[familyop]

Trailer park residents didn't have the sense to evacuate? I'm shocked, having once sat in a house through Hurricane Celia (160 mph sustained during the worst of it, gusts over 210 mph) and several tropical storms.

[walford]

Trailer park residents didn't have the sense to evacuate?

You beat me to it. I have every bit of hope that everyone will be alright, but it would seem to me that if a category 4 hurricane is heading toward your trailer...well when I lived in one and even a 'tropical depression' was headed my way, my butt was in a brick 'n' block building.

I know that it's more difficult for the elderly. That being said, maybe a place prone to dangerous weather is not an ideal environment for people who are too infirm to get out of the way.

But then, I'm a terrible insensitive person...

[mewzilla]

I've seen the manager of the park interviewed. It was mostly elederly residents, with some in their 90's. They weren't snowbirds. This was the main residence for most of them. Why no-one thought to get them out of the way is beyond me, though there are so many elderly in FL that there may have just been no way to do if if the residents couldn't/wouldn't do it themselves.

[palmer]

Don't want to nitpick, but celia had top winds of 125. Bad enough to put it in 18th place while Charley is tied for 15th until we get final measurements.

http://www.library.mcneese.edu/info/hurricanetable.htm

[I_dmc]

No one told them to evacuate. Everyone expects to be taken care of now. And the tab goes straight into the deficit, do not pass Go... They did a study once. One group, weather forcasters. Second group, old farmers. Studied their accuracy predicting weather. Equal.

[tutstar]

I can't believe they stayed. Charley was supposed to hit north of there and by the time it was known where the storm was coming on land it was too late to leave.

[keats5]

When I read about residents who didn't have the "sense to evacuate", I think of the old people who couldn't drive. It's hard enough for some old people to get someone to ride them to the doctor, let alone getting someone to evacuate them when everyone's trying to save their own skin.

[FITZ]

Trailer park residents didn't have the sense to evacuate?

It seems that would have only made sense --- even if you had to go inland and rent a motel for the night --- or go inland and stay in your car.

[RasterMaster]

They were told to evacuate....they said "we're not going anywhere". I heard one of the residents defiantly saying that yesterday.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

No one could pay me enough money to live anywhere in FLA in a trailer park for any length of time for just this reason. There is NO safe area in the state that can't be hit by a storm like this one. My mom was born in the center of the state and her parents attended the dedication of the Bok Singing Tower in 1930, located just north of Lake Wales, FLA in the heart of Polk County, where the eye passed through about 6:30pm last night. The Tower, built on the top of Mountain Lake Sanctuary, one of the highest points in the whole state, which can be seen from miles around, amazingly escaped any damage.

Luckily my folks' home (built to last through weather like this in the 1920's) escaped any significant damage, but a 100 yr. old oak tree from their lawn fell on the neighbors' home.

Bok Singing Tower