The latest from South Florida (very bad, getting worse)....

[speedoo]

I drove down to Key Largo (they have power here) this morning from Ft. Lauderdale. The situation in South Florida is getting very bad. I waited in a gas line yesterday for 4 hours and was one of the last cars to get gas before they shut down the pumps. Then I was told I could only get $20 of gas (I managed to get them to give me $30). I can easily see how people will become desperate if they are not able to get gas after waiting 4 or more hours. And today, the gas lines are WORSE. Literally extending for miles.

Being without power for weeks will turn the population very nasty. Already, people are running out of patience. I was kicked out of my hotel room because they had some damage and the insurance toads said they had to kick everyone out to avoid liability for injuries due to debris and whatever else.

And the stupid Jebster tried to shift blame for the water/ice/food trucks fiasco to residents, saying residents were to blame for not stocking up on supplies for more than a few days. What an idiot.

The officials in Florida will have their hands full keeping things under control. Florida Power and Light has to be the worst managed utility in the country. Their response to the loss of power has been pathetic.

(edit - spelling)

[MADem]

1. I have some elderly friends in Leesburg

Anyone know how it is there?

[Doc Sardonic]

11. Leesburg/Lake County Florida

Leesburg and Lake County are fine.....We have some flooding in isolated areas but other than that we are ok.

[MADem]

21. Thanks!!!!!! You eased my mind!!!!

[newyawker99]

28. Hi Doc Sardonic!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Doc Sardonic]

30. Thank You for the welcome........nt

[merh]

2. Been there and done that - please take care of yourself and

warn friends if transporting gas, to be very careful. We were without electricity for 2 weeks, hijacking of tanker trucks and private vehicles with gasoline occurred far too often.

When friends brought us a drum of gas from the northern part of the state, they marked the drum "pottable water" "H2O" --

Stay safe and calm and patient - invest in a solar shower if you can, it helped me tremendously. :hug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. And the story is not making it to the MSM for the most part

take care and let DU know how we can help

[highplainsdem]

13. This is something I don't understand. Do the MSM have hurricane fatigue?

Or is this just that so much phone service is now out (after the phones worked on backup power for the first day or two after the hurricane) that people can't call out to let others know how desperate the situation is.

Or are Florida officials downplaying how serious this is to discourage media attention?

[RockaFowler]

16. I think you are right

The MSM has their 2nd bananas down here (not in Palm Beach County mind you). I understand that New Orleans went through a lot, but we are, too. There is sewage coming up through the manholes people. The lift stations are not waorking. Water is in short supply. As a matter of fact our mayor has asked us to conserve water.

Why Jeb did we have to be prepared and FPL, our water utilities, and others did not have to be prepared?? Preparation is a two way street. FEMA is not prepared either. Gas companies are not prepared. No-one was prepared for a CAT 3 to hit us. We were told on Friday and Saturday that it would come across the state as a CAT 1. Someone messed up!

[lastliberalintexas]

17. Apparently the marching orders went out

and the national media and republican state officials are in lock step acting to defelct attention from the areas hit (a la Gov Goodhair telling everyone that we were ok and only got a "glancing blow" from Rita). Move along, nothing to see. :eyes:

It seems the only thing they learned from Katrina was how to better mask their incompetence and uncaring attitudes.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. I wonder how the "no retreat law" will play out in these desperate times

if at all.

[janx]

5. I talked to my brother (he's in Palm Beach Gardens) last night.

He and his neighbors were well prepared for this one--two generators going at his house. He was eating dinner that they'd cooked outside. But he doesn't expect power until sometime between Nov. 8 and Nov. 15.

He and his neighbors stocked up on a lot of gas, but most people in S. Fla did not have the chance to do that (or to get generators going).

So things are pretty bad down there.

[RockaFowler]

6. It is Bad

Your brother may run out of gas soon. My husband and I stocked up on gas, but we are running out of it and there are no gas stations open. Those of us south of Palm Beach Gardens are going to be without power a lot longer due to a downed power line (major trunk) west of Loxahatchee (close to Lake Okeechobee area of Belle Glade). It is a mess. Our news media is starting to believe the lies from the Jeb Bush admin. Don't believe them. Believe those of us in this mess.

[janx]

9. When I say he stocked up, I mean he REALLY stocked up.

Just by luck, a guy who lives across the street had a relative who has a boat fueling business. The guy went to get diesel (for some reason), and came back with a tanker full of unleaded regular gasoline. So the neighbors all bought it for 3.25 a gallon. I think my brother's family has something like 65 gallons. He said that he has enough to last them for a week.

But he was just lucky. He told me about the gas stations.

Hang in there. I hope you have food and essentials.

[MaineDem]

29. My sister's in West Palm

Still no power at her house but the hospital she works at has power so she's at work today.

They stocked up at home, too, and they have a generator that they can use off and on to keep the fridge going.

She said things are pretty bad and said the same thing as your brother - no power for a few weeks at least.

[Sequoia]

7. I'm really sorry for you all down there.

No upcoming elections so now the bastards just don't care for any of you in Florida, in Mississippi, and New Orleans. God help us if California is hit by an earthquake.

It's criminal Americans are being treated this way. It's time for a real revolution, but then we'd all get shot by the National Guard like they did at Kent State.

[lastliberalintexas]

15. And Texas too

It isn't like they took care of this area either. I guess when they say we should be prepared to be on our own for a few days after a disaster, they really mean until the next election cycle. :)

[Justyce]

20. Plenty of people in Texas still going through it too. nt

[Sequoia]

23. Oh course! (smacking forehead)

All those cars going nowhere and people dying. I'm saying prayers for California for sure. If he won't help his own adopted state then there's no hope for any Americans in any state, Red or Blue! How long will lurking freepers get into their pea brains that the Chimpster doesn't care for them either.

[highplainsdem]

8. Link to the topic about the report Raw Story's Larisa (LaLa) filed on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5185569


And there are links in replies there to other stories about the phone-service problems, hospitals, etc.

[lebkuchen]

10. when you say "south florida," is that Ft. Lauderdale

or Key Largo?

I have a friend with beachfront property in Ft. Lauderdale who will be flying home soon to deal with the busted-out windows at the properties and whatever other damage that entails. In terms of Jebbie admonishing Floridians to be better prepared, I suggest Jebbie be prepared to handle the rath of the US overseas military community about to converge on Florida. They don't live in Florida at the moment and yet are going to great effort to attend to their property interests. They don't want to hear a bunch of whining bullshit blame from Bush Family Hapsburg Empire.

[speedoo]

19. Ft. Lauderdale is a disaster. Key Largo is relatively fine.

Here in Key Largo, there is little evidence of hurricane damage. Loss of power was only for a few hours in some places. In other places, no loss of power at all.

Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County suffered more damage than anywhere else and the power restoration is taking the longest. Broward County mayor has been on the radio consantly bashing Jebbie for the trucks fiasco.

For those who are unaware, Broward County / Ft. Lauderdale is the most progressive area in the state and there is little doubt that Jebbie does not care at all about the County. And many in the county don't care at all for Jebbie of course.

[lebkuchen]

24. Thanks for the info, speedo

My friend's family was having difficulty getting in there to determine damage. I will pass on the news.

[lastliberalintexas]

12. God I hate what you guys are going through

90 degree heat, no electricity, no gas, no food in the stores once they do open, and many of your utility workers still here in SE Texas. Oh, and did I mention waaayyyy too much time with the family during the evacuation? :)

I hope things go better than the predictions. Most of SE Texas had had power within 3 weeks, when they thought it would be more like 5 or 6 weeks, so hopefully that holds true for y'all as well! Take care.

And yes, the worst part is that the national media will now pretend that everything is just great in your area- no problems, move along, nothing to see. It's damned irritating, so just ignore the news reports for the next couple of weeks!

[spinbaby]

14. Why, earlier this week they were saying...

...that, unlike the gulf states, FLORIDA was prepared for a hurricane.

[stop the bleeding]

18. They meant that if your a Fl resident and that it is up to the residents

to be prepared:sarcasm:

I live in Florida and been through a few Hurricanes and do you think that I expect FEMA, Jeb, or FPL to come and help me out? Hell no, I always have my Hurricane stuff ready to go. Always - its just a way of life down here, and until people realize this and stop relying on FEMA/Jeb their always gonna be in these bad situations.

Now anyone who lives in Florida and pretty much the whole gulf coast better get use to the fact that your on own when it comes to these things.

Also think about this the news coverage you do here of is coming out of urban areas, most of S. Florida is BFE so know one even knows how those people are doing.

[RockaFowler]

22. I just Heard

The gas tankers are being escorted in because too many people are waiting in line for gas

[lebkuchen]

25. implying what?

that Floridians are on the verge of armed robbery, they're so desperate?

[kentuck]

26. I talked to a person yesterday who was callling by candlelight...

and said the neighbors were sharing food...

[erinlough]

31. I promise I do not mean to be insensitive,

and I do feel for anyone who has been through a hurricane. That sincerely said I live in a state which is hit, every year with blizzards. I have lost power for weeks, in subzero weather, and forget the gas, you couldn't drive anywhere if you wanted to. I am wondering why it is so much harder down in Florida?

This is not about New Orleans, that is something I have never seen the likes of before, and couldn't imagine myself going through.

I am trying to be sensitive, I just don't understand.

[ryan_cats]

27. Never fear, Rush lives down there.

Seriously, your situation just sucks. How can they say that full power won't be restored until 11/22??? In 1997-98 when all the power lines were in the freeze in New England and Canada, they had the power back quick and it seemed the damage was over a larger area. People keep saying how great good 'ol boy Jeb is/was during hurricanes. Well then, what the hell's going on now and why are we not hearing it in the news?

Was the gas station gouging on the price?

Once again, the first world under scrub-ya has proven itself NOT READY for any disaster.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope that people shining the light on the South Floridian's plight helps out.