Still Alive and Kicking, Here! #HurricaneMichael

/ Marcia Meara


Photos of Hurricane Michael Destruction
(Not here in central Florida)

Just wanted to touch base with you guys and let you know Hurricane Michael spared my area of Central FLorida of all but one outer band of storm. That one penetrated 100 miles into the peninsula to dump some torrential rains and gusty winds on us here in the Sanford area. It was over in an hour, though the day was dark and gloomy from dawn to dusk.

Sadly, the panhandle region of the state did not get off so lightly. Catagory 4 Michael came roaring ashore with 155mph winds exactly where they predicted it would, and damage assessment is underway. I’ve seen images of entire roofs torn right off homes, leaving the house completely open on top, like a dollhouse, and there have already been two deaths reported.

The good news is that, unlike Hurricane Florence which hung out for DAYS, Michael was in a big hurry to get elsewhere. Had it paused over Apalachicola/Panama City for very long, the destruction would have been unimagineable. It tore through Georgia still at Catagory 3 strength, and is now crossing South Carolina as a tropical storm. (That’s still a dangerous storm with winds up to 75mph and lots of rain.)

It looks like it will exit close to the North Carolina/Virginia border and move into the Atlantic, pointed in the general direction of Ireland, I believe. Whether it will die out mid-ocean or make the crossing remains to be seen. I’m voting for DEATH to Hurricane Michael! It’s caused enough misery!

Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers, both for me and my family, and for those in the path of this terrible storm. Knowing there were friends around the world sending positive thoughts this way kept me buoyed throughout the long hours of tracking the storm’s progress. I love each and every one of you! ❤ ❤ ❤

A few more photos of the kind of damage left behind. I’m sure there will be more and more photos appearing over the next few days, but these will give you an idea.

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36 thoughts on “Still Alive and Kicking, Here! #HurricaneMichael”

    • As always, Staci, thank you for your thoughts and prayers, especially for the folks caught in Michael’s path of destruction! I’m so happy to have been spared that, I’m not even going to complain about it still being 90 degrees here, today. Nope. I’m just glad I have a “here” to be sitting in! ❤

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    • It’s not fun, that’s for sure. And we in central Florida can count our lucky stars this one missed us, even as we send our thoughts and prayers to those who took the hit. Have not been able to face the tv news today, but will check the news later to catch up with damage assessments. Fingers crossed it’s less than feared.

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  4. Wow! That is unbelievable. Pleased to hear you and your family are safe and no more trees fell on your garage. I did hear that the ferry from Santander, Spain to Cork, Ireland has been cancelled due to the anticipated storm. I do hope we will soon hear the end of it. Thanks for the update.

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    • They took very foolish risks, Janet, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of those who would have had to rescue them if they ended up trapped somewhere. I have no patience for that kind of stubborn stupidity, I’m afraid. But I’m glad it is looking like it tore through the area so fast, less damage was done than might have been. (Hard as that is to believe, looking at the photos.)

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  10. Glad to hear you and your family are well. Here we’ve had torrential rains in quite a few places with deaths and much destruction, and it was not Michael’s fault… The weather is mad all around, it seems.

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  11. Glad you made it through safely. Tropical Storm Michael is knocking on my door right now. Winds are starting to pick up and rain should be moving in shortly. Thankfully the heaviest rain should be north of me, but the winds will still be a big problem. At least the storm will be moving through quickly.

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    • The speed with which Michael crossed the panhandle is the ONLY blessing out of it, I think. Hope it leaves you unscathed. Sadly, the areas hardest hit, in particular Mexico Beach, will be years trying to rebuild and recover. Some never will. I’ll be posting an update later today or tomorrow morning. You won’t believe it. In the meantime, hope all the nasty weather has disappeared for now. 🙂

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    • I’m very grateful to say I can breathe easily for now, but sadly, the folks in the panhandle can’t. IF they are still breathing (and they do expect the death toll to rise), they have likely lost everything they own. The entire town of Mexico Beach is either completely gone, or (the few homes that are still standing) condemned. Rebuilding will take months and months, stretching into years, probably. Some people will never be able to recover. I’ll be doing an update post later today or tomorrow. You won’t believe the pictures. *sigh* We here in central Florida were SO lucky this time!

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    • Thanks so much, Donna. And we had a mold problem in the garden all summer, with six weeks of daily downpours. Killed half of the new plants I had put out after Irma destroyed my garden! 😦 But I’m not going to complain. (Much.) What’s happened in the panhandle beats any hurricane damage I’ve ever seen, in all my years, and I’m a Florida native. 😯

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    • Glad to hear this isn’t something you’ll ever have to face. I’m going to be posting an update later today or tomorrow, with photos you will NOT believe. I’ve lived through many, many hurricanes, and this is the worst damage I’ve ever seen, because Ground Zero was a beach community that is pretty much wiped clean. The latest death toll I’ve seen is 18, but they say thousands of people are still unaccounted for, and that number is very likely to rise substantially. Too many people elected not to evacuate, sadly. Never a good choice.

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  15. Thanks for updating us Marsh. So happy you’re safe and spared! The devastation is frightening. I’d been watching it on and off on the news for days. Let us pray that’s the end of hurricanes for this year anyway! ❤

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    • I’ve been praying for that ever since Irma, but alas, Michael thumbed his nose at us, anyway. I can tell you this much. It has changed my perspective over our $100,000+ damages from Irma last year. I now feel SO grateful, every time the news comes on. OMG. It just goes to prove, everything is relative! Thanks for your well wishes. I hope we are done for a long, long time! (I’ll be posting an update either later today, or tomorrow morning.)

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    • Thanks, Terri! And these were EARLY photos. The devastation in Mexico Beach/Panana City area is so severe, it’s mind-boggling, even to someone who has lived with hurricanes most of her life. I’m going to do an update post later today, if I have time, and you won’t believe it. It’s heartbreaking. I have said all my life I would never, ever build a home on a beach or barrier island, and this is exactly why. *sigh* So sad.

      Yes, I worry about earthquakes and fires (and mudslides) in your part of the country, too! Hopefully, you’ll never have to face one of those! 🙂

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