Hurricane Ivan - Story written by Ginger G-75-64

Hurricane Ivan

Pensacola, still a disaster area
by Ginger G-75-64

Pensacola watched apprehensively as Tropical Storm Ivan evolved into Hurricane Ivan. The Weather Channel kept moving the strike zone further to the west, finally showing Pensacola almost dead center. The barrier islands were under mandatory evacuation, but not Pensacola itself. While packing my belongings, to go further inland for shelter, pictures were hurriedly placed in my luggage for safe keeping. Trying to decide what to take, just in case your house is gone when you return, is a difficult chore at best.

Friends welcomed me into their home, where five adults, one baby and seven dogs took refuge for the next two days. Ivan made landfall at the Alabama-Florida state line. This placed Pensacola on the bad side of the hurricane. Finally, the winds began to increase in intensity. Ivan arrived without a doubt. For sixteen hours, we listened to the howling winds. The house shook from the pounding of the high winds. No one slept that night. Everyone was glued to the television, as we watched the reports regarding Ivan’s progress, at least until the cable went out.

At dawn, we ventured outside to see what damage Ivan had done. Fortunately, for my friends, their house did not sustain any damage. Trees and limbs cluttered their yard, but we were all safe. Escambia County placed a 48 hour curfew. No private vehicles were to be on the streets, or those inside would be arrested and taken to jail.

Finally, I returned home, giving a sigh of relief to discover that my house was intact. Many others were not so lucky. Ivan’s visit was only the beginning of a long and arduous recovery. I drove around Pensacola, observing the incredible damage that it had sustained. Buildings gone, homes destroyed, trees and wires were down (blocking streets), demolished roads, impassable bridges due to missing sections. Marinas with boats in storage collapsed. The beaches were gone with the sand, sometimes as high as twelve feet high, blown inland on the islands. Roads and yards were no longer visible on the islands, due to the relocation of the sand. The Naval Air Station located at Pensacola sustained 90% damage. People who were still employed, worked in buildings with plywood walls. The pictures that were shown on nationwide television did not come close to communicating the damage.

There were a few days before relief arrived. Everyone listened for information regarding where ice ( a precious commodity), could be purchased.. No one complained about standing in long lines in the scorching heat, when Food World, with its generators running, opened its doors to sell ice. Then disaster aid arrived in the form of FEMA, the National Guard, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army. Power trucks from as far away as Alaska and Ontario, Canada were working 24/7 to restore our precious power. The National Guard distributed ice, bottled water and MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat).

However, the devastation went further than buildings. People’s lives were disrupted, with many people losing their jobs. One of FEMA’s programs allowed people, who had sustained losses, (directly due to Ivan) to receive a one time distribution of food stamps. Having lost my job, as a result of Ivan, I stood in line for two hours. I observed people from all walks of life and various nationalities, move forward, one step at a time, to receive this help. So many people were displaced -- one woman with a small child -- was living in her car, as they had no place to go. People, who experienced Ivan’s wrath, are easily recognized, because of the look in their eyes.

The recovery has only begun. It will take at least a year to restore Pensacola and surrounding areas to the shadow of its former self. The white sands will have to be hauled back to the beaches and sea oats planted in order for the dunes to rebuild. The economy will probably take longer to recover, as it depends on the tourism industry. The media has all but stopped coverage of Ivan, but Pensacola is still a disaster area and will remain so for some time to come. Here, the disaster will last longer than the event.

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The above story of hurricane Ivan was written by Ginger G-75-64 and is her actual experience as she survived "Terrible Ivan" and is still today trying to put her life back together in a devastated area of our country. Her courage and determination is to be admired.

Thank you Ginger for putting into words what you personally saw and went through with one of the most devastating storms to ever hit the panhandle of Florida.

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