I've got my little 6'4" baby home! And boy, was he stinky from no shower for three days. He slept on couches when he did sleep in the Commons and the Red Cross fed the students. But he promises to help with my yard clean up this week.I just barely got the contractor to caulk and paint before we got the feeder bands from Ivan. But no more structural damage at my house, thank goodness!

I cried when I drove into the UWF campus. It was one of the most beautiful campuses I had ever seen. Now there are hundreds of broken trees everywhere, debris, and damaged buildings. School is closed for at least a week.It was an all day drive and of course no work for me Friday. But I'll recover from the schedule demolition of last week!   

I went all the way to Milton on I10. Then we were routed to 90. The 90 road had one lane open. The other lane, the lane towards the bay was covered with storm surge debris and broken asphalt where it had just crumbled. There were boats everywhere in the marshes around the top of the bay. Broken trees littered the expressway beginning at the west side of Okaloosa county. Highway signs and billboards were demolished. I passed National Guard and Army convoys, Baptist Convention disaster trucks, Salvation Army trucks, Red Cross disaster trucks and dozens and dozens of electric utility trucks and tree trimming trucks.

The roads in Pensacola were clogged with drivers trying to get home. There was no gas at all, all the way east to Bonifay and we nearly ran out of gas on the way home. There were no traffic lights, no electricity, and no water. Pensacola was a horrible horrible sight...the National Guard protects the malls, the police had the University cordoned off and they directed traffic at all the intersections.   

My heart just breaks for all the people who have sustained losses.

The storm surge did a great deal of damage and homes were just washed away on the barrier islands...

It will take a long time to recover from this storm. Thanks, mudcatters for all your comments and support. Not much upsets me, but this certainly did...Now let's pray for no more hurricanes this season...

I hope Bruce has a home to return to from Arkansas...Good luck BWL this one was really bad!

harp