Spradley’s Beachside Blog: Closing the Book on Ian
Posted on: 10/2/2022
Original Article: https://flaglerlive.com/181275/beachside-blog/
Scott Spradley is a long-time resident of Flagler Beach, a photographer who’s been documenting cityscapes and sunrises on a daily basis for years, and an attorney. He’s remaining on the Barrier Island for the duration of the storm, and is contributing a running account of Hurricane Ian’s local impacts as they develop.
Sunday, October 2, 10:50 a.m. — I awoke this morning in my cozy bed on the Flagler Beach barrier island to near normalcy, for the first time in nearly a week. A predawn visit to the beach revealed an amazing post-Ian sunrise. I immediately had the sensation of “we survived.” So, as I write this final chapter, the 11th altogether, to the Spradley Hurricane Ian Storm Blog, a range of emotions comes to mind. Rather than rehash what I have already written these past few days, I will share some behind the scenes thoughts and images to conclude.
First, the good. While the storm was fierce, and hit the barrier island with full force, we were spared the scope of roof damage and other structural damage of Hurricane Matthew. Likewise, while there was flooding, with many sustaining substantial flood damage to their homes, we did not see the scope of water damage brought about by Hurricane Irma. Nor has any loss of life as a result of Ian been reported to date. So, there is that.
Second, we saw the emergence–again–of a few dedicated Flagler Beach warriors who continually set aside personal gain in favor of helping others to overcome storm difficulties. Scott Fox, Paul Chestnut, Tracy Callahan-Hennesey, Tiffany Wiggan and others constitute the core of dependable locals who can be counted on to lead others through the neighborhoods to seek out and offer assistance of all kinds to our residents. This week has been no exception. Well done, all, including appreciation to our tireless police and fire departments behind the leadership of Chief Matt Doughney and Chief Bobby Pace.
I am also grateful that while there are tremendous concerns about the loss of dunes up and down the beaches of the barrier island, A1A survived, which is a testament to the planning, funding and implementation of significant repairs, beginning after Hurricane Matthew. But the storm took a toll here and elsewhere in many ways that I observed.
In the background, I spared you the heartache and terror that I experienced the day before Ian’s arrival here. My daughter Alyson is a student at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. Despite careful planning, conversation and dependency on weather forecasts, we reluctantly concluded that Alyson would fare best by staying in her three-story apartment building in Fort Myers. After all, she was several miles from Fort Myers Beach and was shielded, it seemed, by the barrier island of Sanibel.
When all hell broke loose on the afternoon of Ian’s arrival in Fort Myers, it hit me like a ton of coquina rocks that Alyson could not be in a worse location, due to the ongoing storm surge. By now, you have seen the photos and videos of the destruction of Fort Myers. As a parent, there can be nothing worse than enduring a day watching the Weather Channel while a radar map superimposed on a road map clearly displayed the location of Alyson’s apartment as being in the “red zone” of dangerous tidal surge. My agony was shared by Alyson’s mom, Susan, in Orlando and the feeling of helplessness of both of us was unprecedented.
But there was a happy end to that story: Alyson’s apartment complex was spared, she is dry, and she and her roommates are now comfortably in Orlando with Susan until Fort Myers reopens to the public. So there’s that. Included is an image of the three of us in Sanibel, before the destructive storm, a year ago.
On a far lesser level, I had a bit of a loss as a direct result of Hurricane Ian. While I captured one of my best and favorite images, ever, of the storm inflicting fatal damage to the Flagler Beach Pier, that 10-minute session cost me my trusty Nikon D750 camera, which became saturated with salt water and is presently dead, thanks to the 50 mph gusts at the time. While in the big scheme of things, losing a camera pales in comparison to homes and lives, that camera has literally thousands of memories for me. At least I still have the digital images from it!
On another good note, my offer to fly a drone over homes of families who evacuated the island was accepted by 31 homeowners, of whom I was able to satisfy 28 with photographs from altitude of their homes. Most were pleasantly surprised at minimal water intrusion or little or no damage to the roof. All were relieved to at least know what they would be coming back to, thus terminating the stress associated with the unknown. I was thrilled to provide that relief to my fellow barrier island residents. Plus, it’s always fun to fly the drone!
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Pierre Tristam, who brainstormed the idea of the Spradley Hurricane Ian Storm Blog, during a call we had early in the week. By all accounts, it has been a success. Through your messages and posts on social media, through your emails and by your in-person comments and smiles at Publix and elsewhere, I now see there really was value to the information I carried to you. I am grateful for that, and I will just say: my pleasure. With that, I conclude this chapter and until next time (hopefully next year or beyond),
Cheers and Be Safe,
Scott