In the I of the Hurricane
Hope after Historic Storms Ian and Idalia
by
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Please Don’t Let Me Go
Fighting for my life, I am screaming inside. Looking into Jack’s eyes, I remain steely calm. He’s scared too, I can see it, but he holds me firmly to his side. We are standing on top of the kitchen counter, my head nearly touching the ceiling. Jack’s knees are bent, given his six-foot-two frame, and he’s trying to hold me steady. The floodwaters rise quickly and are splashing against my face. We are in trouble.
The ocean I know has never looked like this. Dark and menacing, it’s filled with unseen objects that bump into us. I’m so afraid for Jack. His heart is weakened by surgery three years before the storm. He’s never fully recovered. I know he would die to save me, but I cannot live without Jack. Closing my eyes, I try to think of another time and place. One of my favorite memories, us skinny-dipping in the Florida Keys, enters my mind. I hold onto him and cling tighter. The disgusting smell permeating the air snaps me back to our tenuous situation. The sounds envelop and petrify me. We strain to hold our position, tucked against the corner cabinet, and fold into each other for protection from the waves.
It’s late afternoon, and the water should be cresting with high tide coming soon.
“Is the water still rising? Hold me tighter, Jack. I’m so afraid. I don’t want to die.” Tears spill down my face. I believe it is still rising. Closing my eyes, I feel like I can’t breathe. I pray silently. “Please help us.”
Thrashing around now, I feel so sweaty, damp, and confused. Jolting awake and gasping for air, I’ve escaped from this nightmare. I look around and see it then—the debris, the mud, and the destruction. Our home has been utterly destroyed. I reach for Jack, and he’s here beside me.
We made it through. Thank God. We made it.
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About the Book
After relocating to Florida, author Rebecca A. Keen lived in a condo on Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, a small community north of Fort Myers. On September 28, 2022, as the eye of Hurricane Ian barreled toward the harbor, she waited in terror.
Initially predicted to make landfall farther north, many had ignored the evacuation warnings, and all across southwest Florida, residents sheltered in place. Then, this unpredictable Category 5 hurricane unleashed a 500-year record storm surge, decimating entire towns. Nearly one year later, on August 26, 2023, Hurricane Idalia, a Category 4 storm, struck the Big Bend area of the state, causing chaos and destruction to its victims.
In The I of the Hurricane, Keen visits the towns and beaches where each storm made landfall. Through weather bulletins, text messages, and personal accounts, she shares meaningful insights and inspires hope in the face of the unimaginable. This narrative includes her personal, firsthand experience in the storms as well as stories from some of the survivors. She tells how families and entire communities united through the complete devastation of both Hurricane Ian and Idalia.
About the Author
On September 28, 2022, Rebecca sheltered on Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, Florida, as the eye of Hurricane Ian moved directly overhead. The storm brought a new purpose: to document what happened when Ian and then Idalia struck the Florida Gulf Coast.
Hearing the stories of storm survivors firsthand, she was compelled to capture their harrowing experiences and resilient spirit. Her book honors the survivors and victims of these historic hurricanes.
Rebecca grew up visiting the beaches of Florida and lives with her husband, David, in Punta Gorda. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business communications from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She contributes a column called The Places of Punta Gorda to Isles Life magazine, which is published in her Florida community. In the I of the Hurricane, Hope after Historic Storms Ian and Idalia is her first book.