October 10, 2024 – Charlotte County, FL
Charlotte County,
After all we’ve been through this hurricane season, I hope you are all well. As you can see, the dire storm predictions for our area thankfully did not come to fruition. It’s important to remember there are a lot of factors that play into a storm like this, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly what and where it’s going to happen. The forecasting provided to you by our Emergency Operations Center is based on the latest information available, but it is not a perfect science. The most important thing I want to relay to you after this frustrating experience is I don’t want any of you to become complacent.
WE WERE LUCKY.
These storms are very unpredictable. We can follow the models and tracks, and they do help us prepare, but in the end, mother nature is going to do what she wants. I still want you to heed the warning if asked to evacuate. I’d rather you take a day or so away than put yourself and your loved ones in harm’s way.
We did lose two of our citizens to medical emergencies during the height of the storm. We could not get to them because the weather conditions were unsafe for our first responders and there were no hospitals open. We do not want to see any loss of life. I pray for their families and loved ones as they grieve.
As I said, overall, we were lucky and, even though we did not have as strong a hurricane as predicted, we still have many who lost their homes and/or sustained major damage here in Charlotte County. I also pray for them as they navigate the challenges of repairs and rebuilding.
There were many who were not as fortunate. The Tampa Bay region seems to be the hardest hit and millions of people were affected. There were also many areas that were not expecting the devastation we were preparing for, like St Luce County on the East Coast. They were hit very hard by tornadoes and, last I heard, 4 people lost their lives.
We will continue to keep all those across our great nation affected over the last few weeks in our thoughts as we recover together. I want to thank all of you for your continued support of and cooperation with all the critical responding agencies that are putting the pieces back together. We are a great community, and we will show it once again.
#CharlotteStrong #FloridaStrong #AmericaStrong
God Bless!
Be Strong, Be Safe, and Never Quit!
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