Although there isn't a lot of good news related to hurricanes, here are a couple of things to remember that may assuage your fears. First, even the strongest Cat 4 or Cat 5 hurricane almost always slows down to a Cat 3 before it makes landfall. Second, the new construction is much stronger and able to withstand winds. Third, look at how many old homes exist up and down the beaches of South Walton. They've survived far more storms intact that we will ever see in this lifetime. And yes, Paula...the beaches replenish remarkably quickly. I was stunned on our recent visit to Grayton to see all the fluffy white sand and that the beaches are about four feet higher than before the 2005 storm season. This is nature's ebb and flow, and even the hurricanes have a purpose. And a sweet note here. We are happy to announce the existence of two mourning dove eggs in a sweet nest on our third floor decks. The painter is taking great care to leave them undisturbed, as he has a pair nesting in an old go-cart helmet at his house!
Again and for newcomers to this Web site, we have amazing good samaritans among us. The morning after Ivan, Kurt called us (when no one could get across the Bay Bridge) to tell us that our house was fine...soggy, but fine. And post-Dennis, Smilin' Joe sent us a photo of Ye Olde Conch Out so we could see that she was still standing.
I will share a helpful hint to those of you who are at risk for storm surge. If you put sandbags next to the house, particularly near low windows, sliders, or other doors, and also line the inside of doors and windows with plastic sheeting attached with duct tape (up and down the doorjam, mind you)...it works!!! My brother did this for us when Dennis was approaching and it worked great. I had asked someone else about doing this and was told, "I could probably get some bags, but I wouldn't know where to get the sand." Duhhhh? Duct tape---miracle cure for the 2000s. :clap_1: My engineer husband carries a duct tape wallet that I bought for him at The Zoo Gallery.
