Whew, that was a close one. From a probable direct hit to a near miss. A last minute shift in trajectory steered dangerous Hurricane Ian, with its Category 4+ winds and monstrous storm surge, just to our south. First it was expected to make landfall in Tampa, then forecasters shifted its path to Sarasota.
That's when many Lido Shorians' initial bold talk of riding out the storm ended. Combined with an evacuation order, and the imminent closing of the John Ringling Bridge, most neighbors reluctantly packed up and left. Some stayed with friends on the mainland, others fled Tuesday to the east coast, in our case, to Ft. Lauderdale. The thought of a 12-16 foot storm surge washing over Lido Key was just the push we needed.
When slow moving Ian finally came ashore Wednesday afternoon, (September 28th) just south of Punta Gorda, it brought with it one to two feet of rain, punishing winds and that massive storm surge that we dodged. Venice, Englewood and North Port were hard hit, and are now dealing with record setting flooding.
And further south, Ft. Meyers Beach was devastated, entire blocks of homes and businesses swept away. Naples didn't fare much better. We now know being on the south side of Ian's landfall was catastrophic. To think it could have been us.
According to a few brave souls who did stay and ride Ian out, it was a long-night of high winds and driving rain in Lido Shores. But by daybreak, the skies were already clearing and our barrier island was mostly spared. Shelly and Ross Masters (200 Morningside Drive) stayed put, and were joined by Sandra Appignani and Mark Baumgarten (1154 Westway Drive), who had lost power. Shelly said, "the wind just constantly howled and we were reminded the entire time of the storm." Winds were clocked as high as 86-miles per hour at Sarasota-Bradenton Airport. By noon on Thursday, crews were already in the streets removing debris. "Love the sound of those chainsaws," Shelly said.
A survey of the neighborhood revealed the relatively good news for most. Tree limbs, branches and shredded leaves, lots of leaves, littered the ground around most homes and in the streets. A couple of massive old trees were uprooted. The old tree by the Umbrella House was toppled, as was a large tree on the beach access.
When we returned Thursday afternoon, (Ringling Bridge was opened at 1pm), there was no noticeable flooding along the roadway through Coon Key. With the City removal of the pine trees that used to line the street, combined with storm sewer repairs, there were no trees or standing water to block the path.
After checking on our house (1456 John Ringling Pkwy), and finding a carpet of leaves, many shredded, around the exterior, in the pool and in the pond, but no major tree damage, we headed to the St. Armand's parking garage to pick up our second car. We, along with many others on the Key, fearing a storm surge, had moved their cars to the upper floors of the garage. In hindsight, we could have left it at home, but then again, better safe than sorry. And more good news. The City raised the parking garage gates and didn't charge any parking fees.
Water service was restored by Sarasota County to Lido Key late Thursday, and to Siesta and Casey Key's by Saturday. A boil advisory was in effect over the weekend. As is usually the case in Lido Shores, some homes never lost power. And others on Morningside Place and Center Place were without electricity as of Monday night. Xfinity Cable and Wifi service was restored to some by Sunday night.
Sarasota County provided updated Ian related information during the storm. Go to: scgov.net and the county's Facebook page: facebook.com/SRQCountGov.
Kudos to Ross and Shelly Masters for information for this story and for the storm aftermath pictures.
~BT
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| Ross Masters and Amok surveying the neighborhood after Hurricane Ian |
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