We have been writing about our travel adventures for over four years. For the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has grounded us in the United States. Only recently have we been slowly returning to our travel adventures.

We are currently living in a rental home in Venice, Florida (a small town one hour south of Tampa). No doubt, you are aware of the devastating hurricane that swept through southwest Florida on September 28. It was an experience or ‘adventure’ that we have never experienced before (and don’t want to experience again).

Because we lived most of our lives in the Midwest, the devastation of hurricanes was not something we thought much about. We were far removed from these storms. We had our own weather to be concerned with. During the summer, we were worried about severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, and in the winter, snow and ice storms.

Hurricane warnings are different than other severe weather warnings because we had a week to plan for the hurricane coming ashore in southwest Florida. The day and time of landfall turned out to be accurate. The question was where the hurricane would come ashore.

Early forecast models showed the hurricane hitting the Tampa-St Pete area. This area is about 100 miles north of us. As the hurricane cleared Cuba and headed directly for Florida, the landing was forecast for Ft. Meyers which is only 30 miles from us.

As it approached us, we had to prepare Kathy’s mother’s house and our rental home. We received all kinds of advice from neighbors and friends. Some people were going to stay and ride it out, others planned to evacuate. Our preparation was to secure any objects that might blow away and become projectiles. Other people boarded up their windows with plywood or hurricane shutters.

Decision Time

As we watched the hurricane approach Florida, we talked about whether to evacuate or ride it out. Most people planned to ride out the storm. They believed that because they had ridden out hurricanes in the past, they could do it again. They seemed proud of their belief that they were tougher than the storm and that they were the TRUE Floridians. We felt that there was no point in staying because we had had the ability to leave and that during the storm, we would not be able to do anything to protect the home. We agreed with our son and daughter-in-law that the safety of our 2-year-old grandson was the most important consideration.

After some discussion, we decided to evacuate with Mike, Rocio, and Lucas. Kathy’s 86-year-old mother and her brother refused to evacuate and stayed at his home twenty miles from our rental home. Next, we had to decide where to go. It became obvious to us that if we went north, we would have to travel a long way to northern Florida to escape the hurricane’s path. So, we decided to head to Miami 3 hours across the state.

Early Tuesday morning, one day before landfall, the five of us left for Miami. Fortunately, we left early enough to avoid the traffic. We packed enough food and clothes for 4 days and headed to our Airbnb, a house we rented for 4 days, not really knowing whether that was too long or not enough time to stay away.

Miami

Miami was at the outer reach of the hurricane band. It rained on and off the first couple of days we were there. But it never rained hard and there were only a few gusts of wind.

We were able to go to city parks, restaurants, and stores and we were not concerned about gas or food shortages. But, although we were safe, we were all anxious and constantly worried about Kathy’s mother’s house, the rental house, and Kathy’s mother and brother.

Ian Makes Landfall

On Wednesday, September 28^th, at 3:05 pm Ian officially made landfall at Cayo Costa as a category 4 storm with maximum winds of 150 mph. Cayo Costa is a small island near Cape Coral and Fort Meyers. (40 miles south of our home) It made landfall at Punta Gorda on the Florida coast.

As the Hurricane moved inward and after it passed by Venice, we received photos of tree damage at Kathy’s mother’s home. A neighbor took photos of the damage at the house. It appeared that there was no damage to the house but we lost several large trees. Luckily, the trees and branches fell away from the house. One tree was uprooted and fell across the street. One small window blew out.

The rental home had a small roof leak. There were many trees down at the community pool and clubhouse and the main roads were blocked.

A large window blew out at Kathy’s brother’s house, the swimming pool cage collapsed, and he lost part of the roof on an outbuilding. Most of the fencing around his property also blew down.

Of course, everyone lost power and the internet. But we all felt extremely fortunate that the damage wasn’t worse. Many people did not fare as well.

The Aftermath

While still in Miami, we contacted a tree service to cut up the downed trees and haul them to the curb for eventual pick up. We stayed in Miami an extra day until we received word that power was restored at the house. We were also concerned about flooding on the interstate and gas availability. Immediately after the hurricane, portions of Interstate 75 flooded, and cars were rerouted. But by Sunday, the interstate was clear all the way home. We filled the car up with gas just before entering Naples knowing that gas would be scarce.

The Return

When we returned to Kathy’s mother’s house, we took a survey of the damage. The trees and branches were stacked up waiting for pickup. The sprinkler system was damaged due to uprooted trees and heavy equipment in the yard. There were palm tree branches that we cut down and stacked up.

Power was still out at the rental house and was not restored until two days later. Internet was not restored for another day, 8 days after the storm.

We threw out all the spoiled food in the refrigerator and freezer and headed to the grocery store. Some grocery stores and gas stations were still closed. Other stores had limited hours and limited items. Some gas stations had long lines and regular gas sold out quickly. It would a week before most stores and stations returned to normal.

What’s next

Garbage pickup resumed almost two weeks after the storm on October 3^rd. More than 2 weeks since the storm, trucks are stationed all around the city to begin debris pick up. The newspaper reported that it could take 6 months to clear all the debris.

After the tree debris is hauled away from the house, we need to grind the stumps, repair the sprinkler system, bring in dirt, and landscape the yard. Not nearly as much to do as others who lost part of their home due to flooding or wind damage.

We still see lots of utility trucks repairing power lines, cutting, and trimming trees, and repairing roofs and fences. As of this writing, most power in the state has been restored.

Last thoughts

Hurricane Ian was a deadly hurricane that killed 126 people. It was the fifth-strongest hurricane to hit the US and millions were left without power. What really made Ian so deadly was the storm surge and rain. In just 24 hours as much as 31 inches of rain fell near Orlando. In addition to the flooding, there were 11 tornadoes across the southern third of the state.

The governor says that recovery in Fort Meyers and Naples will take a decade or more. Many of the homes affected don’t have flood insurance, in part, because many insurers don’t insure against floods and because climate change makes the risk greater than in the past. Two weeks after the storm some schools in this part of the state are opening. The schools lost power and water and served as emergency evacuation sites.

Everyone is working hard to return to normal. The rescuers, relief workers, and nonprofit organizations pulled together to provide food and lodging. Line workers from other states arrived immediately to restore power as soon as possible.

We evacuated but Kathy’s brother and mother said that riding it out in the dark hearing screaming winds, a window and tree branches breaking, pounding rains, and watching rising water was terrifying. They say they wouldn’t have stayed if they knew how fierce the storm would be. We just can’t imagine riding it out in the dark when trees are falling around you wondering if or when will a tree or branch crash into the house. We were anxious and on edge as we evacuated to another location and the situation made it difficult for our son and daughter-in-law to work remotely. Returning to a home that survived but surrounded by fallen trees was a relief but it depressing to consider the work that needs to be done.

As we were riding out the storm in Miami, we wondered in the back of our minds if evacuating was the right decision. Looking back, we made the right decision and we are thankful that our family was so incredibly lucky. But we don’t want to ever go through a hurricane again.