Hard to believe that “season” is upon us. It was such a hot, steamy, wet summer that I’m actually looking forward to the traffic jams in cooler weather!
It was an interesting summer though. With heat indices in the 100’s on a daily basis, regular thunder-boomers, historic mosquito infestations, and – of course – hurricane Irma and the resultant aftermath (which is still on-going), the summer of 2017 will be remembered not-so-fondly for quite some time.
It was interesting to be standing out in the front of the property amongst some 40 trees that were blown down, amid the din of various generators running here and there, watching the National Guard helicopters flying by. What some of our seasonal residents fail to understand is that, though the power is back on and the busses are running, the hurricane was, and continues to be, a major interruption to our local service industry.
Want to rent a piece of equipment? Good luck! There are still waiting lists for skid-steers, loaders, excavators, shooter-boom fork-lifts, etc. Want some rip-rap to dress your waterfront up? Sorry – so do thousands of other folks – and demand has far out-paced supply. Building material and fastener suppliers are beginning to come back to normal, but there are still some hiccups in the availability of key components – like facia, screen, chainsaw parts, and seawall panels.
Without access to banking for two weeks or more, no gas, no reliable phone service for up to 3 weeks, no internet, and no land-lines, the tradesmen of Collier County “lost” a month this summer. And no amount of feet stomping or “demands” of non-existent infrastructure will bring it back.
Time to remember why you come down here every year – to relax. So……relax! Our commercial infrastructure will come back over time. Just be glad that your biggest problem may be a mess that hasn’t been picked up yet, or a screen that needs to be fixed. All you have to do is look at the Keys, Houston, or Immokalee to see how bad it could’ve been.
Naples and Marco Island have always been very resilient, and things will get back to “normal”. But the reality of the situation is that we were dealt a severe blow (pun intended), and it’s going to be a little while before the wounds are completely healed.
On the waterways, proceed with caution, as shoals have shifted and there is debris everywhere. Buoys were blown out of position, and channel markers were damaged. Again – relax, take your time, and get to know the new lay of the land.
Capt. Jim Kalvin is a Florida Native, and 100 ton USCG Licensed Master, and a Marine Contractor. He can be reached at 239-280-6054, or via email at james.kalvin61@gmail.com.