SURVIVING HURRICANE CHARLEY

Dr. Tom Ascol, the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, survived Hurricane Charley without much damage and with much praise and thanksgiving to God for very evident mercies or protecting them and providing for them. The storm gained strength and changed directions so quickly that there was little time to anticipate a category 4 hurricane making landfall right on top of them. This is his report of surviving Hurricane Charley.

I sent Donna and our six children inland to friends’ house that offered hospitality to us. I decided to stay in town for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that our home is located only a couple of miles from Charlotte Newberry and David Peters, dear members of our church who were staying in their home due to David’s quadriplegia. Their house is at a high elevation (14 feet above sea level--which in Cape Coral is almost considered a mountain!) and David has a special bed and set up at home that made he and his mom think they should not try to go inland or to a hospital for shelter.

I said good-bye to my family around 7 AM Friday the 13th as news that Charley was headed to Tampa was still being reported on television. Sometime mid-morning the meteorologists began to report that it was beginning to turn west and could come directly to Southwest Florida. My phone continued to work all through the storm, and though it is out as I type this on Sunday night, stayed in service until Saturday morning. The lights went out around 1 PM.

Before that I called to check on several people and was encouraged to learn that those that were staying seemed to be battened down pretty well. Charlotte and David had plenty of gas for their generator and several of our widows were staying together in a condominium.

Shortly after the electricity went off I decided to make a run to the church building to pick up some books on justification to read in preparation for a paper I am to give in a couple of months. The news reports indicated we had about 2 hours before the bad weather began to arrive. By the time I arrived at the church, the rain was coming down hard. I quickly gathered a box of books and returned home as quickly as possible.

Once inside, I set up my “bunker” in my windowless bathroom. With both my cell phone and landline still working, I spent quite a bit of time talking to friends and family around the country. Because the electricity was off, I had to get up and go to the regular phone in order to answer it. Whether or not I made that trip depended on how intense the storm was at the moment. Several phone calls were very brief, “I can’t talk right now--I am in the middle of a category 4 hurricane.” Most were aware of that and were calling to check on our family. A few did not realize what was happing on the other end of the line.

When the winds picked up intensity I realized that I was hunkered down in the southeast corner of the house--the place where the wind was blowing most forcefully. While talking with my brother on my cell phone, the ceiling began to visibly shake just before a loud bang followed by a great gush of wind. I told Bill I was afraid that something had happened to the roof and that I needed to go. Later, I discovered that the soffit and facia of the roof eaves had blown away from the corner above my head. I gathered my mattress, couch cushions, lights, duct tape, water and Bible and went to my children’s bathroom on the west side of the house. I put the mattress over the window, moved a ladder in the room (figuring that I could lay under it if the roof caved in), shut the door and began to pray.

In 1992 when Hurricane Andrew came through Florida, our family spent the day memorizing Psalm 93.

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever.

Several church members called me on Thursday and Friday morning to ask about that Psalm, telling me that they planned to work on memorizing it during the storm. I had spent time meditating on it during the morning. Now, by flashlight, I was reading it, using it to guide my prayers. “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters.” As the roar of wind and rain increased, this verse was a source of strength. I know that the Psalmist is speaking metaphorically, but the choice of metaphors could not have been better suited to my situation.

The Lord gave me an overwhelming sense of peace, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that I or anyone else could do to change the direction, force or effect of the hurricane. My life was completely in His hand. Of course, that is just as true when the sun is shining and life is easy. We simply tend to forget it in those times.

I sang “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” and “You Have Made Me Glad” at the very height of the storm. The walls were shaking, the windows were rattling and the front doors sounded like someone was intent on ripping them from their hinges. “O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be, Lord let me never, never, outlive my love for Thee.” To die with sincere and undiminished love to Christ has been my prayer for many years.

“You are my Shield, my Strength, my Portion, Deliverer, my Shelter, strong Tower, my very present Help in time of need.” I loved singing that prayer with the close awareness that at any moment a window could pop, door break or roof rip off. The Lord was very near. Today I mentioned this to those who gathered to worship in our damaged, hot, unlighted church building. Donna and the kids were there--the first time I had seen them since Friday. She told me afterward that she and the children had sung that very song as they heard on the radio that the eye of the storm was passing over Burnt Store Marina--about 10 miles from our home. It is quite possible that we were singing those words at the same time.

After the wind died down some, I left my safe room and went from window to window, surveying the damage. Our tool shed was completely gone--many of the contents remained on the foundation, but the roof and sides were out of sight. Siding from my neighbors house was strewn in my yard. Trees had been uprooted and were laying flat, some--as big as 16 inches in diameter--had been snapped like toothpicks. Our largest Oak tree had 6 inch branches twisted and shredded.

Sometime after 5:30 I ventured outside in the light rain and wind and surveyed the house. Other than a few gutters ripped off and two places where facia had blown off, it looked intact. Given the obvious force of the winds, I am amazed that the windows held.

Several of our families in the church have suffered serious loss of property. John and Nancy Porter’s home in Port Charlotte was completely demolished. Nothing is left. Others had roofs lifted off, damage from trees and wind. Nearly everyone had some damage. The church building lost its awning over the entrance. Our deacons removed the dangling pieces yesterday, making it safe to enter the building. There was also roof damage in the back and on the sides of the building. Several trees were laid over also.

We made the decision to meet for worship and simply tried to get the word out the best we could. Today was supposed to be the first Sunday of our new church year, with new classes beginning. Instead, we gathered at 10 AM, in the dark and heat, to weep, pray and praise the Lord for His goodness. One couple that lived in one of the worst hit areas of Punta Gorda had not been heard from since Thursday night. They said that they planned to ride the storm out. When they drove up on the parking lot today, they were met with many expressions of relief and love.

Over 200 people gathered for our worship--including some we have been witnessing to recently. I could hardly contain myself when we sang, “You Have Made Me Glad.” I spoke briefly, making 6 points:

1. Think much of God’s mercy and grace that He gives in Jesus Christ. We were spared because of His mercy, not because of our righteousness or even because of the fervency of our prayers.

2. Express your praise to God in the presence of other people. Many who do not normally speak of God are doing just that Those who know the Lord should be the first to express our praise of Him

3. Meditate on the Day of Judgment. It will be much worse than a Category 4 Hurricane. Revelation 6:14-17 describes a scene of terror in the face of God’s judgment Pray that many will be delivered—and encourage many to seek
deliverance

4. Meditate MORE on Jesus Christ’s deliverance The reason that He came to earth, was this: to deliver His people from sin and all its consequences

The cross was all about enduring God’s wrath against sin so that sinners may be delivered through faith in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11; Paul acknowledges that trials are designed by God to teach us to trust in Him as our great deliverer.

5. Recognize that now is a great time to serve other people. Our Lord Jesus said that He did not come to be served but to serve… (Mark 10:45) We should be like Him. People are hurting and are more open to being helped in the wake of this storm than previously, so help others in Jesus’ Name!

6. When phone service is restored, call to check on friends. There are many, members and friends that I have not heard from. Let’s make sure that no one is unaccounted for.


We took time to inform each other of specific needs and made arrangements for them to be met. Those who have electricity and/or water invited those who do not to come to their homes. Crews began to form to go cut trees and start cleanup efforts. Gasoline searchers volunteered to drive near and far, wait in lines and fill up cans to keep Charlotte’s and David’s generator going.

My family returned home after church and tried to take in the damage in our neighborhood. Joel assisted neighbors in cleaning up their yards. Three men from the church drove nearly an hour to set up a generator to our well system so we would have water and some electrical service. Others scattered throughout the community to serve their neighbors.

We announced that we will not meet on Wednesday night, assuming that the electricity will still be off and the city curfew will still be on. The electricity in our home just came back on tonight at 9PM. That seems amazing to me. Charley left 2 million people without electricity. Two days later that number is down to around 300 thousand.

Thank you for your prayers. Our community has much work to do in cleaning up and rebuilding. We hope to be a significant part of that. Please pray that the Lord will enable Grace Baptist to serve others in Jesus’ Name during this time--and that many will be brought to Christ through our witness.


Tom Ascol

email: editor@founders.org

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