Bob's Birthday Oct 1, 2024

 

Three weeks, after Tropical Storm Debby hit us, 5 days after Hurricane Helene, Bob turned 88 and we chose to keep working and celebrate later.

I took Beau for his morning walk and Wow! these are unedited and out of the cell phone.

This sky was soothing to my soul.  I lost contact with my brother and all of his family in Augusta Ga, no text, no call, nothing. 

I finally got through to him on Monday 30th, 4 days, I happened to call him when he was 50 miles from his home getting food and water and gas, and they had cell service. As i type this on 10/3 he still has very little cell service but for a text once in a while and is still without power, with maybe by 10/5.

He knew nothing of what was going on, and I told him how bad it was.

I spent a harrowing hour watching and listening to the tales of horror for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. I found nothing but bad news.

The storm hit us on Wednesday and roared up the coast and hit our big bend area as a cat 4 storm, instead of it dissipating it went through the entire middle of the state of Georgia, my home state of birth. 

Helene took aim at Georgia and left a 250-mile-wide swath of devastation, hitting from Atlanta to Savannah, and there has never been a hurricane hit Augusta or any of middle Georgia in history. Hurricanes are always coastal and when on land go down to tropical storms.

18 of our states have 25 to 60 billion dollars of damage. 

I sent this text to my brother, he may or may not have read it yet. This info was Georgia's Govenor talking and giving info.

I just watched 20 minutes of your Governor talking and your whole area from the state line until to Augusta was hit by a cat 2 Hurricane and there are thousands of poles down and they can't get to the poles to put the poles back up or the wires until they move all the trees he said he flew in his helicopter and followed it and there's a 250 Mi wide like a tornado went through the middle of Georgia it's absolutely the worst disaster that has ever it hit Middle Georgia.

They they're trying to get it as fast as they can there were 1.3 million without power. 

Georgia Power has determined Hurricane Helene was the most destructive hurricane in its history damaging infrastructure across the state.

 Initial damage estimates illustrating the extensive destruction of Hurricane Helene include: • 5,000+ power poles that must be repaired or replaced • 9,000+ spans of wire equivalent to an estimated 425 miles • 500+ transformers • 1,500+ trees on power lines that must be removed or addressed to restore power

As of now there are 160 Dead and many missing in NC.. Florida has 109 dead.

My son Dan and his wife work on the Clearwater Beach, and there building had water and sand in their building. It took them 4 days to let owners and employees back to work on their buildings.

2 died from drowning on their beach alone. they were without power for several days. They and their dogs and cats are ok, we just pray they will have a job now.

I WAS ABOUT TO BE BACK ON THE REGULAR BLOG TRAIN BUT NOW WE ARE WAITING FOR ANOTHER HURRICANE, HELENE WILL BE A DIRECT HIT ON BRADENTON, WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPENE IN 114 YEARS... I WILL BE AROUND OFF AND ON AND OFF AND ON