 |
| First it was Helene................ |
 |
| Followed closely behind by Milton. |
It’s been a wild couple of months or so since my last post.
Back on September 24 we celebrated NaNa’s 96th birthday with a party befitting the Queen that she is. There was great food, laughter and plenty of off-key singing. After the party Beth and I headed directly to the airport for an overnight flight to Reykjavik where we would begin our 31-day cruise adventure.
 |
| The Birthday Queen and her four children. Left to Right Beth, Steve, Cindy & Debbie |
As we were packing up, the tropics which had been fairly quiet were starting to act up. There was an area of interest that the National Hurricane Center was monitoring closely. Conditions for development were favorable and unfortunately Hurricane Helene formed and began heading north/northwest into the Gulf of Mexico. As it continued to strengthen and move, it became apparent that Florida was in its crosshairs. We were monitoring the storm closely and had made preparations at NaNa’s house, which we have used as our base since retirement. So, while we were concerned, we weren’t overly concerned.
A few days later Helene made landfall a little over 200 miles or so north of Anna Maria Island near the city of Perry, Fl. The power of hurricanes is amazing. Although the eye of the storm made landfall well away, the devastation to the island caused by storm surge and wind was significant. The entire island was practically covered with several feet of water. Numerous homes, businesses and automobiles were badly damaged or destroyed by the rapidly rising water. NaNa's house had more than a foot of water throughout the house.
 |
| The entire contents of NaNa's house (and many houses on the island) were ruined and had to be removed. This was a common site in the front yards of island residents. |
 |
| Inside the house. Everything was removed by a hard-working crew and the dry wall was cut out up to about four feet high to prevent mold issues. |
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of Anna Maria Island near Sarasota. This time the damage to the island was mainly from the winds which measured close to 120 miles per hour. The 1, 2 punch of Helene and Milton left much of central Florida and the Gulf Coast reeling.
 |
| Wind damage from Hurricane Milton. The pool cage was destroyed. |
We are grateful that family and friends are safe and that because so many people had wisely heeded the warnings and evacuated there were minimal injuries and fatalities. We struggled with our decision as to whether to head back to Florida or continue with our adventure. After talking with family here and assessing the situation (power outages, no running water, bridges closed, etc.) we made the decision to continue, since there was little or nothing that could be done here.
 |
| The walkway out to the Anna Maria City Pier is gone............. |
 |
| .......but the iconic Rod and Reel Pier was completely destroyed. |
I'm going to do a couple of short blogs on the two cruises as well as a recent visit to Ben's place in New York. I'll try to get back on a more regular schedule when we start to turn the page from 2024.
As for the coastal Florida area, it's starting the long slow process of recovery. It's going to take quite a while, and some things will never be the same. The fate of NaNa's house is uncertain at the present time. But one thing that is certain, the priceless memories of time spent at NaNa's house, summer beach houses and so much more over the decades is something that no hurricane can take from us!
