Hurricanes Causing Serious Personal Questions
I’ve posted more than my share on social media over the past 15 years, but I’ve never stuck a chord like I did with a post I wrote about our recent hurricane evacuation:
I’ve packed for short trips. I’ve packed for long trips. But I’ve never packed not knowing if these would be the only belongings I would own after a hurricane. (Weird thoughts: “Which shirt would I really miss? Should I bring my tennis racquets? Pack the passports?”) Locking the door, driving away, thinking “I’ve really enjoyed our home, what a shame this would be…” Surreal. (However I was fully aware the most important thing was sitting in the passenger seat, those blue eyes looking back at me.) Unpacking a few days later never felt better.
More than 500 responses? Why? Simply–it doesn’t get more real than this. It’s hard not to become melancholy as you start to leave your home, giving up complete control to Mother Nature.
As it turns out, Erin and I were among the lucky ones. Hurricane Milton roared within a mile of our downtown Sarasota area townhouse, but our building was not damaged, and our electricity was restored by the time we returned from our safe-haven (stepson’s apartment) near Orlando.
And something else has happened in the wake of the hurricanes: For the first time, people are questioning whether they want to stay in Florida. The same state that was “in vogue” post-Covid is now being portrayed as a land of dangerous weather, out of control insurance and over development. Is this a temporary thing—or is the bloom off the Florida rose?
People tend to have short memories…fall in and out of love easily—and Florida will once again be the envy of many around the world.
But until then, as we pick up debris and recover from the emotional wounds of packing for a one-way trip with no guaranteed return—it’s been…stressful. Very stressful.
Ray Collins has been published over a hundred times, writing about destinations, trends and events. www.RayCollinsMedia.com/articles. He’s also a high-end Realtor, elected official and former TV news anchor.
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