(Click here for full story and photographs)
Hurricane Hermine made
landfall on the Florida Panhandle September 2 as a category 1 hurricane, the
first to make landfall in Florida since 2005. We remained housebound here in
central Florida for a day or two due to the prodigious amount of rainfall it
deposited over our area, and saw standing water and some flooding local
streets, but generally we emerged unscathed.
We watched and read
about the storm surge at Cedar Key and other areas north. We stared at news
coverage of streets we frequently walked and businesses we often visited
completely flooded. We discovered Cedar Key decades ago, fell in love with the
island town, and visit and stay frequently. Media coverage dissipates along
with a hurricane. After constant and often over-dramatized coverage just before
and during the event, we are left to wonder what ever happened to those flooded
streets, damaged buildings, and the people who live and work there when the
coverage stops. Anytime a hurricane, major ice storm, large blizzard, tornado
or other event occurs, rebuilding takes longer than expected and generally
occurs out of the public eye.
On a road trip four
weeks later we decided to visit Cedar Key for lunch. We do often stop for lunch
there when heading north on road trips, so our trip was more than just
curiosity. We found it recovering nicely. Most businesses were open, though the
crowds we normally expected to see on a beautiful, autumn Florida day tended to
be sparse. Scattered around evidence of the damage could be seen: still closed
condos in one place, large dumpsters in a few places, the old building near the
bridge (empty for some time) pretty much destroyed.
I am sure there is
still a lot to be done, but overall, Cedar Key showed itself to be a resilient
place. We enjoyed lunch at Steamer’s, bought a few items at a couple of the
shops, and then continued on our way.
No comments:
Post a Comment