Monday, October 3, 2022

Hurricane Ian and the Shelter

Hurricane Ian blew through as a Category 4.  The center of the eye was just north of us here at Shell Point, but the eye was large and we did experience the eye wall.  However, we were tucked away in a shelter which is normally a parking garage, but which amounts to a concrete bunker.  The metal windows are sealed and bolted into place and are pretty much watertight.  We did experience some water in the shelter because the water was coming in what is normally a drain hole.  Maintenance  stuffed it with towels and mopped up regularly.


There were hundreds of people in the shelter.  We were each given a recliner/zero gravity chair which we could sit and sleep in.   We were provided with lots of water and food….three meals a day and never ending snacks were available.  There was medical care available which was a good thing!  During our time there, a lady fell and broke her hip.  There was delay in getting her to a hospital because roads were not passable at that point.  The bathroom facilities were port-a-potties.  They were adequate, but got pretty stinky after 48 hours.  There were charging stations for our phones, but everyone wanted to use them.  The one in our area wasn’t working and folks in other areas didn’t appreciate us intruding.  Most people stayed pleasant and tried to be helpful.


I did lots of knitting, but also got up and walked the circuit of the place.  We were seated in specific areas with others from our building, but I ran into various friends from other buildings during my walks.  I was able to get acquainted with some folks from our building that I hadn’t run into much previously.  There were 3 couples we have been friendly with seated in the same row with me.  I spent lots of time talking to one friend in particular, who sat right next to me.  There was a 99 year-old lady in our row and everyone watched out for her.  She was very independent and didn’t like to accept help.  I learned last evening that she told someone that she had appreciated the help she received from a lady named Ruth.  I didn’t push myself on her, but twice when I saw her struggling with her chair, I had helped her to adjust it. 


The staff were unfailingly helpful and upbeat.  The first night when we were bussed to the shelter, we did not arrive until about 10:30.  The rain was already coming down in torrents.  As we stepped off the bus someone with an umbrella grabbed our evacuation bag and protected us with the umbrella until we were under cover.  We were escorted to our area, and there was no chaos or confusion.


Once the storm had passed out of the area, they unbolted and opened some of the metal windows.  Initially, everyone crowded around to view the damage.  It was hard to fathom that we had been so safe and secure while all of that devastation had occurred.


We were not allowed to leave until they had cleared enough debris to make the roads in the community passable.  They also checked safety issues in our buildings.  I left when we were told we could come back to our building if we were capable of walking there and climbing the stairs to our apartment.  I started off realizing it would not be easy.  Along came a lady in a car.  “ Would you like a ride?” she called to me.  She was headed for the building right next to mine.  I was grateful.  I had to rest on each landing because of the heavy evacuation bag, blanket and pillow I was carrying, but I made it up to my apartment on the fourth floor.


As I write this, I have been back in my apartment about 36 hours.  There is no water or power.  That means no AC, but I have opened windows and thankfully the temperature is going down into the 60s overnight.  I have 2 toilets and figure I can get one flush out of each so I’m flushing once a day.  I do have jugs of water for washing and a whole case of bottled water for drinking.  I expect to lose everything in the refrigerator, but there isn’t a lot there since I just arrived back here 2 weeks before the storm hit, and I confess to not much appetite since Bill’s death.


I will write another post to describe the damage I’ve seen.



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