Home for a Hurricane
It has been 2½ weeks since my last blog post! Where did I leave off? So much has happened since.
Months ago, we decided to make a brief trip to Tampa, our home town. We would visit our parents, sell the car, and take care of some routine medical care. We scheduled our medical and dental appointments well in advance.
Jacksonville
After a long drive from Vermont, we arrived in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday, September 22. It was nice to see my mom again (we had last seen her Chicago last July, for the family reunion).
On Monday, we learned a tropical storm was approaching the west coast of Florida. This was nothing unusual during Hurricane Season. I spent the day with my mom while Steve worked, and the three of us enjoyed another nice dinner together.
On Tuesday, we learned that Helene was expected to become a hurricane and would reach Florida on Thursday. Our dental appointments scheduled for Thursday were canceled. We were disappointed, but not surprised. Being hardy Florida folk - and perhaps a bit complacent, since Tampa had not been struck by a major hurricane in over 100 years - we decided to drive to Tampa as planned.
Tampa
On Tuesday evening, we arrived in Tampa and checked into a charming Airbnb in our old neighborhood.
On Wednesday, while Steve was at his doctors’ appointments, I took a long walk on Bayshore Boulevard. It was overcast, and relatively cool. A small flock of ibises barely acknowledged my presence, and seemed unconcerned. The calm before the storm?
During my walk, our dentist’s office called. There had been a couple of cancellations; would we like to come in that afternoon? YES! I also saw my eye doctor that day. Ultimately, we were able to do five of six planned medical visits - all in one day.
On Wednesday evening, we had dinner at Flor Fina in Ybor City with our friends (and favorite educators) Angela and Will. We had a great time, but I forgot to take a photo.
By Thursday morning, Hurricane Helene had turned north, and was headed for the Florida panhandle. There were storm surge warnings for Tampa Bay, so schools and businesses were closed, and mandatory evacuation was in effect for Zone A (we were in Zone C). Our rental home’s small back yard had outdoor furniture, and we brought the chairs inside and turned the table upside down on the grass. I had picked up a few things to eat at Publix the day before, just in case.
Thursday’s weather wasn't too bad - just some intermittent rain. So we decided to meet our friends Michele and Craig for dinner as planned, at their house on Willow Avenue, across the street from our former home. They had prudently picked up some take-out the previous day, so we heated up some yummy Indian food in the microwave and sipped delicious margaritas made with fresh juice from the rangpur limes that grow in their backyard. The lights flickered a couple of times, but we didn’t lose power. It was relaxing and fun to be together again, just like old times. Thank you for a wonderful evening, Michele and Craig!
On Thursday night, back in our rental home, we watched a movie while the wind and rain increased. Again, we had a few flickers, but didn’t lose power. Gusts of wind dislodged pieces of the plastic awning of our rental home’s front door, and the intersection in front of the house was one giant puddle. It seemed no worse than many other tropical storms we had weathered over the years.
But we had no idea the storm surge from Helene had already begun. After midnight, my Facebook feed started to fill with photos from friends: ALL of Davis Islands was under water. One heartbreaking photo was of a house on fire, with no way for firefighters to reach it due to the flooded streets.
In the wee hours on Friday morning, we learned about the deadly impact of Hurricane Helene on Tampa Bay. Helene’s eye had been more than 100 miles west of us when she passed by on Thursday evening, and she had come ashore more than 200 miles north of us. But the storm surge in our area was far worse than anyone had imagined. Many of our friends had experienced catastrophic flooding on Davis Islands, Westshore, and Treasure Island. With 2-3 feet of water in their houses, every stick of furniture was unsalvageable. Our old neighborhood, at 23 feet above sea level, was fine. But hundreds of homes just a mile away were not.
Steve’s parents were fine, and their house in Apollo Beach (about 20 miles south of Tampa) had not been flooded or damaged at all. We were so thankful. We had to check out of our Airbnb, so we went to Panera for a few hours. Steve worked, and I checked in with friends and then had a long lunch with my friend Becky.
On Friday afternoon, with the sun shining in Tampa, we drove to Steve’s parents’ home. And that evening, we returned to Tampa for dinner at Bern’s Steakhouse - a beloved family tradition. We were blissfully unaware that Helene had continued her path of destruction.
Apollo Beach
The next few days, especially in hindsight, felt strange. On one hand, things seemed normal, and life went on. We relaxed and visited with my in-laws in their beautiful home. I worked my way through a large pile of accumulated mail. We made a quick trip to our storage unit in Tampa, to switch out some seasonal clothing. I even did a jigsaw puzzle, which always relaxes me.
But things were not normal, and for so many people, life would never again be the same. I watched my newsfeed with increasing disbelief and dismay. The photos and videos of homes and towns destroyed by Helene were heartbreaking. I checked iMessage and Facebook incessantly for updates from friends. In Tampa, they were clearing fallen tree limbs and hauling their soggy furniture out to the curb. In western South Carolina, they had lost power and cellular (they weren’t restored for five days). Friends in western North Carolina had not been heard from in two days and could not be reached. Their children were frantic; fortunately, they were found to be safe. I know many other families were not so fortunate. I felt grateful that so many friends reached out to make sure we were okay. I felt sad for friends who had lost nearly everything in their homes, and relieved that none of them had experienced any loss of life. It was inspiring to read friends posting about neighbors coming together to help one another. I was awed by their resilience and their positive outlook.
On Monday, we sold the car. That wonderful BMW Z4 had been a trusty steed, completing two Epic Road Trips around the country without ever failing us. Carvana stopped by to inspect the car and give us a check. It was so easy and quick that it felt anticlimactic.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 1st, we said goodbye to my in-laws and headed to Tampa Airport for our flight to New York City. Although we don’t currently own a house in Tampa, it will always be my home town. My eagerness to start our next adventure was tinged with regret at leaving when the city was still dealing with the aftermath of Helene. Little did I know what was in store for Tampa just nine days later.
