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I May Never Be Able to Go Home Again: Hurricane Ian
I feared homelessness: here it is.
Our house is approximately 12 miles from the place where Hurricane Ian made landfall yesterday on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
We evacuated Tuesday as per official orders and made our way some five hours later to a pet-friendly resort in Orlando.
Ian, at about half the strength it was back home, raged here all night. Our room on the 11th floor is flooded but we have power and water.
Lee County, to the south of our home, says “hundreds have died.”
Orlando is about 130 miles northeast of our home.
My daughter, north of Tampa, is fine, along with her boyfriend and their three young cats.
Gambit is fine. Bruce is fine. I am fine.
I don’t know if our house will be there when we get back.
I’ve led relief efforts for the Big Bear earthquake in 1992. I remember when my dad was trapped in an elevator for six hours in the Northridge earthquake. I have been through numerous severe fire incidents and have seen firenados growing.
I moved 2500 miles east to paradise so we could afford to have a decent place to live. It’s still paradise to me, without water, without power, maybe even without a…
