Ten Years Later, Memories of Hurricane Trio Remain Sharp By Gary White THE LEDGER Published: Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 10:22 p.m. Polk County Commissioner Melony Bell was mayor of Fort Meade in 2004. As Charley approached, Bell and 15 relatives crowded into a hallway in the adjacent home of her husbands parents, Robert and Virginia Bell. Her husband, Robbie Bell, was on duty as a firefighter that night, and Bell was unable to reach him in the chaotic aftermath. A moment of fright occurred when Bell saw a Florida State Troopers car pull into her driveway. She suddenly feared the trooper had come to deliver horrible news about her husband. In reality, he was there to inform her that Robbie was fine. Bell said every home in Fort Meade went without power for days after Charley struck. While repair crews from as far away as Tennessee worked to fix downed power lines, Bell said residents showed their appreciation by taking the linemen food and drinks. Bell said the hurricanes brought out both the bad and good in people. She remembered getting a knock on her door the night after Charley hit and hearing a strange man say he was there to clear debris and insist she let him inside. She said the rampant damage lured unscrupulous contractors eager to take advantage of Fort Meades elderly residents. Mostly, though, Bell recalls Polk County residents looking after each other. People from neighboring areas came in and set up grills to cook food for Fort Meade residents. Bell and other city officials drove to Winter Haven or Mulberry each day to get food and do laundry for the repair crews. Bell said she and others checked on and delivered food to elderly residents during the power outage. She said she developed lasting friendships with some of those residents, among them Jo Clements, her former teacher at Fort Meade High School. To be devastating, it was quite an experience in, I guess you could say, fellowship, said Clements, now 85 and still living in Fort Meade.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 23:39:48 +0000
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