What got us through it all, was the neighborhood, friends in Poquoson, family, Police Dept, Fire Dept. the many many city employees and thousands of volunteers of our community. A very BIG THANK YOU goes out to each and everyone of you!

I can remember pulling out particle board out of my home or wet stinky insulation out from under my house or cutting up the trees that had fallen, and a Police car coming by to tell you where to get ice, water, etc. As the days went by, more people would come by my house and ask if I wanted bottled water, bread or even ice. The trucks came almost daily after a week with ice in trucks. Even the Coast Guard, or possibly the National Guard, came by. Thats when I knew our city was in real trouble.

I was so busy getting the wet out of my house, I had not had time to drive through the neighborhood. I was so devastated by what I saw when I did take a quick drive - the tears just rolled down my eyes at what other people faced worse than we did.

Our church has helped out alot and we have contributed to the causes of these people. I can only hope that they too will soon be back to normal. Our city is such a tight community and the support for everyone is everywhere!!!

I've lived here for 20 years, and feel like one big family in this community of Poquoson, and proud to say "I live in Poquoson." Thanks POQUOSON for being the CITY that you are!!!!!

Debbie Yarbrough & family

I lost touch with my family sometime Thursday. I remember trying all weekend to get in touch with someone. The normal phones were out and my cell phone, which was bought at home, wasn't working so I knew my family's cell phones were out as well. It's a strange feeling to be miles away and have no way of knowing what has happened. When my grandmother finally was able to get in touch with me, I can remember almost crying I was so happy and devastated by what she was telling me. In fact after talking to her, I wasn't able to talk to anyone else for quite a while because Isabel was all they wanted to talk about.

My house is about 5 feet off the ground at least and the water was mere inches from getting into it. The water was also mere inches from getting into my grandparents house and I have never known it to flood where they live. I just couldn't believe it. I asked if they wanted me to come home and help with the cleaning up, but they wouldn't hear of it. It wasn't until the next weekend that I was allowed to return home and see all the damage. It takes about 3 hours to get from Longwood to Poquoson. The whole way I couldn't stop wondering what I was going to see when I got there. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight that awaited. It was about 9 pm when I my boyfriend and I finally got into the city. The first thing we see are plywood signs saying where you can get ice, water, food, what stores are open. I think the worst for me was when I got to station 1 and saw a sign saying it was open. Driving though the city that night, I think, was the worst experience I have ever had. It felt like I was driving into a war zone. I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. My boyfriend kept asking if I was ok and I just couldn't answer him.

The next day wasn't any better. I thought it was bad at night. All day I helped my family move things out to the street. I couldn't believe one storm could do that much damage. I know we see it on the news all the time, but it's much different when you see it in your own front yard. All I could think about was the fact that I hadn't been there. Part of me wished and still wishes that I could have been, but another part of me is glad I wasn't. I know there was nothing I could have done whether I was there or not.

Things are getting back to normal at my house. Most of the debris has been cleaned up. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the people who live around me. Most of my friends are living in trailers or renting apartments (if they can afford it) right now because they have no where else to go. My brother and his friend are making money helping my neighbor clean up his house. It's devastating to think of all the damage that was done. But the one thought that keeps coming to me now that we are getting close to the holidays is that we haven't lost everything. We live in a city where people worked together to get things done. We have each other. And that's important. This holiday will be different for everyone, but hopefully it will help us all to remember the true meaning behind it.

Carin Losares

The storm took everything we had when waters rose to 2 feet in our home. The people of our city pitched in to help each other with food, ice and any other help that was needed. Neighbors with the same problems were there to help each other. It was such a wonderful sight to see our mayor and city employees, even our school children were helping hand out ice during the power outage. Our fire and police came down our streets with ice and bread, which was so welcomed by those of us trying to clean up the water in our homes.

I just have so many people to thank for all they have done for all of us. The churches and the Salvation Army, the Red Cross for feeding us. The City of Poquoson for all the help they provided, the people of the community who took the time to set up a store at the Middle School Gym with needed items and food. And a special thanks to the ladies who came around one night with soup and chili in the back of an SUV. They were truly sent by God to warm a tired body that night. And most of all to my dear friend Deloris Brown who brought us dinner each time she went to get theirs.

It will be a long time before things are normal for many of us again, but I thank God that we were all safe and alive and I pray we can enjoy this Christmas Season with the true meaning it brings. A camping trailer is not the biggest place to celebrate the holidays but we do have room in them for God. I send my greatest thanks to all and wish everyone the best for your help, concern and love during our hard times.

Elizabeth Hicks, and family

Shortly after this call we were responding to a complaint of a telephone pole down at the sharp corner of Hunts Neck past Valmore. We were on Yorktown Road when we noticed a large tree that had fallen on top of a house in the 100 block of Yorktown Rd. I remember after we marked on the Fire Radio where we were at, we heard the Poquoson Dispatcher dispatching the fire department to 2 or 3 other calls where large trees had fallen on houses and where there were possibly persons inside the house. After this we continued on to the pole down call past Valmore Drive when we realized that we could not get the fire truck past Valmore Drive because the water was too deep to get down the street. I remember looking that way and seeing the telephone pole completely mangled up in wires and was laying in the roadway. It was at this time I guess we all became numb to what was going on, we did not have time to stop and get ourselves together.

The next call I responded to with the fire department was a request that an elderly couple on Langley Street I believe was trapped in their attic and wanted evacuation. We encountered 1/2 foot deep tidal flooding on Hudgins Road not too far down Hudgins Road past the church. At the corner of Hudgins Rd there were power lines lying on the roadway. I can recall trees falling out of the corner of my eyes and remember thinking that sustained wind gust were probably between 30 - 60 MPH I could not tell you what time it was because time was standing still, it was truly incredible. As we got to Poquoson Avenue and the Police Department, I remember looking in the parking lot of the Police Department and seeing a Saturn in the parking lot bobbing up and down in tidal water. As we slowly creeped down Poquoson Ave I remember almost wanting to cry because of the destruction I was pre-imagining. I saw water at least a 1/2 foot deep at this time at Tabernacle Church. There were cars parked there that residents always park there to avoid being flooded. One car I remember was floating and it was obvious that it had an electrical short, all of its lights were on. As we got to Forrest Road and Poquoson Avenue, water in this area was at least a foot deep. Water was even with the floorboard of the fire truck we were in. We had to stay in the center of the road and I remember our fears of a tree falling on us at the area just before Forrest Road. I remember seeing about 7 or 8 pine trees leaning almost completely over because of the sustained winds. If yo go there to this day you can still see these trees leaning. As we inched further to Poquoson Ave and Little Florida Rd I saw a Camero floating in someones driveway. We got out and waded in water up to my stomach to make sure there was no one inside the car. Thank God it was not and it was just an electrical short.

As we rounded the corner of Poquoson Ave and Little Florida Rd I remember seeing trees down on wires there you could hardly see the old Pythias Lodge. We slowly inched towards the Poquoson Middle School and the water got deeper and deeper to the point the fire truck stalled just at the corner of Poquoson Ave at the Middle School and Park St. I got out and opened the hood of the fire engine and attempted to dry the points of the ignition system to get the water out of it. The wind was incredible and trees and limbs were falling everywhere. It was at this point we became helpless and just waited for help ourselves.

A member of the Fire Department launched his SEA Vol jet boat on Hudgins Road and we rode it down towards the lower end all the way to the fire department station. It was at this time I became a little emotional. Our fire station, which is and was our home for so many years, was a terrible sight. I waded inside it with other members of the fire department and we tied the boat up inside of the fire station and waded inside the living quarters. I remember seeing furniture that I had seen there since 1988 when I became a Vol floating in the mess. There were books and all of our belongins floating inside. Inside there was at least 1 1/2 foot of tidal water. The smell of fuel inside was incredible. I peeked inside of the meeting room where we conduct training and seeing water inside of our trophy case where so many of our memories were floating in salt water. I remember seeing water over top the piano bench that I had sat at on boring nights playing the old piano. We sought refuge in the station for a few minutes because the storm was so bad.

We decided at this time to continue on and attempt to rescue someone from their house. I remember we got to a house in the 1100 block of Poquoson Ave and we tied the boat up to the front door of this particular residence and checked inside. I will never forget seeing a dog terrified on top of a piece of furniture. I remember the water level being in this particular area to be up to my navel. We drove the jet boat down a long dirt lane while pine trees were falling around us continuously. We got to a house that was elevated high. The male there was ok but requested to be evacuated so we took him in the jet boat and met with other members of the fire department. Capt Jessie Wood was in a dump truck with public works who deserve much credit. We put the people we rescued inside the dump truck and slowly made our way back up the road. When we got to the Middle School I remember seeing that a fire hydrant that I saw coming down the road was not visible.

We got to Forrest Rd and we received a call that there was a man trapped in his vehicle on Forrest Rd. I remember we did not have the jet boat because it had sucked up marsh debris in its system so we waded down Forrest Rd in knee deep water and finally got to the male. He was sitting in his truck in water almost above his door handle. We got him out and got him to safety and waded back down to the public works dump truck that waited for us. We slowly got back to the fire station. It was at this point that we got some food and rest.

But there really wasn't much rest because as all citizens know the next week was hell. People started removing what little Isabel left them. People on Messick Ridge and many other areas lost in some cases all they had. My grandmother had as much as 12 to 18 inches of flood in her house on North Lawson. It was terrible. Cleanup after salt water is so devastating. Salt water starts mold, rusting and devastation. To see families that lost so much touched me and my heart tremendously I will say this - I'm very proud of the entire city of Poquoson, the Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, Mayor, City Manager, and all who were there in some cases when they did not have to be there. I really would like to thank the staff at the Farm Fresh, they were I believe the first to open. I remember going in there several times to purchase food to give to some of the needy people who lost everything, but I remember the manager of the Farm Fresh donating hamburger meat to me to give out to people who needed it. I'm not singling out any other business, I'm just thanking Farm Fresh for being there. All our citizens came together and all helped each other. I'm proud to be a "Bull Islander" and will always be. I sincerely hope we never have anything like this ever again. Unfortunately we live in a flood prone area, but it's good to know that we have some of the best citizens and the best public servants in our city. THANK YOU.

Detective Ronald L Evans

When we teachers returned back to school Friday, I learned my classroom was soaked too. I am the Technology Education teacher. (In the old days we called it shop). My classroom was soaked and they are now removing carpet, sheetrock, and cleaning the floors. What a great way to get my shop cleaned. From the fire and ashes arises the phoenix. I will have new carpet, hopefully new work benches and things are cleaner than I have seen them in years. The school has been great and I could not have wished for a greater group of people to work with. They have been so great to help with the classroom changes. Since I don't have a classroom, I have my school stuff stored in the cafeteria, library and in the computer lab. Some of my fellow teachers have cooked meals for my family. It is a humbling experience but oh so welcomed. I wish to say thank you to my town of Poquoson and to all the wonderful people who have been there to help me and my family through this experience.

Sally Douglas Lovell

Marlene Welsh

I lived on Messick Road for 7 years and just recently moved out in mid August but my parents still live there. The storm took their house as well as many others on Messick Road and other parts of Poquoson where the water went inside houses. My parents had 26 inches of water in their living room and 17 inches in their kitchen and lost pretty much everything.

I know a lot of people who are devastated by this storm and will be for a long time. FEMA was supposed to be there to help and to some they did in a great deal, but for those who you thought would get the help like the ones with mold literally growing up their walls and have no where to go and can't stay in their houses, they have to go through an act of congress to get help meanwhile they are getting sick and can't even stand the smell in their houses. Wednesday before the storm i didn't think it was gonna be that bad i just thought well we are gonna get some flood obviously but it wont be that bad and when i went to my parents house and driving down the road to get there all i could do was cry to see the people at their houses in complete devastation toting different things out of their houses and throwing it by the road to be taken away. A lot of those thing were meaningful and couldn't be salvaged, then get down to my moms, walk in the house and see the couch and tables all toppled over and not in the same place they were left. You see pictures floating around in the little bit of water still in the house, the floors are starting to ripple, the carpet is saturated, and the walls are beginning to bubble, you see everything you have saved from the time me and my brothers were little from kindergarten on up that have floated around the house you can't save it because the ink has faded and smeared all over the page. Devastation isn't the word for what these people that have lost everything with or without insurance have gone through and still continue to go through as of right now ......

My brother lost everything from his house too on Poquoson Avenue. I have tried to do everything i can for anyone i can as far as washing clothes to making dinner to buying drinks, to watching children to helping shovel clothes and other soaking wet items out of the house raking the yard getting bit by whatever this storm brought in with it and yet i still dont feel like i have done enough i will continue to whatever i can for whoever i can till all this is over.........

SHARON ZASIMOWICH