HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.
A FREE Customer Service from CHIEF
CHIEF - More Responsive to First Responders

Get the Grant!

Attend a

CHIEF Grants Seminar

Learn More & Register

Early-bird
discounts available!

The Fund Finder News
Public Safety Grants Consulting

Luckily, before Hurricane Charley hit Kurt had moved his truck away from this now-tree-flattened carport.
Luckily, before Hurricane Charley hit Kurt had moved his truck away from this now-tree-flattened carport.
The Fund Finder News
A Bi-Weekly Grants News and Information Update By Kurt Bradley
Issue 9, August 27, 2004

"When Disaster Strikes Close to Home"

Also: 10 Tips for Facing an Impending Disaster

You never think it will happen to you – until suddenly Mother Nature whips out her bullwhip and starts snapping 100 mph winds directly at your own home. My recent experience with Hurricane Charley has given me a new, greater understanding of how important disaster training and disaster grants are, both to those in public safety, and to the general public.

I have been in public safety for 30 years. In that time I have seen, and worked through, my share of many disasters, including Hurricane Andrew. Those experiences as a public safety officer made me very empathetic to the plight of so many people who watched as their life's work and dreams were trashed into an unrecognizable heap of twisted concrete, wood and steel. I always felt very sorry for these victims and have always given 100% in my efforts both privately and professionally to aid in their recovery.

Yet never once did I consider that "there but for the grace of God, go I," for myself. August 13, 2004 changed that point of view for me forever, as my family and I cowered in fear and awe as the fury of Hurricane Charley humbled me into reality.

Hurricane Hits Home
At 9 a.m. that day, life was as it should be. My home was fine, we expected some wind and rain as Charley worked its way up Florida's gulf coast, as many hurricanes before had done. Twenty years earlier, I had fled the coastal serenity of Sarasota, choosing to build my dream inland, 50 miles from the danger of storm surges, ravaging winds and potential disaster. Having worked my first 10 years in law enforcement in those areas, I had seen the destructive forces of nature at work. I vowed that I would not expose my family to those risks. Never did I imagine that the hurricane's wrath could extend this far inland and wreck so much havoc into my life.

By 12 p.m. Hurricane Charley had wobbled just enough to change the landfall to Captiva Island, 125 miles SW of my home. The National Hurricane Center was pumping warnings furiously – the path of the storm would bring it directly over my home in Polk County. The race was on. All of our preparations for the storm had counted on the storm being west of us, meaning that we expected only to be exposed to the Eastern, weaker wall of the storm.

Garbage cans and vehicles were positioned so they wouldn't get hit by 100-year-old, majestic spreading oak trees. This would later prove to have been a very, good choice. We had moved lawn furniture into the garage. Loose items were picked up and secured. But we still had to get the backyard ready – and the rains and wind had already started.

We called in our relatives that lived in mobile homes and told them to seek shelter with us in our "indestructible" concrete block home. They arrived with clothing, sleeping bags and medications.

Yet I was still not incredibly worried about this storm. Surely 125 miles of land would slow the storm's 145 mph winds down into the 35-45 mph range. Little did I know that Charley had other ideas!

Western Wall Fury
At 6 p.m. my brother called on his cell phone from his ranch, located 25 miles off the coast near Sarasota. He reported that they were huddled in the bathroom with mattresses but with no power. He asked if I could see the hurricane's track. I could – the eye of the storm seemed like it would pass within two miles of my brother's ranch. I advised them to stay huddled for at least another hour before venturing out, to allow the feeder bands and eye to pass over them before they went to assess damage.

At 7 p.m. the winds were gusting to 60 mph. I knew we were in trouble – we were now exposed to the western wall of the storm, the most powerful. The winds began picking up speed and force as it tunneled down a long lake, the land bridge between two other lakes near my house, and 500 yards of open pasture – right into my backyard.

At 7:30 p.m. the winds registered a steady 78 mph and were gusting frequently to over 95 mph. My family and I were totally exposed to the full brunt of the wind and rain. We all huddled into the bathrooms, bringing mattresses for protection.

The estimated damage on this tree-damaged pool and fence is $20,000. Read on for tips on how to deal with the aftermath of a disaster such as Hurricane Charley
A huge gust of wind began blowing. The ground shuddered as an 80-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide oak tree began losing its grip in the backyard. The next gust toppled it. The 5-ton tree crashed directly into my pool and the screened porch surrounding it. Although disastrous, I knew that the tree's fallen branches now offered the back of my home a degree of shelter – they acted as a ramp for the wind to go up and over the roof, not under the porch roof and through our bay windows at the back porch.

Almost as soon as the first tree fell, a 3-ton oak tree immediately outside my office window at the front of the house also cracked its roots. This tree toppled directly onto the carport, where my Silverado PU truck is usually parked. Luckily I'd had the forethought to move it out from under this canopy. The 3-ton tree flattened the carport to the ground. Terror flashed in the eyes of my family as the wind howled incessantly, like a roaring jet engine outside our windows.

Disaster Victims
At 8:15 p.m. we emerged from the house to survey the damage. A sense of loss overcame me as I realized that my family and I were now disaster victims. Years of teaching people about disasters and of and talking about FEMA disaster grants now took on totally new significance to me. Now I was speaking from the first person, as a survivor, not an observer.

I became quite nauseous as I took stock of the damage to my life's dreams. Our once serene lakeside home and property looked like a bomb had been dropped on them. I consoled my wife and family with the fact that at least nobody had been injured, and that material things could be replaced. Still, our lives had forever been impacted by this. All the consoling didn't help anyone much – me least of all.

My cell phone still had service, so I called my brother. He was also surveying the damage to his home and property. He had similar results from the storm, but not on the scale that I had. He is in the construction business and has worked on many, many storm damaged homes. As I recited the damage to him, he started estimating the cost – and the figure kept growing and growing. He guesstimated that my damage would be close to $60,000. It was then that I also remembered that homeowners insurance in Florida is sold with a 2% "Hurricane Clause" in it.

Problems with Homeowners Insurance
You see, after Hurricane Andrew the home insurance companies in Florida decided to pull out and not write home insurance here. That would have left millions of people without homeowners insurance. The governor and the insurance commissioners reached a compromise deal with the biggest insurers and decided that if a special "Hurricane Clause" was inserted into the contracts they would continue to do business here. When a hurricane is officially declared in Florida, the clause takes effect.

In essence the clause means that if an "Official Hurricane Watch" is issued for your area, your deductible goes from the usual $500 or $1000, to 2%. Not 2% of the damage estimate either, but 2% of the insured value of the home. In my case, the Hurricane Clause meant I would be "out of pocket" close to $5000.

Damage Estimates, Then D.C.
I waited till Saturday and immediately called my insurance company to initiate my claim. I then followed my own past advice and called the FEMA disaster line to initiate my claim for a disaster grant for my home.

My family and I videotaped and photographed the damage and destruction. Later that evening I booked a Monday-morning a appointment for a storm-damage tree service, then called my pool service and aluminum installer for damage estimates.

On Monday, Aug. 16, armed with the tree estimate and my photographs, I marched into my local insurance rep's office – amid the damage that his own building had suffered. (I must admit, I had to chuckle that "premium boy" was also a victim.) I handed him the photographs and the $9500 estimate for removing the trees. He gave me the go-ahead to start recovery efforts.

After that, I packed my bags. I was due in Washington D.C. to give a conference the next day to several dozen public safety officials gathered for a grants seminar. What was my scheduled topic of discussion? Ironically enough, FEMA disaster grants!

Now I'd really have a story to tell them.

10 Tips for Facing an Impending Disaster

Many of you in the public safety profession are the true first responders that victims see after a natural or manmade disaster. You know that many of these people will be in severe shock and will not be thinking clearly. Here is a list of some things you can tell them to do to assist them in their recovery efforts.

  1. If the power is off and you do not have a generator – Put all frozen food in one freezer, throw several bags of ice on it, shut the door and DO NOT open it until the power is back on (unless you need the food from it). If you do not have power, go to a relative's house or public emergency shelter until power is restored.

  2. Immediately begin securing a supply of water, if you have not previously done so. 1 gallon per person per day is the minimum amount. Remember – without power it will usually be hotter than you are used to, so drink water often. Even the physical exertion of walking around, or the discomfort of being unable to shower or cool off in the AC will, dehydrate you quickly.

  3. Resist the urge to climb on roofs and through wreckage until you are CERTAIN that there will be no further collapse or that it is secure enough to support your weight. Trying to get into an emergency room will be impossible after a storm – you survived the initial danger, don't become a storm-aftermath victim.

  4. Get out the cameras and video cameras. Photograph and record everything. Take multiple shots of all damage, while the trees and debris are still in place. Don't even begin cleanup efforts until you have done this and have obtained permission from your insurance agent to proceed. While the debris is being removed, take another round of pictures – especially of hidden damage that you could not see until the trees and debris were removed.

  5. Get to a phone and begin calling your insurance company and the FEMA disaster assistance lines to initiate your claims. Be sure to record the date and time you called, with whom you spoke and what claim numbers they gave you. It still may be several days or weeks before they can re-contact you. Give them any phone numbers where you can be reached – home line, relatives, business and cell phone.

  6. Conserve gasoline and electricity. If you do not have power, neither will the gas stations. Switch off and/or unplug every appliance in your home until you are sure power has been safely restored.

  7. Assign someone in your family the task of listening to a radio or monitoring a battery operated TV to take down emergency relief efforts information such as food locations, public showering facilities, where power has been restored or is back on. You will need to go to these areas, when you can, in order to get gas, fresh food or cooked meals.

  8. Let distant relatives know your condition as soon as possible. They are also worried about you. Tell anyone you talk with to also call others and let them know your condition.

  9. Keep receipts for everything! You never know what insurance will and will not cover, but remember that you need receipts to prove all out-of-pocket expenses.

  10. Finally, and most importantly, help those who need it. Be a true neighbor and pitch in! Remember, tempers are short, people are stressed or in shock. Keeping busy not only helps you, but helps others and aids in the overall recovery efforts.

Visit the Fund Finder News Archives

Back to Grant News and Information