FPL expects 95 percent of Charlotte county's electricity to be back on by the 9th. My brother, who is there year round, is feeling a little better about things since he went back to work. He is an essential employee in healthcare and is happy to be able to microwave a meal and have a place to charge his devices. We have a lot of solar-powered battery banks that we use at the beach but he's putting them to good use powering his USB fan so he can sleep during the heat of the day. They did have gas for essential workers, which I thought was nice, in the middle of the night last night so he's feeling better about being able to get to and from work. My aunt and uncle have a place in Venice and it was minimally impacted too. The clean up in our community, like so many others, is going to be extensive. We are probably going to rent a U-Haul and bring supplies from Texas after the holidays for ANOTHER winter of repairs, restoration, etc. As much as I'm not looking forward to that, I'm so incredibly grateful that we have a home still standing to repair and restore.
As a part-time Floridian ... I want to thank all the other states who sent people and the companies that coordinated before the storm to get down there and get in as soon as the worst of it passed. I am so thankful for those people who are taking time away from their loved ones to come and make sure our loved ones are able to get back to some semblance of normalcy as quickly as possible. And the National Guard, which has had a huge presence in Charlotte County (also, thank you Coast Guard!). The first-responders in Charlotte County are pretty awesome anyhow and they continue to step it up. I have to admit, it's quiet in the summer when they snowbirds are gone but I think we are all looking forward to the positive economic impact they have. And they are REALLY good about supporting local businesses. I can't even begin to tell you what it means to us