This guest post comes from Crystal Anne With An E. Thank you, Crystal!
Crystal is a frequent reader of the site, and basically a frequent reader. By day, she works for a university as an autism consultant, and by night she goes to Librarian School. She is a Hufflepuff.
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Hello, folks. Currently I am sitting in a house smack in the middle of Panama City, Florida, which has a noticeable resemblance to a war zone at the moment. I am not at my house, as there is a tree removal crew currently chainsawing a live oak off my roof. Given that there is a tree on and in my house (it’s in the ceiling), two gaping holes (the skylights that I never wanted), and massive and continuing water damage, I probably won’t be living there for the foreseeable. It is seven days after the worst storm to ever hit the Panhandle of Florida. One of the jokes we make in Panama City is that the storm ALWAYS turns away from us.
Until it didn’t.
At this point, we have no power, which is quite the party in nearly triple-digit heat, and I only regained internet connectivity this morning, when I went and bought a phone from the sole provider that is up and running. We do have some running water, but it has to be used cautiously, as one would not want to overload the lift station and have sewage backing up into the hizzy. We are hot, we are uncomfortable, and yes, we are smelly. We do have people pretty much throwing food, water, and other amenities at us, which is lovely, and we appreciate everything that we get. I was able, the morning of the storm, to go over to my husband’s parents’ home, along with the husband in question, our kids, and our two cats. I had a bad feeling when we lost power. I do not live in one of the evacuation zones, so we didn’t evacuate. As I told my husband, the next time one of these bastards rolls through, we’re going to Dollywood. We would have come home with the house still a wreck, but we would’ve been to Dollywood.
Hurricane recovery somehow manages to be both traumatizing and tedious. It has been difficult to make forward momentum on getting the insurance and FEMA end of things moving, as most of the wireless and internet companies still have not either restored service or made arrangements for the temporary towers or hotspots needed to provide that service. The town looks…well, it looks like a hurricane hit it. Downed trees and power lines are everywhere, stoplights hang at odd angles, and buildings are twisted hunks of metal and concrete. Most of the brick houses look okay (#theThirdLittlePigWasAbsolutelyRight), but there are hundred year old trees snapped off like matchsticks.
Mexico Beach, which is about 30 miles east of where I am sitting, was flattened. I have heard that there is one building left standing. It is often difficult for the brain to even process what it is seeing. As my husband put it, it looks like nothing so much as an episode of The Walking Dead, just without melting zombies. At night, it is so hot and dark. We are under a dusk to dawn curfew, due to both traffic concerns and the unfortunate looting that has taken place. We hear sirens throughout the night. It is beautiful to look up at the sky and stars, as there is no light pollution at all.
I have read a great deal during this time. I have been pretty judicious about using my car charger to charge my iPad so that I could read the Kindle app in the wee hours. There are a few reasons for this. Number one, and most obvious, there is literally nothing else to do, especially at night. Also, my brain needed it. I have had some difficulty sleeping, both because it is too hot to function, and I also figure that stress has something to do with it. If I can’t sleep, might as well read. It’s better than going to the hinky “OMGOMGOMG THERE’S A TREE IN MY HOUSE” place. What does one read at a time like this you ask, you ask? Well, the following.
For The Duke’s Eyes Only by Lenora Bell ( A | BN | K | G | AB ): It was light, and I enjoyed the period mash-up of Indiana Jones and James Bond, but I could have done with a touch more swashbuckling. It was surprisingly light on action if you consider the two works that it was referencing.
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine: This is the second in the Stillhouse Lake series. It was eerily atmospheric if you consider that much of the book’s climax consists of creepy serial-killer shit happening at the darkest hours of the night. I figured I might as well lean into the creepy vibe that occurs when your entire town plunges into the deep dark. It was riveting, as Caine knows how to do suspense (keeping it real, she knows how to do damn near everything).
World Without End by Ken Follett ( A | BN | K | G | AB ): This book is upwards of 1000 pages. What better time to read a doorstop like this than when you’re up for 3-4 hours a night? I cleared it in about 3 days, which should tell you something. A book that long and complicated normally takes me somewhere in the range of 10 to 14 days. I love political machinations and strong characterization, and the Kingsbridge series gives that in spades. It hits me in the same nerve that enjoys Game of Thrones, but I tend to caution others that it has some of the same trigger and content warnings as GoT, as in sexual assault and a h*ckload of violence, some against children and animals.
As I write this paragraph, we are now two weeks out. My parents regained power yesterday, and I took my second hot shower in two weeks. My roof is tarped and I expect a repair estimate from the company that provided the tarp in the next couple of days. Those books above are just the three that I read during the first week. There have been four since then, if you don’t count the Southern Gothic that I couldn’t get my brain to accept (my town looks a little too SG at the moment for that). Every day is a step toward some kind of normal, whatever normal means at this point. The kind of damage we took isn’t cleaned up in days or weeks. That kind of progress will be measured in months, possibly years. We’ve got a ways to go, but hey. Nothing but time, right?
If you are interested in donating to disaster relief, I have a few organizations below that I’ve gotten to interact with when I went to go find hot food or water.
This is the GoFundMe for the local school district. They need help resupplying classrooms and buying clothes and supplies for the many, many displaced students.
My sympathies along with all good thoughts. I live in southern Louisiana and had a pine tree smash through the entire front portion of our house during Katrina (we weren’t home, we had evacuated). You probably don’t want to hear this, but (1) living in what looks like a war zone will be your new normal for a while (we lived in half a house for 18 months); (2) be very careful with contractors—especially those from out-of-state; we got a local contractor, but he’d bit off more than he could chew and it still took the threat of legal action to get him to finish the job (we ended up hiring someone else to finish the attic when it was obvious our guy was never coming back); (3) keep reading—it helps, I devoured my favorite comfort reads (most of our books were in the back of the house and were undamaged); plus I read non-stop to my kids—all three of whom had to sleep in one big bed for over a year post-hurricane; (4) keep reminding yourself that one day all of what you’re experiencing now will be in the past—or at least as close to the past as any event like this can be. Love and best wishes.
Crystal, I feel your pain. We live near the AFB, and our area got hit pretty hard, too. It’s heartbreaking and devastating all around, but the one good thing that has come from all of this is that it really pulled the neighborhood together, with everyone helping and looking out for one another. It’s a small blessing, but I am grateful for it. And I agree–books have been such a solace and escape. Thank God for car chargers and Kindle apps. I hope you and yours stay safe and that your road to recovery is as smooth as can be.
Hi, Crystal! Live over in Niceville! Thanks for all the links for all us B***hes” to help out with the recovery. What’s the word on the PC library system? #850strong
Crystal Anne – In the future, you’ll find yourself speaking of time as before or after Hurricane Michael. (Multiple hurricane and flood survivor here.) Sending you good thoughts and prayers for a quick recovery for your family and your community. Keep reading and keep up the good spirits! Thank goodness for rechargeable devices and those organizations who have come in to help.
Sending all good wishes to you, Crystal Anne, and to others who have suffered as a result of the hurricane.
Best wishes and prayers for you and all those affected. One of my friends escaped relatively unscathed, a cousin lucked out and only got her deck smashed by a tree, but I’m still unable to locate or contact my elderly aunt in the area. Praying she is OK.
Sending all kinds of good thoughts to you and all those affected by the hurricane. I always say that after my kids, husband, and pets, my Kindle would be at the top of the list of things I’d save if disaster struck and I had limited time to grab whatever, because I would need it so much in the aftermath. Hoping your rebuilding goes smoothly!!
Good read, Sis. A good read indeed. ❤️
I feel ya on the tree part. Hurricane Gustav, 2008. My bedroom. My cats were in there and they were thoroughly traumatized.
I hope there’s visible progress for you now, since it’s been a little while.
Best wishes during the recovery, and thank you for the links. Just donated to the school district as school will be a refuge for the kids while the community recovers.
Crystal, my heart and my prayers are going out to you and your family, and everyone over there that was affected by this monstrosity of a storm. I live in NE Florida, about an hour south of Jacksonville (Palatka). My husband works for one of the Publix stores in St. Augustine, and was asked, along with a small handful of others, to go over to Panama City and work in a store there (actually in Lynn Haven), to help get things back in order. He actually went over there twice, a week apart from each other, and the things he told me he saw, and the pictures he took, I can only begin to imagine what it must be like for you all. I’ve been through a few hurricanes, having lived most of my life here in Florida, but have been very fortunate in that I’ve not gone through the kind of total devestation you all are experiencing. I pray that things get better for you all as soon as is possible, and if reading provides you with that escape you need to keep your sanity, then by all means, read away. Take care and God bless you all.