Hurricanes have been a no-no topic around my niece since childhood. Her fear of weather developed around six or seven years old, and since they visited Florida in the summer, we steered clear of the trigger word.
That has stayed the same since she entered adulthood--until this visit.
Hurricane Idalia's path was coming straight for us, and in anticipation of that, our airport was closed on the day my family was to fly home. No way to hide that.
My niece had not brought her work computer, had many wedding photos to edit, and the news was nothing but doom and gloom. We did our best to assure her, and when no one in our neighborhood began boarding, she resigned herself to the fact this was happening. Oh well.
The family likened the hurricane panic to the brutal snowstorms they get in northern Indiana. We bought some snacks and ensured we had plenty of water, but we continued with tourist activities. There isn't much else to do until the day it strikes.
And it didn't happen.
We received wind and rain in our immediate area, but nothing like the flooding they got farther north and south of us. The poor Fox Mercantile got hit hard. Their Instagram reported flooding in all the rooms, but they'd prepared and saved the merchandise. Tarpon Springs, where Darcy and Gabby had been two days before the hurricane, also got hit with the street and shops flooding. Our local beach took a hit with the wind, and the storm surge and high tide wiped away the beach access walkways and stairs.
Susan and I walked the beach the day after, photographing the sea creatures we'd have never seen had it not been for Idalia.
Then, we enjoyed the three extra days they got in Florida.
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