be without power and have sustained minimal damage only. My battery is near death so I do not expect being able to post again until electrical power is restored. At that time, I will provide more details about the experience.

Sunday, 05 September 2004, 0925
I was awakened by the substantial increase of winds and rain. It seems some of the actual storm has finally arrived. We lost electrical power at about the same time so I am doing to turn my computer off and only post again with breaking news. Good luck to everyone in the area.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 2357
It is only minutes away from the official start of, believe it or not, day four of Mount Sutro's live coverage of Hurricane Frances and the storm has left this part of town relatively unscathed. For now, at least. The gusts of wind and rain have been becoming more and more frequent and should continue to increase in strength and frequency over the course of the next hour or so. Officially making landfall at around 2300, it is hard to believe that a storm so large and so close has done very little here as so far. Reports from the coastal communities indicate massive flooding, moderate damage and wind gusts in excess of 115 miles per hour. My area is under just about every official watch or warning in the book as we wait for the bulk of the storm to arrive. I am going to watch a movie now while I still have electrical power and maybe even nap a bit before the nasty bits arrive. I will post throughout the night with any news of note.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 2147
At this rate, Frances might be here all week! So far we have experienced much more of the same intermittent bouts of heavy rain and wind separated by calm and cool conditions. The coastal areas are having more trouble so far, since the stronger storms are moving so slowly. But they are heading this way, so we shall soon (depending on your perception of time, I suppose) have our share of rain, floods and damage.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 1836
Fortunately the storm front that prompted the Tornado Warning failed to produce any significantly severe weather and for the most part did very little at all here. The electricity has flickered a few more times but has not fully gone out at any point. The local news crews that are stationed at various coastal locations are broadcasting some fairly impressive video of unruly seas and some preliminary damage. I forgot to mention earlier, but a few hours ago the temperature dropped significantly. If it were not for the rain and dangerous wind, it would be a great night to spend outside.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 1732
Seminole (where I live) and Volusia County north of here are now under a Tornado Warning until 1800. A powerful cell is moving this way at sixty (60) miles per hour!

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 1549
Electrical power has started to fluctuate and the rain has come back with a vengeance. The gusts of wind blowing through right now are moderate, but enough to do some damage. According to the radar loop, after another brief pause, tropical storm force (and stronger) cells will move in and occupy the area for hours thanks to the storm moving so slowly.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 1457
A second rain band just blew through and I had the pleasure of driving in it. I discovered I had left my mobile telephone in a friend's car and drove to his place to retrieve it. Major roadways are deserted, many if not most businesses and homes have boarded up, an eerie quiet fills the air and the wind and rain are powerful, even at this elementary level.

Saturday, 04 September 2004, 1149
We are experiencing the outer bands of the storm this morning. It is raining and windy as hell. In fact, I was just awakened from a nap by the sound of tree limbs slamming into the plywood covering my bedroom window. That first rain band has been reported to spawn several tornadoes and also created winds that damaged power lines south of Orlando, in Osceola County.

It will be like this on and off for the next several hours while we wait for the real storm to arrive. The course has changed slightly, now more to the northwest and on a more direct route to this area. It still looks to pass south of here, however. The eye has redeveloped and strengthening has occurred in the past twelve hours, now packing maximum sustained winds of 105 MPH, making Frances a mid-range Saffir-Simpson Category Two.

Now that Frances is here (finally), I will update as necessary for as long as I have the means to do so. As I mentioned before, my notebook's battery situation is even worse than before so it is unlikely I will get more than one or two short entries posted after electrical power is disabled. To my neighbours and friends, good luck! Check out all new Metroblogging Orlando, a site where I author, where other local folks are posting their perspective through the storm.

I will leave you for now with my governmental televised "hero speech" quote-of-the-morning, uttered by someone in the Osceola County government: "Bad is on the way." Earlier someone ended their talk with a few lines damn near lifted from the President's national address in the apocalyptic summer flick, Deep Impact.

Friday, 03 September 2004, 2224
You know that old woman in the left lane of the interstate driving her tan 1984 Cadillac coupe forty miles an hour under the speed limit with her turn signal on perpetually?

Her name is Frances.

Friday, 03 September 2004, 1441
Storm got you down? Dying to try the overrated Gmail? I have six (6) more invitations for anyone who is interested. Send your requests to: gmail @ mountsutro.org

Friday, 03 September 2004, 1335
The storm's forward motion has slowed so they are now saying we will not experience the fun stuff until tomorrow. Oh, and they are now saying the eye track will come directly across metro Orlando. I am over this already and it has not even begun yet.

Friday, 03 September 2004, 1140
I went downtown last night to retrieve my mail and hit an ATM before the weather becomes inclement. Learning from Charley, most of the billboards that line Interstate-4 have had their faces removed, leaving only the superstructure. The idea behind this is that the wind will flow through the giant signs instead of pounding against them and causing them to fail structurally. It is an eerie sight.

Word on the street is that fuel trucks will no longer service the area so if you do not already have fuel in your vehicle, you are pretty much screwed. It looks like we will start experiencing some of the outer bands of the storm within a few hours. The track still looks to be a bit south of here, which for me personally is a good thing. Of course, these storms are inherently unpredictable so we will just have to wait and watch.

Thursday, 02 September 2004, 1700

Dear Neighbors:

In a briefing with Mayor Dyer, OUC representatives advised us that they are very concern about the possibility of losing entire power stations located in Eastern Orange County. All of their power stations are located there. If they lose the Stanton Power Plant, they will need to bring power from our Florida West Coast. Because all of their power stations are located in the path of Hurricane Frances, for the first 48 hours they will fly helicopters over their power lines from their plants inland. They will not begin addressing our needs until that task is accomplished. Remember that they first restore hospitals, police stations and fire stations. Secondly, then they restore power to communication companies, such as television stations and radio stations. Thirdly, they restore power to our street. Fourthly, they restore power to our commercial districts. Fifthly, they restore power to our schools. Lastly, they restore power to our residential neighborhoods.

OUC has advised us that it is highly unlikely that they will restore any power to our neighborhoods for a minimum of 3 to 5 days. Unlike Hurricane Charley wherein they could restore electricity on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis, they anticipate the damage could be so significant the restoration process will result in a greater number of homes coming on at the same time–slower process–however more brought on line at one time. Please also remember that we are unable to send out certain crews to clear streets of debris until OUC approves that the lines are dead. Therefore, please be prepared that you may not see any activity on our part for 72 hours.

OUC is bringing in crews from the Western and Midwestern states, including Texas and Colorado. They are strategically placing the crews throughout our city. In fact, at 9:00 p.m. last night I saw a large Texas Disaster Relief Center trailer vehicle in the Trotters Park area.

As to flooding, Hurricane Charley was a very fast storm with little rain. On the other hand, Hurricane Francis is expected to dump a lot of rain on our area. You can obtain sand bags at our Public Works Department at 1010 S. Woods, which is located near Gore and Citrus Streets. You can reach them at (407) 246-2238. Each person is allowed 10 bags. Please prepare for flooding.

Sincerely,

Vicki Vargo, Mayor Pro Tem
City of Orlando Commissioner District 3

Thursday, 02 September 2004, 1450
The latest forecast models are predicting the outer bands of Frances will begin to affect local weather by Friday evening, around 2000 hours. Mandatory evacuation orders for coastal counties are in effect and toll roads are now offering free service to assist in the mass exodus.

It is also being said that the eye of Frances will move across the area south of Orlando in the Kissimmee, Florida area, a location hit hard by Charlie only three weeks ago. Lines for gas and supplies have been forming all morning. The station where I fueled was offering only regular unleaded gasoline to help more people get fuel quickly. People are also outside fanatically trying to clean-up the debris that remains whilst boarding up and getting supplies ready.

Thursday, 02 September 2004, 1102
Here we go again. Local recovery efforts are still underway after our visit from Charley and now Frances looks to drive through only weeks later. I am heading a little north to the hospital where I had my cholecystectomy to pick-up my gall stones, saved per my request. I will make updates to this post as needed to provide the same coverage as I had for Charley. A warning, however, that my notebook battery is in even worse shape than before so if and when electrical power is lost, I will likely only be able to post once or twice.

We are currently under a Flood Watch, Hurricane Warning and Hurricane Wind Warning.

[ click here for the current orlando radar ]

Here are some assorted links of news, pictures and general recovery information.

» PowerPoint Slideshow of Damage Photos (2.5 MB; author unknown)
» Orlando Sentinel Reader's Photos

» FEMA Impersonators Reportedly Targeting Storm Victims
» Power outage updates
» Before starting cleanup
» County reports
» Lynx information
» Important phone numbers
» Best way to help
» What to watch out for
» Red Cross safety information
» Dealing with shock
» What's safe to eat

» Federal Emergency Management Agency
» Help with Insurance Claims or Problems
» County by County Comfort Station Locations
» Volunteer Florida
» Hurricane Financial Assistance for Floridians
» American Red Cross Chapters of Florida
» County Emergency Management Contacts
» Emergency Shelters
» Florida Disaster Assistance
» Report Insurance Fraud
» Orlando Utilities Commission
» Florida Power and Light
» Progress Energy
» Kissimmee Utility Authority

Wednesday, 18 August 2004, 1240
I never thought I would be so excited about it, but I got fuel for my car today! I spent quite a bit of time yesterday looking for a gas station that actually had gasoline and walked away with nothing. Thanks to Costco at 741 Orange Avenue in Altamonte Springs for allowing non-members like me to purchase their fuel. I would also like to point out Real Radio 104.1 FM (also nationwide on XM 152) has been operating in relief and information mode since Charley hit, turning its talk radio shows into the best information source in Central Florida, especially for those without power, television or internet. Their on-air personalities and staff have been collecting water, ice, food and other essentials from generous citizens and local businesses such as Darden Restaurants (proprietors of The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52) and Lombardi's Seafood and personally driving around town passing out these items to those in need.

Monday, 16 August 2004, 1401
I just returned from the Arby's restaurant closest to work and waited forty-five (45) minutes in line to order and get my food. The line was out the door and filled with public service employees and people just happy to be in the air conditioning. The cashier at Arby's said since they had little damage and have been able to operate normally over the past few days, they have been making $20,000 in sales daily!

This location is right across the street from the still-closed Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) on East Colonial Drive (State Road 50). Travelling further east down Colonial there are countless businesses with moderate to severe damage to their buildings, awnings and signage. Only one or two billboards have not fully collapsed, in some cases into car lots filled with new and used cars or buildings themselves. There are still over 500 traffic signals inoperative in the area, many of which are in this eastern part of town where there is a lot of severe damage.

Because of the traffic situation this creates on one of the main thoroughfares in Central Florida, the East-West Expressway (State Road 408) that runs parallel to Colonial Drive has suspended toll operations until further notice.

Many people here at the office still do not have electrical power or other essential services such as water, gas or telephone. Cellular service is better, but still hit-and-miss in locations where damage disabled cellular towers and repeater equipment. Costco gas stations, normally available only to paid members, have opened their pumps to all customers to help alleviate the problem with gas shortages.

Selected photographs and articles:
» North Captiva Island Split In Two
» Lynx Bus Service Restored
» Central Florida Damage Photos
» Orange County Begins Emergency Food Distribution

Monday, 16 August 2004, 1225
Tropical Storm Earl has degenerated into an open tropical wave travelling west-northwest through the Caribbean. It will pose no threat as long as it does not regenerate into an organized tropical depression.

It is very hard to find gas stations with fuel available in Orlando at this time. The last word I heard was that locations in Clermont have fuel, but as word spreads of this, they are sure to run out soon. If you are running low on gasoline, it is advisable to locate the closest available source of fuel and fill your vehicle.

Monday, 16 August 2004, 0837
This morning I am back at the office, where the damage I previously reported seemed to be contained to outside structures. Half of the buildings' environmental controls are inoperative, but that seems to be the only issue as so far. I just heard where the awning and other bits of our building ended up: behind the building embedded in a semi-tracker trailer truck.

Driving through Orlando this morning showed that although many traffic signals have been repaired or replaced, downed power lines, trees and other damage remains. Throughout the area, there are still many people and businesses without electrical power, water, telephone and other services. The major power companies are all estimating repairs should be complete no later than Sunday, 22 August 2004. Area schools are also remaining closed until Wednesday. Public transportation services have resumed although I did not see any buses during my morning commute. The Florida Department of Transportation traffic monitoring system is offline so traffic reports normally available by calling 511 or on the over-head display panels is information being gathered manually by Florida Highway Patrol officers.

Government services are partially open, but many of their resources have been redirected to helping those without essential services and providing general information and support to all residents. Ice, water and non-perishable food products are available at various police and fire stations in town. We are also experiencing a fuel shortage so many stations are open to sell food and convenience store products, but have no gas to sell. It is unclear when shipments of gasoline will resume, but it is likely to be a few days before most gas stations are fully operational.

I spent the balance of my weekend helping to clean up the house and yard of all debris and the large limbs that broke away from my oak trees. I went Saturday evening to my favourite drinking establishment, Saint Andrews Pub, a British tavern in Altamonte Springs, Florida and last night to Tees and Cues pool hall because my normal place Clicks is closed as a result of a gas leak.

The recovery process will be a slow one, but the casualty count remains low (now set at 16 deaths Statewide). All we need to do now is continue to hope that Tropical Storm Earl continues on its westerly path toward Mexico and does not decide to turn north.

Here are some links for local residents who may need further information:
» Fast Facts: Shelters, Closings, Other Effects Of Hurricane Charley
» Important Central Florida Storm Phone Numbers
» 500,000 Still Without Power; Repairs May Take Week

Saturday, 14 August 2004, 2313
Electrical power was restored some time in the past two hours while I was watching the remake of the 1962 political brainwashing film The Manchurian Candidate. For the record I enjoyed the original version better, but I digress. It was nice to come home to power, especially to be able to turn on the air conditioning. It is only 75°F (24°C) right now, but the relative humidity is 94% and the winds have all but stopped. I had to use the weather data from the Sanford-Orlando International Airport (SFB) north of here because my usual NOAA/NWS weather station at the Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) is not functioning. I am not surprised given the damage I spoke of earlier today.

Driving home from the movie theatre it was obvious many areas of Central Florida are still without power. With the estimates being confirmed this afternoon that it could take as long as three to five days to have restoration, we were starting to prepare for the next days. We purchased some dry ice in an attempt to keep some, if not all, of our frozen and refrigerated foods from spoiling.

I did not have a chance to take photos from my drive around town to show you the damage and destruction, but was able to grab these shots at my house this morning. These pictures are of rather poor quality but show my house and just a section of the tree limbs and debris in our yard plus the fallen tree right across the street. I hope to add some more pictures to that album as they become available from alternate sources.

We are all very glad that the damage here was not as bad as it could have been and was in other locations. I know the clean-up and repair efforts will be ongoing for quite a while, but at least the causality list is very small (only five confirmed deaths and approximately ten other unconfirmed deaths). The tropics they are a brewing still, so we will be keeping a very close eye on Tropical Storm Earl who may be trying to copycat Charley's path through the Caribbean and Hurricane Danielle who appears to be no threat to us at this time.

Saturday, 14 August 2004, 1500
The damage to downtown Orlando and the surrounding area varies from mild to severe. In my travels I saw several houses damaged and destroyed by trees and debris. Signs, billboards, traffic signals and awnings are destroyed all over town. The Orlando Executive Airport was hit hard. All of the landing lights are destroyed along with many of the aircraft that were parked there. I cannot even estimate how many trees are uprooted. My office in downtown and next to the Orlando Executive Airport was damaged, but it does not look critical. There are a few restaurants and gas stations open, but many are closed simply because there is so little power available around town. Interstate-4 is backed-up for 85 miles from Orlando to Tampa. Further updates with breaking news.

Saturday, 14 August 2004, 0959
I am going to keep this entry quick as I am using my neighbour's computer as my battery died last night as I was posting an update. The storm is over and the damage in this area is minimal. I had a chance to drive close to downtown last night and witnessed a lot of damaged, downed power lines, trees and some structural damage.

I will post a more elaborate update as soon as I have a better means of doing so. We are fine here as are all of our neighbours. I hope to post again this afternoon from a remote location with electrical power.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 2228
We still have no electrical power nor does most of Central Florida at this time. The howling wind gusts continue but seem to have become slightly less frequent. The horizontal rain continues along with the wind bursts. Transformers all over town are exploding in bright multi-coloured bursts. The television station radio simulcast seems to indicate the worst may be passing through and behind it rain and wind will follow for another hour or two.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 2140
We are now starting to get some of the strong portions of the storm moving into town. The wind gusts are so powerful air is squeezing through sealed doors and windows. Our power is still intermittent and the eye of the storm is going to move into this area within ten minutes or so. Wind gusts have been reported at 105 MPH around Orlando and right now my house is being battered with gusts I approximate to be between 20-40 MPH.

Power is off again now, so I will post again later to conserve battery power.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 2055
We are getting some pretty severe wind gusts right now and heavy downpours. The centre of the storm is still on its way here, but we are already having intermittent power outages. I am writing this entry using my laptop's battery. Debris is flying around outside and branches from the area oak trees are breaking off in small sections. The rain is completely horizontal and the wind gusts worsen every minute.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 2000
The heart of the storm is starting to enter the area. New timetables are placing eye wall interception between 2030-2115 EDT. The rain and wind have started to pick-up again and new weather alerts have been issued. I just stepped outside and with the exception of the wind and rain sounds it is eerily quiet outside.

We have been watching footage from where Charley made landfall in Port Charlotte. The 145 MPH winds have caused major damage there. Luckily the storm has decreased in strength and the predictions for this area are maximum sustained winds of 60-70 MPH.

My next update will be when we start to experience the tropical storm and hurricane force winds.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 1757
It has been relatively uneventful here since I last wrote, with rain only starting to pick-up again now. I used the time to take a nap and now that I am up again I see they have a new forecast model that places the movement and direction of Charley right over my northern suburb city of Altamonte Springs.

It should still be several more hours before we are experiencing substantial winds and damage, but even as I sit here and write this the rain outside is slowly increasing in intensity. Several low-lying areas in Central Florida along with mobile home parks are being or have already been evacuated.

As night falls here, the storms will get stronger and then sometime between 2100 and 2200 EDT, the eye will pass over this area. Of course, there is a margin of error but it seems that everyone is predicting to this be the case. Exactly how long it will take for the storm to arrive and how strong it will be when it does are still variables.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 1515
We have been under a Tornado Warning for a while now that does not end until sometime tomorrow. As a large cell of storms moved in this direction, my family and I decided to take some extra precautions and I just was outside boarding windows. The rain was coming down so hard I could not see in front of me. The lighting and thunder were simultaneous and crashing within approximately one quarter of a mile of my house. The rain has subsided slightly now and I have come inside to change, putting everything I was wearing (shirt, jeans, socks and sneakers) in the dryer while we still have electrical power.

Charley is just about to make landfall now, but we are more concerned with the outer rain bands, the second of which is on a direct course for us now. That last batch was not as bad as we were expecting, but I am sure we have not even seen a portion of the power of this storm.

I am planning on posting again around 1700 EDT.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 1352
A Tornado Watch has just been established until 1400 EDT Saturday! There are several fast moving cells of thunderstorms that have produced tornadoes on route. The storm has increased to a Category Four and has changed course enough to look like it may hit this area damn near head-on.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 1231
I just got home from the office where we all cleared out around 1130 EDT. The traffic on the roads is quite heavy and there are many power trucks coming into town. I also saw several RV's driving from the Tampa area through Central Florida. The traffic information signs on Interstate-4 are displaying a flashing warning about how Interstate-10 and Interstate-75 may be closed as the storm approaches. Gas stations, supermarkets, home supply stores and the like are all packed with cars.

So far there is no precipitation yet, but I expect some outer rain bands to start pushing through in the next few hours. I will post an update when the inclement weather begins and then again as long as telephone service is not lost. My notebook's battery is not the best, but I should be able to post a quick update if and when electrical power fails.

That is the latest from Orlando, Florida! I am off to cook some lunch and take advantage of the time off work.

Friday, 13 August 2004, 1041
The weather is rather nice right now, providing some credibility to the old adage "the calm before the storm." There were some scattered rainstorms in the early morning hours that were not associated with Charley and subsequently passed.

It remains to be seen how strong the storm will be in this area. With any luck, the current predictions will be accurate and the storm will sideswipe Central Florida to the west. Unfortunately, the northeastern quadrants of hurricanes are often the strongest so we may still be decently battered.

I will be leaving work at 1200 EDT today as my company has decided to let everyone go home early to make any necessary preparations. I will write again when there is something new and/or exciting to report.

Thursday, 12 August 2004, 2343
The latest forecast models are now showing Charley making landfall in Tampa Bay itself, bringing the bulk of the ever-growing storm closer to here. The time of impact is supposed to be after 2000 hours with the effects ongoing through Saturday morning. I will be going into work as usual and leaving early if the weather gets to the point where I feel uneasy driving around town. I will update again tomorrow from the office!

Thursday, 12 August 2004, 1822
We experienced minimal effects of Bonnie in this area though I just watched some great video footage of a tornado that struck Jacksonville this afternoon. The forecasts are now predicting we should be experiencing the full-brunt of the storm between 1800 and 2000 hours tomorrow.

Wednesday, 11 August 2004, 1916
Two tropical systems are poised to make landfall in Florida simultaneously. Here are the three-day projection maps for Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie as of 1700 hours today. Stay tuned to the National Hurricane Centre for regular updates, advisories and warnings.

The counties in this area are not currently under an explicit warning from the National Weather Service, though Governor Bush today issued an Executive Order (04-182) declaring a state of emergency and activating the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) in preparation for the pending dual landfall.

It should prove to be a wet, if not interesting week!

Addendum: This article will continue to be edited and updated directly throughout the storm with the latest entries appearing at the top.