Hurricane Ian: One Year Later

2023 • HURRICANE IAN: ONE YEAR LATER • 39 good beat. I grabbed Mozart and headed for our retreat. I didn't want him sucked out of the room and it was so loud it felt like a vortex of wind inside our home just like it was outside. The bedroom door slammed behind me and steadily kept beating to the drumming of the blinds. I stacked my purse against the door because it was heavy and that took the sound down to a heavy thump that we could hear from our bathroom escape room. With all of the commotion, I was not frightened. I was working with purpose. To get Mozart safe. We decided to lay down and pray and listen for the night. There was nothing else to do in the dark of the night. It didn't take long for every part of my body to let me know the floor was not my friend. I soon decided, even with the noise, and the broken windows, we were going to bed. It was raining in the windows, but it didn't reach our bed. The blinds continued their pattern of drumming but as we prayed all the noise of the day went away and we slept. Some people wonder how we could sleep in a hurricane. It is because I know that God keeps his word. "For the word of the Lord is rightful and true. He is faithful in all he does." I knew Jesus was my Shepherd and he would be at our side when we slept. We had nothing to fear. If something had happened, the worst thing that could have happened to us was that we'd wake up in Heaven with him and I looked toward that promise of Heaven. People that are not Christians may not understand this, but for me, it's a comfort to keep my focus on God. I think I have been more worried after the storm. Our management company and HOA signed a contract with (a restoration company). Several families were told the HOA would pay for mold remediation. The restoration company came in and charged exorbitant prices, worked in rooms where there wasn't mold and did things that didn't need to be done. The bill wasn't paid for by the HOA insurance, so they barraged the homeowners instead. If the management had completed their obligation and checked the ratings of this company, they would have found they were known taking advantage of clients and rated only 1 of 5. A contractor I had hired, also decided to walk off the job. They had told me I could choose the carpet company I wanted to use but they didn't mention if the carpet wasn't installed by them, it would void the contract. They had started painting and put up a ceiling fan and light. They wanted me to pay them the entire estimate even though there was a lot more to be done because of my misunderstanding. I would then still have to hire someone else to come in and finish the work. I only wanted to pay them for the two things they did. Both companies threaten to put a lien on our home. I put my trust in God and not people and hired an attorney. God knew this problem would happen before it occurred, and God has a plan for me. He will either work it out so I will be able to keep my home and I'll be able to give God the glory or I lose my place. If that happens, that will be the direction I'm supposed to go. He'll be with me and give me the opportunity to grow and do new things. Then, I can praise him for the new challenge I have been given and the success he will lead me to. Whatever God decides, Mozart and I are excited for the future and ask for prayers of trust as we wait in anticipation to see what God has planned! - Ellen and Mozart Anderson, Punta Gorda PEOPLE CLOSER WITH DISASTER HITS My husband was recovering from reconstructive nose surgery for melanoma cancer so he actually had two noses during Ian. He had strict instructions from in surgeon not to do anything that could injure his about to be new nose. Our gas grill and tank were in our pool. Our neighbors went above and beyond to help us in anyway that could while still taking care of their own properties. I washed clothes by hand and hung them in a tree to dry. We went for gas in North Port completely not knowing the disaster in that area. People waiting at the end of their streets for the military trucks to arrive and rescue them or bring them to their homes to see if they still had a home to go to? Uncertainty, desperation, and fear were so clear on their faces. It made me cry just to see these people suffering so much. Yet people came forward and offered whatever they had to help out a neighbor or a stranger. I think we live in a very different world today but when a disaster hits, it somehow brings people closer together, doing what they can do, by sharing what they have and helping out one another. During those days of uncertainty we all came together to do God's work in may different ways. - Audrey L. Earley, Punta Gorda 'VERY SCARY' EXPERIENCE We experience 100-plus miles winds for several hours and received more than 20 inches of rain. We were without power for eight days, without internet for two weeks, and under a 9 p.m. curfew for 10 days. We survived with mainly fences and trees down and a broken gutter, but our house and roof held up, with no flood and no broken windows. We were lucky so that was our experience with Hurricane Ian. Let's hope we don't have to go through that again for a very long time to come. That experience was very scary. - John Miranda RIDING OUT HURRICANE IAN Having grown up in the Miami area, and having lived in Corpus Christi, Texas and Wilmington, N.C., I have been through numerous hurricanes. Weighing the various risks of staying put for Ian, my wife and I decided to hunker down in our house on the south side of Punta Gorda as we are not in a high-risk flood zone, and we have hurricane shutters for every window and door. I was awakened at 3 a.m. on Sept 28 by the high winds and a large bush hitting the outside bedroom door. I got up to check on the hurricane status on TV, and went outside to turn the pool pump on to let out water in the pool as I did not want the pool to overflow with all the expected rain. Wind was around hurricane force with a lot of rain. We lost power when the eye wall hit our area, but still had cellphone service. My son in Indiana called us every 15 minutes to check on us and to give us a report of where the eye was. During the first part of the storm, our only view to the outside was through small garage door windows. Once the eye went over us, we partially opened the accordion shutter to the lanai and we went outside. Several of our neighbors and I walked around to assess the damage and to check on folks we new had remained in their homes. When we were informed by our son that the backside of the storm was approaching us, we went back into our house. Knowing our house pretty much faces almost due west, and the back of the house faces almost due east, I knew that the lanai would be relatively safe since the wind was shifting to the west, I set out a chair in the lanai to see how long it would take for the winds to regain hurricane force - it was around 5 minutes. I remained outside in our lanai for the remainder of the storm...drinking wine and barbecuing our dinner. The area behind our house was well lit, as we are only about 75 yards from the guardhouse building that had generator powered flood lights facing our direction. What I witnessed was an enormous amount of debris flying by on the fairway behind our house, and the noise that sounded like a train. When there were enormous gusts of wind, it sounded more like a train whistle. Sitting outside drinking wine and cooking dinner, I felt like I was watching a movie on TV with the sounds and the sights of all the debris flying behind the house. Obviously this was an experience that I will never forget...hopefully never have the chance to do it again! - Christopher Nelson, Punta Gorda STAYING THROUGH THE HURRICANE Monday the clouds looked different, tall and dark against white. The winds slipped softly, slyly through the bamboo and palms. Stalks creaked with sounds like complaint. Palm fronds brushed spoke of rain: brisk, breaking, bruising. Birds called in scattered flight. Far away thunder rolled. Tuesday. the sky released slow drops. A young bobcat sidled along the screen of the lanai aware but not meeting my eyes. Wednesday morning, a solid silver sky languidly dripped as I walked, enhanced the green of leaves and grass with its sheen. Small round crystals clung to blossoms and hung from a spider's web. I wondered about my future as rain drops made circles in water like tossed coins. The storm is coming. I begin to put breakables away The wind chimes, hanging plant, outside chairs. My husband says he has been through hurricanes including Charley. Nothing to worry about. I felt calmed. By afternoon the storm growing I bring down the pet crates perchance a tree falls and breaks open our house. We hear that the storm is coming to shore above us and we will only get outer bands. Our granddaughter with her newborn and family come for refuge at our home. When landfall is near the hurricane shifts, now headed at us. The newscaster says we still have time to leave and I wonder where we would go. Cars filling the interstates, the highways flooding, gas and open hotel rooms may not be found. We have pets. Again, I search my husband's words for my castle walls. He says our house is hurricane proof. Winds quicken as we watch the big red hurricane tracker on TV. It looks like a comment balloon. I need it to tell me we will be safe. It doesn't. The newsman says this is the largest, meanest hurricane in 100 years, there will be flooding, it will take off roofs, people will die. My granddaughter and I exchange uncertain glances. She holds her baby closer. Debris, palm fronds and limbs blow past our windows. The winds try to gain entrance through our doors. We push the sofa against the sliders as they whistle and bulge, move the chair to brace the front door. We go back to the TV, feel distanced from danger as we watch the newscast even as limbs break and fall, screens tear. We gather the cats into their crates secure them in a closet, hear cracking outside. Something large and shapeless comes apart and tumbles through the yard. There is rumbling above us from the roof. On TV we see the storm come ashore larger than our state. Massive flooding is reported close by. The storm hangs over us and blasts for hours, then a calm. Was this the eye?. The lights go off, the TV goes blank. We are no longer watching a movie but are in it, not knowing the script. Will it get worse? We place a call to a friend out of state. He's following the radar, says to hang on. "The worst of it is coming." Can the house withstand this? My husband says this is worse than Charley. There is no where to go. With morning's light, palm fronds that usually greet me from outside the front window are gone. The once tall trunk lies stretched across the lawn. I step out the door and wonder where we go from here. - Linda Hughes 'VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE' We experience 100+plus miles winds for several hours and received over 20 inches of rain. We were without power for eight days, without internet for two weeks, and under a 9 p.m. curfew for 10 days. We survived with mainly fences and trees down and a broken gutter, but our house and roof held up, with no flood and no broken windows. We were lucky so that was our experience with Hurricane Ian. Let's hope we don't have to go through that again for a very long time to come, that experience was very scary. - John Miranda

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