This is a updated copy of an e-mail we mailed to the kids.
Just a quick note to let you know what has been happening since the cruise.
- Tropical Storm Fay -
After we left Lazydays Rally Park in Tampa we headed south.
We checked in at Indian Creek Resort on Thursday (8/14) and paid for a week.
We have been there before and really enjoy it’s facilities and the laid back life. Since
nothing has change there we did not take any pictures. We swam in the pool every day and
road our bikes.
We started keeping track of tropical storm Fay on the weather channel.
The forecast on Thursday was that it would cross over Cuba heading north and hug the west coast
of Florida and continue north to Ohio. We noticed on Sunday and early Monday morning the resort putting away their
garbage cans and picnic tables. They were also making sandbags from the sand in the Bocce Ball
area.
Late Monday morning we had a knock on the door. It was the resort management telling us that
all RV’s should leave because the storm was headed this way and they were sending their
employees home. The people in the park models were told to make plans to move to shelters.
As the storm gets closer they will turn off the water and electricity in the resort.
We left Fort Myers Beach and decided to head for Florida's east coast and Outdoor Resorts at
Melbourne Beach. When we got to Fort Pierce on the east coast we stopped at the Flying J
to top off the gas tank. Mom called Outdoor Resorts to tell them we were coming and they
told her they are closed. The storm path prediction has changed and it is now heading
for the east coast. We asked about the Outdoor Resorts at Port St. Lucie - they are closed also.
We ended up at Roadrunner CG in Fort Pierce and paid for one night.
All Monday evening and into the night the rain went from a sprinkle to a heavy rain.
The wind went from a breeze to 20-25 mph, hitting the motorhome on the drivers side.
On Tuesday the rain and wind came in waves. This went on for the whole day.
I pulled in the slide-outs in because the awnings over them kept flapping in the strong wind.
I called the office and told them we were staying an extra night. They said to stay in the
motorhome until it stops raining or pay tomorrow.
Tuesday night around midnight we woke to a very loud and steady VROOM.
We never heard wind so loud and steady. The motorhome was shaking. There are a lot of pine
trees and palm trees around us. They are breaking the wind but also releasing cones and small
branches. This went on for over 3 hours. The wind has shifted - wind, rain, pine cones, and
branches were hitting the motorhome head on and we could not see the units in front of us even
though there is a street light about 50 feet away. It was like a wall of water. Around 2 AM we turned on the
weather channel (thanks to cable) and found out that the storm was very close to us.
Late Wednesday morning, when I went to pay at the office, I found out that the eye of the storm
passed just northwest of us and is headed for Melbourne. Fort Pierce registered 20 inches of rain
on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning with maximum winds of 50-55 mph. We called Outdoor
Resorts and they told us to stay were we were. We should call tomorrow. If no answer then they
are still closed.
Today (Thursday) it is just sprinkles with about 10 mph wind at Fort Pierce. The weather channel
states that Melbourne (about 1 hour north) had over 26” of rain in a 24 hour period and it is still raining hard.
The storm is sitting stationary between Melbourne and Cocoa and dumping heavy rain
causing widespread flooding.
ORA is not answering their phone so we will stay here until they do.
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After I wrote the above I decided to go on line and check the National Hurricane Center website.
It gives Fay’s GPS position for every 2 hours for each day. So I plotted it on my Delorme map
program assuming it went a straight line between points. At it’s closest point we were 24.6 miles
from the estimated center of the storm at midnight Tuesday night. At that time, the storm was
rated at 55 mph continuous with greater gusts, and tropical winds extended 140 miles from it’s
center.
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Water Plowing - Wednesday afternoon.
The resort does not have storm sewers to drain the rain water.
Rain normally just soaks into the ground. But it came too fast so they have to help it out of
the low spots and onto the road which is down hill to the pond.
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A day and a half after the storm.
The water is gone and the campground has returned to normal.
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On Wednesday when I went to the office to pay it was still raining.
I noticed that the bridge and pier were about 4" under water.
I did not have my camera then so I took this as we were leaving.
Everything is back to normal.
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The path of Tropical Storm Fay.
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