Well not much else to say. I can only echo BAW's thoughts.

To all our American Friends,

Our hearts & thoughts are with you following the tragic news of massive destruction & loss of life from hurricane "Charley"

from all the New Zealand & Australian members

What?? I've been at work today and missed the news.Whats happended?

BAW, even though I'm not effected by the storm, as a Americian I thank you for your concern.



Bakes Heres one of the news articles on it.

http://community.centurytel.net/index.cfm?action=news.article&id=wed/au/Ayb55506106.Rw_C_ElE.html



Some "clips" from the article



"The hurricane rapidly gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico after crossing Cuba and swinging around the Florida Keys as a more moderate Category 2 storm Friday morning. An estimated 1.4 million people evacuated in anticipation."......"The storm and its 145 mph winds knocked out power to some 2 million homes and businesses as it crossed from the southwest coast at Punta Gorda to the Atlantic at Daytona Beach . Some 1.3 million remained without power Saturday afternoon, emergency officials said."......"As a weakened Charley churned up the East Coast and was downgraded to a tropical storm, newly sunny skies revealed its destruction in Florida, where emergency officials pronounced it the worst to wallop the state since Hurricane Andrew"...."Hundreds of miles north, Charley's course took it across open ocean, missing the westward curving shore of Georgia. It made its second landfall on South Carolina's Grand Strand resort region, which was nearly empty after a mandatory evacuation of some of the area's 180,000 tourists and residents."

Saw some of this on the news tonight. Holy Shit!!

To those affeceted, I do have a small idea of what it's like to lose everything, and to confront having to start again.

My prayers are with you.