Surviving Ian’s Wrath

A view from the author’s office during Hurricane Ian in September.

By Lori Sandman, Esquire

The sun pressed its way into small raindrops at first, making the light play in its wake. As the drops got heavier against the windows in the office, we unplugged most of the electronics and put a few things up and away. We were told there were sandbags downstairs if we wanted to be extra safe, so we hauled them up, braced them against the door and left Sandman Law Office in Daytona Beach to prepare our homes for the anticipated storm. In the hours following, Hurricane Ian blew in.

My husband Mike was in Pennsylvania, working as he does from time to time, and we talked early and regularly about him leaving to come back to our home in Port Orange, Florida. Every season the storms come, but they mostly shift, die, retrack, lose steam. Ian was coming through from the west coast. And the chances of it hitting us hard all the way on the eastern side of Florida were not huge.

When I got home, I switched on the news and noticed Ian’s strength and magnitude were increasing. The bands of rain began lashing everything – during the next few days even the word rain was redefined for many in my community. The drops grew furious, swirled and flew with violence, striking roads, bridges, buildings, and smashing and flooding with rage.

The cell towers were knocked out early, much earlier than the power, so it was hard to communicate; for those who were alone, it grew scarier as the night wore on. When the power went out we couldn’t see the path of the storm, and with no phones, we were definitely in the dark. The strange sounds were maybe, the hardest part for me – creaks and cracks and pops through the sound of the wind as things let go.

Mike made it back as the last of the rains were driven by the wind into huge puddles-turned-ponds, and all bridges and roads to our home were flooded or blocked past any hope of crossing.

Surviving Ian’s Wrath

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The aftermath of Ian in Daytona Beach.

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Although he was within a mile of the house, he couldn’t actually get home until later that day, when the waters soaked back into the swollen earth.

My home is on the peaceful Spruce Creek. Ian’s raging torrents caused it to flash flood, rising over 15 feet in a matter of hours. I am among the lucky. My home was spared, and dedicated crews from around the country restored power within a few days. Our law office is heavily damaged and now needs reconstruction – the sandbags there could not stop the angry rain. Water soaked into rugs, books, and electric things; in Florida, mold and mildew follow fast. But these can be replaced. In my neighborhood, giant oaks were forced through our neighbor’s bedrooms. Sink holes swallowed concrete. And on nearby roads in my town, homes and lives were submerged.

It has been a little over two weeks since the biggest storm I have ever seen passed through. The piles of debris wait on the edge of everyone’s yard for the big trucks to take away the big trees, leaf piles, and spoiled furniture hauled there. The bridge at the front of our community is out, and they say it will be another month or so…maybe, so we take the long way around. It won't be forever, but until it's fixed, we'll keep bringing food to the neighbors who lost their kitchens and sharing what we can with those in need.

Ian slammed into Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mile an hour sustained winds. It was one of the most explosive and destructive storms in history. For some of us, Ian changed everything. Witnessing a natural disaster first-hand is an experience I will never forget.

Ms. Sandman is a longtime member of the Berks County Bar Association and principal of Sandman Law Office PLLC in Daytona Beach, Fla. A little more than a month after she submitted this article, Ms. Sandman found herself in the path of an even more destructive storm – Hurricane Nicole. Local news reported that Nicole was a rare November hurricane and caused damage estimated at more than $500 million. Ms. Sandman reported that she was safe but that her law office suffered extensive damage. DEBRA KONOWAL

610-372-8201• www.stewartabstract.com DebraK@stewartabstract.com 1100 Berkshire Blvd, Suite 100 Wyomissing, PA 19610

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