aftermath

Hurricane Ian Flooding

Water covers the road in my neighborhood as far as I can see.

Hurricane Ian, landfall September 28th and 29th, 2022. Hurricanes take time to arrive, time to pass, and can take lots of time to clean up after.

My flooding photos from Hurricane Ian are nothing compared to what so many others are dealing with. Many areas are still underwater and homes, businesses, and vehicles have been flooded out.

We were lucky that the water stopped rising before it got near the house, and the then went down very quickly. Still, I will add my photos, taken from the road and front yard on Thursday as Ian moved away from the east coast of Florida.

Looking at neighbors across the flooded road

Hurricane Ian flooding — Looking at neighbors across the flooded road

Wednesday night, September 28th the storm wind and rain picked up and blew all night long. During the night we could see the water rising to the little trees out front. The next morning the wind had died down so I put on my rubber boots and went out to talk to the neighbors and take these photos. Not long afterward the wind picked up to 60 mph gusts again and blew most of Thursday. I think we were in what remained of the eye of the hurricane.

Our area of Florida, a few miles inland on the central east coast, got something like 26-28 inches of rain between Wednesday night and all day Thursday. Some places got more! We were lucky that our house sits high enough in a state that is nothing but FLAT.

Once the power and internet goes out, it’s hard to know what is happening. Now that I have it back (only 4 days without – many thanks to the electric companies who came to help restore it so quickly) I can see news and all the destruction on the Gulf coast. I have no doubt that Sanibel and other areas will build back up, but WOW, that will be some work.

A Living Horse Conch in the Shallows

Photos of a living horse conch living in the shallows of the Indian River Lagoon.

by Pam 09/10/202309/10/2023

Hillsborough River Camping Trip

Camping review of our two day trip to Hillsborough River State Campground near Tampa.

by Pam 07/30/202308/15/2023

Quiet Day On The Boat

A hot and beautiful day on the boat took us to a remote river island, a stop in the ocean, and then to Ponce Inlet.

by Pam 06/24/202306/24/2023

Hurricane Aftermath Goes On and On For Those in Their Path

After Hurricane Irma, life changed greatly – for the better – when we found a generator on day 5 of 6 without electricity. I began to re-enter the normal world. We could plug in fans, charge up phones and use computers.

This is not my first hurricane. I moved to Florida in 1979 but never really felt the disaster of a direct hit until 2004 when the eye of Charley crossed my path. We were without power for a week, and it was August.

One thing you will realize when you are in the destruction zone is that for you, life stops, and survival begins. The rest of the world gets bored with hurricane photos after about a day and moves on to the next big story. You continue to search high and low for ice – the one thing you can’t stock up on, and the thing that everyone needs in this climate.

ice — Ice is Scarce After a Florida Hurricane

My Irma nightmare is over and we are in recovery mode. I have air conditioning, I have a refrigerator that works, although it contains little food. No more searching for ice, and no more digging through coolers to find something to eat and drink. I can turn on a fan, and I sleep at night without soaking in my own sweat. My home is not damaged. I am more lucky than many.

If you have never visited Florida, you can’t fathom the tropical heat we deal with here in the summer months. Continue reading “Hurricane Aftermath Goes On and On For Those in Their Path”

Hurricane Irma Aftermath of Hot Hot Hot

After watching the slow progression of Hurricane Irma for many, many days we sat inside a boarded up house and waited to see what would happen. Wind happened, and I know there were tornado warnings. We felt fairly safe with the hurricane shutters up, but the wind went on and on all night and into the next day.

I can’t comment on anything that happened to the US or anywhere else after Irma slammed through because after Sunday night (Sept. 10th) at around midnight, until yesterday, Saturday, the 16th, I was cut off from the world. Continue reading “Hurricane Irma Aftermath of Hot Hot Hot”