I missed you last week! Although the hurricane was worse than originally predicted, it was better than the late forecasts suggested—typical weather prognostication for this area.
We had some cleanup to do, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse not to do my weekly blog. The truth is, I spent an extraordinary amount of time trying to learn the proper pronunciation. It’s ee-sah-EE-ahs! I don’t know why.
While it was a mess and lives were lost to its fury, Isaias wasn’t the most memorable storm for most of us in this area. My first memory was of Camille on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1969. In 1979, Frederic hit Mobile and Gulf Shores and took my grandparents’ beach house, which they built in the 1930s.
My parents built one of the first beach houses after Frederic. Then, in 2004, our visitor, Ivan, completely wiped out their version. By then, Gulf Shores was no longer the quiet, peaceful summer vacation community we had all grown up with.
By the time Katrina came, our family no longer owned property on “Pleasure Island.” We still witnessed the utter devastation to our neighbors in Mississippi and Louisiana.
My earliest exposure to that level of inclement weather comes not from personal memory, but from stories my parents told about our arrival on Okinawa. Typhoon Emma dropped more than 41 inches of rain on Kadena Air Force Base in just 21 hours.
As my parents told the story, they placed all their personal effects on top of the Air Force-issued furniture. The storm had flooded our home with a foot or two of water. My brother and I slept on the top bunk, while my sister slept with my parents. The water level reached the lower bunk. I was four, my brother was three, and my sister was one.
As I traveled for Uber this week, the number one question was, “How did you do during the hurricane?” (Again, no one actually said the name. No pronunciation was the correct path for all of us!)
Some Pensacola neighborhoods seemed to bear the brunt of the damage. I’ve heard that Milton received the worst, but I haven’t been up there yet.
The second question from locals was about power status. “Have you gotten (or, when did you get) your power/internet back?”
Ding! Uber sent me to a heavily damaged neighborhood. It was about 10:00 am on Monday. I arrived in front of a house (I think), surrounded by huge oak trees. The road was also blocked in front of the address.
Then I saw him—an older gentleman maneuvering his walker from behind the giant branches. As he approached the car, I helped him into the back seat, placed his walker in the rear, and wished him a “Happy Monday!”
“I’m glad to see you as my driver again,” he said. “You know where I’m going after having taken me there so many times before.”
At first, I didn’t recognize him.
“I’m fed up with this storm! No power, no internet, nothing! I’m going to get a cocktail!” Those magic words jogged my memory. Of course! I had taken him several times to a lounge about 20-25 minutes from his home.
“They called me and told me they had power, television, air conditioning, and plenty of cocktails!” (I flashed back to one of my favorite TV series, Cheers. I’m sure Sam would have called Norm to come to the bar in a similar situation. My rider must have the same celebrity status!)
All in all, my riders during the week expressed gratitude that Hurricane “I-said-ah-men-ta-fin” didn’t do more damage. We’re all praying that the next storm, “Jcv-aloysius-smk-wtskomen”, doesn’t target the Florida panhandle!
Now for some news about this column. Over the past few years, I’ve published around 250 of these blogs. For the most part, I’ve tried to stay consistent and publish them by Tuesday morning. I’ve cherished the feedback from so many of you.
I have ideas for future writing projects, maybe even a podcast. I’m sure I’ll have stories I can’t resist sharing with y’all, but they just won’t be scheduled. I appreciate your support over the years! You have meant the world to me!
God Bless,
Tommy