My sister's friend in Daytona is fine, but she's in a high rise apartment not a house. Haven't heard from the others yet.
Got to feeling a bit melo-dramatic when I posted that!
I think you're thinking of the ones on the barrier islands on or near the Virginia border.
You are right that evacuation isn't always an option. I remember seeing a newsreporter in 2004 who asked Louisiana residents why they didn't evacuate and it was logistics preventing them. Some of the people didn't have cars because they use the bus; others had a disabled person for whom travel is difficult plus more lacked money for fuel, lodging and food. Animal rescuers stayed because they wouldn't leave their charges behind. I know of a FB friend who had to stay in her car with her cats because the evacuation shelter that allowed pets was extremely stressful with excessive barking (and sometimes fighting) plus she feared that a dreadful accident with a loose dog could happen.
I have thought about this as I keep reading about people calling 911 because they are stranded in their homes due to flooding and from those who are asking for "wellness checks" for love ones they haven't heard from.
In all fairness, it sounds like the Sheriff was a bit overwhelmed. And who wouldn't be?
My Mom and I have discussed what we would do in the event of a terrible disaster, and evacuation is not an option for us. We have a boarding facility. I cannot leave these dogs and cats that aren't even mine, and there would be no way to transport them all. I can't imagine being on vacation 500 miles away only to show up and realize the owners of the place evacuated and left my pets inside for who knows how long with no access to food, water, etc. We also have barn cats, our own pets, and chickens that my Mom would never leave behind (they're backyard pets). We have plans and things like that, but just up and leaving....not gonna happen.
I watched a documentary about that place when the construction was still fairly new. I'll keep it as kind as possible but I couldn't stomach them at all. And there was a big thing about her daughter committing suicide years ago, and how it was handled. IDR the details but I really felt kind of disgusted by the whole thing. Ugh.
"Man plans, God decides ".....classic
I really hope that house was empty......
I've never seen a storm surge IRL but it reminds me of a tsunami. How scary and so sad.
I watched the documentary also. They also had a show earlier this year which picked up where the documentary left off. Victoria died from an accidental overdose. She was only 18. So sad.
God bless that dude!!!
The ponies you're thinking of live on Assateague Island, north of Norfolk across from the Delmarva peninsula. Chincoteague is on the mainland across from Assateague, and every summer, the ponies are herded up and swum across the channel to Chincoteague as Marguerite Henry described in her book. I was a big fan of Misty, and begged my parents one year to take us to Pony Penning Day, and so we went. We lived in northern Virginia at the time. The northern part of Assateague is in Maryland and designated a sanctuary. The ponies have been there several hundred years, thought to be descendants of Spanish horses shipwrecked on the island.
I'm more than a little "judgy" about this. People were warned and a mandatory evacuation orders were given. If people didn't leave because of simple orneriness, they should be charged with the cost of the rescue. Maybe next time they will leave. The local government could make arrangements to transfer people that can't go on their own - buses, the bedridden, etc. One hospital did manage to evacuate its ICU. Whatever needs to be done should be done. Everyone knew, and I've lived through a few hurricanes myself.
