Once again,,Key West dodged the bullet!
My heart goes out to all the folks north of Key West that were not spared the fury of Hurricane Helene! This was one of the most devastating Hurricanes to hit Florida in a long, long time. It caused tremendous damage up along the Gulf Coast of Florida south of Tampa all the way up to the ‘Big Bend” area of the state. Due to the tremendous amount of rain it dropped as it moved inland, areas of Georgia and North Carolina experienced severe Flooding. Something they never expect from a Hurricane.
From the News Reports
it sounds like any River basin was devastated due to hilly and mountainous areas funneling the rainwater to the valleys and streams and, which according to news reports, caused many rivers to overflow their banks at recorded levels.
Here in Key West
Click here to see a short video from my front porch – Helene 6 We got winds in the 45mph range and gusts in the 50mph range. Strong weather conditions, too strong to go fishing in, but nothing that was going to cause any damage to speak of or compared to our friends to the north.
The storm never got closer
than about 200 miles from Key West. As a precaution, I did tie the Southbound up with extra lines, but I never had to go “Full Hurricane mode” with the storm lines. I was tracking the storm, along with millions of other residents, and felt pretty certain it would not hit us. Heck, I never even brought in my orchids from my front porch.
Unfortunately, while I was unscathed
my older brother in Pass-a-grille lost everything. He lives at the southern tip of St. Pete Beach and had a couple of feet of water surge through his house. His front porch was washed away and his car was also destroyed. The Damage was too great and his house was condemned just after the storm. He is safe and had been planning to renovate, it will just be more extensive and up on stilts now. Fortunately, he did have Insurance, but I have heard nightmare stories regarding the insurance companies when it comes time to pay up. I hope he doesn’t have to deal with that, he has enough “on his plate” to deal with.
Many of my regulars
Especially those who have taken advantage of my sportfishing vacation packages, are familiar with my tenant in the back cottage, MJ, and her little dog Karma. they summer in Ashville, NC. It took a few days to contact her, but she is OK, and no damage to her house. She won’t have power or water for a while, but her spirits sounded good all things considered.