Rough Draft Under Construction
Second night of Hurricane Helene Evac, landed in Crestview Walmart parking lot after leaving Crestview suburban neighborhood park (flesh out and edit, add dates and times).
My friend Dee and Her Cats!
We observed a low-end middle class suburban European-American mother (late 20s to early 30s) afraid to allow her 3-4yr-old European American female child to play on the playground with the beautiful, smart brown American Florida storm refugee children of same and slightly older age (flesh out and edit).
We were welcomed by a two-car family group of one African America female (Lynn, late 20s), two African American adult Males (Lee and Mike, late 20s), and their three young African American sons (3-4yr-old, 4-5yr-old, 6-7 yr-old) (flesh out and edit).
We were aided by three of the sweetest young European American military males (mid to late 20s, Crestview is a military town) (flesh out and edit).
We were saved by Mickey, a European American Female (mid to late 20s), and Omar an African American Male (mid 30s to late 30s) at the Crestview Advanced Auto store (flesh out and edit).
The Food Experience!
The best restaurant on this one of many hurricane evac Adventures was Crestview’s Absolute Thai and Noodle https://www.absolutethainoodles.com
The Hotels and Sheltering Experience!
Much thanks to the Crestview Walmart for their kindness and generosity to allow us to take shelter in their parking lot, a few hundred of us were very grateful. Hurricane Helene wiped many island communities off the face of the map leaving little standing and less to mark their ever having been there Cedar Key, Suwannee, Horseshoe Beach, etc. and proceeded inland to up the body count and devastation the likes of which those inland areas had never seen. Helene is thus far believed to have claimed 220 lives and this number may continue to grow as communities take stock and this is only the human body count. Untold numbers of other species have suffered: entire barns and fields of cows and other kept species swept down river, dogs and cats abandoned by their humans and others lost as houses broke apart via wind and sea surge, and the untold numbers of wildlife lost (flesh out and edit).
Potential Responses to More Frequent, More Ferocious Weather Events
The question becomes, is there a time when the decision must be made that we can no longer live on the outer banks, the barrier islands, the sandbars, nor below 30 feet above sea level. What are the loss and reconstruction costs rebuilding these communities what is turning into sequential years. This is the second year in a row for many of these island and beach communities. Research suggests and events are supporting the more extreme is getting more frequent and becoming the new norm (source link).
Trace Taylor 