MORE
Most Recent Entries
- Oh yeah? Well I survived CHARLEY!
- WE FOUND ERNESTO!!!
- The cows aren't worried
- Thar he blows
- Early morning musings
- Does this place have a bull's eye painted on it?
- Experience the excitement of tropical storm shuffleboarding
- We're signing off. Good luck, S.C.!
- Quiet emergency
- Waiting for Ernesto
- No school for Yellow Jackets
- Home Depot rush is over
- Mike's Morning Mosey
- 2,000 without power in northeast Polk
- Gas lines gone, phone lines down at Vero stop
Monthly Archives
|
By Mike Wells
My morning getting from my home in Seminole Heights to my office in Brandon ...
7:35 a.m.
A bit of grey road mist, but nothing I’d actually consider “rain,†spatters my windshield along East Hillsborough Avenue during my morning commute. The line of cars stretches from 22nd Street to Interstate 4 at crawling pace. My side of the street, though, is relatively speedy.
As I reach the interstate, the emergency vehicles I anticipated perched along the roadside and ready for action were nowhere in sight. No panic. No mass exodus from Florida’s east coast. Nothing out of the ordinary.
7:50 a.m.
The merge from I-4 onto Interstate 75 is jammed. Too many cars + too short a distance to merge = an eye-rolling driver. It takes three minutes to get my Jeep into the outside lane and then into the much faster moving inside lane.
8:15 a.m.
Due to a horseback riding assignment yesterday (you can read Sunday’s Tribune to find out what that’s all about), my allergies are in high gear this morning. My eyes itch. My nose is running. Darn weeds. I stop at the CVS on the corner of Kings and Brandon Boulevard for some non-drowsy Sudafed. The clerk behind the counter tells me that only one other person has mentioned Ernesto to her since she started her shift 30 minutes ago. She’s too shy to tell me much more.
8:20 a.m.
Einstein Bros. Bagels is doing killer business across the intersection, I see. I drive over and pull into the last open parking space. By the time I get my Apple Dutch flavored bagel and a medium latte, there are just a few seats left along the bar at the window.
8:25 a.m.
After a man reading a newspaper to my right leaves, another man quickly takes his seat. He’s having coffee and a significant helping of cream cheese on his bagel. His name is Carl Kelley, he tells me. He lives in Dover and owns a used car lot near Ybor City.
This isn’t Carl’s first time at the hurricane rodeo, I learn. He’s lived in Florida all his life. If Ernesto had been a Category 2 hurricane and traveled up through the center of the state, we’d be in big trouble, he says.
“All those dead trees would just fall right over,†he says in between bites. “I think everyone’s more prepared, but we’re more vulnerable because of the condition last year left us in. We’re really blessed that it’s a normal day.â€
By Nicola M. White
9:22 a.m., Zephyrhills
Philip Thornton, 85, and his retiree buddies gather, as they always do, to play shuffleboard at the Zephyrhills Tourist Club. The courts are a tad damp from overnight rain, but that’s the only way Ernesto interrupts their game. A damp court can slow down the block, or puck, they explain.
“They say it’s going to be no problem over here,” Thornton says, resting between shuffling.
A sign nearby reads, “Zephyrhills Shuffleboard: Experience the Excitement.”
Thornton hopes neither Ernesto nor any other storm this year will do much damage to his home—he gave up his homeowner’s insurance this year because the price got too high. He lives in an retiree RV park off Chancey Road.
“Well, what happens, happens,” he says, getting on with the game.
After dining at the Orange Box Cafe in Frostproof, Linda Wagoner explains her experience during the 2004 hurricane season. Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune
By Julie Pace
9 a.m., Frostproof
People have been calling the Orange Box Cafe all morning to see if the restaurant is open today. They are, says hostess Marilyn Thornton, who has been working at the cafe for 15 years.
On the menu today is eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. There is also fresh squeezed orange juice for sale in a refrigerator.
Among the diners inside is Linda Wagoner, sporting a T-shirt that reads “I survived Hurricane Charley.”
Wagoner’s double-wide mobile home was destroyed during the 2004 storm, and she wears the T-shirt with pride every time another storm heads this way.
“I figure this might be the only storm we have this year, so I better wear my shirt,” she says.
By Stephen Thompson
9:09 a.m., St. Pete Beach
Here on Pass-a-Grille Beach, at the southernmost tip of Pinellas County, the setting is serene.
Tiny waves leisurely lap ashore under an overcast sky. There was a slight drizzle. Even the seagulls aren’t doing much of anything, standing on the beach instead of flying.
The only people out are a handful of morning strollers, walking alone or in pairs, hundreds of yards apart from one another.
One English woman with a work visa declines to give her name.
“Well, it’s not usually overcast like this when you wake up in the morning,” she says. She looks around. “It does look pretty dull.”
Norma Dilernia, 61, a tourist from Buenos Aires walking with her husband, is equally unfazed over Ernesto’s meager impact on her walk.
“It’s just like another cloudy day,” she says.
By Josh Poltilove
8:57 a.m., Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa
Frank Halliwell didn’t let a little weather threat get in the way of his powerwalk from his home on Harbour Island. He’ll go 7.5 miles before it’s over. A 58-year-old consultant, he walks on Bayshore five or six times a week.
Why today? “It’s cool and normal, and it’s great exercise,” he says.
It may get worse, he says, but he’ll be home before the drizzle becomes a storm.
By Billy Townsend
8:54 a.m., Polk County EOC
A power outage, already? At the EOC, they’re getting a report of a power outage in northeast Polk off of County Road 54 near the Champion’s Gate development. There are 2,000 people without power, and the EOC credits Ernesto. Progress Energy expects to have them back up by 10 a.m.
A band just went through that area. It could be four hours before anything else happens, but we’ll keep looking.
By Billy Townsend
8:44 a.m., Polk County EOC, Bartow
It’s a distinctly casual atmosphere in here. Representatives of area law enforcement agencies are here monitoring the storm, but whatever weather Polk gets won’t come until the afternoon. As I step outside right now, it’s overcast, but there are no winds. They’re at a Level 3 status at the EOC, the minimal staffing level.
The sky brightens a little as a break in the rain bands of Tropical Storm Ernesto forms over a Polk County farm. Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune
By Julie Pace
8:30 a.m., Between Fort Meade and Frostproof
There aren’t many people to see on this rural stretch in Polk County, but there sure are a lot of cows. They don’t seem particularly worried about Ernesto, which isn’t surprising, considering the rain has stopped completely for the moment. In fact, some of the clouds are moving out and revealing blue skys and sunshine. We’re keeping an eye on the radar, though, which shows that there are more bands south of here, which could produce wind and rain later this morning.
By Laura Kinsler
8:22 a.m., North Tampa
In flood-prone neighborhoods of North Tampa, the city’s stormwater division completely drained two retention ponds. The city keeps a temporary pumping station at one of the ponds, just west of 30th Street, to pump it dry in anticipation of heavy rainfall events.
By Josh Poltilove
8:02 a.m., South Tampa
J.R. Foster of south Tampa had planned to paint the east side of a building that houses Ms. Lisa’s Dance & Co., a business that offers students dance classes on Bay to Bay Boulevard.
But when Foster got to the studio before 8 a.m., it already had begun to drizzle. The rain picked up soon after, so instead he spent part of the morning under cover, standing on an 8-foot ladder, painting the trim of the studio’s front door.
The retired Air Force historian says he might have to put off the bigger painting job for another day.
Other than that, he says, the tropical storm wasn’t a major concern.
“It looks like it isn’t really going to hit here,†he says.
By Julie Pace and Crystal Lauderdale
7:55, Fort Meade
We’ve altered the plans and are heading to Fort Meade before Lake Wales. The radar shows a heavy rain band moving across here, and we seem to have just driven into it. While the rain is picking up, there are always a few rays of sun peaking through the clouds.
So far, we haven’t seen many cars on the road, but it’s hard to tell if that’s because people are staying inside to avoid Ernesto. We’re headed to a mobile home park next to talk to residents about what they did to prepare for the storm.
By Julie Pace
7:40 a.m., Bartow
It’s all quiet at Bartow High School this morning. The home of the Yellow Jackets is closed today, along with all the other schools in Polk County. There are a few cars on the road, but with school closed, things are quiet this early. So far, there’s still just steady rain and heavy clouds to report. We’re moving east now to Lake Wales.
By Julie Pace and Crystal Lauderdale
6:05 a.m., Downtown Tampa
We’re driving through downtown Tampa when the first rain drops start to fall. We’ll call it a sprinkle. The impact of Ernesto is expected to be minimal in Hillsborough County, so we’re following the rain east to Polk County.
6:30 a.m., Hillsborough County-Polk County Line
As we cross into Polk County, the rain has already begun to pick up. It’s no heavier than an average summer storm at this point, and doesn’t seem to be keeping people off the road. The westbound lanes of Interstate 4 are already busy, as early morning commuters head to Tampa.
6:40 a.m., Polk Parkway
The Polk Park Parkway is relatively empty, and the rain is picking after a brief interlude. Our destination: Bartow.
We stop to talk to Lois Archangel, a toll booth worker about the storm.
“I’ll worry about it when it gets here,†she says, as she collects our $1 toll.
6:50 a.m., Bartow
Welcome to Historic Bartow, where the clock tower. The sun is starting to rise so we’re able to get a better look at rain, which is falling at a consistent rate. I just found out that photojournalist Crystal Lauderdale didn’t bring a rain coat with her this morning. She claims to have ponchos stored in the back of her car (one that smells a little moldy) but I’m not buying it, considering she’s out in the rain taking pictures without one right now.
Kenilworth School in Sebring Closed Wednesday
Busch Gardens and Adventure Island currently plan to open for normal park operating hours on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006: Busch Gardens is scheduled to be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Adventure Island from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The parks will make adjustments to park hours as needed.
However, Busch Gardens Shuttle Express service from Orlando will be suspended Wed, Aug. 30, but will resume as normal on Thursday, Aug. 31. For the most current park hours and information, guests are encouraged to call 1-888-800-5447 or log on to buschgardens.com and adventureisland.com for the latest information.
Advertisement
