Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Sanibel and Captiva Fare much better than expected during Hurricane Irma

Call me crazy, but I stayed on Sanibel for Irma!
That being said, the building codes here on the island are extremely high, over and above those for Lee County and the house I was in was built to withstand winds of 250 mph. The first level of the home is 16.5 ft above ground and there was another level to escape to if needed. I felt extremely safe and had a front row seat to watch as Irma rolled in over the Gulf of Mexico.
We had radio, and were warned that the eye wall was about to pass us when the winds dropped as the storm took a jog to the east. Things slowly returned to normal, and there was NO storm surge!
All in all the islands suffered minor damage, mostly downed trees and a few power lines. Driving around checking the homes of friends and customers I was very happy to report all OK in all cases!!
My home on Sanibel got power yesterday afternoon, and water and sewer have been restored Island wide. Many homes are still without power and LCEC  can be seen everywhere working diligently.
Our sympathies go out to our neighbors in Collier County who were less fortunate.
As I write this article, many island businesses are opening up, including Baileys General Store who opened their doors at 3pm one day post storm! The Lazy Flamingo 1, and the Sanibel Grill are also open for business as is the Pecking Order. 711 at the corner of Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay road has gas, but the lines are VERY long and are being monitored by SPD.
Royal Shell Real Estate will be open for business in the next coming days; I wonder what direction the market will take? After Charley it went up, up, up!
Sally Davies
Royal Shell Real Estate Inc.
Sanibel & Captiva Islands.