Looking back at Hurricane Opal and Looking ahead at the Hurricane Season on the Florida Coast

Two news reporters had traveled to Panama City Beach, Florida from Birmingham, Alabama to cover the hurricane and interview those folks who chose to ride out the storm. The Hathaway Bridge, which connects Panama City Beach with Panama City was closed after winds sustained 40 mph. The reporters found themselves stranded, having met us earlier in the day, returned to ask could they stay with us.

As we lost electricity, the only light remaining came from their video camera. During the night, they conducted impromptu interviews, asking if our feelings had changed about the decision to stay. "What about now?" they asked after exceptionally loud wind gusts. I thought the night would never end but it wasn't that scary. I was able to even get some sleep when the reporters finally gave it a rest.

In the middle of the hurricane, Dudley-our Labrador- who is terrified of storms decided he had to go outside. He darted across the street like lightning and I had to run out and drag him back inside. In the dark, I couldn't see all the destruction Hurricane Opal was causing in her wake. I couldn't believe I slept through her wrath, on opening the door the next morning, witness to nothing but rumble all around us.

The report went out over the AP, giving our friends and relatives all over the country, a souvenir copy- evidence of our insanity. We didn't need anyone to tell us how lucky we were to be alive.

Living in the Florida Panhandle you expect tropical depressions and hurricanes. If, you choose to live on the coast, you can't dwell on the weather any more than Californians can constantly worry about earthquakes. The most you can do is be prepared. Take an example from my page, I was so lacking when it came to hurricane preparations. I told my out of town relatives who called to check on me before Opal hit, "It's just a little wind and rain."

We never expected to be without running water or electric power for weeks. The National Guard distributed ice and kept the streets cleared during the curfew. A couple of days after the hurricane, a neighborhood store still without electricity, opened for us to get what food was available on the shelves. We waited patiently in line as the manager wrote the purchases down and figured tax on a hand-held calculator. The jar of pickles I bought tasted the best ever.

A lot of evacuees were stuck in their vehicles on the escape routes out of town. Hurricane Opal took the same path as the folks racing out of town. More people lost their life in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as Opal tore through the South than in Florida where she landed. In retrospect, if you have children definitely don't put them in danger. Otherwise, stock up on hurricane supplies.

Here in Florida, the week before hurricane season officially begins, is tax free week on hurricane supplies. The American Red Cross estimates 60% of Americans are unprepared for natural disasters. Must have items are bottled water, non-perishable convenience food, batteries, tarps- if you lose part of the roof, flashlights, portable radio, and a generator is worth much more than the cost. Just be careful, Carbon monoxide poisoning is especially dangerous in the aftermath of hurricanes and other disasters when generators are used to power homes.

During the hurricane season of 2004, within a span of six weeks, there were four major hurricanes. The tornadoes which spawned, from Hurricane Ivan, killed seven people. Three of those died only miles from my house.

With Hurricane Ivan tearing down the street, my roommate and I were arguing over should you open the windows or close them during a hurricane. Over the portable radio, [the power was already out] we heard the announcer say a tornado had touched down on Thomas Drive. I grabbed up some family photos and rushed to the hallway. My roommate suggested we get in the bathtub. I said, I wasn't being found huddled up with her in a tub. Then the bulletin repeated it was just a reenactment of an earlier warning.

The Hurricane Center, at WMBB television station-Panama City, Florida, reports we are statistically a year overdue for a major hurricane. According to their report, we have a 49% chance of a hurricane developing in the Gulf of Mexico, before the official end to the season on November 30.