I was in a solid, brick apartment building near downtown Raleigh during Fran, so I wasn't worried about property damage. I was worried about our very first brand new car that we'd bought 2 days before. Falling trees crushed several cars and came through several apartment windows, but our apartment and our car were fine. I stayed up that night listening to and watching the transformers blow. My husband slept through the whole thing. But we got our power back on Saturday evening (Fran came through Thursday night/Friday morning), a lot sooner than a lot of the rest of Raleigh.
I had to drive down I-85 from Richmond to Greenville, SC on the morning that Fran grazed Richmond. I remember waking up about 5:00 am to one godawful THUMP against the side of my apartment building...it almost felt like someone drove a car into it. Later on the radio, there was an unconfirmed report that a funnel cloud went right over my apartment complex.
85 was a mess on the Virginia side of the border, trees down here and there. It got better getting into NC, but there was no power for 150+ miles...couldn't find a working toilet between Richmond and Greensboro, and man, that's a LOOOOONG way to hold it! :)
}:-)4
I was just hoping perhaps this cold front that is lingering over NC might push Fran on East out to sea instead of letting it ride over Raleigh as the forecast is now showing. Even a brief fling of high winds will flatten many houses now that the ground is so soggy......and I just do not think I can sit here and listen to those thuds again.....but I HATE thinking of leaving.....what to do!
MKM