Post Hurricane Ian Check-In. That Bastard, Ian

On By SuzIn As blogged by Suz

**I started this post on 10/6

Thank you to all who reached out to our family. I’m beyond happy to say that personally, we fared well in Hurricane Ian. My people are all upright and unscathed….well aside from Nathan who is on day nine of working and hasn’t slept in his bed yet. Lauren and Nathan’s town (North Port) was ravaged; this is also where Nathan works. He’s been on ‘recovery’ duty which I can’t even imagine how horrible that is. Their house was —-this—close to taking in water. Which would have sucked doubly since they just finished a complete renovation two weeks prior from a ‘surprise broken pipe’ in January that flooded their home. (after that incident, they lived with NO running water for eight weeks. EIGHT. My children are not sissy-lala snowflakes)

Lolo and Nathans waterfront home.

WE ALL THOUGHT IAN WAS GOING NORTH OF US, but that asshat made a last minute right hand turn!

Our home is that red pin

How did Suz do during the hurricane? She was tucked away nicely in the mountains of GA on a pre-planned trip, but also felt stressed and guilty because she was not in the thick of it. *sigh*

Linds, her cats, her BF, his daughter and Lolo’s dogs were all hunkered down at our home with the Coach. Our home lost power for five days which is really not bad in comparison. (working on this post on 10/12 and people are still without power)

Do you remember our sweet, cute little condo on the Bay and across from the Gulf Of Mexico?

Oh how I loved those slipcovered Pottery Barn pieces…

The weather people warned of a storm surge and honestly, NONE of us really knew what to expect. Call us naive. What happened though, was the Bay and Gulf of Mexico met up in our condo as well as many others. Cars were floating in the bay. Jet Ski’s were floating in the roadway.

Anyhoo….it’s a total loss. I filed a claim while still in GA and when I got home I read my insurance policy. Cue the Debbie Downer sound effects. WE HAVE NO FLOOD INSURANCE.

See the water line on the island? Hey, that really WAS an island for a time…

Ya think I can wash those white slipcovers?

I’m really NOT complaining. We still have a soft, safe place to lay our heads as this wasn’t our home-home. My renters for this coming winter will have to make other plans and we are already working on redoing everything. (Everything had to be taken down to concrete to mediate any mold, even the tile floors were taken out)

So many people had harrowing experiences and many lost their lives.

I was in contact with a young man who we used to do pressure washing and sealing of our roof/pavers and he had such a terrible experience. He’s lucky to be alive.

I mean, really. These people are survivors.

That was part of a text he sent to me and it made my heart stop for a minute. There’s also an article from the perspective of the guy who rescued him.

Lets Talk About Our East Coast Clean Up Calvary

Hurricane Ian arrived on Wednesday.

Sunday I arrived home from GA and I was greeted by a slew of our friends from the East Coast who had come early that morning and helped the Coach remove anything salvageable from our condo. Talk about good friends; they worked in muck for hours boxing up clothes, linens, pots/pans, etc.. I should’ve taken a photo of it all the stuff, but I did remember to take of photo of them, dirty and exhausted but with the biggest hearts. They removed TV’s, our exhaust hood, ceiling fans, the kitchen sink, mirrors, light fixtures, you name it, anything that wasn’t wet and reusable.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We are blessed with the very best of friends.

We are away again. October has been a crazy busy month; I hope November will pale in comparison.

I have much to share, but not enough time to do it. Until next time!

XOXO

35 thoughts on “Post Hurricane Ian Check-In. That Bastard, Ian”

  1. I lived down south for 18 years and rode out many hurricanes, I know this pain. So very sorry your beautiful condo was under water but grateful your daughter’s house was spared and everyone is safe. Good friends like yours are worth their weight in gold, you truly are blessed. That text is terrifying and shows what a real monster that storm was.

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    1. Thank you, River. This hurricane was a different beast; generally, the wind does all the damage-Ian came in with lots of water.
      We are so fortunate compared to many people.

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  2. Throughout all the news coverage of Ian, I wondered how your properties were doing. I knew you were in GA, so you were safe. I am sorry to read about and see the mess you’re dealing with, but am pleased to see that you have help cleaning up. All I can do here is *sigh* along with you– and send good vibes your way.

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  4. How awful for everyone affected by Ian. I’m glad you were spared much damage in your main house. I can’t imagine that much water in my house like you showed with the water line in your condo. I hope you can salvage a lot of your stuff. It’s going to be a long haul for a lot of people.

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  6. That condo was absolutely stunning. I am deeply sorry for your loss. I know others have had it harder, but loss is loss, and I am sorry you had to go through that.

    However, I am relieved that you and your family are safe. I’m glad you have such caring friends down there. I hope you all remain safe and hurricane-proof for a long time. 😘❤️

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  9. M

    Oh, Suz! I didn’t remember where in the state you lived and was really hoping you and yours were not in the path. I’m glad that everyone is safe and Lolo&Nathan’s house got spared; that was close! I didn’t realize you were that close to Fort Myers. So glad to hear your home was untouched!

    Sorry to hear about the condo, though. Oh, my!! How did your funiture manage not to be carried off/away like the cars and jet skis?? Thank goodness for great friends, which you have plenty of!! Sorry to hear about the flood insurance! Do they even offer it? Sometimes, they just don’t when it’s in a prone area — or when they do, it costs an arm and a leg! That’s how it is with earthquake insurance on this side of the country!

    Poor Nathan with the nonstop work. But we are very thankful for him and people like him!!

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    1. Hey.
      Thanks so much.
      I think I could get flood insurance, but the cost outweighed the risk. In hindsight: LOL!! It’s ok. The HOA has FEMA insurance that will help with the remediation and tear-out.
      Our furniture was lifted up and floated around, but couldn’t leave because the doors were shut. Talk about a good security system. 🙂

      Our first responders really stepped up all around and I’m so thankful for all of them as well.

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  12. Bijoux

    What a nightmare!!! I’m glad your ‘real’ home was safe, but holy cow on everything else. I’ve read that most people did not have flood insurance because it is too expensive? We actually do have flood insurance on our house because of the constant basement flooding we had at our last home. So, I understand what it’s like to pick through what’s salvageable to a 1/100th of what you are going through with the rental. I hope to never hear a ServPro fan running ever again!

    Thanks for letting us know you guys are all safe. I’m so glad you have such great friends to help out. I’m with you in spirit. XOXO

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    1. The ServePro folks have been busy. 😦
      Our HOA does have some flood insurance through FEMA, but it only covers so much. We will see how it all pans out. Coach (he is a GC) is redoing 7 or 8 units in our complex at once, and that will pay for our unit’s renovation/redo.
      We have the very best people in our lives.

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  13. Pat Birnie

    I was wondering how you & your family fared — so sorry to hear about the damage to your condo, but relieved that all your loved ones are well and safe. It must be horrible to go through storms like this (safely up here in Canada where a hurricane or tornado is extremely rare). What amazing friends you have. You have these great people because you and Coach are such kind and caring people (plus I suspect a lot of fun to be around??!!). We reap what we sow. Take care and good luck in the coming weeks. Hope you can check in and update us occasionally!

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    1. You are so sweet.
      I am always humbled when our friends come together for us or one of our causes….but you’re right, we do the same thing for them. To quote my inner child: Fair is Fair. 😳😜 *giggle giggle*

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  14. I knew you were in GA, but I was unsure of your main residence in FL. I’m glad your home escaped the hurricane, as did your loved ones’.

    What a shame about your rental property! I know you’ll get it sorted, but that’s Just One More Thing.

    Thank goodness everyone is safe. Enjoy your time away.

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  15. Sorry I’m so late . . . I’ve been out of the loop.

    Those photos – yikes. Grateful that you are all OK, but wow – the damage is mind blowing. You sure do have amazing friends. Not at all surprised. Sorry about the condo. Such a beautiful space.

    Nathan must be exhausted. Such a tough job.

    That is quite an amazing story – punctured propane tanks? How frightening. And how lucky that a canoe was passing my just at the right time.

    Thanks for the update. I’ve been thinking of you all.

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  16. nicoleboyhouse

    Oh my god Suz. I am so thankful that you and your family are all okay. But what a nightmare. Your condo! I’m glad your main home was unscathed, but your condo! Yikes. Nathan must be so tired. Poor guy.
    That story about the young man and the canoe – wow. I mean, that is just incredible. Thank goodness everyone is okay.

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  17. Oh, wow. I didn’t realize you were right in Ian’s path. How scary! I lived through a hurricane once on Oahu, but that was NOTHING compared to what you experienced. I’m glad your positive attitude is still intact and nobody was hurt (or worse).

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  18. Melanie Galliano

    I was wondering how you were doing during Ian. So so sorry about your condo!! So awful that happened! I’m glad you were able to salvage some of it. We have flood insurance here but it’s about to be so darn expensive, we’re going to eventually drop it and hope for the best.

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  19. It is so hard for people who have never lived through a hurricane to imagine how scary and destructive they can be. Glad you made it through. I was without electricity for 3 weeks once. That’s when you know who your friends are.

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