Was Panama City Forgotten After Hurricane Michael?

We love the beach, so it’s now surprise that this is our third time visiting Panama City Beach within a year! We aren’t surprised by the gorgeous view or the sunset or the massive waves. What is surprising is the tremendous amount of damage that still needs to be repaired, a year after Hurricane Michael. It seems as if Panama City Beach has been forgotten. Have you forgotten about the devastation in Panama City Beach?

Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida Panhandle on October 10^th, 2018. The storm didn’t stop in Florida, but continued to the Carolinas. After Michael landed with 160 mph winds, it was determined that Michael was a Category 5. This is one of only four, Category 5 hurricanes to ever strike the U.S. Multiple tornadoes erupted from this storm, causing damage throughout the area.

According to CNN, there were 16 deaths directly caused by the hurricane and 43 deaths or indirect cause. Michael caused $25 billion in damage and $18.4 of that occurred in Florida. The storm raged from Mexico Beach to Panama City Beach, damaging 45,000 structures and destroying over 1,500 structures in Bay County.

Overwhelming sadness is the only way to describe my feelings upon seeing a glimpse of the destruction. I had forgotten Panama City Beach. Sure, I heard about the hurricane, but without seeing the damage, it hadn’t sunk in. Without talking with the people, I didn’t really consider how devasting it would be to lose everything! I thought it was just one ten-mile radius. But then, we saw torn buildings in another section of town. Then, in another area we noticed missing roofs and tarps in place of shingles. Then, there were the RVs parked in driveways where houses are torn in two. We went in some of the homes and saw belongings wet and overcome by mildew. Still others with no drywall or flooring.

The devastation of the area began to sink in. The loss of life. Loss of work. Loss of belongings. Loss of everything. Sadness overshadowed the sunny Florida Panhandle. My heart ached for the people and I wondered why they hadn’t received more help. Why weren’t church groups going? Maybe they were and maybe they still are. Maybe the help looks small compared to the massive devastation. Looking at so much loss has a way of opening our eyes. We realize that it could be us living in an RV in a driveway of a house that is torn apart. Or, we could be the ones without jobs because the business lost so much that it shut down.

I began asking questions. I wanted to know how the people were dealing with this loss. I wanted to humanize the loss and put faces to the tragedy.

The lady walking her dog said her and her husband left the area. They went up north, but her daughter stayed in the house and was thankfully kept safe. She felt thankful.

The restaurant server said her fiancé is a police officer, so he had to stay. She said that she stayed with him. She said that it was horrible, and that if it ever happens again, she will leave. She felt scared.

The tour boat captain said they were initially told that it was going to be a Category 2. As they realized the storm was getting worse, they pulled out two of their boats. However, they lost all of the fishing boats. He felt loss and fear.

Over a year after the hurricane, on October 26^th, an employee at Home Depot said he’s still waiting for his roof to be fully repaired. He felt forgotten.

The sadness is overwhelming and many in the Panama City area have sold or are planning to sell their homes. Kent, an 82-year old man, owned a townhouse on the bay that was torn apart. He planned to stay across the street at a neighbor’s house to wait out the storm, but as the hurricane increased in intensity, Kent and his neighbor decided to leave the area. Kent returned home to devastation. His home had no roof, and the doors, windows and siding were scarce. Kent said, “This was really hard for me. This was supposed to be my forever home, but I’m too old to try to repair it.” Kent clearly expressed what so many people in the Panama City area are feeling, great sadness and great loss, as well as forgotten.

I hope that you recognize how much people are hurting in the Panama City Beach area. I hope that you are moved to help those who are hurting. That you see them as people and as Jesus does. I hope you’re filled with compassion and desire to show love. There is still a great deal to do!

If you would like to remember Panama City, and help with repairing and healing, All Hands and Hearts continues to organize and send out groups of volunteers. You may contact them and fill out an application to serve online:  https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/programs/hurricane-michael-relief/.  Also, Samaritan’s Purse is continuously sending out groups to help rebuild. They are looking for teams, but also accept individual volunteers. Register online: https://www.spvolunteer.org/project-response/202.  Perhaps, you can’t get down to Panama City, but you want to show the people that they aren’t forgotten. The American Redcross is accepting online donations at https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief/hurricane-michael-relief-information.html.