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When hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne turned Florida into a recurring nightmare, even the homes of the dead were disturbed.
In Orlando, a city of theme parks, Greenwood Cemetery's theme
is beauty and serenity. This fall, that changed as trees were
sheared off or torn from the ground and monuments were toppled.
In this "hurricane diary," Greenwood's sexton tells us how the staff
prepared, what the cemetery suffered, what he learned and how
a community outreach effort has helped the recovery.
Surviving a Hurricane-Or Three
by Don Price dprice@cityoforlando.net
Thursday, August 12
Today began like any other day. Orlando was under a hurricane watch, but I must admit we have become accustomed to those during hurricane season. The morning reports showed Hurricane Charley entering Florida around Tampa and moving northeast across the state. Orlando, as was the rule, would be spared the brunt of this category 4 hurricane.
Tampa residents had been ordered to evacuate and come to the Orlando area for safety. People fleeing the storm's expected path filled their gas tanks and stocked up on food staples in our city. By Thursday evening, the shelves were bare at the local grocery stores and gas stations were out of fuel.
As part of normal hurricane preparations, I had staff prepare the cemetery grounds and remove hanging plants, small trinkets and anything else that could be blown around. My staff took these precautions lightly, since this is an annual occurrence during the hurricane season.
Friday, August 13
We began our workday expecting this massive storm to blow past us, sending some wind and rain our way. At 10:30 a.m., the local television stations reported that Hurricane Charley had turned. Its new path would cut right through Orlando. How could this be happening? Orlando is supposed to draw tourists, not hurricanes.
Orlando has not been faced with a major hurricane since Donna in 1960, and we are not prepared-the storm-free decades have made us complacent. On top of that, thousands of evacuees are now in Orlando. The storm is projected to make landfall at 9 p.m. in Punta Gorda, hitting Orlando in less than 12 hours. This is not a drill. We are now in panic mode, and there is no gasoline or food for us to stock up on.
Greenwood Cemetery has been a part of Orlando since 1880 and is the jewel of the downtown. Most of the city's founding fathers are buried here. Our streets are named after distinguished citizens who now reside within our gates. We are one of the largest public cemeteries in the state, with more than 100 acres of land and over 60,000 interments.
The tree canopy is incredible. We are blessed with hundreds of 250-year-old oaks, 40-foot magnolias and thousands of beautiful azaleas. No other cemetery in the region can compare to Greenwood's beauty and tranquility. Over the years, the number of bicyclists and joggers enjoying the miles of twisting and winding roads within the grounds has grown tremendously. I have truly been blessed with the opportunity to oversee this utopia on a daily basis.
At noon, the cemetery staff closed Greenwood's gates so we could try to secure our own homes. There was complete pandemonium on the roads. It seemed everyone was trying to get home. Local stations had preempted the afternoon shows-Hurricane Charley was the only show in town.
By 7 p.m., the forecasters told us the storm was moving faster and still headed our way. By 10 p.m., I had placed my family in our "safe room" and tried not to show the concern I was feeling for their safety. About this time, a falling tree down the road knocked out our power. In the dark, I could still listen to the portable radio, and to the wind, which sounded like a locomotive rushing down the street. This can't be good, I thought.
Saturday, August 14
Sometime in the middle of the night, I fell asleep, waking before daylight. After checking on my family, I needed to head to the cemetery. It was still dark, and as I pulled out of the driveway I didn't notice anything out of place at first. Wait a minute-my neighbor's tree wasn't in the road yesterday.
The drive downtown was eye-opening. Trees lay across almost every thoroughfare, roofing materials littered the roads and store signs had blown over. I prayed that the magical "bubble" that surrounded the cemetery would still be intact.
As I turned onto Mills Avenue in front of the cemetery things got ugly quickly. An oak tree at least 8 feet in diameter lay across the road, along with downed power lines. No problem-just go around the block and come in the other way. As I made my way back onto Anderson Street, I saw the police had blocked this major road so that power lines could be cleared. Wow, maybe things were worse than I thought. I made my way back to the downtown corridor, then turned toward the cemetery via a city park. This way was blocked also. Panic set in.
I finally drove around the debris and made my way to the cemetery's back gates. The drive along the fence line was devastating. Almost every tree along the back side of the cemetery was either broken or uprooted. How could Mother Nature do so much damage in one night?
Upon entering the back gates of the cemetery, I felt a strong desire to cry. There wasn't one passable road inside the gates. Everywhere I turned were trees or huge limbs on the ground. It took me close to an hour to make my way to the cemetery office, where I planned to report the devastation to the city clerk. I dialed her number, but it didn't get through.
One thing you don't think about is that when a storm of this magnitude hits, the cell phone towers are destroyed. The landline wasn't working either. I felt like I was stranded in a war zone with no one to commiserate with. There was nothing to do but pull out a chainsaw and get to work. After 10 hours, I hadn't even made a dent in the wreckage.
Sunday, August 15
I asked my family to come out to the cemetery and give me a hand. At home we were still without power, so that meant no Sunday morning cartoons. We loaded up a cooler with drinks and made our way back to the cemetery. I had a wonderful bonding experience with my children that day. Everyone helped out, and I can't remember anyone complaining.
Sunday evening back at home was challenging, since we were still without power. I drove to my in-laws for a shower and a hot meal. After much debating, I gave in to my wife's wishes and we stayed with her parents in their air-conditioned home.
Monday, August 16
By morning, the devastation brought by Hurricane Charley was national news. Families far away knew the storm had torn through the city and wondered how their loved ones' graves had fared. Since we had no power at the cemetery office, I transferred the calls to my cell phone, hoping that some would get through.
I started fielding about a dozen calls each day: Is the headstone OK? Is the crypt still intact? Is the tree I planted 30 years ago still standing? I became very attached to my digital camera. I took photos of the sites callers asked about, and as soon as power was restored I e-mailed them the images. I found this was a very effective way to answer questions.
Tuesday, August 17
This morning my staff began the process of surveying the damage in the cemetery. We had 82 trees either uprooted or damaged to the point of removal being required. Two hundred and ninety trees had some sort of wind damage, either limbs missing or other trees' tops snarled in their limbs. Almost a mile of fenceline was damaged and the water main on the property was destroyed. Two hundred headstones were toppled. What a mess!
Greenwood Cemetery has been using the same tree contractor, Perfecturf, for the last five years, and it really met the challenge. Within three days of the hurricane, the company was at the cemetery ready to work.
The moving equipment would not fit between the headstones, so we brought in 12 laborers to haul the cut branches and stumps to the side of the road. A front-end loader then hauled the tree parts to the back of the property.
None of us was familiar with dealing with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). I now can offer this advice for any governmental cemetery: Do not purchase anything to help with the cleanup that will increase your inventory. FEMA will reimburse you for disposable goods, but not for the chainsaws, trailers or other such items you might buy. Rent them! FEMA will reimburse you (at their contract price) for any rental equipment you need to restore the cemetery.
Also, hourly employees are reimbursed for overtime only if they physically work 40 hours that week. Salaried employees receive only a pat on the back unless your agency has a policy in place-predisaster-allowing management personnel to receive overtime or compensatory time during a disaster, in which case FEMA will reimburse you.
Wednesday, August 18
By early morning, the roads in the cemetery were drivable, so we decided to open the cemetery to the public during normal office hours. The response was incredible; there was a steady line of cars. To make sure the people coming in weren't simply "gawkers" and to help us keep track of how many vehicles we had inside the gates, we asked everyone to check in at the office.
Looking around the property, I sensed that we needed to bring the community together to help out. I sent news releases to all of the local media outlets asking people to come together and "help those who can't help themselves." It worked! Every local television station ran a story, as did the local paper. Radio stations promoted our cleanup day.
Reporters called my office, looking for "quotable quotes" to use in the broadcasts. Those of you who attended ICFA University with me know I have no problem saying things without thinking. (See "Making the Media Love You," left.)
The Orlando Sentinel ran four stories on the cemetery the week of our cleanup day.
Saturday, August 28
Today was Community Cleanup Day at Greenwood Cemetery. We asked people to bring their own equipment, since other departments are using the city's rakes, shovels and other equipment. Approximately 200 people showed up to help out. Businesses called to offer supplies and pledge support. It was amazing, especially considering that just about everyone who was helping us had their own problems at home-damaged roofs, downed trees, no power. Still, they set aside their own concerns for the day.
Wednesday, September 1
When I left the office today, I felt we were really making progress on getting the cemetery cleaned up. Boy was I wrong. This evening we received the news that Hurricane Frances was heading toward central Florida. Two major hurricanes within three weeks? Impossible!
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Copyright ICFA 2004
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