Wilma: The Coup de Grace

Hurricane Wilma: The Coup de Grace

As Wilma passed, the low front that pushed the hurricane away from the Gulf of Mexico and into South Florida arrived, and the temperature dropped. The ocean temperature dropped by about 15 degrees. But there is more. A week after Wilma, when life appeared to be approaching normalcy, early one evening the lights go out. Up and down the keys. A salt water intrusion had weaken one of the main lines and it broke. Then it started to rain. And it rained. And rained some more. Six inches by morning. Buildings already weakened by Wilma, collapsed. Buildings with no roofs were flooded again. The office where I work, for example, which had already suffered extensive damage from the roof that was blown away, was flooded anew and afterwards the building is condemned. (Note: I now have a new mailing address.)

The Professional Building, which houses the doctor from whom I was awaiting the results of a blood test, flooded. Now the medical staff must find a new office and I have to suffer the needle again.

My phone wanders in and out of service. The entire phone system had been under water during the tidal surge. In frustration, I test the connections. I clean terminals. I replace lines. While shopping at Home Depot for more parts, I notice pickup loads of furniture, new appliances, etc., are being trucked to homes. That more or less put my consternation over a telephone line in perspective.

In mid November I will be rendezvousing with brothers Larry and Don, with their wives, in Orlando. While communicating with sister-in-law Julie about the time frame, I inquire about the date on which Thanksgiving falls (I don’t have a calendar). Her response is apropos: “Steve, the once-a-year Thanksgiving is November 24. But for you, thanksgiving must be every day.” After my misfortunes this summer, I think she has a point. While living the experiences, however, it doesn’t seem so.

The photos that follow are not very revealing. It is difficult to take pictures when you need both hands just to stand upright. However, if interested, the web site for The Citizen has several more descriptive photos in its November 6 edition.

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