Pelican Bay – Naples, FL – My husband and I have lived in Pelican Bay for 21 years. We rode out hurricanes Georges, Charlie and Wilma. When hurricane Irma started to appear on the scene, I took one look at her and said to my husband, Don, ” I have NEVER seen a hurricane like this! WE ARE OUT OF HERE!”
Don put up our hurricane shutters on September 5th and we were on the road with our friend Rosa on September 6th. We were headed to Gainesville where we would determine which way we should drive based on Irma’s latest projections. A snail moved faster on I-75 than we did. A 6 hour drive took 9 hours. By the time we decided to take back roads to I-10 and head West across the Panhandle, we could only located a hotel room in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A 8 hour drive took over 13 hours. If I have learned anything about the evacuation process it is:
- Scan your important documents into the cloud DAYS before you decide to leave. I waited to do this the day before I left.
- Make sure your tank is full of gas before a hurricane gets too close to Florida.
- Don’t assume any bathroom you might use has any toilet paper or soap. I was happy I packed toilet paper and Wet Ones.
- Make multiple hotel reservations in as many cities as you think you might have to evacuate. The first night in Gainesville, I should have started booking hotels north and West of the Panhandle.
- Take your passports. You might need them for re-entry.
- A Costco bag is perfect to store water and sandwiches.
We were gone a total of 11 days. We had issues getting hotel rooms on our way back to Naples. We were lucky that our condo sustained no damage in the storm. Don didn’t want to take the hurricane shutters down until he saw which way hurricane Maria was headed. As I type this blog entry, Don is taking down the hurricane shutters.
We drove around Pelican Bay today and visited the North and South beaches. People have been worried how they fared during the storm. They fared well. Up and down Pelican Bay BLVD are MASSIVE amounts of tree debris. The mounds on tree debris remind me of drifts of snow piled so high at an intersection you couldn’t see traffic around the drift! Here’s some photos I snapped today at the beaches:
Damage to Sandbar tarp
Sandbar beach in Pelican Bay Pavilion
Sandbar Beach looking towards Marker36
Sandbar Beach Pavilion in Pelican Bay
Damage to Mangroves
Looking towards Sandbar Beach
Handicap ramp at Marker36 Beach
Marker36 after Hurricane Irma
Bar Area Marker36 after Hurricane Irma
Mangrove damage
All and all I think the beaches look great! Pelican Bay employees were down at both beaches today fixing and cleaning the pavilions. I am looking forward to being able to swim in the Gulf again. I hope that happens soon!
If you are thinking of selling your Pelican Bay home, please give me a call at 239-594-2780 or email me at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com. I’d be happy to discuss all the latest statistics and explain what they may mean to you.
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About the author:
Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in Pelican Bay. Her 39 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to Pelican Bay Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wilber via e-mail atLynn@NaplesBuys.com or call 239-594-2780.
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