After experiencing an unexpected event during a week of vacation at Myrtle Beach, I find myself in a state of frustration. It's strange how quickly someone can come on the TV, or social media and make the statement that a hurricane will most likely hit your area, right where you are standing. You stop and begin all the deductive reasoning and critical thinking. "I wonder if I will need to evacuate", "I am not sure I can leave to go anywhere because I have a guest who flew into this area from Colorado and I need to figure out how I can safely return him to his home".
I know that everyone is probably calling and rescheduling flights out earlier than expected. But what a dilemma! It's like one of the moments where you want time to stand still so you have time to think through all the scenario's that will need to be addressed. Things like traveling north to get home just seem so simple, until you factor in all the other people that are involved.
So, let's just unpack this scenario. First, we head south and are confident that since the hurricane crossed over and turned up into the Gulf Coast, we might be okay to stay on track with our family vacation. The projections of trajectory shows that it will most likely hit Tampa and turn north. We seem to get a sense of confidence from all those experts that predict the future! I am not sure when we realized that the experts were also in shock with what was happening. Suddenly it is not hitting Tampa but might be Ft. Myers. What, wait! It's going to turn and go east across the state of Florida and back out to the Atlantic, only to regain strength and return to shore line of South Carolina? Okay, so this is where I realize using the term experts is too broad a term to describe the people who have the job of predicting, yes, that's right, predict landfall, duration of time and strength. I have a new found respect for all those in the weather reporting, tracking and communicating the nuances that happen with mother nature.
Finally, the truth was here and we were not evacuating because the hurricane dropped in its level of strength and it fell to a Category One Hurricane. Ian was ruthless to the gulf side of the Florida Peninsula. The largest area of sustained destruction, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island, while additional damage occurred on the Georgia and the Carolinas' Coast.
The world educates all those who fall into coast line disasters to try and hide from high winds and to run from water. This couldn't have been more true in Myrtle Beach. We were watching huge surges of high tides and wind. Yet it was nothing compared to the Gulf side. We hunkered down and held close to each other. Our Westgate Resort was built for this and the most damage that occurred was water on the first floor and the beach was reduced. All that sand, where did it go? Yet here we are 4 weeks later and slowly sand is being brought in with the rhythm of incoming and outgoing high and low tides.
Here are a few shots as the storm was stirring up the ocean and the winds were bringing in massive amounts of clouds. The sounds were deafening as the ocean groaned with all the raging of tides and undercurrents. When the eye came, many were out on the beach checking out all the shells and treasures washing up on the newly architect beach coast line. The ocean landed a fairly large shrimp boat which actually had its very own story, making for a bit of mystery and curiosity for who it belonged to and how would it be moved to her original love, the heart of the sea.
