Where were you when Hurricane Ian hit?

I was in Sebring, Florida, 100 miles away from my island home as the storm lashed the Gulf Coast. My wife, my dog, and I were huddled in the bathroom as Ian’s eye passed over the roof of the dog-friendly motel. The atmosphere was electric with dogs all around and filled with both excitement and trepidation. We were safe, but our lives would undergo many changes. Americans commemorate eventful days in the life of our country and our personal lives. September 28, 2022 was a day that will be etched in our minds as long as they can retain memories.

WAIT—PAUSE THIS BLOG–September 26, 2024 happened!

 This post was supposed to be about resilience, renewal, recovery, and restoration! Then Hurricane Helene hit 2 days before the 2^nd anniversary of Hurricane Ian. Not only did the storm create havoc in the Gulf Coast of Florida, it travelled up to South Carolina, North Carolina and beyond. I figured that I would be safe from hurricanes if I stayed more than 100 miles from a coast. WRONG! Helene flew by us that Thursday night taking our power and internet service with it. Trees are down and flooding is prevalent in Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. Many in the area could be without power, internet and water for many days or even weeks! As the death toll rises passing that of Ian and only second to Katrina in recent times, we are grateful to be so fortunate. Our apartment building held solid, no trees came down in the complex, we had water throughout the storm, and our power and internet was restored in less than two days. Fallen trees block the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Many residents of our community have no power, internet or running water. 

I grieve for all who lost lives, lost family members and friends, lost jobs, lost property, lost most of their clothes, and lost mementos or other precious items that will never be replaced. I wish I could offer some consolation. I wish I could help to ease that feeling of helplessness, but I know that anything I write will have little impact on you. The trauma experienced when confronting these losses and the feeling of brokenness down deep in the soul will not be assuaged by my words. I can feel some of that pain and suffering, but I can’t heal it. I only wish that I could offer some hope for all affected by Helene to help you move move forward. I feel particular pain for anyone who did not live near the shore and had no concept of how it could happen here. I was taken unaware, just as you were!    

I’ll share my experiences from two years ago and how I felt along my road of resilience, renewal, recovery, and restoration.

REWIND

 So much has happened to us since that fateful day two years ago when Ian hit. Most of it was good, some of it horrible and traumatic, all of it life-changing. Although there are still some lingering effects, I have essentially moved on, Betty is still dealing with it, and Sweetie, unfazed by the event, is showing effects of her advanced age. We were fortunate in many ways!

My sister and her husband welcomed us on the way up to South Carolina providing us with winter jackets. We had completely forgotten that we would need them. They also gave us notebook folio which would prove invaluable as we negotiated with demolition and recovery specialists, insurance agents and adjusters, FEMA and SBA, realtors and all sorts of other professionals. Then it was on to our niece and nephew in Upstate South Carolina where they welcomed us to stay in their in-law apartment. 

We could not get back to our home for 30 days as we waited for engineers to reconstruct the causeway to the island. What we found when we returned was desolation and destruction:

Our first view of the house when we returned

Our remodeled kitchen took a hit

Furnishings and other debris on the street

We discovered that we were too rich to gain any help from the government and too poor to rebuild. We decided to leave Florida for good. We stayed in that in-law apartment for almost six months, relocating to an apartment complex almost an hour away. That wonderful couple supplied us with furnishings and wall pictures as we moved into our new apartment. Another set of nieces, a nephew and our sister-in-law were there to transport the goodies across county lines.

What we miss includes our house, our pool, photo albums from our wedding and from trips abroad, and island life. Betty misses her job, her friends at the library, her engagement ring, and her clothes collection in the style that best suits her. She missed her bike until we returned to our former home and discovered that the demolition team had saved that bike from destruction.  I miss my books, my collection of food-themed golf shirts and neckties, my interaction with middle schoolers as their lunch buddy on Wednesdays when school was in session, and my fully functional renovated kitchen.    

What we have gained includes closer contacts with our siblings, nieces, and nephews. We had no concept of how isolated from them we would be over 500 miles away! We have also developed new friendships here through apartment living and social contacts.

We are grateful for the wonderful family ties that have been so supportive of us, being able to sell our house, and biking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, just down the hill from us.

We are healing by biking (Sanibel had great biking trails, but the Swamp Rabbit Trail is even better), supporting each other, the love and comfort of Sweetie in our life, and fellowship within the church in town. We won’t get as much time on the Trail until it is cleared off, but we will find other ways to get our exercise.

Our way forward involves helping others in need in the neighborhood, spending more quality time with family, and getting involved with the Backpack Ministry in church. We also are on a waiting list to move into a Continuing Care Retirement Community, The Woodlands. It is actually two miles down the Swamp Rabbit Trail from our current apartment. We have mixed feelings about the potential move. It will mean uprooting our ties to our current community to fit into a new one, but some of our current contacts are either located in The Woodlands or on the waiting list. There are many activities associated with this CCRC, and we will be close to extended care if either one of us needs it. Sweetie will be welcomed there when we move. It comes with the real understanding that it will become our forever home.

Finally, I realize that people across the country and around the world are traumatized by war, disease, family crisis, flood, fire, wind, and other storms. I focus here on Ian and Helene because it is personal to me.

HELENE AFTERMATH

Yes, there were consequences for us due to Helene. We lost power and internet for two days. We had to toss some food that had spoiled or was dodgy. The storm delayed this post and disrupted the routine. And our beloved trail is blocked a mile and a half from our starting point. On the other hand, the community in our building and some adjacent ones is coming together in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. And yet, the devastation, demolition, disbelief, and depression Helene induced will require a healing period. For us we are moving into a period of resilience, renewal, recovery, and restoration from Ian. I trust that many victims of Helene’s wrath will be able to find the path that we have taken, but the journey will not be an easy one.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This post was inspired by a sermon I listened to three weeks ago titled “I Remember Exactly What I was Doing the Day I Heard . . .” by Pastor Brian Gilmer in memory of September 11.

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on the days of the

• John Kennedy assassination,
• Martin Luther Kennedy assassination,
• moon landing,
• Space Shuttle disaster,
• Covid shutdown,
• Hurricane Ian,
• Donald Trump assassination attempts, or
• Hurricane Helene?

I do.

Coming Soon: You want me to eat what? Ebible insects and American reluctance!