After Hurricane Dennis...
Pensacola, 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!”
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.
July 10th, 2005: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.
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.
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.
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.
Have a question about the Destin area after
Hurricane Dennis? Try the TripSmarter.Com
Destin Forums
