Wilma - Final Chapter

One of the greatest moments of our lives, or at least so it seemed at that time, was at 4:30 pm on Friday, November 4th. That was the day and time that we finally had our electricity restored! There was a lot of rejoicing in our household that evening!

And with that, things really started to return to normal. New phone lines were also installed over the next few months. Our once lousy, undependable service is now so good that we are able to have wireless DSL in our home. Something that we thought would never be possible here.

And all new cable lines were strung. People gradually were able to get the materials needed to fix or rebuild their homes. Especially the roofs that had been torn off. Slowly but surely tarps were being replaced with fiberglass sheets of roofing material. The grocery store and markets returned to normal, with all the regular produce that we had come to expect.

Right after the hurricane, every single reservation that we had for the cabana we rent, cancelled. That was of great concern to us because it represented a loss of income for the entire season. It would not kill us, but it meant we would have to tighten our belts for awhile. However, as November progressed, new reservations started coming in and soon we were totally booked for the entire high season again. We are thankful for that.

As stated earlier, we will NEVER leave this island again for a hurricane. Unless, of course, a Cat 5 is predicted to slam right into us. Otherwise, our house is very secure and safe and this is our best place to be. True, I worry about the water but it would have to rise at least 30 feet to even begin to be a problem for us. It is just so scary, being so close and seeing those big waves right across the street! And most hurricanes do not behave like Wilma did and stall out over the top of you! That was just a freak.

We have also learned a lot about what is a sensible thing to have around and what is just a waste of time and money to keep on hand. But the best thing that came from this awful experience is friendship. Once again we were shown how important it is to have friends, and also, in a time of need, who your friends are. And who you should be a friend too also! We were touched and impressed by all of the emails that were waiting for us once we were able to get back on the internet.

THE END…..until the next one!