On that fateful friday, I experienced hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm. Most evacuated without the slightest thought of staying for the mayhem that would unfold in the southern
Florida town of Fort Meyers. On the other hand, there were some people who think they are tough and will stick it out. Others simply didn’t have the money to evacuate. Also, we have people who stuck it out because they were told to do so by families, there is not much a 12 year old can do to make a hard headed family member change their mind. Which brings me to my father, he was so pride stricken on sticking it out no one could tell him anything to change his mind. My brother and i quickly realized to get through this hurricane that was coming straight for us we would have to do our part with preparation as long as having each others backs during the storm. I still remember the sounds from that night the thoughts make me quiver. Preparation was all my father told us we needed he said “We will just board up the house starting by nailing down wood to the outside of the windows so debris is less prone to smash into our house. By taping the front and back of said windows, it will greatly reduce the risk of injury. After the house preparation we will get as much food, water, and gas as possible.” Of course we helped our dad board up all the windows from the outside, and tape them from the inside. Putting anything that could fly away, safely in the garage and bolting the door shut. By this point, I didn’t realize what was about to happen and why everyone had told us to evacuate. It wasn’t until driving on the roads till I started feeling the pressure and thinking maybe we should have gotten out of town like almost everyone else had. There were lines a mile or more at all the gas stations. The stores were just as crazy with little, to no supplies water was very scarce. I remember asking my dad at this point “why are we still here? your Siler0 crazy.” To which he replied “this is nothing, people are just blowing it out of proportion. just relax.” Who knows what was going through his mind as well as many others who were staying for this storm. Somehow, we managed to get most of what we needed- despite all the set backs. All there was to do know was sit in our safest room witch was the restroom and wait it out. About an hour or so had passed since getting back from the store, but the storm so far, didn’t seem different than any other storm we usually had. My brother and I were thinking my dad might have been right about the storm. To us, the wind seemed like probably nothing I remember thinking thinking there is no way they could even move a trash can let alone cause any kind of damages, to prove it we tried to sneak out the front door. Upon opening the door, the wind gusted we almost immediately got knocked down. Needless to say, we ran right back inside to get scolded by our father. By that time, the winds were over 75 miles per hour, and random trash cans and trees were being tossed around dangerously In the wind. My father assured us again staying was a good idea and we would be safe. My brother and I barely believed him due to his overall body language and attitude. We knew our father well, and at this point he was even sweating a little. Both my brother i had learned in school right before the eye of the storm comes it gets quiet enough to hear a mouse, followed by a train like noise thats when people know they are in trouble. At this point we were hovered over the radio the winds had picked up to 100 plus miles per hour when an announcement came over the radio. The emergency station told us the eye was close to town, but it was hard for a exact accurate location due to it moving so fast. Without warning, everything became calm. I was worried about my family’s safety as well as my own all we could do was cover ourself Siler0 with mattresses and hope for a good outcome. There it was the loud thundering sound of the train, the worst noise I had ever heard. Sounds of the windows bursting in our home as well as the worst sounds yet trees, glass ,and debris clanging and banging around everywhere inside and outside. As fast as the eye came upon us, it had disappeared. gone. We still sat in that room for what seemed like days. The winds were still gusting hard enough to knock down a full-grown man. Finally after awhile, we heard the radio announcer tell us it was safe to go out we then braced ourselves for what kind of destruction we would see, but not before hugging in joy that we made it out alive and in one piece. Never will I forget walking out of that room. My brother and father yelled for me to go over to the living room. The storm had yanked the boards we had screwed into the concrete and our house was filled with water and debris everywhere. Looking out at the neighborhood, there were boats , cars, and pieces of houses everywhere. Some of our neighbors' houses were torn in half. Other were lucky, like us, and suffered fixable damages to their properties. We could have lost it all. I quickly turned to my father and asked him what was going through his head. Pointing at my neighbors half a house, “that could have been us!” he replied, “we made it out fine just like I said.” the man was still in his stubborn mindset and wouldn't admit it even though deep down he knew I was right. My reaction to the whole experience was mixed with both happiness and anger. The angry part was obviously because we could have died, the happy part was because we all made it out alive and better than others. My family and I left this experience with the knowledge of what to do when confronted with a storm of this magnitude, and do the best to make it out alive. Living with no power and little food for the next couple weeks as well as rebuilding a portion of our house was all we were left with at thisSiler0 point. My experience with hurricane Charley could have been much worse then it was. Due to all our family’s preparations, as well as our luck, we safely made it though the storm. Years later my father told my brother and I we really probably should have got out of town and he was a ignorant man for taking that risk with our life’s. Now my brother and I undoubtedly knew we were 100 percent right that whole time. But at this point, and with so much time that had passed since the storm all we could do was have a good laugh. We knew that he was just having that stubborn crazy local tough guy mindset, and he didn’t know what was in store for us when it all began with out directly saying it. Personally, in the future if I am ever faced with a storm like this I will evacuate as fast as possible, but the lesson my dad taught me if I cant is to have that same tough guy mind set overall and be prepared for anything. Now I have the knowledge to prepare the house in the event of a hurricane who would think you could save you house with a couple hundred invested at the home improvement store.