Separated, displaced & changed forever

We watched hundreds of roof shingles and whole tree limbs fly by as the storm approached.

We rode out the storm in my boyfriend’s sister’s fourth floor apartment.

The apartment building was shaking, vibrating and swaying in the wind.

Inside the apartment it got really hot.                  

Hot is not a fun temperature for a pregnant woman of 36 weeks.

The wind and rain blew through the crack in the door.

There was water everywhere.

Running out of the air conditioning vent in the ceiling.

Out of the light fixtures.

Out of the ceiling in the living room.

And then from the bedroom ceiling.

We had pots collecting water all throughout the apartment.

This went on for hours.

It eventually stopped and we went outside.

Every tree was down. It was like a bomb had gone off.

That night a police officer rode through the apartment complex to let everyone know there was a citywide curfew.

We asked him how it looked.

He said, ‘The whole city is destroyed.’

We hoped he was exaggerating.

The next morning, we saw for ourselves.

Homes were covered in trees, ripped apart and shredded by the wind.

It was a surreal sight that took my breath away. 

We turned down a familiar street and saw the public housing apartment complex ripped apart.  A group of 10 people, including small children, were walking. We drove them across town to a shelter.

We all cried the whole ride. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s a ride I will never forget.

Mobile homes laid on their side, homes destroyed, every church and school we saw was ravaged.

The mobile home I was renting was completely covered in trees and had several large tree limbs through the roof. The ceiling had fallen in.

Most of our possessions were damaged and ruined.

We salvaged some clothing and photos but we had to abandon everything else.

I was brought to Tallahassee to have our baby.

Our son was born October 31. Happy and healthy 21 days after Michael changed our lives.

I am staying in transitional housing for pregnant women and women who have small children.

My 14-year-old son stayed with his father for a week or so. The community lacked the basic necessities so they were forced to go to Texas to stay with family.

Separated and displaced, we are changed forever. 

I hope to buy an RV and return to Panama City in February so I can help my town rebuild.