In a Corner of Florida, a Gathering Storm Stirs Familiar Feelings

As Tropical Storm Debby churned through the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, Lucia Trapani was securing patio furniture and offering refunds to people who had booked stays at the motel she manages on an island off Florida’s northwestern coast. Ms. Trapani had been through this before. Less than a year ago, as Hurricane Idalia approached
In a Corner of Florida, a Gathering Storm Stirs Familiar Feelings

As Tropical Storm Debby churned through the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, Lucia Trapani was securing patio furniture and offering refunds to people who had booked stays at the motel she manages on an island off Florida’s northwestern coast.

Ms. Trapani had been through this before. Less than a year ago, as Hurricane Idalia approached, she shut off the water and electricity at the Sunset Isle RV Resort, where she worked at the time, and moved campers off the property. The Category 3 storm did so much damage to the resort that it still has not reopened.

Ms. Trapani and Brooke Matthews — another manager of the motel, Park Place in Cedar Key — described Idalia with one word, in unison: “traumatizing.”

Almost a year after Idalia became the strongest storm to hit the sparsely populated Big Bend region, known for manatees and marshlands, residents are bracing for Debby, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday. Storm surge of up to 10 feet was expected in some areas, andmandatory evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Levy County, including Cedar Key, as well as Franklin and Citrus Counties.

,

By midday Sunday, Debby was still a tropical storm, with winds of 65 miles per hour. But it was expected to strengthen rapidly over the gulf before making landfall as a hurricane, with winds of at least 74 m.p.h.

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Debby was following a path like Idalia’s last year, but with a key difference: lower winds and a lot more rain are expected. Other states in the Southeast could also see heavy rain in the coming days, including Georgia and the Carolinas.

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
I was on board Titan sub support ship when disaster struck… we lived in false hope for days when communications were lost but at least submersible crew died instantly
Read More

I was on board Titan sub support ship when disaster struck… we lived in false hope for days when communications were lost but at least submersible crew died instantly

A passenger aboard the support ship for the Titan submersible that imploded on an excursion to the Titanic has told of the horror he felt as he learned of the crew's fate. Rory Golden was a member of the OceanGate expedition team and was aboard the Titan's support ship, the Polar Prince, to give a
Venezuela Scares Off Friendly Leftist ‘Observers’ for Sham Election
Read More

Venezuela Scares Off Friendly Leftist ‘Observers’ for Sham Election

Leftist Latin American governments with friendly ties to Venezuela’s socialist regime, such as Brazil and Colombia, have decided not to send observers to monitor Sunday’s sham presidential “election” this week, responding to violent statements by dictator Nicolás Maduro. The Maduro regime will hold a sham presidential election on July 28. Maduro, who clung to power
Biden ‘clearly hasn’t been running the show’ and ‘doesn’t look good’: The brutal assessment from Congress on Joe’s speech
Read More

Biden ‘clearly hasn’t been running the show’ and ‘doesn’t look good’: The brutal assessment from Congress on Joe’s speech

Republicans slammed Joe Biden's address explaining why he decided to cancel his reelection bid, saying the president should have given up the position much sooner since he 'hasn't been running the show.' President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday evening to explain his rationale for suddenly dropping out of the presidential race on