Ray!

it is great to hear you and yours are safe.  Please do not worry
about our pendants -- you have much more important things to worry
about.

I'm sorry that I won't meet you next week, but there will be other
dive trips.

All my best and please let me know if I can do anything for you.

/Don

On Mon Sep 20 11:01:03 PDT 2004, Ray Jones <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

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> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Hello all,
>
> Thanks to all of you who have been concerned for us.
>
> As most of you know hurricane Ivan hit us Thursday morning about
> 2 am or so.
> I had evacuated my family to Jacksonville. I had all intentions
> to stay and
> safeguard my business but with my sons pleading I decided to go
> with my family.
> Turns out it was the right decision.
>
> I've never seen destruction on the scale of this outside of a war
> zone. This
> town is a mess to the degree that it will be years before it's
> ever the way it
> was and maybe not even then. Any direction you want to go on
> every street
> there are trees down over power lines, trees in peoples homes,
> whole buildings
> just vanished, boats where they shouldn't be, and the list just
> goes on and on.
>
> I was very fortunate. My home lost a few shingles. It appears a
> tornado went
> through my back yard. My neighbors pool had all of the water and
> the lining
> sucked out of his pool and then there is a break in his fence
> leading to mine.
> My back yard fence is laid over and the greenbelt is the only
> reason I've still
> got a fence. There is a hole on the opposite side of my yard
> where it looks
> like the tornado cut a path through tall pines I have on my right
> side. If a
> tornado came through its amazing that I still have my screens on
> my porch.
> Strange!!
>
> My business made out fine. Nothing looks out of place. I had a
> large sign on
> the roof that I had taken down and that seemed like it was a good
> move.
>
> Speaking of good moves. I just had the transom redone on my boat
> and was
> going to take it back to the marina. I thought that with the
> marina being so close
> to the water that I might better try my chances elsewhere. As it
> turned out
> the marina is completely destroyed with all of the boats piled on
> top of each
> other. My boat survived.
>
> I bought a generator and this is the first time I have been able
> to get
> online from home. Our phone lines just came back up today. We are
> still without
> power and it looks like we will be for a while. Of course my
> business is closed
> until we get power back and who knows when that will be.
>
> I'm very impressed with the emergency crews. They all seem to
> have a plan and
> I couldn't tell you how many different companies from other
> cities are here.
> Of course with all of the power being out there are a few gas
> stations that
> have a generator running the pumps. The gas lines are four to
> five hours long
> but each day that passes more come online so that shouldn't be
> much longer.  The
> local hardware stores have got emergency deliveries and there are
> SWAT teams
> in place to make sure the crowds remain calm. They were needed a
> couple of
> times when the first generators came in.
>
> My business is still without power and that means security is a
> major issue
> for me. I've been going up to the store at night just to check
> and make sure
> that everything is OK because it's black as an ace of spades
> there at night. I
> always seek out a patrolman whose area is around my store and ask
> him to please
> check in on it several times a night.
>
> DeeDee from this list didn't make out anywhere as good as I did
> from what I
> know. Her house is on the island (sound side) and from what she
> knows she lost
> her roof and there is several feet of sand in the bottom floor.
> She doesn't
> know for sure yet and our phones have been very sporadic. I
> haven't heard back
> from her and when I've tried to call the lines won't connect.
>
> Another friend of mine took is 36 foot Newton (dive boat) about
> 60 miles from
> where the storm came ashore and at one am he had an anchor break
> loose it
> slammed him and his deckhand into the bridge causing some
> fiberglass breakage and
> then a wave just picked him up and set him in somebody's yard.
> He said it
> was the scariest night of his life.
>
> As far as my trip to Lapaz. Without a security system for my
> store and a baby
> sitter for my son its just not going to happen. As far as the
> charms/pendants
> that I'm making for the people who ordered them I'll get them
> down and ship
> them to yall after we get my business back up and running.
>
> Thanks to my many friends on here and I hope yall the best in
> LaPaz. This
> just hasn't been my year to try to make trips.
>
> Take care,
>
> Ray
>
>
> --part1_154.3fd8b610.2e8074df_boundary
> Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> <HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT  SIZE=3D3
> PTSIZE=3D12 FAMILY=
> =3D"SCRIPT" FACE=3D"Comic Sans MS" LANG=3D"0">Hello all,<BR>
> <BR>
> Thanks to all of you who have been concerned for us.<BR>
> <BR>
> As most of you know hurricane Ivan hit us Thursday morning about
> 2 am or so.=
>  I had evacuated my family to Jacksonville. I had all intentions
> to stay and=
>  safeguard my business but with my sons pleading I decided to go
> with my fam=
> ily. Turns out it was the right decision.<BR>
> <BR>
> I've never seen destruction on the scale of this outside of a war
> zone. This=
>  town is a mess to the degree that it will be years before it's
> ever the way=
>  it was and maybe not even then. Any direction you want to go on
> every stree=
> t there are trees down over power lines, trees in peoples homes,
> whole build=
> ings just vanished, boats where they shouldn't be, and the list
> just goes on=
>  and on. <BR>
> <BR>
> I was very fortunate. My home lost a few shingles. It appears a
> tornado went=
>  through my back yard. My neighbors pool had all of the water and
> the lining=
>  sucked out of his pool and then there is a break in his fence
> leading to mi=
> ne. My back yard fence is laid over and the greenbelt is the only
> reason I'v=
> e still got a fence. There is a hole on the opposite side of my
> yard where i=
> t looks like the tornado cut a path through tall pines I have on
> my right si=
> de. If a tornado came through its amazing that I still have my
> screens on my=
>  porch.&nbsp; Strange!!<BR>
> <BR>
> My business made out fine. Nothing looks out of place. I had a
> large sign on=
>  the roof that I had taken down and that seemed like it was a
> good move.<BR>
> <BR>
> Speaking of good moves. I just had the transom redone on my boat
> and was goi=
> ng to take it back to the marina. I thought that with the marina
> being so cl=
> ose to the water that I might better try my chances elsewhere. As
> it turned=20=
> out the marina is completely destroyed with all of the boats
> piled on top of=
>  each other. My boat survived.<BR>
> <BR>
> I bought a generator and this is the first time I have been able
> to get onli=
> ne from home. Our phone lines just came back up today. We are
> still without=20=
> power and it looks like we will be for a while. Of course my
> business is clo=
> sed until we get power back and who knows when that will be.<BR>
> <BR>
> I'm very impressed with the emergency crews. They all seem to
> have a plan an=
> d I couldn't tell you how many different companies from other
> cities are her=
> e. Of course with all of the power being out there are a few gas
> stations th=
> at have a generator running the pumps. The gas lines are four to
> five hours=20=
> long but each day that passes more come online so that shouldn't
> be much lon=
> ger.&nbsp; The local hardware stores have got emergency
> deliveries and there=
>  are SWAT teams in place to make sure the crowds remain calm.
> They were need=
> ed a couple of times when the first generators came in.<BR>
> <BR>
> My business is still without power and that means security is a
> major issue=20=
> for me. I've been going up to the store at night just to check
> and make sure=
>  that everything is OK because it's black as an ace of spades
> there at night=
> . I always seek out a patrolman whose area is around my store and
> ask him to=
>  please check in on it several times a night. <BR>
> <BR>
> DeeDee from this list didn't make out anywhere as good as I did
> from what I=20=
> know. Her house is on the island (sound side) and from what she
> knows she lo=
> st her roof and there is several feet of sand in the bottom
> floor. She doesn=
> 't know for sure yet and our phones have been very sporadic. I
> haven't heard=
>  back from her and when I've tried to call the lines won't
> connect.<BR>
> <BR>
> Another friend of mine took is 36 foot Newton (dive boat) about
> 60 miles fro=
> m where the storm came ashore and at one am he had an anchor
> break loose it=20=
> slammed him and his deckhand into the bridge causing some
> fiberglass breakag=
> e and then a wave just picked him up and set him in somebody's
> yard.&nbsp; H=
> e said it was the scariest night of his life.<BR>
> <BR>
> As far as my trip to Lapaz. Without a security system for my
> store and a bab=
> y sitter for my son its just not going to happen. As far as the
> charms/penda=
> nts that I'm making for the people who ordered them I'll get them
> down and s=
> hip them to yall after we get my business back up and
> running.<BR>
> <BR>
> Thanks to my many friends on here and I hope yall the best in
> LaPaz. This ju=
> st hasn't been my year to try to make trips.<BR>
> <BR>
> Take care,<BR>
> <BR>
> Ray<BR>
> <BR>
> </FONT></HTML>
> --part1_154.3fd8b610.2e8074df_boundary--
>
>
>