I struggled recently to address some questions as to our Sally recovery in Pensacola. Throughout this Sally experience, I have been reminded of some critical facts about hurricanes and tropical storms. Here, I attempt to reduce some of those random thoughts to a summary.
First, "How bad was it, I've seen the pictures?" In my limited personal contemporaneous experience (Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Sally), I find pictures are sometimes not worth the thousand words with which they are often credited. These storms bring destruction and debris, period. That fact is immutable in my perspective. Photographers (not us amateurs perhaps, but folks with real skill) can place that damage and debris into perspectives that are impactful and thought-provoking. But, it still seems to me that photos in the aftermath never quite tell the whole story. Depending upon location and perspective, some may overstate the impact while others simply cannot capture it.
"How bad was it?" It was a Category 2 storm at landfall (sustained winds of up to 110 MPH, just short of Cat. 3). That has to be compared to Katrina and Michael (I was not in the path of these for landfall, but traveled in the path of each immediately after), which were Cat. 5 (sustained in excess of 155 MPH), Ivan, which was a Cat 4. (sustained in excess of 131), and Dennis, which was a Cat. 3 (sustained in excess of 111). So, to be fair, Sally was not up to the wind strength of any of these prior experiences.
As to the volume of debris and my perceptions of damage, I am comfortable also concluding that Sally was not of the same magnitude as these other storms. There was far greater debris and destruction in each of those other experiences, from trees to billboards, windows, roofs, and more. But wind speed is but one consideration in the seriousness of a cyclone.
The speed at which the storm makes forward progress can be important. The National Weather Service (NWS) notes that Dennis "was a fast-moving and rather small hurricane" and that "limited the extent of impacts." Think here of the experience of pulling off a band-aid; sometimes the quicker it is over the better. NWS characterizes Katrina instead as "large and extremely powerful." Her central pressure was the third lowest on record (the lower the pressure, the more intense the storm. She "left a wake of devastation that will never be forgotten." Sally was very slow moving, "about the speed at which a human walks." As such the Sally experience was impactful and for many an anxious event.
The amount of water that a storm pushes ashore, the "storm surge" is also a critical consideration. Katrina's was 10-28 feet. Michael's was 9-14 feet. Ivan's was 10-15 feet. Sally's was only 5 feet. In terms of storm surge, this was not as serious as many cyclones. That is a blessing. But, Sally brought heavy rain, due in part to the very slow speed with which it moved ashore and on to the north (2-3 MPH according to NPR). Some areas had between 20-30 inches of rain in the 48 hours surrounding landfall. That is a very significant volume. Michael and Katrina were about ten inches, while Ivan was 10-15. Sally was a more serious rain event.
How fast does a storm lose strength after landfall? Michael is notable because it remained at hurricane strength after crossing the entire Florida panhandle, and entered Georgia as a Cat. 3 hurricane. It is in the books as "the most powerful storm to impact the Florida Panhandle in recorded history." Storms lose strength over land; Sally diminished more rapidly than Michael.
In summary, the Pensacola News Journal characterized it: "The Category 2 storm didn't flatten the Panhandle the same as Hurricanes Ivan and Michael have in the past." That is fair as a general observation.
In the days past I have had various people ask about the Sally experience. Some report friends' perspective of "worse than ____" (fill in a storm). A point worth considering in that regard is an old comparison that I picked up some years ago. It is not mine, but I cannot attribute it either. The saying is essentially "the difference between a shame and a tragedy." A shame is when your neighbor's house gets flooded, and a tragedy is when your house does. This illustrates that whether Sally was "worse" or "as bad as" Ivan or other storms will depend largely upon a micro-analysis.
Few of us perhaps consider the impact in the macro (community-wide) perspective. Instead, whether we see this or that as worse or more destructive may depend more upon our personal experience with this or that storm. The bottom line is that Sally impacted some people more than Ivan or Dennis, but as likely did not affect others as much as previous storms. "how bad was it" is a personal question about an individual experience.
Therefore, it is worth remembering that you never really know what someone else is going through. It pays, therefore, to be courteous and accommodating anyway; you may make someone's life a bit easier. It may be too easy to say "Sally was no Ivan," and it is possible that someone's recent experience was by far worse than Ivan in 2004.
A third point worth considering is that after any storm, there will be some degree of destruction and debris. If you live through one of these things, it is good to remember that there will likely be impact to your mental health. Tempers may flare, dread may set in, a variety of emotions may surface (if only briefly). It is important for us in any event to set goals for ourselves. Psychologists tell us that "the successful pursuit of meaningful goals plays an important role in . . . our psychological well-being." So goals and progress are generally good for us. After a storm is no different. Becoming active in the recovery is productive. Setting goals for recovery and rebuilding is positive.
But, knowing that we cannot control the pace of recovery is also critical. Thus, a positive goal may be to get the debris stacked by the road (you can work toward that) but not necessarily to get the debris picked up by the authorities (you are at the mercy of always too few trucks and too much debris). Setting achievable and reasonable goals to get yourself back on track may help to provide a forward focus and distract from the destruction around you.
A fourth point is that every storm is different, as illustrated above. One of the Major Sally impacts is the damage to the U.S. 98 bridge between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. This has lengthened my daily one-way commute to the office from 7 miles to 35 miles (I am not alone). That 35 miles has taken as little as 45 minutes last week to as long as 90 minutes (depending on time of day).
The fact is inescapable, storms damage infrastructure. That bridge's predecessor (this "new" bridge just opened less than a year ago) was closed after Ivan for ten days. The Twin Spans in New Orleans had to be replaced after Katrina (finished in 2011 after the 2005 landfall), though it was opened much sooner through temporary repairs. The I-10 bridge in Pensacola opened only 17 days after Ivan, again through temporary repairs (the new Pensacola I-10 bridges opened in 2006). Infrastructure can be damaged, and thus the impact of a storm may last, and frustrate, long after the debris is removed and the water has receded and the wind has subsided.
Most importantly, in the aftermath of a storm, is that it is good to hear from the outside world. Believe it or not, it is likely that people far away have better information on some topics, from hundreds of miles away. This is because those in the path lose power and cable, but those distant do not. Also, in the aftermath, it is likely that those in the path will remain busy, with many distractions from scheduled news programs and updates. Thus, a text message or email may bring encouragement and enlightenment. But, in any event, it is a boost to morale when you hear from those wondering about your situation and progress.
In summary, it is hard to characterize Sally in the same category as these other storms. Certainly, she was destructive and disruptive. For many, she was just no Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, or Michael. But, for some, she was worse. The experience is personal, the impact is personal. As the Emerald Coast recovers yet again, hopefully, we can remember that many will be struggling with recovery and rebuilding. With the help of legions of assistance and aid this community will be back like so many before, and unfortunately like so many yet to come.
If you get nothing else from this, it is that every season it pays to (1) be prepared, (2) have a plan, (3) remain attentive, and (4) be thankful to those around you. These storms are all tough to experience. They are all different, with a variety of risks and challenges. We will each experience them differently. In the end, our ability to commiserate with and support each other is the critical element to the experience.
