The Eye

The eye sat over our house in Callaway for about 15 minutes.

Our neighbor’s house across the street had fallen in so my husband took the opportunity during the calm to see if anyone was inside. Thankfully they had evacuated.

When the hurricane started, we thought my son’s room would be the safest. Once the winds began it was clear that room was not safe. Just as my family of four ran into the hallway on our way to the bathroom, a tree pushed through the window of my son’s room.

We put both kids in the bathtub and filled it with pillows. I could see my son’s door bending and flexing, the wind trying to blow it open. I am convinced God was holding that door shut to protect us. I prayed for God to spare my family. I hid the tears rolling down my cheeks from my daughter and son. My husband stood guard at the bathroom door, making sure it stayed shut and we were safe.

As the eye of the hurricane passed over us, we could see a grey mass moving towards us. We all huddled back into the bathroom as the backside of the hurricane moved over our home. It was worse than the first half. It was loud and violent and lasted three hours. We could hear the wind blowing debris against our house, shaking windows and doors. The whole house was shaking even our pipes and toilet.

The worst part after the storm was not having any cell service. There was no way of knowing if our family and friends were safe. We drove to my parent’s neighborhood and they were airlifting injured residents out. My heart sank. Was it our family? There was no way of knowing. We parked the truck and walked the mile or so into the neighborhood. We made it to their house and they were safe.

The next stop we made was to Holy Nativity Episcopal School, where I work.  The school that has loved on so many of Panama City’s children over the last 60 years.

My husband and I surveyed the damage and reported back to Judy Hughes, head of the school.  Over the next two weeks Judy and I would sit together in our cars and under the damaged Pavilion mapping out our plan to get the children back into school. 

It was no small feat but we did it. Once we got everyone back together, we realized how important it was to resume some kind of normalcy. As much for the children as it was for the teachers and staff.

I have lived here for 33 years. This is home. I think we have a real opportunity to bring back Panama City, Callaway, Lynn Haven, and Parker (as well as the other smaller areas) in a big way!

I hope we can focus on the job market with the help of Bay County’s Economic Development Alliance, partner with our local colleges so we are equipped for the local job market, make sure our buildings are built up to the current code, provide adequate affordable housing, have better roads, help ALL of our schools in repairs, make sure that we provide parks and safe areas for our children to play.

I think when we are finished Bay County will shine like a brand-new penny!