After Hurricane Dennis...
Destin, FL -Hurricanes along the Emerald Coast are a fact of life… the price, if you will, of living in “paradise!” The first (and hopefully last) hurricane of 2005 has now come and gone with memories of Ivan still fresh on everyone’s mind… but the good news is “Dennis the Menace” was no where near the ugly menace of “Ivan the Terrible!”
DESTIN:
Most of Destin is already back to normal though they were somewhat
closer to “impact.” The major inconveniences were isolated
to a few areas without power (quickly remedied) and the unfortunate loss
of Highway 98 on Okaloosa Island between Destin and Ft. Walton Beach (already
reopened, albeit 2 lanes instead of 4). Eager visitors should simply confirm
with their resort or hotel and come on down…the water is back to
it’s beautiful Emerald Green color and the sand for the most part,
had nothing more than a serious “dusting” in Destin. Surface
damage seems to be the main story around town… missing shingles,
shattered windows, wet carpet, over-turned signs and similar problems
that can be fixed in a relatively short amount of time! All of which is
great news for Destin and Destin-lovers.
Dennis, on a path less than 50 miles off the track Hurricane
Ivan took last September, made landfall just east of Pensacola
Beach, FL at 2:30pm. At the time, Dennis' maximum sustained
winds were 120mph, making it a very strong Category 3 hurricane.
Got a question about the Destin area after Hurricane Dennis? Try the TripSmarter.Com Destin Forums.
PANAMA CITY BEACH:
Once again, Panama City Beach remained virtually unscathed by
the storm…in fact, other than some minor beach erosion, it’s
business as usual and Panama City’s seasonal tourists are already
back in the Gulf enjoying a little surf and sand. All your favorite businesses
and clubs are wide open and every citizen from this great area is grateful
to have dodged yet another bullet from Mother Nature!
BEACHES OF SOUTH WALTON:
For the most part, the ultra-fabulous resorts, homes and condos along Highway
30-A also fared well…unphased by Dennis and enjoying mild weather and
one of the most beautiful coastlines in our state. Santa Rosa Beach…Seacrest
and Seagrove, along with Seaside, Grayton and Watercolor (to name a few) are
all as spectacular as ever, although there are some isolated areas of moderate
beach erosion that will surely need some renourishment. But that's not stopping
locals and visitors from enjoying the storybook beaches of South Walton County.
Theater continues at the Seaside Repertory Company and lunch and dinner at
Bud & Alley’s, South Walton’s longest established restaurant,
goes on as usual.
TripSmarter.Com's Panama City Beach Forums are alive with people asking questions and posting photos of the Beach after Dennis. Jump in and ask a question, post a photo, or just share your thoughts about the Beach.
Read a local perspective of Hurricane Dennis, restaurant and hotel updates, and more useful info in the Hurricane Dennis Report from Panama City Beach.
PENSACOLA:
As usual, with all the good news, there is some bad… Pensacola will require
yet another recovery phase. Yes, it seems unfair that two storms should come
so close to the same place in less than 12 months, but people who live along
the coastline are resilient and very determined. Those same people also depend
upon your support and will continue to make every effort to maintain the status
quo. Best of all, no deaths were directly attributed to Dennis in the Panhandle
and someone somewhere was looking out for us as the storm weakened just before
making landfall! That’s enough good news for a big sigh of relief from
most folks. Pensacola, no doubt, has a long, tough road ahead of them, but with
the help of people from all over the country, Pensacola will rebound and remain
the pride of the Panhandle.
For updated information on Pensacola road and bridge closings, curfews, relief effort locations, distribution centers, school closings, insurance information, etc. log on to Pensacola News Journal.
Additionally, the Pensacola News Journal has set up Hurricane Dennis community forums on their website to allow an exchange of information in the aftermath of Dennis. Many Pensacola residents that evacuated are logging on to find out if power has been restored to their area, inquire about damages, or offer support.
TripSmarter.Com's
Pensacola Forums are also available for asking questions, concerns,
or voicing support for the Pensacola area. 
