[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

IWhere you here during past hurricanes? No, we never had major damage throughout.(yet) But, many homes were destroyed in some way: shingles blown off roofs, objects soaring like missiles, fences down, lanais ripped to pieces, trees fallen onto homes, road blockage, minor flooding, vehicle damage. And yes! Even electricity lost for days. (not just the Historic Section) Some years were much worse than others. We have seen this type of damage each time a major hurricane comes through. Never have we COMPLETELY escaped the destruction.

On Ground Hog Day, the second largest tornado in Florida history struck the Villages and Wildwood. At 3 a.m while everyone was caught off guard sleeping, one storm created two smaller. Within minutes, the three storms destroyed over one thousand homes, thousands of vehicles, and easily toppled endless trees and landscape as if they were made of paper. It can happen ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. This is when I learned that Florida has the highest frequency of tornados in the Southeast. Shocked? So was I! Imagine the disbelief of the thousands of residents whose homes were obliterated. When you hear weather warnings please take them seriously.

I am not trying to alarm anyone. Being prepared is always the safest bet. Doing NOTHING but chuckling at others may bite you in the (you know where)

PLEASE DO NOT DISPUTE THE EVENTS IF:
a) you never had damage while residing in the Villages. (great for you) So, of course! I must be exaggerating even though I have lived here 24 years, and over 40 yrs in the state. I have survived dozens of hurricanes. Each with different intensity and size. One was nearly as large as the entire state. This is the time all electricity was lost in the Villages for days. Trucks cannot come into the state with that size of hurricane. Can they? Think about it before posting I am lying.

b) You did not SEE the destruction. Just because you did not notice, did not live here during each and every event, or watch the coverage on local or national news doesn't mean IT WASNT HORRIFIC. It certainly does not mean IT NEVER HAPPENED.

C) do not post tornados in other states are much stronger than those in Florida. Devastion is devastation. It makes no sense to state OURS WAS WORSE THAN YOURS. Tell that to the victims.

Picture uploaded is hurricane Jeanne. It was the size of the entire state. Do you still believe being prepared is not necessary? Hmmm...can you even see the Villages in this pic? No? Look how big the eye was! Do you still believe the Villages is A SAFEHAVEN FOR THOSE LIVING ON THE COAST?

The second pic is Groundhog Day Tornado. Remember: Wildwood was quite different than now.

Every storm is unique. Those of you who believe you are 100% safe are living in LaLa Land. I pray I do not have to say, "I told you so!"

Your post has nothing to do with my post. I didn't say The Villages never had any damage, especially from tornadoes, which are totally different from hurricanes. Most damage in The Villages is from either tornadoes or from wind gusts, but not from the sustained winds created by hurricanes. If you research the prior weather history in The Villages, you will find that, when a named hurricane reaches The Villages, the "sustained" wind speed has almost always been reduced to significantly less than 75 mph, which defines a hurricane.