I’ve been sharing some of the challenges with site admins; at their suggestion here’s the latest from the impact zone.
First things first. To establish the context, what made Ian completely different from all other hurricane recovery responses I have been involved in comes down to two issues: strength of the storm (155+ mph winds), and more importantly the duration of the event (8+ hours of peak destruction).
In normal hurricane impacts the worst affected areas generally experience 3 to 4 hours of chaos. Hurricane Ian was unique in that it was only moving 8 to 10 mph and that made the storm damage completely different. Structures that survived the first half, completely failed during the second half of the storm.
Almost nothing survived unscathed after 8 to 9 hours of that strength of storm sitting, almost stationary, in one place; nor was anything ever designed to withstand that duration of storm with winds from the South, then East, then West as Ian meandered inland from the gulf toward the north northeast.
After this storm, and having been through four previous direct impacts, including Homestead AFB, I would say this…. If there is even a remote chance you would ever encounter this type of a hurricane event, EVACUATE. Do not try and hunker down if there is a looming possibility of having to rely on a structure to withstand 150+ mph wind for a full day. Just leave. With all of my preparations in place, and all of the knowledge I possess in storm survival, I would never attempt that again.
That said, I will put a better word image together at a later date to share, along with specific recommendations learned as an outcome of this event. In the interim, just accept my most strenuous advice. If this specific type of storm was ever predicted to come near you, GET OUT.
♦CURRENT STATUS – Electricity and water restoration efforts continue as we near the one-month anniversary 10/28. Thankfully, both services have been restored for me personally, and I carry deep empathy -and my most sincere prayers- for those still waiting.
Regarding stable -if any- internet service, it remains elusive for everyone.
The biggest impacts upon the outer islands of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island/Matlacha are still in first stage recovery efforts. Completely new civil infrastructure is being built in these areas.
♦DEBRIS – The scale of physical debris is jaw dropping. FEMA reimburses local municipalities for the first 30 days of debris removal effort and costs. The 30-day limit is intended as a financial incentive to kick municipalities into fast action. This incentive is not a bad concept. Factually, it’s one of the better FEMA legislative standards because it forces local government to act quickly. However, the scale of what they are trying to do is just intense.
The various municipal governments in the severe impact zones appear to have a strategy to use the 30-day window to just collect as much as possible in interim geographic locations. Large empty lots are being utilized as fast dumps for massive piles of debris in this 30-day window. A claw truck can make a dozen fast runs (per day) locally to these interim dump sites, as opposed to driving long distances to landfills 30 to 50 miles away.
One of these 10-acre dump sites is less than a mile from me. I do not know how many of these exist; however, to see a full ten acres piled high with 10 to 20′ of debris gives me a sense of the scale of damage in this one small area within a region that must have hundreds of these interim sites. I have been to a dozen post-hurricane recovery areas and never seen debris like this.
Everything from destroyed construction material, to home furnishings, beds, appliances, parts of boats, roof parts, toys, patio furniture, pieces of cars, clothing, you name it, it’s all there. All now defined under the term “debris.” However, each piece of debris representing the former life of a family impacted by this storm. The trucks just keep coming, day and night 24/7.
In the bigger picture, when you think about what is represented, it’s a sullen site to bear witness to… Any person of reasonable Christian disposition would just cry. They have fenced off these interim dumping sites, and they have erected lights and temporary crane towers to seemingly assist the logistics of what goes where, but my God the scale of it is humbling. This is just one site utilized for an area of what seems to be approximately 5 square miles. Expand that scale to hundreds of similar 10-acre sites. Yeah, tears.
Eventually I assume these interim sites will be cleared one truckload at a time to the inner state landfills and recycle facilities. That phase will likely take years.
~ An ordinary neighborhood street awaiting pickup ~
♦PEOPLE – Thousands of people have been displaced. To give a context for the longer-term issue let me tell you a few stories.
In the past several weeks I have visited a number of businesses like Home Depot (hardware etc) and industrial repair shops. These places are packed with working-class people attempting to patch life back together. My best guess is you could put between 10,000 and 50,000 skilled construction workers and general laborers into the impact zone, and they would have continuous work for a year or more.
That said, businesses are failing because just as many people have given up and quit as the number that are trying to rebuild.
Most of the service workers involved in the hotel, restaurant and tourist industry on/near the SWFL beaches are out of work. The physical buildings are gone or heavily damaged and closed. Those ordinarily invisible workers are just picking up what may have remained and leaving; because they have no work, and everyone needs a paycheck. Consider this vulnerable population #1.
Additionally, thousands of people who work regular jobs, including retail and hospitality, have been wiped out or heavily impacted at a personal level. Whether it be due to direct loss of their homes, housing rentals, vehicles or belongings, or just stress amid the rubble, they too are leaving. Without those workers businesses are unable to operate and are modifying operations or folding completely.
This subsequent worker shortage puts more pressure on the small to medium businesses and employees that remain….. In turn that creates longer shifts and even more stress on the remaining employees. The result is a cascading impact upon every business from supermarkets to McDonalds, to convenience stores, to garages and mechanics, to just about everything including hospitals and elder care facilities.
♦SELF SUFFICIENCY – If you cannot fix it yourself, life is even more difficult.
An odd aspect I note is the destruction on garages, light industrial facilities and auto repair shops. Numerous places are closed for repairs as the exterior big garage bay doors (doors on the physical buildings of these places) failed, creating damage internally to the facility and equipment. If you need a vehicle lift or specialized light to medium industrial equipment repair, you have to travel inland, quite a considerable distance, looking for an open location.
Open hotels for 50+ miles are full of relief and recovery workers and still hundreds more rooms or temporary housing are/is needed for those who travelled to help. I talked with one six-man recovery crew who are housed at a hotel in Tampa and drive to Pine Island. That’s a minimum 4 to 5-hour round trip. Drive 2 hours, work 10, drive 2 hours back, eat/sleep, repeat.
Out of state recovery crews (for just about anything you can imagine) are generally doing two to four-week stints, then they are replaced -take a week off- then return. SWFL locals take every opportunity to thank them, but no one knows how long this level of assistance will remain available.
It sounds like I’m painting a pretty bleak picture, but that’s the reality of recovery life in an impact zone like this. It’s also why I don’t like writing about it. However, amid all of the stress and chaos there are incredible people who will give the shirt off their back to a stranger. Focusing on this aspect is what fuels the soul daily.
Exiting a 7-11 I ran into Dionne, his wife and 3 kids, including a 6-month-old.
Dionne originally from Indiana, like a bazillion other working-class folks, had a flat tire (roofing nail) and was desperate to get to WalMart for baby formula and diapers. As he explained the situation, I gave him my keys and said, “just go, I’ve got the tire.” By the time he came back both problems were solved. Dionne had the stuff for the baby, and a bunch of strangers – who were also just passersby overhearing the problem – stopped everything, chipped in and the tire was repaired and replaced.
Hurricane Ian certainly brought a mess, but the storm also brought buckets of ordinary opportunities to meet random strangers – reminding us constantly at our spiritual core there are overwhelming numbers of fundamentally good people that non-crisis life would have us miss.
I am intensely thankful for those moments a loving God is providing. Without Ian those moments may not exist, and each of them is an opportunity for an affirmation.
Now, to be sure, there are self-centered affluent knuckleheads in post hurricane life; but I can also tell you something with a spiritual certainty…
…..Those knuckleheads don’t shop at 7-11’s near me.
Love to all,
~ Sundance
We have seen this in several storms that impacted our former home: Allison, Ike, and Harvey. In each of these humble, ordinary people set out to help as best they could, and give what they could without any expectation of thanks.
Americans are good folks.
God bless you, sir.
God Bless Sundance and the Ian Survivors.
Amen
The American Spirit.
We WILL get through this.
But but but, Crist said De Santis was taking credit for legislation HE passed. Take about stolen valor – Meh – its a feature of the democrat party.
Humbling….truly….
Can you get a non-PayPal donate option? Deleted mine recently…
Just below the still existing DONATE button, you’ll see a large yellow rectangle. We are doing beta testing on a new and completely privacy ensured system just developed for the Treehouse. You might try it out and give us your feedback?
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/10/17/site-note-and-recovery-update/
Just tested it out, for anyone curious about it.
Simple and easy, with an anonymous option for privacy.
EXCELLENT, So glad to hear this, will be testing it out, shortly!
Thank you for the positive feedback RF! 😀
Unfortunately, I don’t don’t have the rectangle on my phone screen. I’ll look on my laptop tomorrow to see if it is there.
Same here.
I just made a donation and it appears to have processed. I received an Email from CTH thanking me and also the transaction is showing up pending on my CC account.
Much easier with this new system.
Thank you all for everything you do on a daily basis.
Good to hear….thank you for the detailed feedback! 😀
Similar experience as Songtan113, Ad rem.
The rectangle was where you said it would be on the PC.
No rectangle on the cell.
Noticed only even amounts to select….😏
just my $.02 🙂
Thank you to All Y’All!!
I tried it in addition to my monthly gift,
Used it the other day. Went swimmingly.
Also, a couple of days ago, I used the Paypal donate button even though I had closed my paypal account. It worked just fine allowing me to use another credit card to make a donation and I got an acknowledgment of the donation from Sundance & Co. within a day so I know it was received.
I’m beginning to not care about the privacy issue. There is no way to avoid FJB and Merrick the Terrible and I’m tired of trying.
Just tried it, says successful, Thank you for letting us know this was ready to go!
and just received a confirmation of receipt email!
Thanks for helping us test the new system Bessie….you are a trailblazer! 😀
Just deleted my account today. They wanted a reason, I wrote “wokeness “
Love it!
This disaster response represents the America everyone should be proud of.
Thanks, SD, for all you do, and for sharing it with us. These Ian stories make me tearful and grateful at the same time. ❤️
Brilliant!
I’ve never read a better and more stirring narrative about the destruction and recovery efforts after a deadly storm. It evokes detailed images of the wreckage, the recovery and the disrupted lives in our mind but ends by concentrating on the indomitable human spirit that always seems to appear when least expected.
I’ll be forwarding a link to this article.
I just got back from spending 3 days in Ft Myers checking out my property. House and car totally destroyed. I was pretty depressed for a couple of weeks but I’m pretty much over it. It’s just stuff and I have another place to live. So many people are worse off. Sundance did an excellent description of it. My neighbors sent me pics and descriptions but you can’t comprehend it until you see it. I got lucky and found a crew to take everything out and tear the floors out to get rid of the water. It had 4’ of water in it. There is so much junk piled up it’s hard to imagine where they are going to put it. Nobody can find employees.
I hope your life will get back to full “normal” or even better soon Wvet.
I’m glad your “pretty much over it.”
Thank you.
Be very careful if you hire an Out-of-State “Storm Chaser” contractor. These vultures show up and rip storm victims off, then split.
Sundance uses words to paint pictures as masterfully as Michaelangelo used chisels to shape stone.
I’d wager to say Sundance and many others truly are living their best life helping one another. Gods blessings Sundance. Thank you for this glimpse into the devastation of it all but also the glimpse into the great American/human response. People helping people amid so much destruction…I can’t even fathom the miles and miles of it all but for some reason I am sensing amid all of this..Gods people…don’t know how to convey this exactly…this the the church Jesus Christ meant…not glorious cathedrals.
On an earlier thread, I noted, sorrowfully, that today in many churches, Almighty God has been relegated to the back pew. I believe you conveyed your meaning just perfectly, NanaB…when two or three are gathered together, we know absolutely He is there. As surely He is amongst all those in their most desperate need along with the selfless individuals who have stepped in to help.
Amen.
Amen, Amen!
God Bless you Sundance in all you are doing in the aftermath of this horrible hurricane. I pray you be strong and can carry on.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43
We just got word that our 56 year old friend died in a Fort Meyers area hospital on Wed.
She had emphysema, COPD because she was a heavy smoker.
Then she got pneumonia.
She lived in the Fort Meyers Beach area, and knowing her she would have been loathed to leave her house.
We’ve only heard the details second hand and there was something to do with “limited hospital resources,” due to the storm.
Some of these details may be wrong.
She leaves behind two college age sons.
Her brother Michael was the co-pilot on United Flight 175, the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.
My heart is breaking for her parents and kids.
Sundance, thank you for your heartfelt observation.
It truly is a life-altering event for the survivors and the helpers.
I reflect on the fun I had as a teenager, and how great it is to have those memories.
And I try to imagine what it would be like for kids whose entire lives have been put in a blender and won’t have normality back for years.
How will this affect their futures mentally, spiritually, and in terms of prosperity and life options?
It’s incomprehensible.
Zephyr…Yes and Yes!
I spend most of my time in the northern end of Tornado Alley…and there is no comparison. Recovery goes quickly after a tornado and on a much, much smaller scale. Like you, good memories, no tragic upending of a life…
All I can say is that those Floridians down in that region, are made of some really tough stuff! They are to be commended!
I truly cannot find the words to praise their resilience.
we will pray that GOD holds this family UP and provide them with the restoration.
We will pray that others will know the strife and find this family and keep them.
God Bless America
What a sorrowful and tragic story. I will pray much for them!
When the tears are spent…the funeral over…and there is a sense of moving forward, I would highly encourage an investigation of the true aspect of ‘limited hospital resources’. There needs to be a definition of ‘limited hospital resources’ and why.
Nationwide, there is a pattern of severely limited nursing staffing and patients are suffering. And its not due to ‘limited’ available resources…rather its making the hospitals do more with less (less financial reimbursements). And 7 figure CEO/CFO ‘bonuses’.
This family is one of many who have the ability and legitimacy, to hold politicians accountable and initiate realistic change.
“Limited” resources is not a new phenomenon, utilized by the health care industry…my own suspicions include that they just used the hurricane and their emergency operations plan, as an excuse.
I also suspect they are still receiving ‘covid’ funding as the ’emergency’ has not been terminated.
If they can get all the folks for ‘infrastructure repair and rebuilding’ to the area…they can also get the types of health care infrastructure people there too.
I work in hospitals that ‘need help’…both in IL and FL. What I have seen is frightening and getting worse.
No family should have to endure a double whammy such as this.
That is very interesting.
I was surprised Reed Timmer rode it out on Pine Island. It was looking pretty sketchy at the ‘safehouse’ for awhile.
We don’t have hurricanes generally out west but we have forest fires. Same advice….get out. Anyone who watched Paradise get destroyed by the Camp Fire can attest.
Only Hurricane I ever stayed for (Pine Island). Ian is my ‘normal’ storm!
God Bless!
Are people who lost their homes looking for places to go for the foreseeable future? Is there a system of some sort to connect them to those of us far out of harms way? Through most of my life I’ve known and been blessed to be involved with refugees- they certainly fit the profile, except they likely can return someday.
The problem with
lightninghurricanes isitthey ain’t distributed right.Dear Sundance,
You are an exceptional human being!
You shine light, even though you may not think so, I can feel your goodness and light through your very words.
You are everything that defines American patriot to me.
God bless!
Amazing things happen when we glorify GOD!
“If this specific type of storm was ever predicted to come near you, GET OUT.”
I could not agree more. I would even go a little further and recommend that no matter what kind of hurricane is predicted. cat 1 or even just a serious storm….GET OUT.
here is why:
what one person and their circumstances will be will be different than your own. Hurricanes (all natural disasters to be clearer) present different challenges to different people of different circumstances.
I live in an area, that was once 95,000 people. It was hit twice in the same year, 40 days apart, by two cat 4 hurricanes.
today, this same area, hosts 71,000 people. Some people lost everything. Many of these people decided against the best of choices, to stay. They could have left, but choice to stay.
here is the reality: when you take the decision to ride it out, you are taking on not just a hurricane. You are taking on something that can break your will. Permanently. It can seriously ruin your life. And I am not just talking about physical harm from strong winds and debris and flooding. I am talking about it breaking your will. Messing you up. I have seen this. It is difficult to understand unless you are a eye witness of this kind of tragedy. Some people just can’t recover. They live through the worst kind of disaster and there is never a moment of peace. it just one long..very long sadness.
When a person GETS OUT. This gives them a path to safety. To not have to live through that kind of stress. This is completely different kinds of stress. But when you put distance between yourself and the disaster, there is a emotional and mental detachment of peace that can happen. You can see it from afar. You have security of a type that is very personal and emotional.
Just GET OUT. It isn’t worth the RISK.
God Bless America
I lived in Tornado Alley for 15 years. We become complacent after a few false alarms. That is so very dangerous, for the exact reasons you stated above. Granted, with a tornado, one can run to their shelter much easier and faster than full evacuation. But waiting until it’s too late just can’t be an option. I always thought of the first responders and everyone who comes after that have to search for those who refused to heed the warning. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for them. The psychological and emotional effects on those who clean up after us can be equally as devastating.
One thought….I wonder how many people were financially unable to evacuate Ian’s predicted course because of financial restrictions/excessive cost of living imposed by the potato at 1600? That’s on him, too.
The Plainfield Tornado of 1990, 3 miles north of me, messed up quite a few of my friends…who lost everything except their lives.
Don’t ever depend on the government tornado sirens (or anything else)…in Plainfield, they went off 10 minutes after the tornado hit and the damage was done. Remembering an old saying….”your weapon was built by the lowest bidder”.
We had an F1 go over my house…fortunately, ok….but that ‘freight train’ sound? It is way far worse than that!
Watch the weather…keep tabs on reports…keep oneself safe…
Common sense.
The only upside, if there is one, to tornados vs. hurricanes is that tornados are over in a matter of minutes. Hurricanes last for hours. And Ian hung around longer that usual. I can’t imagine listening to that deafening wind for hours; the time it takes a tornado to pass is bad enough. I’ve lived in some area of Tornado Alley most of my life, but those 15 years in OK were something I’ll never forget.
Don’t forget, hurricanes spawn Many tornados, and due to the general hurricane weather conditions, you can’t see or hear them for the constant background roar of the wind as it ebbs, flow and blows,… until it is upon you and without warning.
They are deadly and can leave a clean concrete slab where a bldg was standing.
I’ve actually seen a house’s concrete slab lifted from the ground by a tornado. Mother Nature should be taken seriously. When mama speaks, listen.
That’s what i observe from the safety of new england. People forget.
BUT. I can still hear my grandmother’s voice on 1960’s summer visits to her in Vernon, TX
“James, we have to go to the cellar.”
She had been through enough tornadoes to remember and we always went to the cellar with her. All of us. Whoever was visiting those weeks went to the storm cellar until Grandmother said it was OK.
Well Said!
DH and I stayed in our home in Lake Suzy, FL during Hurricane Charley in August 2004. It was to be a Cat. 1 as it moved up the Gulf to Tampa. Wrong! It turned and went up Peace River, 7 miles south of us and turned into a Cat. 4. It was our first to sit thru and our very last. The next ones would find us headed north on 75 to Georgia. Years ago I worked in an attorney’s office, one of his clients lived in FL. She called in, was talking about the hurricane party she and friends were going to have as one was headed in her direction. Later she called in again and I asked her how was the hurricane party. She said NEVER AGAIN!
Excellent work and news. Thank you Sundance
Sundance, thank you for your updates.
How much of the debris is usable? For example I guess plastic chairs can be cleaned, and then sat in again.
I wonder if Florida county employees can pick out debris that’s usable, clean it up a bit, and put it into piles.
– Have piles of still-good furniture, metal pipes, bricks, car tires, appliances that can be used for parts, etc.
– Have piles of leaves and twigs that can be burned in fireplaces.
– Have piles of lumber and large tree branches, which can be used for construction.
– Have piles of things that a recycling company would want (ex: metal that’s ok, except for the fact that it’s twisted).
– Copper wire is in short supply. So if a device has copper wire in it, then someone can take the wire out, and put it into a “copper wire” pile.
From 6 AM to 6 PM, let only residents of that county go in, and take what they want for free. Then from 6 PM to 10 PM, let anyone go in and take what they want. (This includes people from recycling companies, who would take twisted and broken metal items.) Then from 10 PM to 6 AM, the people who collect the debris can add more stuff to the piles.
Doing this would put the useable stuff to good use, and would cut down on how much stuff has to go to a landfill. And the counties can hire unemployed residents of their counties to sort and clean the stuff, and pull out valuable things like copper wire. Counties hiring their residents would give a job to some people who lost their jobs because of Ian.
Bear in mind,…MOLD.
Mold gets into, grows on and eventually consumes EVERYTHING.
And mold is NOT healthy for us humans.
Thank you. That’s a good point.
I am wondering about the above mentioned metals and copper etc being ‘recycled’…exposure to salt/sea water impacting function or usability?
Does anyone know if the hurricane rainfall is ‘fresh’ rain water or a mix of sea water, since it has traveled over the open ocean and the gulf?
Most average homeowners there, can’t kill that Florida black mold…it refuses to die!!! It lives forever unless using a pro service…$$$.
After the damaged house is gutted of all wet sheet rock/wood,… spray Mircoban on everything before you build back to ensure the mold doesn’t remain.
Cam you tell you’re Florida readers how we can best give to the recovery effort Sundance.
I am in Sarasota. Power was out for three days, but I came away relatively unscathed. I am sorry to admit, but I had no idea at this point that the situation was so bleak for so many.
I am not particularly skilled at anything other than computer software, and am an old guy, but still we should all seek to “do as we would be done by”, and if I was in a bad way, I would want all those who are doing well to help, to sacrifice, to share the burden a bit.
Check with Samaritan’s Purse to see if they still need volunteers.
“other than computer software” –
Can you write web pages? Some organization might want a web site written, and occasionally modified, so that readers can read the organization’s latest news. It would be great if you could host the website on your own computer.
Can you set up a database, and write software that lets people read and write to the database? Some organization might want use a database, to keep track of what they’ve been doing.
Eye opening destruction and shocking to the senses of what easy lives we normally live. Prayers for all the victims and survivors.
Yes, I am extremely grateful for how blessed and fortunate I and my family are. We lived on Anna Maria Island for 20 plus years and fortunately never had ANY major damage. Charlie was supposed to wipe out the Island in 2004 but took that magical turn 60 miles south and hit port charlotte instead. The island was only 3 blocks wide where we lived, bay accross the street, gulf 3 blocks away. One big plus on the island was since 1998 no house could be built with a livable ground floor. We live in Naples for the last 18 months but not close to the affected areas. Sundance is such an inspirational example. Pray and help others
I would say. There’s a price where ya live.
I’ve lost a home before. Yet I surely wouldn’t complain if it happened every year….
I feel bad for the first timers but other than that you choose where ya live.
To me there’s not much sympathy to those that stay and rebuild every year
It’s not different than Pelosi 30 quart of ice cream.
Lunacy has a price. 🤷🏼♂️ Last time I went to Florida I was told if your the last American there bring home the flag.
May God bless you, your family, and all of your future friends, SD.
Perhaps Florida needs to take some lessons learned by the local people who live on Okinawa, Japan, which experiences large typhoons on the regular, and consequently builds everything, including the telephone poles, out of steel reinforced concrete. Even a Cat V typhoon can’t blow down the buildings on that island.
My CO on the DDG I was on in 1981 got a letter in his file….we weathered a cat 4 typhoon off the coast of S Korea instead of taking port….we were taking 45+ degree rolls…….you could walk on the bulkheads in one of them….it is a wonder we did not capsize
Very sad story but I thought I should post this in case it helps.
“Man dies from rare flesh-eating bacteria after helping with Hurricane Ian cleanup.”
The article claims cases of the bacterial infection are up in the Hurricane ravaged area so precautions should be taken to avoid cuts and abrasions esp. in contaminated water. This is true in other areas of course.
Note: “vibrio vulnificus in the blood is caused by a saltwater bacteria”
https://nypost.com/2022/10/24/man-dies-from-rare-flesh-eating-bacteria-after-helping-with-hurricane-ian-cleanup/
The amount of damage and debris is unbelievable. Your words make pictures in my head that I can almost see it.
It is so sad the losses of so many people and the loss to the whole community that will continue many years into the future. Even sadder is that the news cycle is so brief that so few realize how much remains to be done. It was the same with Katrina and so many other hurricanes as if a week of mentions, interviews, or pictures of disaster complete the story. Thank you for the updates.
Or like Hurricane Harvey where ALL the media attention was on Houston, Houston, HOUSTON, and none of it was on Rock Port/Fulton where the storm actually made landfall. Pathetic!
Slo Joe gave $3B for the unvetted Afghans he brought in from his surrender with the “emergency spending bill” they passed at the end of last month to keep the government open along with the additional $9B they gave Ukraine
SUNDANCE..Living your best life one day at a time. you spoke of this at the beginning of the pandemic and I remember it well.. Has been my motto since.. Thank you living that life.
Reading this, it sounds like a war zone, or the aftermath anyway.
Sundance, you demonstrate incredible strength of character, in different types of stressful situations. May God continue to bless you with strength of mind, body and soul.
Pretty accurate. Rode out the storm on the south end of Pine Island. I was here through Charley. This is on another level. It will be years to recover and we will lose a lot of our population. There is just no housing for them. And the new housing will be so expensive the economy and social characteristics of our community will change. Not sure I want to stay for that. I had a good 40 year run here. May be time to call it good and find my last home. Reality. GOD Bless
PS. Didn’t realize we were so close geographically. Follows you for years.
HARD to Move JMH – I WISH YOU The BEST. The NICE Thing about Florida IS that You Have a Choice; Watch the SUN RISE or Watch the SUN SET Over Water ( choose Your Coast ).
TREASURE the GOOD TIMES that You had on Pine Island.
Thanks and true. Born and raised here travelled all over and Florida is home.
Great observation, actually had the best of both for a while, had the sunrise over Tampa Bay then went to beach for sunset at the time was working at Ft Desoto for a kicker.
Thank you, Sundance, for describing life in Ft Myers. Driving around outside of our community you see street after street of homes with all of their belongings on the street.
Thousands and thousands of people are homeless, at least for a while. My church is one of many that have set themselves up as headquarters for workers who have come down from up north.
Nearly every open parking lot or space is filled with relief vehicles. Most churches are collecting benevolence funds at a rapid rate and making direct contacts for dispersement.
The devastation on the mainland is unbelievable. On the island areas described by Sundance, it is worse. Please, Treepers, keep all of our area in your prayers.
I appreciate these updates. Particularly the humanitarian aspects. In this demon infested world, its reassuring to hear about the good people are doing.
One of the few things I watch on youtube is a building engineering channel called Building Integrity. You may have seen his excellent series on the Surfside building collapse.
Anyway, he was also in the direct path of the hurricane and took some amazing video. I’ve see a lot of local and national news coverage of the hurricane. I’ve seen a lot of personal videos of what people went through. None of it really showed the true nature and raw power of this storm like the one Josh from Building Integrity shot from his home. I have a new level of appreciation (and it was already very high) of what Sundance and his neighbors went through.
At 21:50 you can see the garage door issue I previously wrote about.
At 24:27 that couple are taking a ridiculous risk.
This guy may be a structural engineer, but he is absolutely clueless about preparing your house for a hurricane.
Fortunately, he is 30+ miles inland and no where near the area where all hell broke loose. If he was 20 miles closer to the coast, he and his wife would have been in a near death experience situation with that poor level of hurricane prep.
He could have put his car in the garage and tied the garage door to the car. During Hurricane Charley, skylight lifted in DH’s bathroom, leaving yard debris in the floor. Our large sliding glass doors all were warped, with three more hurricanes heading our way every two weekends.
God bless you, Sundance, and all struggling through the aftermath of this incredible destruction. Making a difference in one life at a time is blessing for them and for you — and for us as we read it. Ripple effects are what will get y’all through.
‘Regarding stable -if any- internet service, it remains elusive for everyone.’
Everyone who’s a Xfinity customer, they wouldn’t even talk to their customers.
I have Frontier Communications (buried fiber) and never lost internet service.
Awesome post!
Sundance, full ” brother ” to the Good Samaritan. Thank you Sundance for the uplifting message.
Nice post. thanks for sharing.
Numbers 6 : 24-26
God’s Blessings Sir.
We went thru Katrina, quite similar to what you describe. We left Louisiana permanently “one storm too many”. Looking back my memories now are the kindness of strangers- too much to list. But without all that kindness, honestly I don’t know what the outcome would have been.
That “ordinary neighborhood street” is appalling; so much devastation.
I’m curious about the travel trailers, though. Hard to imagine they could have survived. Were they moved in as temporary shelters after the storm?
Sundance, I can guess how hard it must be to write about these bleak happenings. Just know that this knowledge you are sharing from a boots on the ground perspective is invaluable information for future use. One day in the future there will be a worldwide earthquake (the 6th seal of Revelation) and the devastation will be likely be much as you are describing, but probably worse. Reading your stories helps me to plan ahead for this event, at least as much as is possible.
Sundance, reading and weeping is right. I have friends in Punta Gorda and like you they came out alright but, most didn’t. The River Church, Tampa Bay has been sending truckloads of food, essentials, generators from the get go helping churches of all faiths and individuals. Pastor says, “we are in it for the long haul”. Even small planes flew in where FEMA couldn’t reach. Please call them to see how they can help. Main Number 813 971-9999 or the Call Center 866 857-4837.
🥰 🥰
I live in Georgia and want to help. What do you suggest is the best way to provide support, supplies or money to those impacted?
Prayers for all involved.
From afar, this event reminded me of Hurricane Andrew of the early-1990s. It was the 1st + maybe only hurricane that did not dissipate when it made landfall on the TV weather screens. It kept going across the whole of South Florida then picked up steam again when it met water on the other side + slammed into about this area hit now.
I remember the helicopter shots showed the same thing — completely flattened residential areas.
Unimaginable…
Thank you for sharing your strength and courage, sir.
Sundance IS the American Spirit.
Perhaps we should rethink building and rebuilding in areas exposed to likely risks.