Hello everyone:
My last day of training was Thursday August 12, a short bike ride. Then Charley hit my home town. Yes I'm in Port Charlotte Florida and the eye of the hurricane went right over the harbor.
I'm sure most of you saw the coverage on the various networks, but the pictures that you saw cannot begin to convey the absolute and total devestation this small county has suffered. As I drove around the county it doesn't appear that a single street escaped the ravages of the storm. I am at work right now and I have power as my job is considered an esential fascitlity
(I'm a prosecuting attorney and work in the court house
), however the majority of the county is still without power, despite power crews from around the country working around the clock.
My gym lost its roof, and the two local bike shops are gone. When I say gone I mean that there isn't even a trace of the buildings.
( I had just saved enough to buy a bike, I guess I'm going to have to take my chances on something over the net
) The YMCA was damaged so I can't use the pool, it is imposible to run due to the amount of trees, debris and power lines in the roads.
But I was lucky my house suffered only minor damage and my family is fine, I sent my wife and daughter to Orlando to stay with her sister until we get power back.
But I have a plea to all of you that read this. 25 counties in Florida were hit by this hurricane. Charlotte county was hit the worse but other counties like DeSoto and Hendry were hit equally hard. Our sport can be expensive, and even us beginners or middle of the packers have a fascination with buying new equipment every year. I am challenging each of you that reads this to hold off buying one piece of equipment or don't enter one sprint and take that money and donate it to your local American Red Cross chapter and ask that that money go to hurricane relief in Florida.
I've seen the devastation first hand, I've seen homes without walls and roofs, I've seen aluminum pool cages wrapped around trees as if they were pieces of string, I've seen people standing in lines at the aid stations for water and food. The projection of damage just in the two coastal counties that were hit is 17 Billion dollars. ANy money you donate to the American red cross will go to the area you request it to go to. Everyone is so generous with their time and experience on this board helping their fellow triathletes. I am challenging you all now to help people that are in dire need. My experience has been that triathletes are incapable of shying away from a challenge.
Thank you all and keep training.
"The ox is slow, but the Earth is patient"