Its been four months since hurricane Ian slammed into Florida

I remember so well the TV images of widespread devastation

Coastal homes smashed and whole communities wiped out

Its hard to imagine exactly what that is like

Unless you actually see it in person

We took a road trip to a barrier island on the Gulf coast this week

Meeting up with old friends at a familiar place near Fort Myers

We have been coming here annually for a decade

This time was different because the effects of hurricane Ian are still widely visible

Virtually every structure on the island has roof damage

Some have already been repaired

Others have blue tarps on them awaiting repair

Bayside docks ripped up and mangled

The shrimp boats were all destroyed

Some buildings are being demolished

Temporary cell phone towers are in place

As the fixed tower collapsed and landed on the bakery

The island is normally at full capacity with visitors right now

But its probably at twenty percent due to rental homes not being habitable

Our favorite beach front restaurant was totally destroyed

Just a concrete pad covered in sand there now

Construction crew trucks line almost every road

There are enough workers here to form a small army

This quiet sleepy place is just one big reconstruction zone

Nail guns hammer away and chain saws are buzzing all day

Fallen trees being turned to mulch

Debris being hauled away in big dumpsters

The locals say it was much worse a few months ago

With debris piled high along every street

They said all the vegetation was ripped off the trees

Palm trees left standing as naked stalks

The locals were fearing massive inundation from Gulf storm surge

Until the eye veered slightly south to spare them that fate

They believe they got lucky to have mostly wind damage

It seems bizarre to view such massive destruction as good fortune

Nature has already been busy with its own recovery operation

New palm leaves sprouting everywhere

Banyan trees are now covered in leaves again

A year from now everything should be back to normal here

Mostly because these are expensive waterfront properties

Well insured and well heeled owners committed to rebuild

Its a different story a few miles inland

A mobile home park with trailers reduced to matchsticks

A few trailers still have some walls remaining

They are enveloped in tarps like shanty down dwellings

Sadly the park owner has just filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy

Returning the rent checks from the few owners desperate to stay

Most of them were probably not insured

Having sunk their life savings into a mobile home

Planning to spend their retirement near the coast

Probably living hand to mouth on social security

No doubt some of them are homeless now

When that land is sold, those who remain will be forced to leave

Despite the fact that hurricanes seem to be getting worse

People are flocking to relocate in Florida

At a rate of more than 1000 per day

The hurricane chasing weathermen will return in a few months

Plotting tracks during the next hurricane season

Predicting where the eye will fall

Then flying over the debris left by the departed monster

I wonder how many of the 1000 people relocating today

Will be homeless a year from now

The TV crews chasing hurricane Ian are long gone

Homeless people from 2022 hurricane damage is old news now

Chinese balloons in the sky fill your TV screens today

These balloons are relocating to the US at a rate of around three per week

The Chinese claim they are just weather balloons

Nobody believes them and we now know why they fly overhead

They are spying on the entire American continent

Gathering vast amounts of data

Trying to figure out the answer to the big question

Why is it that so many Americans want to live in flood zones and hurricane paths?

The US government is determined not to reveal the answer

So they keep this secret safe by shooting down the balloons on live TV

The Chinese are undeterred and are now designing the next generation of spy ballons

Flying in huge spinning squadrons during the summer months

They will be disguised as Atlantic hurricanes