Ranger Rick and the Red Rider Wagon
After the gazebo fell, it got real. The front door was bouncing off the hinges. The chimney came off and landed by the back door.
This was my husband’s first hurricane and it was proving to be very eventful.
I have lived in Panama City since I was in the 1st grade. After having kids, we moved back so we could be closer to family. We had spent the long weekend in Panama City Beach with my husband’s family. We weren’t worried at all. It was only going to be a category 1 or 2.
We would be fine.
We had some friends that had to evacuate last minute so I drove over in the morning before the storm to pick up their dog. Now we had six people and five dogs in the house. We set up chairs and watched the Hurricane Michael show. Until the water started pouring in. Then we were running around the house trying to catch it. Pots, pans, buckets, trash cans. We are still trying to figure out who grabbed the spaghetti strainer to catch the water.
We were sopping wet and didn’t have time to be scared.
It’s amazing how much strength you have when you know the only thing that’s stopping a door from being blown in is you.
After it was over, we wanted to check on a friend’s house nearby. We waded down middle of the road, dodging debris in hip high water. We got to their house and picked up their cat and grabbed some important documents that they didn’t take. They assumed they would be gone for a few days, not weeks. Their daughter had a Red Rider wagon and we filled it to the top with their belongings. The wagon floated behind us as we made the journey back home.
In case you were counting at this point we were up to six people, five dogs and a cat.
In the days after the storm it was nice not having cell phone service or connectivity. We weren’t worried about the outside world. We were focused on taking care of our neighbors and each other.
This experience revealed everyone’s true character. You can’t be fake when you don’t have power, water and you are blind with exhaustion from working all day.
One of our grumpy neighbors was mowing his lawn the next day. We couldn’t believe it. Gas was a precious commodity and we felt like he was wasting it.
The neighbors starting calling my husband Ranger Rick. He had two guns on hips to deter looters. It worked.
After the storm I took our two children out of town for Halloween. We got through Dothan before I started to cry. It hit me then what we had survived and the awareness of what I was doing…driving more than 4 hours to give our kids a “normal” Halloween. I wasn’t seeing downed trees and collapsed buildings. The contrast was startling. The realization that our town really did look like a war zone was settling in. It was even more surreal when we drove back in.
For now, we are in a camper in my parents’ driveway. We are looking to buy a house, but it’s challenging. Some houses need to be repaired but most construction loans require the work to be completed in six months. No contractors can guarantee that at this point.
I am thankful my family is safe. I am thankful we were here to help my parents catch water, rip up carpet and prevent the damage from being worse than it was. One of the most humbling feelings has been long-time friends reaching out to ask if we are ok. It makes you stop and realize that people really do care.