Hi,

As many of you would be aware, a giant Hurricane Floyd threatened the state of Florida early this week. Here's a narration of my experiences during the storm.

13th Sep 1999:

Early in the morning, my father observed on the Internet that a huge storm was approaching Florida. Complacent as I was by the fact that Central Florida has never been attacked by a hurricane for half a century, I ignored his warnings. As I got to work, I began to comprehend the gravity of the situation. The anxiety on everyone's faces indicated the concern the storm was causing. The County arranged emergency meetings for the next day to discuss disaster recovery measures.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Floyd assumed gigantic proportions in the Atlantic, with wind speeds of 150mph. The storm had been categorized as a Category 4 hurricane, which was next only to the worst possible storm.

My parents were preparing to return to India that evening. I had mixed feelings on their departure. So had they. I was concerned that their flight should depart on time, while also feeling disquieted that I would lose their moral and physical support at the most wanted hour. Their flight left on schedule and I bid a tearful farewell to them at the airport. My home greeted me with an eerie silence.

I switched on the TV and the news did nothing to boost my sunken spirits. The storm was steadily heading west towards the Bahamas Islands and beyond, towards Florida. I hoped and prayed that the storm wouldn't hit Central Florida, and soon after, retired for the night.

14th Sep 1999:

Flash-flood warnings for my county appeared on the morning news. I spurred into action, packing my computer into the cartons and safely stashing it in the closet.

As I walked into my office the next morning, the storm's name was on everybody's lips. I looked at the satellite image of the storm on the computer and the enormous size of the hurricane explained the alarm. The storm's outermost tropical winds with speeds of 50mph extended for about 300 miles from the eye - which was enough to completely cover the state of Florida in it's path of destruction. The more powerful hurricane-force winds of over 100mph extended for more than 100 miles from the eye...enough to create fluttering butterflies in my stomach. Central Florida, which seemed impregnable to hurricanes, now did not appear so. The County emergency meeting advised managers to backup all computer data before noon, and we were promptly instructed. Mandatory evacuation was ordered for all mobile homes and homes in low-lying areas. I hurriedly gathered advice from fellow-workers, to survive the hurricane onslaught. Very soon after, the county declared a holiday starting from noon till Thursday morning. All schools were already closed and were being converted to public shelters.

The county employees started securing their computers and cubes, covering them with thick plastic bags. Around noon, there was hardly anyone in the building. I scurried to my car, as intermittent strong winds started blowing and the sky turned ominous with dark threatening clouds.

On my way back home, I stopped at a few stores (Wal-mart and Winn Dixie) to buy essential food items and strong tape to stick on my glass windows. The horde of people at the stores did not surprise me, as it took me about an hour to purchase three items. A sojourn to the ATM (to collect enough cash to last two days) consumed another 30 minutes. My apartment management had stuck notes on the front door advising residents to take certain precautionary measures. I wasted no time crisscrossing the glass windows and doors with the self-sticking tape. (This is supposed to prevent the glass from splintering and instead, break into large pieces...consolation enough!) The next task was to remove all valuables exposed to the windows and doors. As I began removing the would-be projectiles from the living room, it became very windy and I heard the ghostly howl accompanied by wildly vacillating trees and thick sheets of rain. I was overcome with panic, assuming that the storm had struck without warning. My worst fears were laid to rest when the wind subsided and I realized it was only a preview of what was to come. The TV announced that this wind was only 25mph! It took me a little under two hours to hoard all the items in the closet...was I glad that I had so little of any value! The bathroom looked the safest place to stay put, when the hurricane unleashed its fury. So, the food and other essentials like a torch, battery-powered radio, spare batteries and important documents went into the bathroom. I filled the bathtub with water for sanitary purposes in case there was a power outage. A couple of pillows were kept handy to serve as a shield against flying objects. I retained the TV in the living room, to listen to the latest forecasts. All major channels covered the hurricane in extensive detail, including the road conditions, forecasts, shelter availability etc. The preparedness of the government agencies to fight natural disasters deserves special mention.

As the afternoon progressed, the Orlando airport closed and so did all the Theme Parks. In fact, Walt Disney World closed all parks completely for the first time in its' history. The Magic Kingdom had a deserted look, which was supposedly a rare sight. Another park Wet n Wild displayed a sign 'Too wet, too wild - Sorry, we're closed!' Kennedy Space Center had considerable cause for worry because they had three space shuttles and four rockets on their launch pads, unable to be secured on time. The estimated worth of all the KSC equipment was around 8 billion dollars. NASA evacuated most of their 12,500 crew but for a handful, praying that Floyd strayed off Cape Canaveral. Many residents along the coast headed inland towards Tampa and other places. This lead to severe congestion on many freeways, the most notable being the 60-mile traffic backup on I-4 from Orlando to Tampa.

The storm was predicted to make landfall soon after sunset, and I braced myself for the inevitable. The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued Storm Advisories at frequent intervals, forecasting the path of the hurricane. Floyd had already struck the Bahamas islands with great force, wreaking a path of havoc and devastation. At around 7pm, there was a fraction of hope as the storm trackers sensed a slight change in direction. Anyway, I had a quick dinner in the limited light of the kitchen. There was incessant rain, albeit not a downpour. Two important beaches near Orlando, Cocoa and Daytona were beginning to see high waves and turbulent surf. By about 10pm, the Floridians were beginning to heave a sigh of relief, when the hurricane experts confirmed a change in path. Floyd was turning northward and heading towards South Carolina, which meant it would pass Cape Canaveral around 150 miles away in the sea. However, the accompanying spiral rain bands were expected to bring heavy rains to the coastal areas. I was concerned about flooding in my area, because of vicinity to the lake. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened even close to midnight. There was only a trickle, with occasional small gusts. My interest in the hurricane waned after midnight and I huddled in a corner below the window, almost immediately going to sleep.

Despite an interrupted sleep to frequently check the weather for abnormality, I was glad it was over.

The aftermath: (15th and 16th Sep 1999)

Florida was definitely relieved to be spared the wrath of Floyd. Barring stray power outages and fallen trees and signboards, the damage was minimal. I single out the fact that there was no power outage in my apartment for the entire three days. People have been over-exuberant in celebrating this narrow miss - they have started surfing and boating on the still-rough waters. Wednesday was entirely uneventful, setting right the house after the hurricane scare.

Even as I write this, Floyd has struck North Carolina with winds of 110mph and caused extensive flooding. This storm has caused the largest evacuation in the history of the US, which explains the low fatalities (just 4 deaths!). The minimum loss of property must be attributed to the awareness of the people and the response of the concerned agencies. KSC must be hopefully wiser from the experience, and should strengthen all structures and disaster-management procedures rather than waiting for divine intervention.

Well, I'm back at work today...There's a nice, bright sun shining outside...Blue skies...Life's back to normal again, and

I SURVIVED!