It was just a month ago that Brooke Hiers left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived since Hurricane Idalia slammed into her Gulf Coast fishing village of Horseshoe Beach in August 2023.
Hiers and her husband Clint were still finishing the electrical work in the home they painstakingly rebuilt themselves, wiping out Clint’s savings to do so. They never will finish that wiring job.
Hurricane Helene blew their newly renovated home off its four foot-high pilings, sending it floating into the neighbor’s yard next door.
For the third time in 13 months, this windswept stretch of Florida’s Big Bend took a direct hit from a hurricane — a one-two-three punch to a 50-mile (80-kilometer) sliver of the state’s more than 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers) of coastline, first by Idalia, then Category 1 Hurricane Debby in August 2024 and now Helene.
Middle of the state is probably fine, but anything within about 15 miles of the coast should be avoided. Also anywhere within a mile of a major river or lake.
Sadly, it’s the coastal areas that are the nicest, while the middle of the state is unpleasantly humid much of the year. The last time I was in Florida, I spent considerable time in Orlando, and hated every minute of it.
There’s also the issue of seawater pollution in their drinking water. It’s going to keep getting worse.