Bounty of the Bay Charters

My husband and our friend climbed over mounds of debris made out of boats and destroyed homes that had been washed off of their foundations. There they found it. The top floor of our town house. 100 yards or so away from where it belonged.

They made their way inside and everything was perfectly intact. On the night stand there was a gum wrapper and an iPad. Just as my daughter had left it the week before.

Completely oblivious to the 155 mile per hour winds that had destroyed the rest of the house.

It was eerie.

Anything on the ground was destroyed but we were able to save things stored in the shelves above the closet. My daughter and son’s baby books and some shoes.

Where our house originally sat, we found a pile of rubble. I had set two sandbags at the front door and four at the backdoor before we evacuated. The sandbags were still there but all that was left of the house was a slab of concrete, tile in the entryway and kitchen and a dishwasher.

There was a 2-foot water line mark on the wall of the top floor of our town house.  

The first floor of our town home had 10-foot ceilings.

This means the water from the Hurricane that rushed in was at least 12-feet high.

My husband and I grew up in Panama City and later moved to Port St. Joe. We own a fishing business called Bounty of the Bay charters in Mexico Beach. When a townhome on the canal in Mexico Beach became available to rent, we took it. It meant that we could be closer to work.

We unpacked our last box October 8. Later that night, we evacuated.

It wasn’t an easy decision to go. My husband wanted to stay. His whole life is here. Mine is too, but I wanted to make sure our daughter was safe.

We were expecting a big storm surge so we tied the boat up in a way that it would just rise with the tide. We grabbed a few changes of clothes and drove to Mississippi. Had we known we were going to lose everything we would have taken more things.

The charter fishing business is our life. Last year was our best season, ever. We made a little money and met some amazing people. Our boat is stacked up amongst the debris behind the canal in Mexico Beach. It was the biggest boat we had ever owned. It will take a crane operator to get it out.

This has been especially hard for my husband. What is a fisherman without his boat?

I had a little money from FEMA and I found a boat for sale. A very kind police officer sold it to me for half the price he was asking. I trailered the boat home myself and surprised my husband. He cried. I cried.

A rental home just became available in Port St. Joe. It is way more than we can afford but we took it. I just want a roof over our heads. I just want us to get back to normal. Or find a new normal at least.

We have appreciated every little bit of good fortune that has come our way since Hurricane Michael destroyed everything we had.

My husband has a job and works really hard every single day. The business where I work will open again soon. My daughter is staying busy with school and track. This has been rough and it has taken it’s toll on our family. I tell myself we will get through this.

When people say you can’t cry anymore its BS. You can.