Rick Patrick & Chris Jones: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Leading up to the arrival of Hurricane Irma, Madison County had more than her fair share of visitors, trying to escape the wrath of this potentially deadly storm. Many of them travelled north from such places as Sarasota, Naples, Vero Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and many more. Traffic on both I-75 and I-10 was literally bumper to bumper at times. One could easily say that tens of thousands of people made their way north in a massive caravan making its way to hopefully safer ground. Much of that traffic stopped in Madison County, either as a waypoint or as a destination. Some of those travelers on the road had left with no particular destination in mind.
Every one of those thousands of cars contained people. People with a story to tell. Stories of hope, fear, uncertainty and nearly every human emotion on the spectrum.
The Davis family left their home in Sarasota at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in two cars loaded with children, dogs and whatever necessities they could carry. They were headed to Eufala, Al., because that was the only place they could find a motel in which they could stay in order to ride out the storm. They decided to take a short break from their journey by stopping at Denny's on Hwy. 53, in Madison. According to Brent Davis, they had seen numerous car accidents on I-75. In an effort to make better time, they took side roads around Ocala, Fl. Even with taking those side roads in an effort to avoid the delays caused by the numerous traffic accidents on I-75, the trip from Sarasota (which would take approximately three hours under normal circumstances) took almost twice that long. The Davis' two children, Leah, age four, and Levi, age seven, seemed to take the “adventure” in stride.
Bill Weber had driven up from Vero Beach with his wife and a parrot named “Ruby.” He said he had no firm destination in mind, so he decided he would stay in Madison through Saturday, Sept. 9. He had no plans beyond Saturday. Weber said traffic on I-75 had been moving fairly well until he reached Ocala, Fl., where it turned into a “parking lot.” Weber readily admitted he had no idea what he would encounter when he returned home, much like his fellow travelers. “It's just 'stuff' and 'stuff' can be replaced,” said Weber. “If you lose a TV, let insurance pay for it, and you go to Sam's and buy another one.”
Ben, his wife Anita, and their son Jon, along with their two dogs, left their home in Northport, Fl., on Thursday, Sept. 7. They do not live in an evacuation zone, but said they preferred to be cautious. They closed their storm shutters at home, loaded their vehicle with as many valuables and important papers as they could, and headed north, staying at a hotel in Madison until the morning of Friday, Sept. 8. From there, Ben said he didn’t know where they were going. “We'll probably go all the way to Mississippi,” Ben said in a solemn yet determined tone.
One family, who wished not be named, consisted of an elderly mother and her two children, left Fort Myers, Fl., on Thursday, Sept. 7. They spent the night in a hotel in Madison on Thursday, Sept. 8. On the morning of Friday, Sept. 9, they were headed west, with no specific destination in mind. According to the son, the residents of all barrier islands and mobile homes were under a mandatory evacuation. They said that most of their trip from Fort Myers to Madison was spent between 20 and 30 miles per hour. They plan on being gone for at least two weeks.
Chris and Julia Braun, along with their son, Sam and four dogs, spent the night of Thursday, Sept. 8 in a hotel in Madison. They left Naples, Fl., in two cars the day before. According to Chris, the family boarded up their windows with ¾ inch plywood, moved all of their electronics and important paperwork to safe areas of their home, and evacuated the area, en route to Tennessee. “If this thing veers off then we'll go back home, but we're expecting to be gone at least a week,” said Chris. He also stated that the interstate was not very bad from Naples to Ocala. However, after Ocala, Chris said he was shocked by the chaotic and unsafe driving of people “flying past us” on the shoulders and medians.
Retired firefighter Betsy Beck and Skip Richey loaded their four horses and five German Shepherds in two horses trailers and left Jupiter, Fl. at 11 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8. They drove non-stop until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, when they stopped to let the horses out of the trailer. The horses grazed in the grass behind the Super 8 hotel on SR 53 S., in Madison. Beck said they loaded up all of their pictures and some antiques before striking out toward Grand Ridge, Fl., to stay with a friend. Beck was in South Florida during Hurricane Andrew. She recalled being without power for eight weeks and without outside assistance for two weeks.
Now that the storm has passed, many of these people will be making their way back home. They will, perhaps, face an uncertain future. But, as they return home, the people of Madison will once again open their hearts to these travelers. May they all go with God as they venture on to whatever the future may hold for them.