Post Hurricane Michael: The Struggle is Real

We are three weeks out from Hurricane Michael and I'm here to tell you, we are not okay.  The region hit hardest by Hurricane Michael is suffering mightily.

The town is crawling with contractors, tree services, roofers, lineman, cable repair crews, phone repair crews, debris haulers, distribution trucks, and the like.  Then there's the regular services like the garbage truck, UPS, FedEx, and your mail carrier.   Last but not least, residents are trying to get to services, supplies, and if they are really lucky, a job.

Every day is a struggle.  Traffic is a nightmare.  Streets are lined with debris.  I am very glad we did not buy a new car recently because guaranteed, the doors will be scratched before this is over.  Battle scars from the great test of our fortitude.

Most people have power, but not all.   Some people have phone service with their cell phone (Verizon you're gonna have to really work hard to make this up to us), but not many have landline service. Most people don't have internet service at home.  This makes it hard to communicate with various entities like your insurance company.

Anyone with children will tell you it is pretty hard to go to work without child care or schools. Most day cares are closed.   Some schools are scheduled to reopen November 5, some the week after. Most of the secondary schools will be attending on a split schedule:  high school from 7 am to noon and middle school from 1 pm to 6 pm.  Nothing's perfect that is for sure but the school district has done a downright heroic job of coordinating the logistics of combining our schools 2 to 1 all over the county.  All our kids will advance and all our kids will graduate.  Will breaks and the end of school be the same? Probably not, but that's just another cost this hurricane has exacted on our community and we are just gonna have to suck it up and pay.  In the end analysis the length of Thanksgiving Break is so far down the list of priorities, I'm not sure it even deserves a ranking.

Restaurants and businesses are slowly coming back. But again, no day care, no employees.  No power, no business.  No phone or internet, no business.  So the progress is slow and for many of us who only eat what we kill, scary.

I could go on, but my point is this:  if you are under the impression that things are back to normal in the Panhandle then you need to check again.  Hit up Facebook and read a few heartfelt posts from the folks who live here.  Things are not back to normal.  Far from it.

Despair has set in. Today I learned that someone I've known for 25 years committed suicide after the hurricane.  He won't be the last, I fear.

If you're reading this and know someone living through this dismal experience, check on them. It takes 10 minutes or less to reach out.  You may catch them at a weak moment and pull them back from the edge we are all only a couple of steps away from lately.

If you're living through this like me, please check on a different friend every day.  The only way we are getting through this is out the other side and personally, I'd rather not lose another person to despair along the way.

Everyone matters. Tomorrow is another day. The sun is going to rise, and we will too.


If you're having a hard time after Hurricane Michael:

Disaster Survivors Help Page

Disaster Distress Helpline | SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

If you are in crisis, the national suicide prevention lifeline is open 24/7. Please call, you matter.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255

Available 24 hours everydayMy firm website and Facebook page:

Isler & Sombathy, P.A.

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