The world has moved on. But ten months after Category 5 Hurricane Michael crushed towns in the Florida Panhandle, residents are still reeling from the storm’s devastating impact.
“In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael ripped through this region as a Category 5 hurricane, and residents say it’s given their nickname “The Forgotten Coast” a whole new meaning,” reports CBN News (see: “‘People Just Forgot Us’: Life on the Panhandle Nearly a Year After Hurricane Michael,” by Caitlin Burke). “On October 10, 2018, our CBN News crew walked the streets of Mexico Beach with search and rescue crews. What we found when we returned to do this follow-up didn’t look much different from the disaster zone we left.”
Recovery is hampered by practical problems, reports the Gainesville Sun (see: “Housing, workforce issues slow Hurricane Michael recovery,” by Jim Turner). “Hurricane Michael recovery efforts continue to plod along in the Florida Panhandle, as a high demand for labor butts up against limited housing for workers in areas ravaged by the storm 10 months ago, according to business owners and officials,” the paper reports. “Also slowing recovery efforts, estimated at about 50 percent complete, have been delays in insurance claim settlements and bureaucratic hurdles that some small business owners faced when seeking government assistance, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was told Wednesday at a hearing at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City.”
Nearby Tyndall Air Force Base is on track for a rapid recovery, according to the Orlando Sentinel (see: “Devastated by Hurricane Michael, Tyndall Air Force Base could be ‘bigger and more active’ in its comeback,” by Jim Turner). “Col. Brian Laidlaw, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing Air Combat Command at the Panhandle base, said Wednesday a $3 billion recovery plan recently submitted to Congress will take five to seven years to complete,” the paper reports. “But he said officials remain optimistic as restoration timelines have been met or exceeded so far and nearly 75 percent of the personnel is back doing missions.”
Tyndall’s success, however, comes partly at the expense of nearby civilian recovery efforts, reports the Gainesville Sun. “State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a Panama City resident, noted after the meeting that many contractors are busy working at Tyndall Air Force Base, which is getting $1.7 billion to start its repairs.”
