Hurricane Helene

Thursday, September 26th;  Flooding out on the islands from a historical storm surge.

"It may seem irrational to see some people stay with their homes to defend them, but consider coming home to a damaged house that an insurance company may never compensate you for." Jeff VanderMeer, NYT, Sept. 27th, 2024.

Finding the couches not in their right place, or the beds and furniture, the books, or family photo albums, the odd objects all tossed about, having all been floating the night before, upon returning home, found overturned or scattered across the floor, was bizarre, distressing.

One of a few items that was actually meant to float, I found perfectly upright the following morning. 

 

Interesting photo

 

For myself, it was an intense wind-filled night spent mostly holding a flashlight in hand in near chest-deep water. In the darkness from the outside, a four to five foot high Gulf surge had lifted our deck and thrown it up against the house trapping the outside exist of the sliding doors. By 8:00 pm a whirling brackish water ran (swam) through-out the home's interior. Prompted by a social media post, a neighbor luckily came by kayak and rescued me.

The day after, the long lost view looking out towards the lagoon where Hurricane Helene had left a devastated garden. And inside, a black muddy stench created by a toxic environment of a now thriving mildew and mold. Eventually the property will have to be cleared and our home pulled down, with all of it's remaining reminders permanently gone.

 

 

Downtown at Hotel Voco. The evening of the following day.

My wife's jewelry, my old Stetson and Lolly's reaching paw, from my first attempt at retrieving small carriable items after that first return back home. Many more days to come. There's thirty more years worth still there.