Jack Rowland is the photo technology editor for the Times. He chronicled his journeys around Florida covering Hurricane Frances with the Times photo team.
Monday was a frustrating day. I was up early and tried all morning to
make contact with photographers Dan McDuffie and Doug Clifford. With
four different cell phones, two satellite phones, two-way radios and
e-mail messages sent to pagers, I still was not able to reach them.
Technology has become such a big part of our lives that when it doesn't
work we can't communicate.
Things started happening in the parking lot at the service plaza so I
decided to get out there and do some work. I found a crew of four men
who were living out of their cars just behind me. They were watching
reports on Frances and Ivan on a 5-inch television and a pot of coffee
was brewing on a small camp stove between their cars. They were masters
of the asphalt campground.
The men met while camping in Punta Gorda before Charley and stayed
there to help out with the recovery. When Frances was headed to south
Florida they drove across the state to help out again.
The service plaza received gas overnight and as more and more people
discovered this, the lines grew longer. Law enforcement officers were
brought in to direct traffic and around 10 a.m. the station exploded with
activity after a local radio station announced gas was available there.
From that point on cars were backed up all the way onto the Turnpike
waiting for gas. It was said to be the only place with gas available
for forty miles.
After sending some photos and the movie on the satellite phone, I was
able to exchange messages with folks in St. Pete. Around 2:30 p.m. I found
out that McDuffie and Clifford had pulled out and were headed back
home. So there I was, with an RV all dressed up and with no one to
support.
With nothing left to do but come home I quickly packed up, gassed up
and headed out. I left around 4 p.m. and took the Turnpike north into
Kissimmee, arriving around 6:30 p.m. The roads were clear and the
damage looked minimal all the way.
It took me an hour and half to transfer all the food and gear from the
RV to the rented Ford Explorer I had left behind in Kissimmee. Tucked
away in all the cubby holes in the RV it didn't seem like that much
stuff, but it was. Of course it had been stocked to support four people
for a week or more.
After that I quickly drove home to surprise my family. Listening to the
radio I was relieved to hear Tampa Bay had escaped again without
serious damage. Although much of my Westchase neighborhood in Tampa was
without power, our home had escaped the darkness. My wife and kids were
thrilled at my early arrrival. It's great to be home.
Unfortunately though, it looks like I won't be home for long. This
morning I was making calls to rent another RV. The gear and food is
still in the car so I can load up again in case we need to pay Ivan a
visit.
