Hurricane Michael Six Months Later

We recently had the opportunity to return to Panama City and Mexico Beach as we continue production on our documentary film The Last House Standing. The first time we went there was in November, about a month after Hurricane Michael hit.  Just last week we returned and found that quite a bit of cleanup has been done, but there are many people whose lives are far from returning to normal.

There’s a great deal of pride that the local people have for the area, but there is also a strong feeling of having been abandoned by the state and federal governments. The bills for cleanup are in the hundreds of millions, and checks are being written that the city and county can’t afford. The big story on the news in Bay County was that due to the financial shortage the county was facing, they might have to lay off 600 school employees.

The ripple effect of a major disaster goes far from just the physical damage we can see. A business goes under, and so do all the employees. A home gets destroyed, and now the family is either living in a motorhome in their yard, or forced to rent property a great distance from what once was their home. A hotel or restaurant gets wiped out, and every person who had a job there is now out of work. Meanwhile, everyone else around the country goes on to what the next big news story is, and the damaged area becomes a distant memory.

What was also striking was the survivors’ guilt from those that were recovering but weren’t hit as hard as some of the others in their community. They were left with feelings of guilt because they were putting their lives back together while so many of their neighbors were deep in a mess that will take years to recover from. Some were fortunate enough to be able to afford a new RV, while a neighbor might be living in a tent.

We also heard stories of how the human vultures of the world come out to prey upon the victims of a disaster, whether it’s overcharging for removing mold and debris, or taking a deposit to fix a roof and either overcharging, or keeping the money and never coming back.

Seeing how these people are struggling with the aftermath of a disaster that some may never recover from makes it apparent we have to be more conscious of where we are living and what the consequences of that choice might be. Do you have the right insurance if you live in an older home? Will you be safe if a major storm rolls your way? We’ve learned once again that it’s impossible to stop Mother Nature, but there are things we can do to be better prepared when she strikes. There is no way to undo the trauma done to the victims of Hurricane Michael, so the rest of us need to learn this lesson now. In the meantime, keep the people in the Panhandle in your thoughts and prayers, and hope that they get the help they need to recover.  You can follow our progress with the film by signing up below for our newsletter, and watch a segment of the film on our website.