I was asked how my parents fared with Frances hitting last Saturday.
I responded, “Eh, hurricanes. They’re becoming a way of life now.”

I feel for the Florida residents who got hit bad by both Charley and Frances. I feel for the residents who were hit by Charley or Frances.

My family fared better during Frances than during Charley, but that’s probably because Charley knocked down the unstable stuff. Apparently, we lost some more branches from the tree in the front yard, and my parents suspect there might be a leak in the roof. My mom reported that it was rainy and windy for something like 48 hours, with the worst of Frances hung around for about 12 hours.

My parents were the lucky ones.
5 million Florida residents were/are without power – more than Andrew and Charley combined.
275 miles – Frances’ span touched nearly every county on the Florida peninsula
2.8 million residents were ordered the evacuate – the most in state history
86,000 people took refuge in shelters
29 counties set a mandatory evacuation

And, to make things better, Hurricane Ivan is in the Caribbean and making its way north. It’s supposed to hit southwest Florida (where Charley initially hit and did the most damage) midday on Sunday, and continue northwest.