A few ,,,Gloria was the worst

We rode out Connie in Ocean City MD in a house on the boardwalk. I was young enough to think it was 'fun'! When the storm passed I remember walking along the boardwalk and finding hundreds of coins. In 1955 that was a huge thing for any kid! loved it----get ready !

I have always lived in the coastal plains of North Carolina and from the first on I remember (HAZEL) in 1954 I have experienced all of the ones that came on land here. Fran and Floyd are the two latest ones that caused the most massive devestation here that I can recall.

Lived in Orlando for Charley, Frances and Jeanne....Eye of Charley actually went over my house in ORLANDO!!!!! 105 mph winds. Whoever would have thought that. My kids thought they were going to die.

Wasn't living in NC long when Fran came through...never saw anything like that!

Lived in PA for Agnes and Eloise, lived in MD for Isabel.

Katrina, no power for over a week and we live over 200 miles from coast. Spent the next month and Rita helping with the Red Cross. So many lives effected and still signs of her destruction linger. The only thing good out of Katrina is our dog Solomon a Katrina refugee.

Omg.........Yes 1985 Hurricane Gloria...........We got married on Saturday and it came the week after, we were home on our honeymoon, because we couldn't afford to take one. It was pretty bad, heavy winds and broken windows, glass all over our home, plus I had bran new glasses the were given to me for my shower, never used, up on a rake, the hole rake fell on the floor.............not a good start to a marriage....lol

I almost named my son after Charley in 2004 but decided not to. Yes, Charley was that bad, it devastated Lakeland, FL and the camp that I was working at. The campers barely made it to home afterwards. Thank God.

Was living (and still do) on MS Gulf Coast during Katrina. So much devastation, so much sorrow, so many lives changed forever.

Hurricane Katrina, I sat on the roof of my house with my 17 month old daughter for 3 hours. Everything was destroyed, After the storm nobody could leave or come into the city so we have to sleep in the sewage filled house. The smell of dead bodies had already started to fill the air. It was absolutely horrible. My story is so long I couldn't fit it into this comment. Just thankful that my daughter was NOT old enough to remember any of it.

Was about 13 when Hurricane Allen hit...I remember thinking that one was kind of cool and scary at the same time. We went to stay with my aunt and her family so it was like a slumber party plus we got to stay home from school. I remember on the ride over the winds were already pretty bad and the dark stormy cluds and lightning looked like the warth of God was upon us. Was a baby when celia hit Texas and the family story goes I was flying away the wind was so bad but my uncle caught me in time. Sadly he is now paralyzed due to a major car accident :( Katrina was scary even though we weren't directly hit it was soo huge there really wasn't anywhere to run too :(

Camille 1969 I was 10 yrs old living in Mississippi, I will never forget it , I was getting out of school and laster the next day it was so bad I will never forget it. I never want to experience anything thinkg like that again.

I remember Opal. I was 13 and it was so scary. We hid in the basement for the whole time and when we came out most of our house was destroyed. It was devastating.

From Hazel in 1954 to Isabel in 2003, if it came thru MD, I experienced it. Camille, David, and Agnes were tame compared to Isabel. We lived on a river off the Potomac about 30 feet up from the river. When the eye went over during the night, I went outside with my son and daughter. The river was halfway up the hill and every plank on the pier had been tore off and was floating in the river. Really eerie! The following day, we left to start a weekend in Wildwood, NJ. There was no electricity from southern Maryland to Wilmington, DE. No gas station, no convenience store, no fast food restaurant was open. It seemed as if we were driving through a ghost town or something out of "The Twilight Zone". Riding over areas on the interstates, you could see the flooding and damage. Hurricanes are nothing to ignore. Better to prepared and not need it than to be caught off guard.

I was so young but I remember Hugo in 89 and Fran in 96. I was so scared.

Little girl I remember Flora in Cuba 1963, it was simply terrible we all went to my grandmother's house aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors etc it was a safe house and we would all be together, my aunts prepared all food in fridge to prevent spoiling, bread was all toasted and kept in tin cans, windows and doors were barred and plenty oil lamps, guess it was last time the whole family was together, soon after that my family migrated to US.

We road out hurricane Bob in 1991 on the cruise ship nordic prince on the way to bermuda. We had 35 foot waves and we road it out in bed bracing ourselves.

I remember quite a few of them. With ivan my daughter and I were landing at the airport in Atlanta and got the last flight out to Savannah. My sister, however was living on Hwy 90 in Biloxi with Camille! I was only 8 at the time and we had just left a few days before that from visiting her.

I live in Orlando and have experienced Charley. We had a tree fall on top of our house and fires starting in the back yard from the fallen power lines. I went to North Carolina for Frances but had to drive back through it since it was heading that way. Ended up driving through Jacksonville Florida when all the tornado's were coming through. Driving on 95 was so scary due to all the downed trees. Stuck it out for Jeanne, she was nothing like the other 2.

Hurricane Jeanne, a Cat. 3 - we had just moved to Florida the week before, staying in the in-laws ocean front condo in Vero Beach, with no other place to go. The place was already flooded and trashed by Frances a couple of weeks before. We cought the northern eye wall when it came ashore. Scariest experience in my life. You might remember pictures of a boardwal a hundred feet away from half a road, the rest being eroded by the wind and waves. That was our beach.

I live in central Ohio and we experienced the remnants of Ike - trees and power lines down, homes damaged etc. Some places were without power for a couple of weeks or so. Can't imagine what this storm was like at the coast...

My husband and I were in Florida on our honeymoon when Andrew came though. A year later I found out I was Pregnant and we named our son Andrew. We also went though Hugo in NC and Bertha in SC at the beach.

Went through Hugo, Andrew, and Floyd and survived Fran going right through my backyard in '96.

In 2004 took a 17 day long camping trip down North and South Carolina coasts, the Outerbanks, and down the east coast of Florida. We crossed and came up the gulf coast of Florida. We encountered or outran: Charley, Frances, Gaston, and Ivan. Don't remember much about the trip except running from one name or another. Frances and Ivan doubled back and made landfall more than once. Relatives in Cincinnati and Florida kept calling and telling us to change direction. We zigzaged all over the place. When returning up I-75 we saw damage all along the 75 corridor. But the worst for us was Ike. It did so much damage in Cincinnati as it moved from Texas to Canada. Without power for a week. Cooked on camp stove and grill. Worked for Verizon and sold every car charger we had out of the dark store recording everything by hand. Stayed "open" to allow people to make calls from demo phones as long as possible until phones were dead and couldn't be charged.

Don
Live in Punta Gorda, on Florda's west coast and took a direct hit from Charley. Damage was extensive but even worse 10 days without power in the heat and humidity during the cleanup. First hurricane here in 40 years, and hopefully another 40 before we get hit again.

I live in Wilkes-Barre PA. In '72 Agnes devastated the low sections of what we call "The Wyoming Valley," my home included. Been a long time since but will never forget. Always have empathy for other flood victims.

We lived (and still do) on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi during Katrina. We had been here only 2 years. I remember being without electricity and water; living outside because it was cooler than in the house. Our son's girlfriend and her mom lost everything and stayed with us. The worse part was not being able to get word to our friends and relatives that we were ok and knowing that they were seeing all the devestation and not knowing that we were all right.

In 1960 when hurricane Donna blew into Bronx,NY it was a frightning affair.The huge metal gates of the school yard were torn off the hinges by the wind.The bread and milk trucks were not making deliveries .Storefront windows up and down Boston Road wre blown out.I was only7 years old,but it made a life long impression.

Got chased out of Virginia Beach honeymoon by Gloria. It never made landfall with the force they expected but it should have been a sign to me. Got divorced 13 years later. LOL

Oh, and I forgot Jeanne! Charley, Frances, Gaston, Jeanne, and Ivan!!!!! Then Ike at home in Cincinnati in 2008!

Lived in NC and got out of the hospital after giving birth to my son when Donna hit, the base sent a bus to evacuate people but my husband insisted we ride out the storm, we did but it was scary and exciting at the same time.

1954 in rocky mount, nc. the eye of hazel passed right over rocky mount. i was eight years old, walked to my ," Nanny's" house from school, ate ice cream, got out of school and watched tv, (black & white), until the power went out...had one of the best times of my life & wondered why we couldn't have a lot more hurricanes/bill

I was living in Brooklyn at the time of Katrina and Rita in 2005. The events of Katrina were horrible to watch and devastated of the results. On a lighter note the manager of the restaurant Circle's in Park Slope, Brooklyn we had a manager in charge named Rita B. and we got a little relief poking fun at her that weekend of the impact. We were going to, but did not however have tee shirts made.

was born in a cross fire hurricane .....hazel that is WHOO HOO !

My parents (who were strangers at the time) rode out Hugo in a gas station. They talked, and in December of that year they were married. My mom always blames Hugo for my dad :P

Gloria in 85 in massachusetts.. i remember all the trees in the park near our house were knocked down from the wind and i was so pissed off because we couldnt play baseball there for a few weeks until it was cleaned up..(i was 10 at the time)

I was a senor in high school when Beulah hit S. Texas and N. Mexico. Missed more then a week of school due to flooding.

Lived in North Port and worked in Punta Gorda, FL during Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. Charley was a category 2, expected to come ashore in Tampa (100 miles north of us) when he "wobbled" and gained strength in Charlotte Harbor, coming ashore within 30 minutes. We were told not to evacuate, so we (friends from Port Charlotte and I) rode out the storm in my relatively new home, which had been built to post-Andrew standards and held out very well. Frances hit two weeks later while I was up in Cleveland for my son's wedding. Ivan was threatening in the Gulf when I was preparing for a trip to Europe with my mom, so I drove (rather than flew) to Ft. Worth, TX to meet her. Believe it or not, good ole Ivan was STILL wreaking havoc when I headed home by car following a 12 day trip. He was a mess, mostly damaging the Texas/Louisianna coasts and inland areas I traveled through on the way home. Jeanne was the last straw. I put my house on the market and moved home to Indiana. Colder than you know what here...but not quite as scarey!

Yes, My family experienced Hugo. We lived 13 miles from Charlotte and 200 mph winds. Our trees we destroyed and we were without power for 7 days. Some neighbors were without power longer. It was so scary sitting during the storm,no power and hearing the wind rip through our neighborhood. I was so happy to see daylight!!

I remember "Gloria". My husband was killed an a automobile accident. We were almost married 2 years. Our daughter was 16 months old. That date of 9/27/1985 is etched in my soul. We lost a great man that day. Still sad daughter never got to know him.

I helped the people in Homestead fl. after Andrew I went to tent city's run by the military and shopping centers were flat concrete no signs of stores ever being there. That was 100 miles from me WILMA killed Palm Beach. We had shutters up and were still holding the doors from blowing in . If you open an outside door your cooked during the hurricane , When ever the Eye would come over we had 5 minutes to run out side and see what damage was done so far. In Wilma the first half the winds were coming from the north and did little damage then I ran back in and we waited until the hurricane passed over , in the morning I went outside and the wind switched directions after the Eye went over so the winds were coming from the south , Well I walked out the front door and saw 1/2 my roof tiles gone , The screened in patio lost the screen enclosure I paid 28,000 two years earlier for the pool , deck ,Screen enclosure , My fences on the east and west were blown flat . Priced the screen enclosure they wanted 28,000 just for the screen enclosure . There are so many people steeling aluminum , and try and get someone to work on your house 3 month wait. I sat in front of my Garage and every time I saw a worker come around I went up to them and asked for their service when they were done with the person they came to fix.

I live in Vidor, Texas east of Houston. Been through a few hurricanes, but so far Rita & Ike were the worst that I can remember. Rita was wind with lots of downed trees & damaged homes, no electricity for 9 days and 100 degree day were not fun, but Ike hit us harder, high winds and storm surge were seer devastation. Boliver community was wiped off the map & Bridge City was under 10' of water. I have lived in the same neighborhood since 1975 and have never seen the water that I had in my yard. I rode out Ike, but don't know that I would do it again. I feel for the people on the East coast.. I know 1st hand what they are in for..

I am from California and took a teaching job on the island of St. Croix in 1989 (Hurricane Hugo). I would rathar be in an earthquake than experience a hurricane again. What devistation...not a leaf or roof left on the island...and all the looting...scary!

I was 10 years old when Hurricane Donna hit in NYC. Ironically, it was also the first day of school. My mother sent us to school in winter coats! The school announced that they would be closing at lunch time but no child would be allowed home unless a parent came to pick them up. I started to cry because my mother never picked me up at school since I only lived one block away from school. Boy was I shocked when my mother picked us up. I guess some kind of oublic service announcement was made. My mother heard it and picked us up. Boy was I relieved because I think that my sister and I would be the only kids left at the school and we would be all alone.

From what I've read, I agree with Barbara -- give me a Calif. earthquake any day rather than a hurricane. I've lived here 69 years and not once has a vase even tipped over in an earthquake. Good luck to those on the east coast during Irene's "visit."

I went through Alicia as a kid and had just moved to the Houston area. I also went through Allison, the evacuation of Rita and IKE which left over 7 foot of water in my house.

My husband Michael and i were i n our house when hurricane Andrew came through. I will never ever forget August 24 1992.Our house came apart and we prayed that we would not be crushed. it sounded like a freight train and everything was completely wrecked . it took me a long time not to be afraid of the rain and the thunder. I thank God every day that we made it through this storm. I will never ever forget andrew and everytime I hear there is something out there I track .. I pray for the people being hit by hurricane Irene and thank God south florida was spared
Joyce Mandel fort lauderdale florida

We moved down to FL in 1998. 1st storm was Floyd. We didn't feel that one too badly. 2004 brought Charley. It was pretty scarey but again we weren't hit too badly. Then came Frances. She took 1/2 of our roof off and depositied it in the back parking lot. Jeanne came soon after and collapsed the other side of the roof down onto the house. We had neighbors taking bets on when that would happen. Had to fight with insurance company and then mortgage company to finally get rebuilding done 3 years later. That was a most challenging time. I'd very much like to never have to repeat that experience!

I was a normal 9 yr old living just outside of Providence, RI when Hurricane Carol struck the state in 1954. So, for me it was a great adventure and the cause of a 2 wwk delay in the opening of school. I remember rushing from window to see trees falling, lawn furniture flying as if it haw wings, and, in the most sobering of sight, an entire roof ...rafters and all... being peeled off a neighbor's house. We had no electricity for over a week, grew to value ice as much as gold. and had to walk .to a friend's house to make plans. Yes, even Ma Bell had taken an unexpected vacation.

On a more serious note lives were lost, Providence was flooded with near 8 ft of storm surge, and millions in property destroyed.

I was a normal 9 yr old living just outside of Providence, RI when Hurricane Carol struck the state in 1954. So, for me it was a great adventure and the cause of a 2 wwk delay in the opening of school. I remember rushing from window to see trees falling, lawn furniture flying as if it haw wings, and, in the most sobering of sight, an entire roof ...rafters and all... being peeled off a neighbor's house. We had no electricity for over a week, grew to value ice as much as gold. and had to walk .to a friend's house to make plans. Yes, even Ma Bell had taken an unexpected vacation.

On a more serious note lives were lost, Providence was flooded with near 8 ft of storm surge, and millions in property destroyed.

I went through Charley and Francis. After that I decided to move to Western NY. I will deal with a snowstorm any day. At least they don't destroy houses.

I've been through so many, been from th eDominican Republic, remember Ines, I was a little girl, but for David, and the Frederick (back to back) my son was 3 months old there wasn't any power or running water for 3 months, a real nightmare for me, the when Andrew I was living in FL, it' was scary, now I'm in NJ for this one, i'm really scare...

My sister got married in Hurricane Carol in 1954. The reception was at home and all of the power was out but our neighbor, a fireman, brought firetrucks with generators so that there would be power for the wedding reception. In 1990, we'd been in NC only a couple of weeks when Diana hit, not once, but twice. It hit us a glancing blow and then went out to sea and gathered strength and came up the Cape Fear River the next day and hit us again. We evacuated to a nearly school and the National Guard allowed me to go out to my car to bring in stuff for my kids when the eye passed over. They told me to go out and get right back in, which I did. My biggest regret was that I didn't look up into the eye when I had the chance.

I experienced hurricane Hazel in 1954. I was 7 years old and living in Ozone Park, Queens,New York. I remember telephone poles being snapped like toothpicks.

I was 4 yrs old and the hurricane was Donna. In those days the vans would drive through the neighborhoods and on the loud speakers tell everyone what they needed to do, where they needed to go etc. My mom was expecting so we had to move closer inland to be near the hospital. The power was out it was dark and raining hard I could hear the wind blowing it was making a noise and rattling the windows. Mom went in to labor as Donna was moving through. I went to my grandmothers house and the wind had blown her roof off and her trees where down. The best part about hurricane Donna was my sister was born on 9/11. On the way home I could see water everywhere it had flooded parts of Orlando and trees were down everywhere. I have been through other storms but this is the one I remember the most. Hurricanes are dangerous and deadly always follow what they tell you to do and prepare. Mother nature always wins.

Oh yes! grew up in S. Florida. Earliest memory as Andrew. I was about 13. We lived in Ft. Lauderdale and truly got lucky. Had a few more in between there...but last one was Wilma. Saw devastation that I hoped I would never see. People's homes destroyed. No roof, no walls. Families sleeping tents (3 house down from me). I was very lucky. Now living in South Carolina, I still keep an eye out for hurricanes even though I'll never experience one again. I pray for the families on the East Coast...please be safe

Living in the Boston area I experienced Donna (1960), Gloria (1985), Bob (1991) as a 5 year old seeing uprooted trees from Donna left a lasting impression and fasination for weather.

I remember Agnes from 1972 - we were living in the Valley Park apartments off of Edsal Road. I was very young so can't remember a whole lot about it other than all the water and flooding that happened.

I lived in Eastern NC in 1954 as a kid in elementary school when Hazel blew through Mount Olive and Dunn and devestated the area. I saw brick buildings destroyed. It was the worst storm that I have ever experienced. I now live in the west,- no hurricanes but earthquakes.

Katrina's winds caused major destruction in MS and more ways than one. It totally destroyed my utility, and my roof over two bedrooms. We had power outage for 2 weeks and were ill prepared for a week's survival on only the supplies in our home. This storm destroyed my outlook about my small town. I know that there are some decent people in my town, but Katrina showed me some truly hateful ones. We didn't have any water, I had had major surgery less than 2 months prior, had a 10 mon. old grandbaby in the house, 3 daughters, and a disabled husband. We had gotten permission from the owner of a local store to get water from an outside water facet, but about 4 cars of town people came through, saw that we were only getting water, but called the police on us. Thank God he had compassion in him when he saw that we were only getting water. Even later in the first week, our supervisors didn't get the water out like they should have. My husband had a heat stroke going into the second week after Katrina. (He rationed more water for us.) Because of his neurological condition, this caused more damage than normal. Since then, other complications have developed. Imagine something as simple as water, and there are people who will deny you this. It's sad and it still hurts.

I lived in Eastern NC in 1954 and was in elementary school when Hazel 'blew' through Mount Olive & Dunn and left a trail of utter destruction. I saw a brick building blown over. It was the worst storm that I have ever experienced. I now live in the West- no hurricanes but now, earthquakes!

Mother took me walking on Myrtle Beach, SC, after Hazel. The devastation was unbelievable! Houses lying in the water, businesses completely gone, sand covering the road and thousands of sand dollars lying on the beach. We gathered up a lot of them and still have them today. Lived through Hugo when I lived just north of Charlotte, NC. The shrieking of the wind was unearthly. Our dogs hid in the bathtub through it all. Without power for a week. Looked out the next morning and saw telltale signs of tornadoes tearing through our driveway. Few were prepared for it because they didn't believe a hurricane would come so far inland with such strength!

I've been in Hurricane Ike 3yrs ago and Alicia in 1983. Both passed right trough where I was (the eye of the storm). Both had very high winds, but not much rain. I had to work (or get fired). The strong winds lasted 9hrs for Ike. the power was out for days to couple weeks in some areas. Good thing, Houston is used to Hurricanes, the city cleans up, and back to business again in a matter of days.

Was stationed in Key West and had to evacuate from Hurricane Andrew, stationed in Norfolk and evacuated Hurricane Isabel, lost one day of my cruise to Bahamas due to Hurricane Katrina and the year I moved to Houston, I stayed home for Hurricane Ike.

I was about 9 yrs old and living in San Diego Tx. when Hurricane Allen hit. Our house was elevated and during the storm our cieling caved in and the rear of our house sank. We had to leave in the middle of the storm and go to my cousins house. As we left, a tree was uprooted by the wind and flew through the roof of the house across the street. Scary!!! After the hurricane we went for at least a week before the electricity was restored to the town.

I went thru Betsy, Camile, George and Katrina....George and Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf coast (Gulfport) and I can honestly say storms of their magnitude should be avoided at all cost. Katrina was especially rough....standing in line for ice/ water/ food and the long lines to get gas. Needless to say the devastation was beyond belief. I took pictures after Katrina (over a hundred) and one day I'll make a scrapbook/ photo album

I grew up in West Palm Beach. I remember Hurricane Andrew hit on what was supposed to be my first day of middle school. We only had a tropical storm where we lived, but school was cancelled for 2 days. I also went through Charley, Frances and Jeanne in 2004. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma hit 10 days before our wedding. We lost power for 7 days. Needless to say, the wedding pictures at our outdoor wedding don't have the prettiest backgrounds!

Was vacationing at Disney in Florida when Floyd rolled in...was the first time in the park's history that the park closed up due to the weather!! Kudos to Disney Management, though, cause they refunded us for two days of our lost vacation!!
alcdad1

Remember Hurricane Donna in 1960. I know it must have been bad because I was only 7 at the time! We were moving to a new house that had just been finished and my precious pear tree at our old house had been shattered and blown down by the wind. I had a really bad asthma attack while at the new house and getting me to a doctor on flooded roads was really scary!

having grown up in southern louisiana in the 70's, 80's and 90's, i experienced the effects of many of these...katrina being the worst. i live in new hampshire now. i miss hurricanes ::le sigh::

Hugo, Sept. '89 - living in St.Croix, Virgin Islands - Cat. 6 for 24 hrs. Electricity back on Thanksgiving, telephone on in March, '90 and cable back on in June, '90. During the storm, my 7 yr. old asked me if we were going to die. I lied to her when I said, "No" and hugged her.

I was 4 months pregnant & we had just bought our first house when Andrew hit. Was very scary. But 2004 was the worst. Frances was a direct hit. No power for 10 days. Than when we finally got it back for a few days and Jeanne came barreling in, another direct hit. How does that happen? The kids were out of school for over a month. My daughter was a senior that year. Their Senior shirts read: "I Survived 2005" on the front and had a Hurricane tracking map with all "5" hurricanes that hit Florida that season on the back. 2005's Wilma was no picnic either. But at least we had a generator by than.

Until I moved to Flori-DUH, I had lived thru one hurricane and that was Carla in 1961. Family was on vacation in Corpus Christie when she came in. Since then, let's see, Floyd in 1999, Wilma, Charley, Ivan, Frances, Igor (or is that I-gor), Ike, Felix, Gustav & last, but not least, Jeanne. Why do I stay in Florida???

Was working on the railroad when Agnes came through Maryland worked alnight in storm. Was the last car out of Curtis Bay before they closed all the roads out.Tried to take three ways home but all roads were closed.Finally got over the river at Sykesville on Rt 32 made it home safely.Went back out after eating to check on Dam at Liberty Reservoir when I left for work the night before the lake was 19 feet below crest when i got to the dam that next day the water was going over the Dam by 10 feet. Washed out the Railroad on the North and South Branch of the Patapsco River.

I was living in Houston in 1961 when Carla hit. We were without power for several days. Dan Rather was the anchorman at KHOU TV channel 11 CBS. Rather was out covering Carla at Galveston for the entire time and his coverage was picked up by the CBS nationally. It was groundbreaking coverage that was dangerous and ahead of its time. That coverage lead Rather to CBS as a correspondent and eventually an anchor. I went to Galveston after the Carla and the damage was horrific. I also was in Houston in 1983 for Alicia which was bad as well. Some of worst damage from those hurricanes were from the many tornados that they caused. I now live in Northern Kentucky which one would think would be safe from any hurricane. In 2008 the remnants of Ike came through and did a lot of damage to Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Ike took roofs and siding off of houses in my neighborhood and took several trees out of my yard. Power in parts of Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati was off for a week or more. In October of 2008 I went to Houston to visit my father and celebrate his 90th birthday. Trees and other debris were piled up and many buildings had broken and shattered windows. The damage a hurricane can do is unbelievable.

Donna (1960) and Charley (2004) followed essentially the same path across Florida, making landfall between Ft. Myers and Sarasota, and moving northwest. The differences between the two were dramatic.

Charley was small and compact; Donna was massive. Here in St. Petersburg, Charley gave us 35 mph winds, 1-2 inches of rain, and a few power outages.

Donna, on the other hand, gave us winds near 100 mps, with gusts up to 125; a foot of rain, trees down all over the city, and schools closed for two days while the city and county workers cleaned up the mess. We even caught a small piece of the eye.

Charley cut across the state, went out into the Atlantic, and dissapated. Donna hit the Atlantic, gained strength, and bounced off the coast all the way up to New England, where it blew the steeple off Boston's Old North Church.

Donna remains the only hurricane on record, to deliver hurricane strength winds (74 mph or higher) to every state on the Atlantic seaboard of the US. However, she was not particularly destructive in Florida, as there wasn't much to destroy. Orlando was a sleepy little town of around 40,000. Disney World was but a twinkle in Walt Disney's eye, and the area where it, and other attractions now sit, was nothing but woods and citrus groves. She lasted two and a half weeks, and left a hell of a mess in her wake. We will not see anything like her again.

Was stationed at Ft Belvoir Virginia in June of 1972 when hurricane Agnes came up the east coast. We spent time evacuating people from around the Ocaquon river south of Washinton DC. When the storm subsided and we were released from duty for a few days i went to my folks farm in south central Pennsylvania. All the way up Interstate70S the flooding was nearly unbelieveable. I had just turned 18years old on June21 and had never seen anthing like that up close before. It took me a took me three times as long to get home because of all the detours. Looks like we may be in for it again!!!!!!!!

2004 hit Port St Lucie pretty hard. I swear we missed two months of school.

Originally from Nj was here in 92 on the coast for Andrew... I was young but remember the horrible flooding we had!! took forever to get the house clean! Lived on east coast of Fl from 2003 to 2007. Went through Bonnie, Charley, frances and Ivan all in one year. Had lost power for 6 days.... was taking bath in the swiming pool. It was not a good experience! Then had Dennis Rita, Stan and Wilma in 05 not as bad but still not good! Also got Dean and Felix in 07. Moved back to NJ to get away from the hurricanes and now having to evacuate for Irene... seems I can't get away from it!

Can't forget Allen it came at Night so we actually didn't see the devastation until in the morning, I actually see homes floating in the sea in Portland, Jamaica. Gilbert I was actually sitting on my verandah very bad but nothing compare to Allen.

james bargeman

I grew up in Cameron, La. I experienced Hurricane Audrey in 1957. It was devastating.

Donna, Betsy and Cleo...South Fla in the 60's....remember one went past, turned around and came back....Woke the family up to tell them the hurricane was coming and they didn't believe me til they saw the revised warnings...spent that night with water coming in the front of the house around doors and windows and sweeping it out the back...

Living near Annapolis, MD, I've seen a few. Got chased off the beach in NC when Fran came thru. Now the track for Irene - as projected here on the AOL site, has a warning going up the Chesapeake Bay to Drum Point .... which is right down the street....let me get back to you later!

I remember Gilbert of 1988 I was 8 yrs old and living in Jamaica, it was a scary but exciting feeling with the wind the rain and just watching the trees swerving and all the fruits falling off, I remember it lasted for about 3 hours and then stopped, everyone though that it was over for about 20 mins the sun was back out and all was good and then out of no where the sun was gone the rain restarted and things got more serious because thus time it lasted for about 8 hrs right through the night, the lights went out the water was gone and can corn beef and was all we could prepare to eat, it took about 3 wks for the power and water got turned back on, thank God for rain water.

Hurricane Floyd (1999) Rocky Mount and Princeville,NC along with other surrounding cities we will never forget that. I decided to go to back to Rocky Mount to visit my parents for a couple days because it had been a while since I saw them. Nobody really thought anything of it just alot rain. Imagine waking up and standing in water in the house I said the "Lord's Prayer" right then. It seemed like no matter where everyone walked we were all surrounded by water until God sent an angel thanks to the Boseman Family.

Hugo in Charleston SC...I was an insurance agent-long, long days in a damp and musty office....then home to no lights or telephone...and debris in the yard if you were lucky and did not have a hole in your house....you never forget.

I find it VERY interesting that it seems that, with the exception of Hurricane Jean in 1955, it has only been since 1988 that we have had seasons with 10 or more named hurricanes who were deadly or "bad" enough for their names to be retired. Can anyone say "global warming" maybe?

I have lived through a lot of them. I have lived in the Panhandle of Florida most of my life. Opal was a bad one but could have been worse. Thank God it wasn't. Lived in Texas when Rita went through. The texans need to learn how to act when a hurricane comes their way...it was like a zoo there! Floridians know how to act right...lol

I remember being a young girl during the clean-up for Hurricane Agnes. I remember thinking "I HATE the name Agnes!" because of all the devastation it produced! I also remember the clean-up for Hurricane Camille, & although I've never lived on the coastline when there has been a hurricane, I have lived through the damage that a hurricane can still produce hundreds of miles inland, in Atlanta.

Mississippi Gulf Coast 5 i have lived though on your list..Betsy.Camille,Georges,Frederic,Katrina.. I would say Camille was the worst ..the sounds of the wind was unreal..lasted for hours, almost could drive you insane 275 mph wind gust reported ..pelting of the house , watching trees snapp in half like tooth picks..i saw a huge apple tree pulled from its roots thrown across yard ...never lost family or homes during these storms until Katrina ...3 family homes..nothing left
scalling 5ft of rubble just to see where you use to live . dead bodies animal everywhere...still today in shock ...still Hate how Misissippi was ....has been over looked By the news reports ..make no Mistake Mississippi Gulf Coast is Hurricane...

As a recruit Marine I tended to meals for staff NCO's at the main mess hall at Parris Island USMCRD in South Carolina. Mess duty started at 3:30 AM and lasted until about 10:00 PM. All permanent station personnel not directly charged with recruit training were assigned to work parties for the surrounding communities. All were were very wet, tired and hungry.

2005 was a bad year for huricanes, i was in florida and its like bad before they hit and they aftermath isnt anything to feel alright about ,i got sick during thecleanup part JOE

Joy Slater
I was 3 days old, and they kept my mom and me in Hospital in Camp Lajune, NC. through Hazel in 1954. My Dad had my three sister and brothers, in the car driving around. Of course, I don't remember this!!! LOLOLOL

Hey I Forgot to mention it was Hazel in '54

We survived Frances & Jeanne in 2004 and then Wilma in 2005. Quite a scare those years living on the Treasure Coast of Florida.

I experience Fifi in Belmopan, Belize 1974. We were inland by at least 50 miles but that made no difference for the destruction that occurred. 10,000 lives were reportedly lost, most from floods and poisonous snakes seeking high ground( roof-tops ). After that I always respected the powers of nature.

Gordon Danser
My wife and I were vacationing in St. Maarten (at Green Cay Villas) when hurricane Lenny came to visit and stayed for 3 days! We had been in a hilltop villa, but the resort moved us to a lower unit down the hill and provided us with canned food and bottled water, and advised us to fill the bathtub with water to use for flushing the toilet. We took cushions from the sofa and pillows from the bed and huddled in a very small hallway (the only area without windows). A loud CRASH was heard in the living room and we discovered that the whole frame of sliding glass doors had been partially blown in. We slid a bed/sofa against the frame and retreated to the safety of our hallway again. After the storm passed, we were fascinated at how quickly the native residents pulled together to clean up debris and repair damages. It was during this cleanup that we had the best jonnycakes ever! CHEERS for St. Maarten!!

My father was a Navy "hurricane tracker" as he piloted the giant radar weather planes during such storms back in the 1950"s. We were stationed in Patuxent River Maryland during hurricanes Hazel and Connie, and had to ride the storms out in base housing, all the time worrying more about whether his piloting skills would bring him and his crew back safely than we did about our own welfare. During hurricane Hazel, a giant pine tree was torn out of the ground and crashed down a few feet from our housing, but we all lived to tell the tale.

Andrew was nightmarish. I grew up in the Keys, and when I came back after the evacuation, Homestead looked like a war zone, like a bomb had blown everything, EVERYTHING away. It was horrifying. Driving past the corpses of poor little critters like cows, horses, etc, was heartbreaking. We had no power, water, or phone for almost a month, and we had to bathe in the ocean. And the weather was sooo HOT.

Now in WNC, Ivan caused the river behind my cabin to flood, and the wind blew so hard it broke tons of big tree limbs from the forest behind me. The wind broke all my corn and flung it over into the flood water. Most folks lost their whole gardens that year (which means a great deal to the impoverished people here), everyone lost power for almost a week, and the ancient, 60-foot maple tree off my back porch split slap down the middle, with one half dangling precariously over my entire cabin. Terrifying, but not half as heartless as Andrew.

I was 10 when Hurricane Donna ripped through Cocoa, Fl. In the immediate aftermath...the skies were so dark and gloomy...pine tree branches were everywhere and 2 streets over houses were missing their roofs.It was like another world as we all emerged from our homes at the same time..looking at each other in disbelief!

chas, I was around for Donna in 1960. The earths weather is continuously in flux. What we may remember or may have recorded does not truely quantify what may have been or what may be coming. A few billion years is plenty of time to create the best of weather and most certainly the worst. As the earth warms at an accelerated rate, the energy of storms will most assuredly show us the fury of nature.

We lived in Far Rockaway NY right on boardwalk - nothing between us & Ocean -from 1962-1992. Had 27 hurricanes & I remember the worst were Agnes, Andrew, Betsy, Camille, Cleo, Diana, Fifi,Gloria, Hugo & Inez - We taped our windows with duck tape criss cross- one time a whole pane of glass was sucked right out of the frame - They were scary, but watching this powerful force of nature was breathtaking. Back in 1938, before storms were named, on B32 str, the ocean came up and met the bay - at least 1 1/2 miles - still remnants of it when we lived nearbye. anyone from there remember these??

I remember watching my Dad struggle to walk home during 1955's Connie! We didn't own a car and with the wind I thought he would be blown right thru our 5th floor windows. And he still had his pipe in his mouth. I've lived thru hurricanes, I'm a survivor and will survive Irene.

Betsy, Camille Fredrick Elena Georges and Katrina( le bitch de grande') All at home on Miss Coast. Whoever heard of FEMA after Camille or Betsy- Haley Barbour put it in perspective-"Hitch up yo' britches clean up yo"yard and go back to work. Look how the Goverment "fixin" everything has left us. Case closed!

I remember Agnes best. Living in Ft. Hunt on Bluedale St., I went out during the storm to see what was happening. Walked down to the bike path that connected to the new Ft. Hunt elementary school where we had a little place we hung out called the "Hill" off the path. The waters came up to my thighs. There was a fort built in the woods that you had to crawl up and under to enter. Had to go under water to get inside. The water was only inches from the hatch to the entrance of this fort. My Mom had a fit when she found out I was out in it. My next 30 yrs would be spent in Alabama by the 1980's so we were not affected by any of the other storms really. I do remember Camille.Our problem now is we just moved her to Va. Beach, VA permanently in June. Now we're exactly 9 miles from the beach. so because the Governor has waited too late to open all the lanes for evacuation we are staying and riding it out. We have many shelters and parking garages to park our car. Here on S. Independence Blvd., I'm not sure what to expect but certainly flooding and power outages as well as possibly 70 mpr winds are all expected. A little scared, but we have family only in the Outter Banks, and in D.C. so no where is safe for us. So we're staying and praying. Will be filming and taking pictures though. Wish us luck and prayers. Suzi

Camille when I was 12 years old. She got 50 miles off of Tampa Bay, where we lived at the time and turned and went up the west coast of Florida, instead of hitting Tampa. The damage was unbelievable and she did not even hit us. Plus, in 1969 the population of Tampa was nothing compared to now.

I was there for Andrew, two miles north of country walk. My wife and I spent about eight hours in an inside bathroom with 2 dogs and 8 birds. We thought we were toast for sure; you could hear huge trees outside literally exploding. We were without power for three weeks, and after 2 years there was still a mess. We finally gave up and moved to Davie.

Thanks to the Salvation Army in 1944, many lives were saved in the 1944 hurricane that hit Long Beach Island. In that hurricane, the ocean kissed the bay & streets were reduced to beach sand. Boats tied in port were impaled on their pilings. Because we had a coal stove (no electricity) the SA used our home in which to bring rescued people from the lower southern end of the island. We burned coal, wood, anything we could find to keep it going. In rushed 6" of tide water. We ate our meals upstairs, & a kind guest lifted my lame grandmother onto the first step, marooned on a couch, so she could get upstairs. I was 9 years but remember it well. Thank you, Salvation Army !

Was 16 when Audry came thru Orange,Tx.It was my first hurricane and it was a BIG one.As bad as we got hit we were fortunate for the main distruction and flooding was in Cameron,La.I saw 18 wheelers filled with ice come thur Orange enroute to Cameron.The ice was to ice down the bodies of those that died.The eye passed over Orange.Amazing how still it is in the eye.Then the backside of the hurricane hits.The tornados that spawn from the hurricane did tremendous damage in Orange and surrounding area.Must say that my old four door Plymouth got the cleanest it had ever been from sitting out in the hurricane.

Long Beach Island, in New Jersey is approximately 18 miles long with one causeway to the mainland. A second was washed out in 1938, along with train service. In this 1944 hurricane, at the age of 9, I witnessed pieces of boardwalk, the skiiball arcade, roof parts, etc. flow up our street. They have never replaced the boardwalk, nor added a second causeway. The Red Cross visited the northern end of the island, & the Salvation Army, the southern end. Thanks, BOTH of you !

My prayers & hope go with you in dealing with Hurricane Irene, 2011.

I was 6 years old when Agnes came in 1972. My mom had just bought a brand new mobile home. Our front door was maybe 20 yards from the Shedandoah River. We lived in it 8 days when Agnes hit. I remember my mom taking us in the middle of the night in the car higher up the mountain, we parked in someone's driveway because the water was rising fast.. By day break we needed to get to safer ground. We had to cross the river to get to safety, a fireman drove our car across a bridge in which the water was up to the windows, I thought for sure we would float away, but we got across and of course we survived. Now with Irene coming I am a kind of freaked out, I have a camper on the Shenandoah River and I don't live to far from it, I know how much loss comes to people and it effects you the rest of your life. Be safe everyone!

Andrew, The big Fla oak stood firm in the front yard, however one block over, it was tragic. Looked like a bomb was dropped. Working the mash tents in Fla City for 3 months. No water, neighbors fighting neighbors for sandwiches and water. Going as far as stabbing one another. Hunger, they were so hungry, so thirsty. Devastation thats all I can say. Roofs gone, houses gone, only the rock porches left. They didn't want to evacuate their homes. I understand, but when it was over they wished they had. God Bless those in the path of Irene.

was stationed at kessler afb mississippi for camille, delayed my pcs

born and raised and still living in New Orleans for Katrina and Rita.

in 69 I was 16 and vacationed with relatives and we drove from st louis to key west when we got there they told us to get the hell out, we headed for st Petersburg ...camille was on our ass. luckily it swung out to the gulf.we were at the beach the next day and the waves were huge but i went out anyway...an undertow got a hold of me and drug me up the beach 200 feet...i will never forget that as long as i live.

I remember going through Dean. I was sitting in my room on my bed with my 3-year-old daughter, 1-year-old daughter and newborn son and I hear a HUGE clap of thunder, my dog starts barking and growling and going bonkers! I grab my son, take both my daughters by the hand and run into the living room. Outside is pitch black and theirs lightning streaking across the sky, thunder claps the trees are swaying in the wind and I see my neighbor's chairs from her deck flying around. I grab my dog and run into my room (we live in a one-level house) and lock the door. I shut the blinds and call my husband just then the power goes out. My son is screaming, and my daughter, Addisynn (1) is crying and Mia (3) is screaming like Braden (my son). I thought the world was coming to an end. It was an awful moment and I hope Irene isn't as bad as these folks are saying!

I moved to Miami in 1959 as a small child and as a result went through at least 6 of these plus all the others that went past there between then and 1970 with Donna being the first one. Will never forget walking home before it hit with my parents & the wind trying to knock me down or pick me up as they held tight to my hands. I found it real interesting then that my sister 2 yrs younger than me was/is named Donna. That was a wicked storm but not as bad Camille. Also rode out Cleo, Betsy & Inez back then one of which (don't remember which) smack Miami twice by cutting across hitting the Gulf only to bounce back at an angle to hit again and another one my Dad & Uncle rode part of it out braced with their feet holding a piece of plywood to a window that tried to let loose. Later was in Orlando in 2004 for Charlie Frances & Jeanne. We got swiped by 2 others that year & felt like Orlando had a target painted on it. With all of these I have learned when to just hunker down and when to leave. I don't really fear them but DO respect them.

In 1983 felt the wrath of Alicia when she hit the Houston Area. It was my son’s first birthday, so party canceled, but we lit candles on cupcakes and sang happy birthday; hours later she hit—in the middle of the night. Unbelievable sights, sideways rain, lightning, but couldn’t hear thunder over roar of wind. As a Chicago suburbanite, didn’t know what to expect, the day she hit started out with a beautiful blue sky, sunshine, gentle breezes, thank goodness for radar…Learned quickly about stocking up on water and other supplies and to have hurricane shutters. Since living in FL have experienced Andrew—lots of wind, but no real damage, then Charley—scary sounds, I remember as he came in and went up the coast you could heard “boom!boom! boom!” Like cannons going off, as though some army were advancing. Weeks later while making a trip to Tampa drove through Punta Gorda and couldn’t believe the devastation along I-75. And Wilma—the worst I have experienced—took down three large trees in my yard and went without water and electricity for nearly a week. It was like camping in hell, although I know Katrina victims experienced much worse. All I can say is when a big one heads straight for me, I am leaving, maybe back to Chicago for good. Besides the devastation and psychological scars they leave, these storms make house insurance go up every year whether or not one actually hits.

I was 5 when Donna hit my area of central fl. we were evacuated from our lakefront home to the Jacaranda Hotel in Avon Park. The roof blew off of a section of the hotel and the water was a torrent running down the stairs, we had to form a human chain all women and children and get to the lobby where we climbed atop the lobby furniture and waited out the storm as the lobby was a boiling river of water rushing around everything. It was terrifying. But I must say I haven't been afraid of much of anything since then. It was a character building experience. I have since moved from one paradise to another and live quite near Kilauea volcano. Lynne Carey- Keaau Hawaii

My cousin Page from Aberdeen, N.C. ( already a well known pilot and author of aviation books) was the
first woman to fly into the eye of a hurricane and it was "BETSY" She was so small that they had to re design the seat ! My name happens to be Betsy !

Chris,
Charley, Frances and Jeanne in 2004, I lived in Kissimmee. Charley blew out windows in our house. We were without power for almost 2 weeks. For Frances & Jeanne we knew to board up the windows. Living in Central Fl you don't think about a hurricane hitting you, not when you come from Tn.

I was living in Summerville, SC (about 25 miles outside Charleston, SC) in 1989 when Hugo came through. I thought that far inland would not be a problem and that night I thought I had made a bad decision for my family when I decided to stay put. Four trees hit my house and during the eye we went to a neighbors house because we were afraid ours was going to be distroyed. When the winds reversed after the eye the two trees we thought were going to hit the house actually fell the other direction. The next day I was on the roof covering the holes and could look through my next door neighbors house and see the house next to him.. I would never stay for another hurricane and now don't have to worry about it because I live in Laramie, WY.....

Survived Gilbert in Jamaica - lost my roof during the 2nd half of the storm - my son was only 8 months at the time - had to use a knife to pry our apartment door open to escape! Blessed memories of my grandmother who covered infant with her body to protect him from falling wood beams!

It must have been Hurricane Hazel that I remember in October, 1954..., although there was a Hurricane Carol in August of that same year. Hurricane Donna, 1960...2nd year of college...no lights, and we all gathered together in the parlor of Munro Dorm. The next one I remember was Tropical Storm Claudette, 1979 in Texas. Highest recorded rainfall of 42 inches in 1 day in Alvin, Texas!! Our home was flooded with 8 inches of water everywhere, and we had to evacuate to higher ground. Our streets were turned into rivers. They looked like they had always been there! Amazing! Next came Alicia in 1983 [Texas]. I just read that Alicia had a rare double eye! I never heard the wind howl so much as I did during that storm! Next one was Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 [Texas]. Our school district had $10,000,000 worth of damage! This happened just after school let out for the summer, but many folks spent the entire summer just trying to get their homes back in order! Then, in 2008 there was Hurricane Ike [Texas]. This was the third costliest hurricane ever in the USA. We lived about 100 miles north of Galveston, so I didn't think we'd get much. However, when I found out that Ike was 600 miles across, I knew we were going to get hit for sure! The wind damage from this storm was just tremendous!

I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC...Never did I ever think that a hurricane would come to destroy the land around me in 1989 Hugo! It was so surreal watching trees being uprooted and thrown out of sight! My mom set her video camera up to tape the storm from inside the house and it fell off the mount several times. We were out of school for 2+ weeks. The city looked like a war zone!!!

I've lived in Florida for 57 years my 1st hurricane was Betsy in 1965 when I was 12 yrs. old. But in the last 10 yrs. I lived through David, Andrew, Charley, Francios,Jean, and Wilma. My thoughts to everyone is that all the weather newscaster do a lot of talking .
They give you lots of predictions on the intensity of the stroms, but no matter what they say. Take it seriosly.....here in West Palm beach they told us on the news that Wilma would be a Cat. 1 by time it crossed the state coming from the west coast...duh we had a cat. 4....thank you....the best advice to all is pay attention to all the warnings and take cover. After the strom passes it will be the worst part of the strom period.....no electric...no way to cook....can't go to work....damage everywhere...so the nightmare strats the day after. Good luck to all on the east coast from North Carolina north.

I feel sure that IRENE will join this list & may even turn out to be 'THE STORM OF THE CENTURY' before it's all over !

Being born in Cuba in 1958 I got to experience (although I can't remember) all the hurricanes that graced that island nation until 1970 when I arrived in South Florida, where I have lived ever since. I've seen all of them, so many I can barely remember them all. Although Andrew was stronger, Wilma was the one I remember best because it was a more direct hit in terms of where I was living. While vacationing in Puerto Rico in 2004 Jeanne came through and totally ruined it. That was a real bummer!!

I was around for hurricane Isabel. it hit on my 11th birthday on september 19th 2003 and i was in brooklyn maryland at the time not to far from the water. when i finally came out to go to my birthday party the Docks were all flooded Downtown was flooded Fells point was under water Pratt street was gone Canton was flooded bad and people were out in fells point in the kyaks the cops got really mad about that and made them get away we didnt get power back for a week. all in all a very interesting birthday

I was 8 years old and living on Eglin AFB, FL when the Hurricane Frederic eye hit the Mobile area in 1979. My Dad was a Military Cop and he had to stay on the base on duty. Eglin is situated right on Okaloosa Bay, and our house was right across the street (on Wenona Way). My Mom, brother and I rode it out together and played board games, etc. while Dad was on duty. Even though it hit Mobile worst, it was pretty scary in the FL Panhandle as well, especially for an 8 yr old. My Dad went on years later to specialize in Emergency Management (managing results of natural and manmade disasters) and worked for the states and FEMA doing so, specializing in Floods. He told me recently that Frederic was a strong Category three. Our family also rode out Hur. Opal in 1995. We lived 3.5 hours inland from the Gulf, and Opal still caused the type of damages that usualy only occur in coastal areas. it was bad. I'm a nurse and worked an entire shift while it blew through town. Left work about an hour late because of the winds and could barely drive home because of debris in the roads. These things are intense, needless to say.

I was here in Houston for Alicia, Allison, Rita and Ike. Allison was a big flood in my area, Rita was an evacuation nightmare and Ike still has remnants showing in my neighborhood. We've been luckier than most.

Experienced Hurricane Ivan. Was living in Pensacola, Fla at the time. It was one of the scariest experiences in my life. Pensacola was pretty much a mess! Stayed up all night. Felt the floor beneath me buckle, The wind! the wind sounded like a freight train, much like a tornado. It was horrible! I never want to experience that again!

Born and Raise in Puerto Rico I experience many of them, it's real scary and sad. Georges hit Puerto Rico as a category 5 and the destruction was almost irreparable, it took many years for some people to be back as normal. Hope everyone can be safe and no more damages be done.

Man I can remember three on this list Beulah , Allen , Gilbert, and most recently Dolly and Alex. South Texas has had it's share of bad storms. We've NEVER run from any of them. Good planning ,safe home & high ground ! God Bless Texas, Beachbumncaptain.

It was my son's 18th birthday when Floyd hit NC. We still talk about walking up the middle of the street with rushing water above my knees! We had moved our 2 dogs from the deck to the garage to keep them dry, then had to take them into the house when the garage began fillng up with water, leveling out at about 6". The worst came afterwards when Rocky Mount opened the flood gates on the Tar River which then flooded Princeville and Greenville down river, and knocked out a major power station for several days. Floyd was also Cat 2, but followed after a drenching from Dennis. New England, don't take this lightly. I was in Marblehaed, MA when Donna hit there and remember the fishing boats that had been thown up onto the beaches like toys.

I lived in Commack, Long Island when Gloria hit in 1985. I remember trees snapping at their bases in an relentless wind. I could feel the walls of the house pulsating from the force of the wind. I was outside experiencing the storm and my Mom and Dad were trying to get me to come in. I couldn't take too much and ran back to the house. It was one of the most exciting days I ever had there. It took the county 8 years before they replaced the trees that were lost. We were cutting downed trees with a chain saw by 4PM after the storm passes.

We live in Florida and experienced the 2004 "Trio": Charley, Frances and Ivan. It was crazy and hot and we had no electricity for several days. The supplies were running low and we were very worried. Mos of our trees were gone and the landscape never recoup from the devastating damage. Old beautiful oak trees gone forever. Curiously, after the hurricanes, we started developing allergies and respiratory problems we never had before and we still suffer from rhinitis/hay fever and sinus...The consequences are long lasting.

I was 9 yrs old when Hurricane Donna came thru FT Myers Fl. I was looking forward to it having never been in a Hurricane, after it was over I never wanted to be in another one LOL.

We were in Frances ..out of power 8 days Jeanne ... out of power for 7 days and Wilma no power 1 day. The whole reason it took so long to restore power was 1 other neighbor had a tree on the power line and they couldn't leave it on because if someone was to touch the tree they could have died!! Luckily , we didn't have any damage to our home but, the neighborhood suffered terribly!!The house right next door lost it's entire roof and all the drywall had to be replaced along with the roof. Other neighbors suffered the similar fates
it was terrible to see all the damage to the entire community.We were very very lucky !!!
Thank GOD for our being spared Gary.

I was 7 years old when Hazel Hit all I remember was sitting at the windw watching my uncle outside directing traffic around hugh trees that had fallen across our street.

I was 6 years old when I experienced Hugo in Puerto Rico. I will always, always remember the howling winds, the devastation, walking in mud up to my knees and the rivers of mud. For as long as I live I will remember the image of the rolling river of mud dragging cars.

I was in 8th grade when Betsy hit Slidell, Louisiana. We were lucky...no property damage except for one oak tree down...no power for seveal weeks. (Dry ice saved our freezer.) I was in Houston, Texas (on the north east side) when Alicia decided my home needed a new roof! 3 1/2 weeks of no power! Then of course, Katrina. I live in central Mississippi and only had downed trees...one an oak over a hundred years old!, damaged fences from fallen trees, and no power for several weeks. I did, however, have family in Slidell, Louisiana...a Brother who lost everything, and my Mother, and a cousin in Gulfport. Mother's home was not damaged, but there was not a tree left standing! (Same property that survived Betsy.) I had family from Slidell and Gulfport staying with me for almost a month.

I pray for the safety of the east coast. Having personal knowledge of what these storms can do, I hope anyone who decides to stay takes a marks-a-lot and writes their social security number on their arm so their body can be identified! I do not mean that in a mean way...it was that advice that made my Brother decide to evacuate when Katrina hit. When he went back home, all he had was a vacant lot...and he had plans of "riding it out!"

Andrew was the worst storm to ever hit South Florida trees uprooted fences(chain link) were laying flat on the ground. you could drive by a complex and look right into someone's home!!
and the worst damage was where there were no houses at all !!! just a trash strewn field of garbage !! Then leaving there after dusk...Checkpoint Charlie . The Nat'l Gaurd were like mad dogs looking for anything of value you might be looting !!! It was Florida's ...Katrina
thanks for the memories !!!!

I was in the army doing my basic training when Donna was around in FT.Dix NJ all I remember is a lot of rain and wind it was the only time we went out with ponchos and the brass said to return to the barricks...

If you look at a map of the paths of Charley, Francis and Jeanne in 2004. All three hit my apt. Charley tore the east wall off my apt., moved my bedroom furniture and cloths into the living room, I had a lovely view outside from my bathroom (no windows) and when you turned the water on in the tub it looked like it was glowing. Francis and Jeanne dumped lots of rain on top of my already trashed apt. The carpet was soaked, No utilities for 2 months, my cat died from the heat, my apt was on the third floor and it was in the high 90's low 100's. So many people lost their homes it was difficult to find a place to live. Thank you FEMA for declaring my apt. unfit to live in and helping me move.

I was 5 years old when Hurricane Hazel hit upstate New York. I remember it blew the metal corners off of our apartment building. It was really windy and rainy and very scary for a five year old.

i was on vacation when i was hit with hurricane charley! now it looks like im going to be hit with irene

I was 5 years old when Hurricane Hazel hit upstate New York (Binghamton). I remember the metal corners of our apartment building were blown off and landed across the street. The rain and wind were very scary especially to a 5 year old.

I was 10 when Hurricane Gloria came through...mostly just rain in our area, but I remember sitting on my grandmother's couch, watching the storm through the living room windows. Since we now live in what was my grandparents house, we'll probably be doing the very same thing with our almost 4-year-old daughter this weekend once Irene shows up.

Ike was one i will never ever forget we were without lights for months it look like a war zone ,Boats in the middle of 45 line up and fish stuck in some fences some people they never found,Galveston almost wipe out ,but God was there he still in controll

I was in the army when Donna hit FT.Dix NJ in 1960 all I remember is a lot of rain and a lot of wind,during the storm which was taking place on a number of days we got up one morning and were bsuppose to go to the firing range dressed in panchos but the brass thought better of it and returned us to the barricks....that never happened again.

Phyl - Remember in 1961 "Carla" Lived in Pasadena, TX and our subdivision was a sort of hit and miss. Remember looking for crawdads after the storm hut and playing in the flooded streets. Have been around several hurricanes, but never directly in one, but have the upmost respect for all of them and empathy for the people and lives they destroy. To add my 2 cents to the "global warming", I personally think it is exactly that - it means, more people, more highrises, more cars, more factories, less trees and to me that spells trouble with a capital "T". Out younger generation is on the right tract of trying to help solve some of our problems, and I commend them for their efforts. Keep up the good work kids and I hope I am around when you accomplish your tasks.

Shirley - I live in Raleigh, NC and experienced Hurricane Fran in 1996. The storm occurred at night so we could not see anything going on; rather, we could only hear wind and rain raging outdoors. A large Bradford tree blocked our front door, then landed on our car in the driveway. Seven trees in the backyard kept swaying back and forth in the backyard..it was just a matter of time before they either fell on the house or away from the house. Thankfully, they all fell away from the house. We had a foot of water in the basement. The next day there were live wires throughout Raleigh. As I looked down our street, I could see all the trees fell in the same direction..some went through the roofs of neighbor's homes.The most unsettling part was that it was black dark outdoors and we could not see what was going on. I will never forget this experience.

We were several days without electricity. My husband (a scout leader) fired up the grill and began cooking our food, as well as our neighbors' food before it spoiled.

I was a young kod when andrrw hit louisiana. I saw so many people who evacuated. I also was a volunteer for the red cross many years later and a college student volunteer coordinator during katrina and rita. I was a volunteer during lili. So many people were devastated and my heart was broken during all of it.

Hazel in 1954 in BARACOA Cuba's oldest city in the estern part of Cuba northeast of Guantanamo Bay , everyone close to the coast had to qet o the high grounds I seen metal singles the long one I guess they where 6' by 3' or so i seen a ship name Neptune been push into the shore of the bay it took quite a long lime to get it out by waiting for Tug Boats from the Gitmo. base to do the job the bell from such ship was given to the church where it still exist at that time I was an altar boy for the church and in the year 2000 I went to Cuba and visited the church and the bell was still there , ther was a lot of damage back then I could remember all of it I was 13 yrs. old

Kid... Andrew... Sorry, I have a hard time typing on my phone.

Floyd, Sept. 16, 1999. It was my father's birthday and the day of my father's viewing. He passed away 2 days before.

Growing up in Louisiana I've been through quite a few hurricanes. The worse was Camille in 1969 (I was 17) top winds of 190 mph.

I remember Betsy in '65. I was 7 years old and remember a story about my dad saving my grandpa's life. Gramps lived in an apartment over our garage in the backyard and was at the time laid up with a broken leg. In the middle of the storm, dad wrapped a thin matress around himself and went up the stairs and got grandpa. Grandpa was on dad's back riding him piggyback and was holding the matress around himself and dad, the whole while these slate shingles that were coming off all the rooftops were flying around like deadly little guillotenes, hitting the matress. Shortly after getting to the relative safety of the house, the top of this huge cyprus tree fell through the roof of grandpa's apartment and landed on the bed he was laid up in. I'll never forget that night.

I put my son on a plane to Miami when he was 11 yrs old to visit relatives. The day before he was to come home to Pittsburgh, Hurricane Andrew hit! I was worried sick. It was several days before he was able to get out of FL. But he survived Andrew!

I live in south Florida and have for the last 41 years. I that time I have been thru my share of storms. I was on a cruse ship during Mitch it was a wild ride. The ship was going to Cancun but do to Mitch it changed course and went to towards the Dominican Republic. The thing is that Mitch did the same thing it went over Cuba and cut right in front of the ship. The Captain did do a great job of outrunning the storm, but we caught the back end of Mitch with 30 to 40 ft. waves that I thought were going to break the ship in have the wind speed up on deck was 75kt. They had chained all the pool side chairs to the beams. My wife and I went up to check it out it was one of the coolest time of my life see those waves and feeling the wind at the top of a ship that tall in the open seas. Everything in the ship was closed that night and many people got sick, but we had a great time see and feeling one of nature’s great wonders. I do not know if we are causing global warming but one thing is sure the world is getting warmer. But this is not new the planet goes in cycles hot and cold are we helping it get warmer that is up to debate.
Jay.

It was when Katrina in 2005 hit, I went with a friend of mine to help her scout of apartments down in Georgia BEFORE Katrina was even a thought. As soon as we saw how close it was getting we started back home to Massachusetts. Katrina was on our tail. We never stopped to sleep, just took turns driving while the other one slept for a few hours. When we got back home I told her I was never going on any trips with her..She said the same thing to me. But we still remain great friends. She lives now in Florida. Keep safe Celeste..
Debbie A.

I remember Carol in 1954 ...to me was the most memorable living in South Boston being 7 years old

Omg experienced some in Miami - but omg Andrew- we weren't prepared ...wasn't supposed it directly impact Kendall - well it did. My slidding glass doors turned into butter when the pressure dropped and they blew. It was like a movie -but real life.. running from room to survive as each room fell apart because the wind got in. No power for 3 weeks, Have you seen those Tide commericals- when the lady says there's nothing like clean clothes - I think back to the basics in life... food, water, and clothing - very hard to come by when everything was gone! It took us two years to get back into our house ... meanwhile still paying our mortgage and renting an apt. I remember it like yesterday. Hearing the wind howl, trees snapping, and people screaming - about 6 hours!

camille, betsey, david, andrew (the worst), georges, mitch, frances, katrina, wilma...I've lived through all of these named - others I of course, but they didn't stand out as much - in Dade County. Wicked. So destructive. Andrew was the most destructive for us. Our two children under 4, our brother's 3 children under 5 - all nine of us in the northeast end of a one-car garage in his matchbox house, so frightened I wouldn't speak so the children wouldn't hear my voice shaking.

I experienced the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes. They were extremely tough years. There was so much flooding in PA where I live due to those hurricanes. I can't even imagine how bad it was for coastal areas.

Charley was the worst hurricane I directly experienced though. I was in Fenwick Island, DE during that storm. It was frightening to feel so helpless against Mother Nature.

With both Gloria & Diana I was a student at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington & we spent our time rowing around the apartment complex in a small boat during the eye of the storm & having lots of alcohol at Hurricane parties. I would die if I thought my child was doing that now!!

Andrew, Camille, Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Opal

Andrew's eye crossed over the house we was renting two blocks north of Homestead AFB, FL. Salvaged about 10% of our clothes and the furniture from the master bedroom minus the mattress and box springs. No renter's insurance because we couldn't afford it. We've since decided we can afford it. I was in US Air Force basic training in Texas when Camille occured. My transfer to Keesler ABF in Biloxi, MS was delayed for several days because of damage. I lived in, and still live in. Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida when Charley, Frances and Jeanne visited in 2004. The eye of Charley and passed over my house and we lost power for 3-4 days and the storage shed in our back yard. Having put a new roof on our house in March turned out to be a wise investment We only lost power for a couple of days for Frances and Jeanne. Having three hurricanes pass withing 15 or so miles of your house is something I hope to never endure again. Opel hit the Panama City, Florida area while we was living there. We only lost power for one day at our house. The street in front of our house flooded for three days. We couldn't park our cars in our driveway, but we could park on the stree on the side of our house.

Hurricane Hazel in 1954. All the windows in our house blew out, and we were huddled on an inside wall, drenched in a foot of water, wind howling. I will never forget it. I take these Hurricanes very seriously. My children have never experienced it, but they do listen when I tell them to prepare our house for one. I pray we survive Irene.......................

I lived in Homestead not far from the base when Andrew came thru in 1992

I was in the tail end of Hugo, in 1989. I am from Kansas City, MO, but I was in SW Virginia (Christiansburg/Blacksburg area) going to college. By the time it got to us it was a "tropical storm", and to us Midwesterners it was very similar to a typical Midwest thunderstorm.

Hurricane Donna September 1960 I was in the US Navy, stationed in Norfolk, Va. The ship I was on, the USS Natahala AO 60 was among many ships in port ordered to sea to escape damage it might sustain by being in port. I was a signalman. I remember the ordeal of going from the fore part of the ship to aft in order to reach the mess deck at meal times. I also remember standing my watches in the pilot house as well as on the signal deck (top most deck of the ship). This experience was very interesting, to say the least. I probably could write a small book about the experience.

I lived in Houston in 1983 and we lost power for 3 days due to Hurricaine Alicia. No water for a couple of days either. I remember the anxiety of waiting, and then the calm before the rain returned and the wind shifted.

I live in Central Florida. On the list-Charlie,Frances and Jeanne. Also Ivan and TS Bonnie--all in 6 weeks. 2004 SUCKED!

I have survived most of the storms listed since I used to live in New Orleans. Katrina is what caused me to move away from my home town. I miss it very much but it just will never be the same. I am happily living in Shreveport in a hilly area 300+ miles away from N.O.LA. and loving it!

I live in central Fla Charly Frances andJeanne along with Ivan and TS Bonnie--all in 6 weeks.2004 SUCKED!!

I was in Fran and Floyd in Eastern North Carolina. Floyd was life-changing for so many - and the face of the state changed forever - and particularly bad since we were hit by Dennis twice the week before Floyd. Really not good.

My family lived in Daytona Beach when Charley & Frances hit. We were homeless for a little while, but my kids are were fine, moved to MD from there.

I was in Toronto Canada when I was 11 and we were staying over a hardware store on Coxwell Ave when Hazel hit. I remember it was a Friday night and my Mom would not let us go to the movies like we did every Friday. The sky was mustard yellow and I knew something was up. We went to bed early and I awoke in middle of then night to a howling like I had never heard before. I went to the window and cranked open a side window which was immediately torn away by the wind. The noise was horrifying but I went back to sleep and next morning the calm exposed all the damage. But the most interesting damage was to the hardware store sign which used to swing just below our bedroom. It usually said 'Arnold's Hardware,' but because of the damage to some of the neon letters for the next few months at night it would light up and flash, "Arnold's Hard." "Arnold's Hard." I still laff and feel the terror.

I was 1 year old when Donna hit Miami. I was in Miami when Cleo hit and move a papaya tree from our back yard to our front yard. then in 1965 Betsy hit and tore apart our back porch. I have not been involved in any other hurricanes even though I knew people in them.

I was 8 years old when Hurricane Carol struck us in Massachusetts. The eye went through our town following a 'blow' that had sounded like a freight train. I remembered trees falling on our house. The eye was very strangely quiet with a yellowish hue. People had about 20 minutes to go outside to nail up board over the windows, fix this or that, etc., and then run into the house just before the other side of the storm slam into us again. It was a very strange and frightening experience and one I've never forgotten, obviously.

I was on Galveston Island when Alicia hit. We were stupid. We were in a bar and they locked us in and served us "Hurricaine's" all night long. In the morning, I was let out and went to my van. The water was up to my wheel wells. I worked for the telephone company as a contractor cleaning up Galveston Island and getting communications back in line. I was so lucky that I can't beleive that anyone that ever experienced a hurricaine would even want to be anywhere close to one. I also helped with Katrina at Lamar Dixon in Louisiana. The storms get more and more powerful each time a big one hits. TAKE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY. IT COULD SAVE YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES LIVES.

I was 10 years old in 1965 when Betsy hit. I remember it very well. I lived in Raceland, Louisiana (Lafourche Parish) and the eye came right over us. I was a weird, but exciting thing to see for a boy my age. The saddest thing I remember, is the name of the people who were killed by this storm strolling on our TV screen days later. I also remember well my mother and father making me get under their bed when we thought the roof was coming off. But much to our surprise, when the I passed over and we went out.................. the very large weeping willow tree in our neighbors yard had come down and just missed landing on our house. This is one storm I will never forget.

Hurricane Dora is the one I remember the most, knocking down trees in our neighborhood; luckily a fireman was living right down the street from us and helped my father & neighbor to cut down the trees to save their pool. I remember sitting in the car in the driveway listening to the radio, and my dad grilled our meals.

1972 agnes. left home with the clothes on our backs. lost everything..homes swept off foundations.. caskets unearthed from cementary and floating on the streets. but wyoming valley survived with the help of the american red cross and salvation army and of course the us gov...

The ones that come to mind are Andrew in 1992; didn't actually go "through" that one, but my husband works for the power company and I was down there and saw the devastation; Florida City was no more. The ones I actually went through were Charley, Jeanne, Frances and Ivan all in 2004. That was some year!!! I went for 8 days with no power during Charley, even though my husband worked for FPL. Fortunately we could go shower at the plant and had access to water and ice when others did not. Yes we did share. I had family in Arcadia that were almost destroyed by Charley, we had 140 mph winds in Fort Myers, they had it worse. Then came the others which dumped rain on top of rain on top of rain and collapsed the roof of my 95 y.o. grandmother. Everyone here has been touched by hurricanes or had loved ones that have gone through them. Some survive, some don't. People, when they order you to evacuate, please head the warning. Don't try to "ride it out". I have lived in Florida my whole life and if they tell you to leave, then LEAVE. It's not worth your life to say "I survived _____.

Hurricanes Carla,Beulah,Celia and Allen which are all retired names plus alot of minor ones. Celia was the worst. I almost was killed while doing volunteer work for the Red Cross. It almost completly distroyed Corpus Christi,Texas.

Helped with the clean up of Fredrick in 1979. I was in the Air Force in Buloxi, Mississippi. We helped move a tree out of the middle of a house. I saw a 2"x4"x4' board sitting all the way through a palm tree that was off of the beach. Spent the storm in a building on base with very thick walls and was quite safe thru the storm. My new wife and I had a small SHACK that was just about 100 feet off of the beach (we could see the gulf from our front door) and I knew it would be gone. Miraculously we didn't even have a broken window in the little shack (and it was just that a small, maybe a 25 foot by 25 foot building that shook when you walked around inside). The actual hurricane's eye landed some where near Mobile, Alabama, at least 100-150 miles away. It was the most amazing storm that I have ever experienced or evr want to experience.

Connie and Diane...

Thjese two "HOOKED UP" during a summer when I was at an overnight camp in the Poconos. Roads and bridges were washed out, the bridge to the boys' camp impassable and the entire region looked like it had been through a disaster (which it had!) My dad, along with another parent, was able to charter a helicopter because there was no communication and no one knew if we were alive or not....I was never so glad to see anyone in my life and when he got out of the copter I finally burst into tears!

1972 agnes Elmira new york I was 5 years old it rained for what seemed like 2 weeks then the flood came my house at383 Pennsylvania ave was like7feet above the road and my house was three story the water was half way up the second floor. My mom worked at st joes hospital I didn't get to see her for a week because the hospital was on the other side of the bridge that crossed the river.lived in panama city beach fl. Hugo,Ivan,lke,opal still live there and the one they call Irene just on the east coast of fl.

We were living in Roanoke Rapids, NC in 1954 when Hazel came through our town. Many of the people there had never been in a hurricane. My father was from Florida and my mother had experienced several hurricanes in Florida. Thanks to my mother calling our city school board, they finally let us out of school at noon. My mother was a reported for The Daily Herald newspaper. Had she not been a reporter and knew everyone from the mayor on, we would have been at school when Hazel hit.

Katrina is the most famous hurricane... I don't think anybody will ever forget that.

I was 10 when Donna hit NYC. We lived across from Jamaica Bay in Canarsie which at the time was pretty under-developed. My Mom had just learned to drive but that didn't stop her from driving to the school(which was actually open that day) and piling as many kids as possible into our brand new 1960 Chevy Belair for the ride back to our building in BayView houses. i will never forget my mom rescuing us that day.

YES HURRICANE AGNES IN 1972. I WAS 9 YEARS OLD,LIVING IN LANCASTER.PA. I WAS SITTING IN THE LIVINGROOM AT ONE OF OUR WINDOWS WATCHING THE WATER/RAIN WINDOWSILL HIGH. IT WAS AN AMAZING EVENT THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET.

I grew up in Miami 1960-81, I used to get jealous of kids up north getting days off for snow. In 1965 school was out one day for Betsy I was in kindergarten age 5. And the next one to make landfall near Miami was David in 1979, the year after I graduated. My mom was pregnant was pregnant with me in 1960 when Donna approached Florida she told my father if this is a girl I am going name her Donna. But she had a boy and named me Arthur after an Uncle and not Donald.

. have batteries, a generator, always buy a gas stove in your house, so you can cook if the power is off. Have rope, Big coolers, plywood (to board up) a truck to haul the important things you never want to lose. a bar be cue grill, in you screwed up and had an electric stove in your house. LOL There were about 9 adults and kids in one house during Katrins, no power and we cooked, washed clothes, hung them out to dry, watched tv and videos(with the generator) only for a short time to settle the kids down to sleep. We were blocked in by water on both ends of the street but we did great and when the water went down, we made new pathways with the truck. Main thing, Dont panic, use your head and go back to doing things the old fashion ways. We had the kids stomp dirty clothes in the tub and then we rinsed them and hung them on the rope between two trees. The kids LOVED it and it served a purpose. They also loved eating outside, since it was too hot to run the air all day, just at night. I guess we have been trained by Many hurricanes, so it comes easy?

hurrican donna see it went i was 6year old, they call it back than went sea met the bay, that was out in far rockaway. father came school to all 6 kids of us and mom in his dumptruck the next day brother john was in a bathtub riding it down street in deep water.,mike brookyn ny

mississippi gulf coast- camille, frederick, elena,georges and katrina. should have evacuated in katrina but didn't. won't ever make that mistake again. even though we were several miles from the coast we had storm surge and water inside our house was 5 feet deep at the worst of the storm.we waded out in waist high water in horrible winds. made it to a neighbor's house and hunkered down in a boat under their carport for 4 hours. so much devastation i will never forget!

I was a resident of Charleston, S.C. in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo blew ashore. Powerful storm. Lots of damaged homes, trees. It was a very traumatic experience for myself and many friends and acquaintances. I was 29 years old then and moved away from the area at age 32 years of age to a non-coastal area. I do miss the closeness of the ocean and the beaches though, and I always pay attention to all the Hurricane news and weather. I hope everyone makes it safely through Irene. God bless.

barb kapolka i had just graduated high school when AGNES hit the wilkes-barre scranton area of pa. the lights were out in the small town my grandmother lived in so a friend and i took a flashlight and walked around. as we leaned over the town bridge, i stuck my foot thru the rails and touched water! a day later only rowboats could make it around the town. it was also the day my dad came back from vietnam. what a welcome home.

Flew to Jacksonville Florida to visit my daughter & her family, got to airport in (what I was told by everyone around me) the eye of Hurricane Andrew. Dead silent outside, weird because you aren't even aware of sounds bugs & small animals make until there is total silence. Drove to my daughter's house on a man-made island across from Fernandina Beach and their washer & dryer was out in the pasture. When I was a child we experienced a strong earthquake in the late 50's when we lived on street facing the ocean but next to highway opposite ocean about 25 miles south of San Francisco. Earthquake was nothing but tsunami during the night pushed houses on the beach completely over. Flooded our house about two feet of water in the house and roughly 4 feet of water in the street. I remember neighbor kids & my brothers and I trying to ride our bikes in the water and we kept falling over. I was 8 or 9. Parents didn't worry as much about kids then; today you need to because there seem to be more creeps out there.

My husband and I went through Hurricane Charley in Port Charlotte, Fl in 2004.
A Cat 4 when it made a direct hit on Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, winds gusts were recorded up to 167 mph. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like a war zone, with National Guard carrying guns to keep order to the area. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people along the Eastern Coast.

I lived thru Fran back in 1996. family beach home in Topsail Island, NC.... Complete and utter destruction. Looked like a war zone and took over a year to overcome the clean up.... praying our home survives Irene!... Getting pounded now!

I was 14 yrs. old when Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston, SC back in Sept.1989. The meterologist predicted head on that Hugo would hit Charleston around 12 am, and he was absolutely right. Hugo was a category 4 hurricane. This hurricane packed more winds than rain. The winds of Hugo sounded like a locomotive. It was the longest and darkest night I have experienced til this day. It was the scariest moment in my life, at the time. I lived in Florence, which was about 60 miles from Myrtle Beach, and about 2 hours from Charleston. We lost power until 4 pm the next day. Hugo will always be etched in my memory.

Been thru lots of hurricanes being that my husband was in the Navy and always by the ocean. We were stationed in Newport RI whe hurricane BOB struck, it was 20 years ago... laterns on my wall were swaying... windows blown out... roads were washed away... and the movie "The Perfect Storm" was based on hurricane Bob.

Jan Gerbracht Lewis in Wyoming - I am an RN and volunteered with the American Red Cross and went back to help in the Gulf region after Hurricane Ivan. I took my camera with me, but took no photos, because the devastation was too "sacred". However, the scenes will be forever in my memory.

Grew up on the Islands so you can imagine. Camile and Hattie are most memorable with citrus and mangos covering the ground after. Coconuts became misiles if you dare putting your head out. In 1980, I visited, Allen was on the way so I caught the first flight back to the US. It met in Houston Texas with the fury of a mad cow!

Camile and Hattie!! Grew up on the Islands so you can imagine....Citrus fruits and coconuts flying through the air like missiles. Fun to gather after. In 1980, I visited and Allen was on the way so I hurried back. It greeted me in Houston!!

I have lived through several hurricanes in my life and the first one I remember was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. I lived about 5 blocks from the Delaware River in NJ and I remember my uncle walking me down the street after the storm and the water from the Delaware was up to our corner, it wasn't very deep but it sure was scary having the water come that many blocks from the river! Another one I remember particularly well was Hurricane Gloria in 1985. I lived in another town in NJ and that storm was so bad that we were trapped inside our house because the electric wires were down and live wires were draped over our house and whipping all around in the wind and rain and sparking. We were afraid to touch anything in side the house. That was scary.

In 2004 my husband I had to drive from Philadelphia to Florida for his grandfathers funeral. His name was Charles but everyone called him Charley. The day after his funeral Hurricane Charley hit. I guess it wasgrandads way of saying goodbye and don't forget me. It was the first hurricane we had ever expirienced. We miss you, Grandad!!

Been in them all since the 50's, snow piles so high you could not see some of the homes, but this is New England. The south gets hit hard along the coast, I felt bad for the Saints and felt bad for their people. Lets not forget Tornado Alley, get ready to have more lost lives on this one, I hope I'm wrong. NY city is under attack again, as much as I hate their sports teams, I hope they all make it through this one unharmed. God help them and all the coast states that get hit, even us in Massachusetts, with all the homeless, and unemployment, how much more can we take, I say (a lot more), we are Americans. Let's see who comes to our aid, the Japanese or Communist China or Germany, don't hold your breath, no one will show up. Remember THIS when you buy anything, esp. a car, if it's not American, put it back !!

I live in Orange, Texas. I survived both Rita and Ike, 3 years apart. Evacuated before Rita hit but rode out the storm at home for Ike. Left the next day after because no power. It was amazing how quickly this area came back from both storms.By Christmas after each storm, our community was back up and running. May God continue to Bless the South and Orange, Texas.

Rita 2005 then Humburto in between it and Ike evacuated for Gustov but ran into more hurricane in east Texas than if I had stayed home wasnT going to leave for Ike but am glad I did I lost all but my car 3 dogs and my job at WalMart I have since relocated to the place I evacuated to and still trying to forget it.But I resent the media saying people in the south are used to hurricanes Inever will and I have lived in the south 60 years

MAY GOD BLESS US ALL AND KEEP US SAFE.......GIVE PRAISE AND THANKS FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD

I was 9 yrs old when Camille roared thru Gulfport Miss. Me & my family traveled thru on the way to visit my A & uncle in Broussard, LA., the day before she hit. We stayed there for a week & Dad thought that we would be ok to go back home to Tampa Fla. When we came up on gulf port again we had to take a state road from Hwy 90, headed north to I-20. No one was able to use the coast road for miles due to the devastation camille left behind. I remember seeing a small shrimp boat in the middle of Hwy 90 and a gas station sign main beam twisted like a pretzel...lots of foundations
with nothing but plumbing pipes sticking out of the concrete, stairs leading up to nothing. Never forgot that.

I walked the beach near Destin, Florida in 1995 after Hurricane Opal. Destruction everywhere, and houses in rubble. For sale signs scribbled on loose wooden boards some with telephone numbers on them and some just an arrow pointing towards the remains. I met a man in tears who couldn't wait to get out of town. I offered him twenty dollars for his rubbled remains of his house, and I'm still enjoying that beach house today! It costed me about $5,000 for repairs. The paperwork took three months to complete. I love my beachfront paradise........a body in motion, tends to remain in motion .
Claire

I moved to southeast Louisiana in 1976. Katrinia is the only hurricane that I evacuated for. I also was in Norfolk, VA when Isobel hit. I remember all the damage that Katrina did on the Gulf coast and my home town, Slidell. New Orleans was still mostly a ghost town in 4 months later when I was able to see the damage. My most vivid memory was seeing a casino that floated about 1/4th mile away from it's moorings and landed across highway 90 and landed on an antebellum home. The memories are still vivid. Please pray for my son and his wife and all the others that are in the path of Irene.

I have gone thru (in fla) Jeanne , Frances, Katrina, & Wilma. Katrina was suppose to go right over our neighborhood (sunrise,Ft. Laud), so all of us that hung out together decided we'd go down to Miami and do some night 4x4 riding in the Rinker concrete plant/property by Miami airport. The storm swerverd sw & we got caught in the storm in the middle of some trees & started hearing heavy branches coming down in front & behind us. My buddies wife took a branch to her face and gashed her eyebrow. We manged to clear the trees in time to take shelter under two super sized dump trucks that they had backed up tail to tail for the storm.We were 15 4x4's strong. With the worst over we partied it up for awhile before we climbed some granite rock mounds @ 30 to 40 foot tall and got almost every bike stuck in the limestone slurry. We just did get all bikes out when security came a callin.....good times. Oh yeah, the eye of that devil went right over us, if memory serves correctly. Oh what a nite.

I lived in San Antonio, TX from 1957 - 1974. I remember Carla and Beulah the best. Tornadoes in town and so much rain. Then, when we went back to Padre Island, everything was different. The roads, the dunes. Nothing was the same. I was 8 & 1/2 when Carla hit. It made a bit impression on me.

Wilma caught everybody off guard because of it's unusual approach from Everglades City. It was only a cat 1 but gained strenght cause of the everglades warm water. It slammed into us in Sunrise Fla., once again with nothing better to do, we stated getting crazy from the partying and I dad a steel dolly with good wheels and was taking turns letting the wind blows us down the street, the hard part was going back up the street so the next guy could take a turn. That was before the eye wall hit and scared the crap out of us and stayed in when the winds returned cause they were much more severe on the back side of the storm. The glass was bowing in & out , especially the sliders. When all was over only us who had 4x4's could get @ the streets. Lots of roof damage screened in closures, palm trees, oaks ripped & or blown over. Typical stuff. Out of power for a week I think

I remember my parents talking about Hazel in the 50's. I do remember Camille. Like they used to say, Camille was no lady. Even in West Virginia, we had hard rain and winds over 40 mph. The gulf coast was hit really hard.

I was 4 years old in St Croix when Hugo hit us .. I don't remember much of course but the stories and pictures are devastating

Hurricane Camille, August 17, 1969, Gulfport Mississippi. I was in basic training with the US Navy Seabees. We helped with the recovery efforts after hiding from the storm in a warehouse that didn't make it. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced! Estamated 225-230 MPH winds as the recording equipment gave up and malfunctioned after 210 MPH was recorded. It cut an offshore island in half as it approached the coast. That island remains as two islands today!

I was away from home (York, PA) at summer camp (Fort Monmouth, NJ) when Agnes hit. It was sunny in NJ so we had no idea what had happened at home. At the middle weekend we planned to go home for the weekend as usual but they called us together and told us we couldn't get home because the interstate was destoyed and the turnpike was under water. Just then my dad and first wife walked into the room and my dad said "how the hell do you think we got here?" The government caught in another lie!They let us go home but what a mess! No water, my new awning and new storage shed both scattered everywhere and the sheep from the neighboring pasture grazing (and other things) in my yard.

I was born in New Orleans Sept 3 1948 My name is Jack that was 16 or 17 years before the Rolling Stones sang "Jumping Jack Flash"... yeah I've lived through Betsy and Camile just to name a few ... funny seemed to get cleaned up faster back then ... well I was born during one maybe I'll go out during one who knows life is a circle game

I was in the Bahamas in 1992 when Andrew hit. The islanders know exactly how to prepare. We had to fill our tubs with water, report to the lobby and sit on the floor around the walls by candle lights. We were not permitted to leave the lobby. Windows were taped, pool chairs were turned upside down or stacked. We watched fierce winds blow everything not nailed down around. Palm trees are amazing. They literally bowed down tothe ground in the face of the strong winds. There was plenty of food to eat and water, coffee etc. to drink. We stayed 4 days and were not permitted to leave. ATMs did not allow the capability of transferring funds out of state. At that time the system was called "George". We did not have to pay for the additional 3 nights because the govt. would not allow us to evacuate or go to the airport. So we either were not given correct information regarding flight departures or we were too late and missed our planes numerous times. After 3 days we demanded to leave thus were taken to the airport. It was chaotic but were we ever glad to arrive on American soil. We saw T shirts bearing the inscription..."We survived Andrew" and indeed we did. As a result, I seldom travel to the Carribean after August 5th or 6th.

I was 10 years old when HAZEL went through Delaware. We lost our chicken house and the chimmey was blown off the house. I don't know how long we were without power. We spent the worse part of the storm in the basement. I remember hearing the wind blowing the rain and sand again the windows. It sounded like bullets.
Then in 1995 I was living in Decatur, GA when OPAL hit there. My neigbors tree blew over onto my tree and both fell on the roof and deck of my house. I was sitting in the basement steps at the time. I felt the whole house shake. Decatur had a lot of damage and power was out at my house for four days. Now I am sitting in Delaware again waiting for IRENE praying it will have lost its punch by the time it reaches here.

Arthur A. Francis

My first hurricane was the 1938 New England Storm. I lived in Malden, MA (about 18 miles from the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA where winds of 125 mph and gusts to 186 mph were recorded during that event).

In 1944, I experienced the Great Atlantic Hurricane (still at Malden, MA and now in high school). Three students of the meteorology class documented the storm. The eye passed by at 1:30 a.m. and the sky became clear - stars were visible. Our strongest gust was 86 mph.

In September 1957, I was a forecaster at the Azores. The wall clouds appeared near noon and high thin cirrus could be seen.m Peak gusts were to 125 mph.

When hurricane Gloria reached New England, I was living at Salem, MA and made observations and took photos of the sea conditions. This storm was not too intense at our locale, but an exciting event.

The last storm was Hurricane Bob. I made a fascinating time lapse video of the microbarograph trace as the hurricane passed by just east of us. It was dramatic and showed every detail of the pressure changes

Now Irene is approaching and time will only tell its story.

Lived on the Lake Front in New Orleans, LA for Betsy, In Pass Christian, MS for Camille and Charleston, SC for Hugo. Moved to Western North Carolina after Hugo. I can't say that I miss the coast and having to prepare and rebuild. My best to those that continue to do so.

I was on vacation in Jacksonville, North Carolina for Charley. We were staying in beach cabanas on Camp LeJeune and were evacuated. We went to my brother's house on base. By the time it hit us it was a tropical storm. We lost power so we decided it was necessary to start in on the beer in the fridge. :) My boyfriend (now fiance) was in Florida for a family reunion at the same time and got hit with some of the outer bands of the storm. We were amused at the time that we were hundreds of miles apart and experienced the same storm.

Gerry
1989 Hugo a memory that will be etched in my mind forever, I admit I am a Hurricane buff and was very excited when Hugo was taking aim on Charleston SC. I prepared for it and I was ready.Huo was a monster and came in with a lot of fury. There are so many stories to tell about Hugo. I will share a couple. the first one: Is the experience of the eye, it was so beautiful, so calm after being beat up with howling winds of 135 to 145 mph for hours and then dead silence the stars and the clear sky was awesome. A huge tree on my neighbors house and we discussed how to remove it after the storm was over, knowing we still had the back side of the storm to go. The next morning when we came back out after the back side of storm passed, we did not have to worry about removing the tree, with the winds reversed the tree was lifted off his house and slammed on the house behind him. The other story the leadersare now more prepared by having the power companies from other states ready to go, ready to help. We went without power for 6 weeks, about 4 weeks longer than we should have and it was just not my family or neighborhood many many people , many many neighborhoods and many many businesses were out of power way too long. The people applauded in the streets when we seen and heard Ga. Power was coming down I-26 to help there were 20 to 25 trucks coming through. Thanks Ga. Power we really were very happy and thankful for your help.

I was in Hugo in '89. It was not fun.