First things first. We are blessed by a loving God who continues to provide the greatest nourishment we need, food for the soul. You’ll find it all around, including in the gift of a temperature irrelevant shower, the first in five days, and a belly full of beef stew, Dinty Moore of course. Finest gourmet dining in years. Perfect.
Airborne search and rescue efforts continue with particular emphasis on the barrier islands and back bay region. If you haven’t watched the video of U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from Airstation Miami, you should [See Here]. It’s a great example of the hundreds of rescue flights taking place all day, and the kid who used the mirror to signal the flight crew and protect his grandma is, well, sharp.
Again, if you evacuated the coastal region of Southwest Florida (SWFL), stay put where you are. There is no power and no water system; literally nothing to sustain you that you do not bring yourself. If you do enter this region to check on your property, do so with the intent to leave again because there’s no current timeline for any restoration. A strict sundown curfew remains in effect throughout.
Rescue ferry service from Sanibel Island continues for those who can make it to the Western side of the destroyed causeway. The entire island is being evacuated leaving only the national guard in place to provide security. No reasonable estimate for any recovery. Officials need everyone off the island. Earliest estimates for repair of the major damaged infrastructure are being made in terms of years. more here
Ahhh… Dinty Moore Beef Stew: The standard of quality for every Self-Absorbed, Media-Influenced, Moisturizing Metrosexual Lumberjack!
https://vimeo.com/146203325
First shower in 5 days, and gourmet Dinty Moore stew for dinner. After what they have gone through I bet that makes for a banner day.
Ahhh… Dinty Moore Beef Stew: The standard of quality for every Self-Absorbed, Media-Influenced, Moisturizing Metrosexual Lumberjack!
https://vimeo.com/146203325
After what they’ve been through I can see Dinty Moore being a treat, but gourmet Dinty Moore is an oxymoron!
I vacationed at Ft Myers and the nearby beaches last fall. It was booming.
As I watch the videos of the devastation I recall the places I visited and see they no longer exist. Then in sinks in – this place will never be the same, and it will take YEARS to built it into whatever it eventually turns out to be.
Many people will give up out of desperation or bankruptcy or fear and move away. In my lifetime there may never be prosperity like what was in the area just two weeks ago.
Dinty Moore will at least leave a warm lump in your stomach. I miss the half inch of lard that used to be at the top of the can, a proper dose of fat can do a body good.
Early estimates Hurricane Ian has likely caused “well over” $100 billion worth of damage. That means the dumbass democrats ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ is 7 times worse that a hurricane.
Breaks my heart. Spent a week in the area getting to meet relatives for the first time. Still have not heard from them. As for Dinty Moore Stew, it was awesome years ago but today’s version cannot compare to the good old days. Dang.
Dinty Moore is just as effective as MRE’s in creating the condition of “$hitting a brick”.
Sanibel was my home during high school. My career as a police officer spanned 28 years on Sanibel. Hurricane Charley was bad, but this devastation is unbelievable. I retired just prior to Hurricane Irma and we moved away. So many friends still down there and what they are going through is heartbreaking.
I live in Naples but not in the city of Naples which sustained a lot of damage, especially the closer you got to the shore. The Naples mailing area is very large and we are a good 8 miles east. We lost power. It just came on a few hours ago. Our community had a ton of palm fronds down and that is the extent of the damage. Less damage than Irma which cost the community $1.1 million in restoration of palm trees, hedge rows, fence replacement, cleanup and repairs to common amenities.
Stories of cars floating and businesses with water up to the overhang in Naples proper are born out by videos and pictures. We have not gone to check any of this out in person and will not, to allow for repairs and the like to be made without adding to the rubberneckers.
Marco Island it’s rumored had 2 feet of water in the streets. The Isles of Capri sustained a lot of damage. These stories I heard through the grapevine because we have been cut off completely from any form of information. No power, no Internet, no television and the cell service was horrid beyond description. The only thing we knew was from word of mouth and what we could learn from the radio in the car.
We’re down to one car because I managed to hydro lock the engine in mine. You do get wiser when you get older but in my case at least, are still capable of doing dumb things.
My wife has a friend that lives on the 22nd floor of one of several towers that are on the road to Marco. She learned yesterday that the elevator shafts got flooded and are inoperable. She’s trapped. She could make it down the stairs probably but there is no way at her age that she would ever make it back up. She’s in trouble and she’s not the only one.
We were prepared but we’ve learned not as well as we should have been. We’ve been immensely fortunate too. We have it exponentially better than far too many. I am thankful for that beyond words.
Two major hurricanes in 5 years has got us thinking a bit about whether the rest of our golden years should be spent here. But where? We had enough of cold weather which had us settling here. We’re just thinking a bit but I know we’re staying. But a third hurricane will probably seal the deal.
Our homeowners insurance increased a great deal in the aftermath of Irma. Now, another hurricane. Economics may drive us out eventually.
Please don’t think I’m griping. I’m just yakking which is my nature.
mystaclean – thank you for a well worded sharing of your situation and that of others. We live in a small town in Clay County FL, and only had several sections of our pool enclosure screening disappear. In comparison to others, that was nothing. We pray everyone can at least draw close to the Lord when all else is lost. It is unimaginable to us how heartbroken so many are.