Mexico Beach - 'It's pretty heartbreaking

[malaise]

https://www.ajc.com/travel/pretty-heartbreaking/JroGcguM1WX4K8HNoHQv3O/

Tom Adams, who runs Mexico Beach Charters in the Florida Panhandle, moved his main fishing boat, the Nauti-Dogg, about 4 miles inland to save it from the wrath of Hurricane Michael.

The Category 4 storm, packing winds of 155 mph, found it anyway.

It’s been nearly two months since Michael, one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, devastated Mexico Beach and caused significant damage in a few neighboring communities.

The Nauti-Dogg still rests at the place Adams once considered safe harbor in an inlet off the Intracoastal Waterway, where he has to trudge along a muddy path and over downed trees to get there. His boat, though, is partly submerged under about 8 feet of water.

Today, though, it still looks like nature dropped a bomb.

Along the Highway 98 corridor in Mexico Beach, the destruction is appalling. Pine trees are snapped in half or leaning precariously toward the ground. There are no hotels, no restaurants and practically no structures that escaped total devastation or serious damage.

There are rough patches in the roadway, the result of quick repairs after the storm surge washed away the asphalt.

The businesses there were all mom and pop operations, none with the deep pockets of a large corporation.

[The Genealogist]

1. Very sad

When I lived in Tallahassee, I went on a spur-of-the-moment day trip on US 98 to the Panama City area. We ate at a laid-back little restaurant on the beach in Mexico Beach. It was January, at sundown, so it was a little chilly, but the restaurant had heaters outside. Such a pleasant memory of that meal, watching people play volleyball and otherwise have fun between the restaurant and water on that salt-white sand under the lights.

[Phoenix61]

4. Sounds like Toucans

Only one I know of with a volley ball net on the beach.

[The Genealogist]

8. I looked that up on Google maps

I am pretty sure that is it.

[sarah FAILIN]

2. I've been there a couple of times

I wanted to go to the area they built an HGTV dream home just to see the area. St. Joe's was the sleepiest little beach town. So peaceful. I hate that the area was hit like that.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Sounds like it was a cool place

I hope they can get the vibe back somehow. Thanks for posting.

[snort]

5. We had a beach house at Mexico Beach

back in the '60s. Our front yard was the Gulf. It was a great place to be a kid.

[brush]

6. Way to go, trump. You moved all the money for FEMA to ICE and child imprisonment...

so helping the people there ain't happening.

And were are the rolls of papertowels, as they might as well be in PR?

[guillaumeb]

7. Climate change?

What climate change?