![]() And when I say debris I mean whole trees and signs and more were in the road. We made it a few miles and the further south we got, the more and more debris was on the road. We got in the car and decided to just drive as carefully as we could to as far as we could. Our cell phones were either dead or without service and, at this point, we hadn't spoken to my dad in 12-15 hours.Īs soon as we got our bags outside to put in the car (which had no damage - phew!), the fire alarm went off at the shelter and we were not about to go back in to figure out why. We started packing up our stuff because we decided that, as soon as the sun was up, we were going to try to drive back to downtown Naples (as far as we could drive because we had no idea about any possible flooding yet). ![]() We both sat outside for the next few hours for some fresh air and to figure out what the next plan would be. People at the shelter are starting to get really testy with each other, and you can feel the mood shifting. People are definitely getting antsy around the shelter, but it's better to be safe than sorry with pitch black roads and who knows how much water on them.Īt this point my mom and I haven't really slept. Some people chose to leave the shelter at around 8 p.m. We'll be at the shelter tonight as well because the roads aren't safe to drive on right now. It's hard getting in touch with family and friends still in Naples. She said her mother gave one of their blankets to an elderly couple that came with nothing.Ĭell towers are down so really no service going in or out with messages and calls. I even brought baby wipes because I knew showers wouldn't be much of an option this weekend. We brought our own pillows and multiple blankets and all the necessary items including water and snacks. Some came with nothing, so others have been sharing and making do. Individuals had to bring their own blankets, snacks, water, etc. This was a last-minute resort shelter for the city, so they were not prepared with beds and food. Other than that things were still OK at the house, but we also knew that he'd be out of power from that point on and only enough battery on his cell for who knows how long. Right as the outer bands of the storm were starting to hit we spoke to him and he said a palm tree had gone down in the front yard and a big ficus tree took down a pole bringing all the power lines down with it. Late Saturday afternoonĮveryone in Naples has either gone off the roads and evacuated, or sheltered in place. There are numerous factors that must be taken into consideration when preparing for a hurricane and/or evacuating, and that extra stress is the last thing Floridians need at the moment.Īt this point it's just a long waiting game for Irma to show up and pass through the state. And it does not help to have friends and family who live in a different state calling you to give "shoulda-coulda-woulda" advice. It has definitely been a long week, with a high-anxiety weekend ahead. Some parts of Collier County are even going to be under a tornado watch as well, so you're either combating the wind or the water or both. Naples is an evacuation zone, but at this point it's better to stay and shelter in place rather than driving around to different emergency shelters that are all at capacity. Early Saturday afternoonĮven with all the hurricane monitoring, storms can still be very unpredictable and getting in the car just driving from place to place trying to avoid the storm only causes more chaos. Her diary, below, has been regularly updated. "I knew my dad wasn't going to go with us, and I knew that he would be able to handle himself during anything, but there is always still that little bit of fear in the back of your mind that anything could happen."īrightman documented her story for ABC News. "I agreed to go with her to a shelter to help calm her nerves during the hurricane," Brightman, who works at the University of South Florida in Tampa, explained. Brightman's mother was worried about the storm surge, so the two of them headed to one of the city's shelters before the crux of the storm hit Sunday, while Brightman's father stayed at home with the dogs. They changed their plans at the last minute, however. The windows of their home were boarded up, and the cupboards were stocked with food, bottled water and other supplies. But on Saturday, a hitch in her plan emerged: Naples was projected to be in Irma's path. The hurricane was expected wreak havoc largely on the state's east coast. — - As Hurricane Irma approached Florida last week, Tampa Bay resident Jessica Brightman decided to join her parents at their home in Naples, Florida, to ride it out.
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