Posted on 10/15/2018 8:33:46 AM PDT by Red Badger
Saturday morning my wife and I took off from Fort Walton Beach on our motorcycles to go to Panama City and check on my sister and her family and my wife's cousin and her family.
We had not heard much info from either of them since Wednesday, when Hurricane Michael hit, just that they were 'safe' and everybody was alive, thanks be to God Almighty.
On the way, down Highway 98, we saw convoys of people, possibly church groups, in pick-ups full of bottled water and other such necessities.
We saw many, many work trucks for tree services from as far away as Missouri and Oklahoma and Texas.
We saw convoys of electrical power personnel from every state within a thousand miles.
As we approached Panama City from the west, we didn't see much damage going through Walton County and entering Bay County, just the usual signage and a few trees blown down, pointing to the South, since the winds would have been coming from the North at landfall.
We arrived at my sister's home in Laguna Beach, just west of Panama City Beach, about 10:30 AM. For those of you who aren't familiar with the area, Panama City and Panama City Beach are two separate cities on the Gulf coast, with Panama City Beach being the most westerly.
We found her and her family safe and well and they had electricity! They had gone to a shelter school on Tuesday evening about 7 pm when it looked as though Michael was going to hit PC Beach.
Laguna Beach had minimal damages and life there was near normal, except for the long lines at the gas stations and convenience stores.
As we drove into Bay County from Walton County, there were lots of people sitting on the sides of the road in their cars. This puzzled me at first, but I soon realized that they had driven there that far just to get a cell connection!
We left there about and hour later to travel across Panama City Beach, Panama City and finally arrive at Lynn Haven where my wife's cousin lived.
A distance of about 10-15 miles that would normally take about 20-25 minutes took almost two hours!
Power lines down on every street and avenue. Trees down, snapped off like tooth picks at 15 feet, like someone took a chainsaw and cut them all down. Many of the trees were over a foot in diameter! All pointing to the same direction like ghastly fingers pointing to the source of their death.
Every building had some kind of damage. Stores that weren't shuttered had windows blown in. Cars were damaged from debris and had broken windshields and side windows and dents on all sides.
Traffic was stop and go on all the main arteries, because of non functioning traffic lights and no police direction.
My wife's cousin's home was in a really hard hit area, being almost due north of Tyndall, where her husband works.
We had to snake our way through downed power lines and tree trunks to get to her street. They had trees through their roof and across the yard and into the street.
All their neighbors were out trying to help everybody else and came over to see us when we drove up to get any info from the outside world, since they had no TV, radio, cell service or Internet since Wednesday. The Power Company told them they might not get power back for 2 months! The entire infrastructure is gone.
Anything you see on TV that shows damages is nothing compared to seeing it right in front of you. 360° of damage, almost incomprehensible. Every direction, for as far as you can see there is damage. Trees, power lines, signs, roofs, cars.... nothing was left untouched.
Panama City and the surrounding areas will take months and months to ever return to anything near normal.
I have been through Elena (85), Erin and Opal (95), Ivan (04) and Dennis (05), and NOTHING COMPARES TO THIS!......................
Everyone should take a sight seeing trip down there as soon as possible. What could possibly be hurt by a few thousand more vehicles on the road in a hurricane devastated area?
To fellow Alabamians and others who live in tornado prone areas, I heard from my family who moved to near Panama City that the damage is similar to a tornado only more widespread. He said it’s like after a tornado when everybody is amazed how many houses can be completely destroyed while houses across the street have little more than a mailbox blown away and a few roofing shingles missing. It’s the same with the hurricane only it’s entire blocks and suburbs destroyed, while nearby suburbs are just fine.
My thoughts exactly.
The worst I have seen were typhoons in the Pacific in eighty two. Hugo was pretty bad too, but I was on the southern edge.
I lost everything in Andrew (stored at Homestead) and then again everything in Katrina. People cannot FATHOM this sort of devastation. You cant begin to imagine the costs associated with simply becoming a city again. I hope that they will begin to bring in the Katrina cottages and travel trailers for people soon. There simply isn’t anywhere for folks to go in the effected towns. I’m having some PTSD symptoms from this.
For hurricane Florence here in Wilmington,NC, 35 miles inland was much worse due to flooding.
A major USAF base is destroyed by a Hurricane and closed and years later another one is basically destroyed just the same with billions of dollars in aircraft at risk. Hurricanes wipe out communities as if a nuke were detonated but buildings are rebuilt rapidly and things return to “normal” until the next Hurricane. It is a curious way to live and as far as the Air Force base and other building not being up to code to withstand Hurricanes, a major lapse in judgement and pure idiocy.
Newer buildings, those built since Andrew and Katrina, that have the 140 MPH standard in place, were the least damaged.
But a tornado will destroy anything, no matter the standard.
I would say that the buildings on Tyndall were mostly built in the 60’s and 70’s under the old 120 MPH standard if even that....................
What a report! I would want to get out of town until the power is back on or at least getting there. Leave my house behind with all kinds of plywood tacked on saying “Looters will be shot on sight”
Some looters were shot overnight...................
For real?
Looting leads to deadly shooting in Panama City following Michael:
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/looter-in-panama-city-shot-and-killed-by-authorities/1522803371
For real....................
Glad those you care about are OK
My heart goes out to everyone affected by the storm...the pictures I saw are disturbing and devastating. I could not even imagine life STOPPING as it has for these people only to find their property gone or ruined....It will take many a year or so to get back on their feet. Horrible...
Think..............suddenly you find yourself living in the 1870’s..................No electricity, no running water, no flushing toilets, no streetlights, no TV, Radio, Telephone, Cell Phone or Internet...................
The moral here is that in a time of hurricane chaos don’t loot your Heineken beer, other liquor, flat screen TVs and other stuff in Panama City. It can get you killed.
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