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Passatfish

Beach Comber
Jul 11, 2005
16
0
I just got through to BRoSW and they said we are good to come down Saturday!! Now it's official..... :clap_1:
 

Sailin'

Beach Crab
Jul 12, 2005
3
0
Atlanta, GA / Bradenton, FL
Reality Check.

Folks,

We've been walking and driving the area for the past day and a half. We have scores of photos, but do not have the time to post them all here at the moment (PLEASE do not post asking if I have a photo of this or that house...!)

Let us provide a dose or reality for the vacationers who are headed our way.

We just took a hit from a Category 3 Hurricane. At this moment there is another storm (Emily) headed towards the Caribbean and who knows where after. The damage is devastating. Mosty of the homes built under the post Andrew code requirements fared well. But there are other issues that are going to take time to sort out.

If you are planning on visiting our lovely area in the next few weeks, then you need to realisitically understand that the beaches are NOT going to be refurbished, the walkovers will NOT all be replaced, and all the debris will NOT be picked up by the time you arrive on Saturday.

What existed along 30A last Saturday changed radically by Monday.

Yes, tourism is the lifeblood of our economy here. Yes, we know how you have planned and dreamed about your vacation in our area. Yes, we realize that your kids expect to be able to play in our wonderful sand beaches...

But no one has a magic wand that can make it like it was overnight.

You need to manage your expectations. Scroll back through this discussion thread and look at the pictures posted here. They represent the length and breadth of what happened along 30-A. Most of the beach is gone. Debris is piled everwhere. Most of the walkovers are gone - and if they could replace them overnight, there is still the beach erosion situation.

The local agencies will work as fast as humanly possible to get things fixed - but it ain't gonna happen by the time you are scheduled to arrive this Saturday, or next Saturday or the Saturday after that.

We own rental property on Captiva which was slammed by Charley last year. Many rental properties in that area are still not repaired or available this summer season - and it has been 10 months since the hurricane.

Our properties here fared better - but we have damage. We will lose rental income and there are families that are very disappointed that they have to change plans at the last minute. We empathize with them. But there is nothing that we can do.

We hope that your rental property here is available for you when you were planning to come - but be realistic in your expectations of what you'll find regarding the beaches, walkovers, storm debris etc. when you get here. There are only so many people and so many resources available to fix things and it takes time. There is NOT a giant mountain of white sand hidden somewhere that can be placed on the beach tonight.

What you will find is folks who have a positive attitude and will make your stay as amenable as possible. Many of the people who will take your order in our restaurants, bag your groceries in our supermarkets or mix your drinks at our bars have suffered damage and/or loss of their personal homes. You may be slightly inconvenienced for a week. These folks will smile and help you all day and then go home to deal with their problems at night, and they'll still be doing so weeks from now, long after you've returned home.

So come visit us. Bring the kids. Let them see how powerful mother nature can be but also let them see how a community comes together and helps its people through a tough time. :welcome:

Sometimes a little adversity makes for an interesting experience.

Mike & Stephanie
Bradenton, FL / Atlanta, GA
 
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MG

Beach Comber
Jul 12, 2005
20
0
Decatur, GA
Passatfish said:
I just got through to BRoSW and they said we are good to come down Saturday!! Now it's official..... :clap_1:
:clap_1: WooHoo! We are headed down on Sunday and renting with BRofSW so that is awesome news!
 

spinDrAtl

Beach Fanatic
Jul 11, 2005
367
2
High Pointe has personnel in the rental office today. I think the pool may be ready to go also, but not 100% sure.

Minimal damage outside of the walkover being clipped off at the top of the steps, as someone noted earlier. I had heard that there may be some beach access near Rosemary somewhere, and also down by Inlet Beach, but this is unconfirmed also.
 

OhioBeachBum

Beach Fanatic
Jul 11, 2005
814
0
MidWest OH
I saw a notice in today's (07/12) edition of a local online paper (www.nwfdailynews.com), bottom of page A5, that said "Walton County beaches remain closed until further notice.". Not unexpected under the circumstances.

Add insult to injury, 5 day storm track forcast for Emily looks disturbingly similar to the Dennis track... :bang:

Joe / Kurt & other helpful locals: You all and this site has been both a big help and an eye-opener - thanks much. We make it down next year (looks like a bust hand this year), going to devote at least one day out of the week to pay-forward in the beach area. Not much, but maybe a small counter-balance for some of the less enlightened visitors...
 

Natureboy

Beach Crab
Jul 12, 2005
1
0
We are headed down to Blue Mountain Wednesday. What will be the closest beach access. I know most walkovers are gone in that area. My family has been coming to the area for years and is not going to let this storm stop us from having a wonderful time. Thanks for providing a place to get acurate information, or the decision may have been different. :clap_1:
 

JB

Beach Fanatic
Nov 17, 2004
1,446
40
Tuscaloosa
Natureboy said:
We are headed down to Blue Mountain Wednesday. What will be the closest beach access. I know most walkovers are gone in that area. My family has been coming to the area for years and is not going to let this storm stop us from having a wonderful time. Thanks for providing a place to get acurate information, or the decision may have been different. :clap_1:

Purely a guess, as I have not seen it first hand, but considering the bluff at Blue Mountain, I doubt there is any way to access the beach there. Your closest alternative would be either Grayton or Ed Walline. Either would require driving (and you would have nowhere to park at Grayton.

I hope your rental has a pool :lol:
 

GraytonBound

Beach Fanatic
Nov 15, 2004
947
2
58
The Nooga
spinDrAtl said:
High Pointe has personnel in the rental office today. I think the pool may be ready to go also, but not 100% sure.

Minimal damage outside of the walkover being clipped off at the top of the steps, as someone noted earlier. I had heard that there may be some beach access near Rosemary somewhere, and also down by Inlet Beach, but this is unconfirmed also.

Pool is not ready but they're working on....cant get on the beach at Rosemary.....got there at Inlet & walked to High Pointe...severe damage to gulf front houses at Inlet.

Driving on 30-A you can really see no signs of damage to houses.
 

kareshack

Beach Comber
Jul 10, 2005
18
0
50
Roswell, Georgia
Passatfish said:
I just got through to BRoSW and they said we are good to come down Saturday!! Now it's official..... :clap_1:

Fantastic help- I have not had such luck getting through but it is nice to hear good news. What part of the beach will you be staying on. We are at o2Easy i can not tell you exactly where it is but I know it is beach side. Thanks for the info
 
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