“Two hurricanes in such a short time makes one start to doubt.” Shawn Hogan (text message after IRMA)
Friday Sept. 15th My first and major responsibility for today was meeting Equity members Shawn and Blake Hogan at the Ocean Reef Airport, to help them ferry some much needed supplies, and to meet up with their insurance company reps. Shawn and Blake Hogan have been friends for it seems like forever. I’ve photographed their children Lauren and Blake from the time they were small. With my Hasselblad FILM camera… it’s been a while. Shawn would send out the most beautiful Christmas cards, you know, the kind you save. Just three weeks ago as hurricane HARVEY was bearing down on Texas, eventually hitting Houston, my thoughts shifted to Shawn and Blake… of Houston, Texas. When I contacted her I learned that her neighborhood was completely flooded with the exception of two homes, one theirs. Everyone was evacuated by boats. “It’s been so terrible, but we are safe” - Shawn texts, Weds. Aug. 30th I texted: “Need anything” Shawn: “Not a need in the world. Thank you so much. We are now prepping Florida for a possible IRMA.” Evacuation orders for the Florida Keys for hurricane IRMA are issued September 6th. Shawn: “Please be safe it looks like a very powerful storm… keeping you in our prayers I will worry about you.” Me: “Worrying is futile and makes your tummy hurt.” Sunday Sept. 10th early evening The storm IRMA is passing Ocean Reef. Much was being posted on social media about flooding. Still too dangerous to venture out. This was a long storm… 2 Days. By Wednesday people were venturing out, taking a look around. I took a long golf cart ride out to Coral Lane to put eyes on the ground for Shawn, but after arriving didn't feel safe walking beneath the downed trees and the woods full of snakes. I sent Shawn a pic using my iPhone 7. Shawn: “I agree. It looks HAUNTED.” Today, In a matter of hours Shawn, Blake and their two pilots came in, they surveyed the situation and they left. I was in awe of how their calmness, order and gratitude shined. They are my heroes. I texted Shawn to ask what their greatest takeaway was from this experience. Shawn replied: “After coming off hurricane Harvey we were anxious to see our Ocean Reef Home. During Harvey our home was only accessible by boat. During Irma the photos Steve Smith, our house manager, sent showed 2 feet of water in the garage and house. There were large trees on the house and blocking the entrance to our home. The best part was seeing you, parked on the taxiway waving to us when we landed, and Ryan’s smiling face helping us unload all the blowers, dehumidifiers, and extension cords. I have no idea how we would have gotten all the supplies to our house without you. We have known you for 18 years, looking back over our family photos tonight. You have been a part of our Ocean Reef Family for a very long time. And today, experiencing our neighbor, you, coming to help in a time of need, having the support, love, generosity of a friend and neighbor was overwhelming. Blake and I are grateful to you. Thank you Carol. This whole experience has reminded us why we bought a home a Ocean Reef 18 years ago; it is truly a special place. We can’t wait to come back. Yes and by the way Shawn… I can photoshop in Lauren and Blake, as if standing in the driveway of your POST IRMA scary Haunted House… Just as you said as we laughed in the debris filled driveway, the greeting could be “HAVE A SPOOKTACULAR CHRISTMAS”
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Solar systems are quiet, the power grid is quiet, batteries are quiet (if you can figure out how to charge them). Generators are loud. Thankfully the noice canceling headphones are taking care of that problem… just need to keep them charged!!
I can compare living at Ocean Reef POST IRMA to living on a boat; something I have great experience with having sailed 48,000 nautical miles and done seven trans Atlantic Crossings aboard the schooner yacht America. Compare. Time in your day dedicated to just that what you need. Fuel, water, maintaining the generator. Food… like on a boat, do you have enough provisions to make it to your destination. Did my golf cart get enough charging from the solar panels to allow another day's run? And with technology… are my cell phone and laptop fully charged. Thank goodness for the reliability of my new 15” MacBook Pro with solid state HD. It is so battery efficient and fast! The iPhone 7 plus as my personal hotspot allows me to connect to the internet, so I may actually post photos to my website and this journal. Conservation. With fresh water flowing only two hours during the day, how can I get what I need to boil, bath, to refresh, to supply my needs? Take a swim and notice how cool the air feels after being hot all day. Talk, read, journal. Boiling water and making lemon grass tea from the plants in my garden. Sharing fallen avocados with Giovanni so he can feed the crews guacamole. Pure LIFE. News. There is no TV. Word of mouth, asking our friends and coworkers what they've heard about situation down South? The local radio station SUN 103.1 has been on the air for 70 hours straight, broadcasting peoples needs, reporting community info. Can you believe someone was entering properties in the Keys and depositing flyers INSIDE their destroyed homes, offering to buy their homes? Community. “Keys Strong” is the new mantra. Standing watch. Ted retires early, I stay up and write my journal, nice quiet time to reflect; I top off the generators about 10 PM; he wakes about 4 AM, refuels… and so it goes. We have AC and cold beers, what more is there? In light of what's happening in the world today, maybe it is time for a mindset reboot. If we can't handle a hurricane, how can we deal with an attack, nuclear or otherwise It's all about personal responsibility and helping our fellow man. PHOTOGRAPH ACCOMPANYING THIS JOURNAL ENTRY. 9/11 Tribute. Ocean Reef Club Public Safety hoisted the American Flag on their ladder truck, on the anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers. It's been a week since the mandatory evacuation order to leave the Florida Keys for the Cat 5 storm IRMA, and I would be lying if I did not say it has been a roller coaster ride. We were in the direct path of it for so many days it was really unnerving. Life in the Cone! I am a lifelong Floridian, a business person, and most importantly a wife, so when someone you love doesn't want to leave… guess what… you hunker down. It's a personal decision and you have to respect that.
Many factors favored a good outcome. The house I live in has seen numerous hurricanes since the mid-1960s, Andrew included … it's got good bones… it's situated at nearly the highest elevation in the geographic center of the island… a whopping 11 feet above sea level, in a native plant hammock. Cisterns, solar power, generators. And though I may think what the heck, every June I go out and buy provisions to last for at least a month. That's just what you do. Yes, there was the gamble you can't predict a monster storm. And with all the social media it's just really difficult to find a personal calm. During those hours, glued to the weather channel, I remembered my project during the early 2000’s, The Fragile Keys documentary, Pete Purdue, legendary fisherman and marine store operator in the Keys, an interview about how as a boy, he survived the Killer hurricane of 1935, that wiped out Islamorada, including scores of servicemen who were on Flagler’s railroad cars who couldn't get out and were washed to sea. He and his family and neighbors sought refuge in a school bus. As the surge water's were rising up to within inches of the roof of the bus, his grandmother announced that they all recite the Lords Prayer. And they did. And the waters went down. Prayers work. And like those emojis you see on a live feed on Facebook, when I closed my eyes I saw persons important in my life and development. They were real faces and I’d concentrate even harder to make out their features. Compassion for others. As I write by candlelight, there are super dark skies, free of light pollution, I can even see the stars. I want for nothing. Yes it's hot and it’s hard work cleaning up, but my pain is eased when I think of those folks down South. The Keys, The Islands. The ones who lost their jobs, their homes, perhaps their lives They have lost everything. Except they have also gained something. Their friends, families and complete strangers are coming together, helping each other out. -Carol Ellis |
CAROL ELLIS
This photographic website provides me the opportunity for self-expression, for sharing Archives
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