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As near as I can tell looking at a map, Freeper gladesguru's homestead was right in the path of Wilma. He lives near Ochopee, does anyone have damage reports from that area?

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A South Florida fishing village of 1,000 well off the tourist track was completely submerged by Hurricane Wilma, but won't be seeking federal aid. After the storm passed Monday afternoon, Ochopee Fire Chief Paul Wilson said he and his crew reached Chokoloskee and knew immediately the community of mostly mobile homes had been devastated. "The first thing we saw were mattresses, furniture and washing machines floating in the water," he said. "We said, 'Uh-oh.'" While there were no casualties in the village south of Naples, at least 80 percent of the homes are...

Authorities raised Florida's death toll from Hurricane Wilma (search) from five to 10 Wednesday and urged the storm's survivors to have patience as they endured long waits for food, water and other necessities.

I am writing this to let you know the other side of the story. Today was a beautiful day in Broward County, Florida. I watch and heard about the angry line of people waiting for free water and ice. I had out-of-state friends watching these images call me in a panic, "Are you okay?" they asked. "What's it really like?" they asked, concerned for my safety.I said, "It's a beautiful day in South Florida!""What's it really like..." I see neighbors outside helping each other cutting down trees. I see people sharing supplies (water, charcoal, food...), I see people opening their...

November frozen orange juice futures were trading up 4.60 cents to $1.135 a pound early Wednesday, and touched a contract high of $1.145 a pound, on concerns that Hurricane Wilma may damage orange crops in the state of Florida. Weather forecasters upgraded the storm to Category 5 early today and said it may be the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma is tracking to the west-northwest but forecasters expect it to dogleg to the northeast and bear down on Florida at the weekend.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Wilma became the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record on Wednesday as it churned towards western Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula on a track towards Florida, having already killed 10 people in Haiti. The season's record-tying 21st storm, fuelled by the warm waters of the northwest Caribbean Sea, strengthened alarmingly into a Category 5 hurricane, the top rank on the five-step scale of hurricane intensity. A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane measured maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph), with higher gusts, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said. The plane also recorded a minimum pressure...