We were so incredibly lucky. Landfall was about 40 miles south and we did not get the big storm surge like Fort Myers Beach. But, since it was a 60 mile wide storm the inner eye wall spun over us for 4 hours with 90 to 100 mph winds. It was wild and crazy. Plus, we got a flash flood warning later in the evening since we had 14.3 inches of rain in just a few hours. And, we don’t live in a flood zone. It’s bizarre to be watching the hurricane coverage and have the weather person pointing right where you live.
I have no regrets about not evacuating, because our house is built for this kind of storm. We were safe inside and could access the damage without having to struggle to get back. Again, we were fortunate the only damage was to our pool enclosure with screens out and a bent frame.
Our neighborhood has a lot of trees down, flooded streets and the clubhouse area had structures damaged, like the pickle ball area shown above. Our downtown, which is right on the beach, came through still standing for the most part. Again, no big storm surge made all the difference.
Five years in Florida and two major hurricanes. I still wouldn’t trade this beach lifestyle for anything.