BARTOW - Julius Baldwin has stayed put in his sturdy two-story home here through every hurricane since he moved in more than 50 years ago.
He remembers Hurricane Donna trying to blow his roof off in 1960. Charley took a run at it three weeks ago, with no effect. Now Frances has lost the battle: no leaks, no holes, no broken glass.
"I've been here so long nothing is going to knock me out," Baldwin said as he leisurely raked oak leaves in his front yard.
His secret?
"Build to last and trim your trees," he said. "It doesn't hurt to be lucky, too."
Valued possessions lost
APOPKA - Although Frances wasn't as strong as Charley, it ripped apart some roofs at the Zellwood Station mobile home park near this Orange County town.
The storm pulled the roof off the home of 88-year-old Maggie Traphagen, who rode out the storm in a hotel with four women from the park. She got home Monday morning to find a hole in her living room ceiling with a view straight into the sky. The overturned roof, with pink insulation sticking out, lay in her side yard like a filleted fish.
"I've been here 28 years and this is the first time anything's happened," said Traphagen, a retired schoolteacher from Michigan.
Inside her home, two ceiling fans lay on the soggy floor. All her clothes hung in the closet, dripping water. Her floor was buckled.
Among her prized possessions lost: a desk she and her late husband bought 63 years ago. When she opened it Monday, water spilled out. The wood was discolored and warped.
Across the street, the wind wasn't strong enough to pry decorative butterflies from a neighbor's home.
Traphagen said she plans to stay with neighbors for a few nights, then possibly rent a place or stay with family in Michigan. County officials declared her house condemned but allowed her to go inside to get some belongings. She emerged with a bar of soap, a washcloth and a framed photo of her husband.
"I couldn't find the toothpaste," she said.
Frances gone; Ivan watch starts
WAHNETA - In this Polk County community east of Bartow, the Peace Creek crept over its banks and into yards. Francine Rheault arrived at her mother's home to find the creek 50 yards closer than usual. Hurricane Charley had dropped a huge oak tree on the roof, slightly shifting the home on its foundations. For a while, they could not open the front door.
Tropical Storm Frances blew around some leaves and some of the trees had more lean than before. But, for the most part, Frances spared the property.
"The creek doesn't concern me that much," Rheault said, slapping away a mosquito. "Ivan concerns me."
Volunteer centers open today
This morning, the state is opening Volunteer Reception Centers to coordinate help for victims and hurricane cleanup. Volunteers were asked to bring food, water and gloves and any equipment they are trained to use. They are responsible for their own lodging. For information, call toll-free 1-800-354-3571 or go to www.volunteerflorida.org The centers opening today are:
TALLAHASSEE: Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, 187 Office Plaza Drive; 8 a.m to 4 p.m.
OCALA: Central Florida Community College, Building 6, 3001 SW College Road; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Wednesday.
STUART: United Way of Martin County, 50 Kindred St.; open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BARTOW: Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S Floral Ave.; open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SANFORD: Seminole County VRC, 100 Weldon Blvd.; open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A sixth center will open Wednesday:
FORT PIERCE: St. Lucie County Complex, 2300 Virginia Ave.; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Times staff writers Joni James, Graham Brink and Chris Tisch contributed to this report.
