An unyielding monster
It started out calmly as a group of billowy clouds east of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Weather experts called it a tropical wave. This is the time of year for tropical waves. Most build up to some semblance of rainstorm but tend to fizzle out even with perfect conditions.
But this tropical wave grew and, by late September, it began to grow into something bigger. Again, weather experts began making predictions. They all seemed to think this could turn into a major hurricane. It was not a tropical storm with a name, but within a short time of coming in view of Cuba, it became a hurricane name Ian.
Ian is a Scottish Gaelic name related to John. I like it. But I had no idea what this storm would become. It wreaked havoc in Cuba, causing major power outages, flooding, and structure damage as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.
It was a slow-moving storm, which made it even worse. And it was heading to southwestern Florida. Weather experts predicted that with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico the storm could grow in strength to a Category 5 hurricane as it came on shore. At first, no one was exactly sure where this would happen. Most experts predicted it would hit Tampa, a major city on the western coast of the Florida peninsula.
By the time it hit Cuba, I had on the Weather Channel pretty much 24/7. I’ve always been fascinated by weather happenings. In high school, our science teacher taught us about what types of clouds were in our atmosphere, what to look for in predicting rain, and how to study if a tornado or hurricane could develop in certain clouds. To this day, when I see stratus clouds I know this announces a coming cold front. If the wind is blowing more than normally, I know a front is coming and usually rain will follow in a few days. I appreciate what this teacher taught me.
The very first hurricane I can remember being a part of my life was when my mom, sister, and I were on a big ocean liner headed to Morocco. I was a 7-yearold and the ship’s route encountered a hurricane. The ship was rocked all about. My mother was so seasick. She stayed in our cabin. Strangely enough, I was not sick, although I do have motion sickness. My sister was not sick, either. We headed to the children’s playroom but were told to leave when it got a bit rough on the monkey bars. We loved it.
Our next stop was the dining room. When we got there, the waiters were running about trying to catch dishes, glasses, and silverware from being swept off the tables as they rocked back and forth. One of the waiters, speaking in Italian, or maybe it was French, shooed us away. We were hungry. Reenie and I noticed some large fluffy rolls within our reach. We grabbed some along with a dish of butter and headed out the door as one of the waiters wearing a white shirt covered in wine chased us. He didn’t catch us. He was too busy catching expensive crystal glasses as we headed toward the door.
When we got back to the cabin, Mom was moaning in her bed. Bless her heart. We should have had more feelings for her dilemma, but we sat on the floor and stuffed those marvelous rolls slathered in butter into our mouths. I still remember the taste to this day. And yes, my mouth always waters. I don’t know if we were ever in any danger, but the next day we woke to brilliant sunshine as we passed the Azores. The only damage was to a solid oak bench on deck, which was smashed into toothpicks.
Hurricane Ian came onto shore at Ft. Myers — south of Tampa — just shy of a Category 5 hurricane. Anyone who followed the progress of this monster storm knows how much destruction it wielded. One such place was a once beautiful Sanibel Island. We had gone there once to let our little ones find shells. We traveled across a bridge from the mainland and weren’t disappointed. The bridge and most of the dwellings of that beautiful area are gone, swept away in monstrous winds and a rising sea.
Ft. Myers up from Sanibel met the same fate. At last count, close to 80 people have lost their lives. As Ian crossed over the state, more damage from flooding and winds occurred.
This beautiful sunshine state, the home of my birth, met a monster named Ian and it was unyielding. The Scottish meaning is “the Lord is gracious.” Maybe not this time.