Posted on 09/06/2004 11:54:45 AM PDT by Moonman62
BOCA RATON · Fire-Rescue Lt. Frank Montilli had just heard that a sick, bed-ridden woman was trapped in her home.
...
Hardly noticed among the fire trucks and ambulance was a small, white truck belonging to Alvin Sylvester, a tree cutter who had joined rescuers a short time earlier.
As the firefighters donned their goggles and readied their chain saws, Sylvester was already cutting branches on the 60-foot tree. Clutching a chain saw in each hand, he slashed away branches as the firefighters dragged them away. A dozen or so neighbors gathered near the driveway, marveling at Sylvester's technique and how fast the tree was coming apart.
...
He joined the firefighters while they cut trees outside an apartment complex near the Town Center at Boca Raton and stayed with them for the rest of the day. He just showed up and didn't ask anything in return, Hunt said.
"I'm not charging. I'm just trying to help. I'll get a different time to make money," Sylvester said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Now THAT is some good news! Time for new heroes to emerge! They always do in this nation in a time of need!
Amelia has a "report" on the people going to Florida!!
Bump.
Is the next step....Then the local EPA goon came along arrested and fined him for cutting a heritage tree without a permit.??? LOL
Why isn't everything cleaned up yet?? People need help NOW. Tens of thousands are now homeless in Florida because of Pres. Bush's slow response. I bet he is interferring with cleanup so Haliburton and the oil companies can cash in on disaster relief funds. (This is probably what they are writing on Dummys Underground)
Howlin - thanks for the note - will search for Amelia's post. The rain and clouds are here now. So far just a nice summer rain....don't think that's all we will get.
I've been on the Georgia section of I-95 for at least a little bit Saturday, Sunday, and today. Each time I've seen convoys of tree-trimmer and power company trucks headed south.
Saturday there was one large convoy all the way from Pennsylvania. I suppose they were planning to get almost there, then be ready to go in as soon as the storm was over. Saturday most of the southbound traffic was these storm relief convoys, along with a few local folks. Sunday it was about half-and-half, returning evacuees and power company type trucks. Today more returning evacuees, but still plenty of folks going down to help with cleanup.
Not sure where they are all from, but it was heartwarming to see all the people going down to help. I know some of them will also be making a lot of money, but it's a lot of driving time, long hours, and unpleasant and dangerous working conditions, so I don't begrudge them that either.
Ok - good to hear - help is on the way - and YES - it is GREAT to read about. Thanks for the update. The more help going to Florida, the better!
Here in South GA we had scattered power outages last night and this morning (out about 3 hrs at my house), tornado warnings off & on all night, and a neighbor has a large tree down from the winds - and all we're getting is outer bands; we didn't even have the tropical storm warnings. I'd hate to have been right in the middle of it.
Thanks for posting this. Such stories are really quite common after such disasters, but are rarely reported except locally.
When a disaster happened where I lived, I turned out with my chainsaw and worked for three days cutting up fallen trees. I wasn't alone. Dozens of folks brought chainsaws, trucks, trailers, etc. and helped clear debris, working long hours, just because it was the right thing to do.
This is the norm. Price gougers aren't the norm and deserve the scorn they receive once the emergency is over. They truly reap what they have sown.
Wow! Now that is news since nothing is being reported about any storm damage in Georgia yet. 40-45 MPH winds from Hurricane Floyd brought down many trees in our area - so that may continue. Stay safe and keep reporting if you can.
News reported a tornado on the ground in Savannah near Skidaway Island last night, and one in the Wilmington Island area this morning.
We had at least 4-5 warnings last night, but most were "thunderstorms capable of producing tornados" and I didn't see any sign that there had been any actual tornados when riding around the neighborhood this afternoon.
Sister just above Jacksonville was without power this morning & had been since last night. She said there were trees & powerlines down in their neighborhood, and the winds were "shrieking" last night.
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