A little wiser and a little more weary: reflecting on Hurricane Ian

As hurricane season begins, people are reflecting and looking forward at the community they love.

“This was actually almost like a beach… I had the whole front yard covered in sand,” Greg Scasny said, describing a wrecked lot, “just a little green beach cottage, we called it the Tipsy Turtle.”

Hurricane Ian was the tipping point for the Tipsy Turtle.

“Me and the wife got a bottle of champagne, and we sat in the road with our friends or neighbors or all came, and we drink some champagne, and we all watched them tear it down. It wasn’t a sad thing because it had to be done,” Scasny said.

To make room for progress, to once again live on his own property in time for the first day of hurricane season.

A little wiser and a little more weary of the strength of Mother Nature.

“You know, I used to say if it’s a Category 3 or less, I’ll probably stay. Um… I’m not going to do that, even with a new house that’s built to code I’m not staying,” Scasny said.

While the town can make visible improvements and the buildings can come and go, it’s the emotions that are harder to wash away, especially when the videos of the waves can still be seen today.

“It’s still gut-wrenching to watch. A place like this…that was just beautiful, sorry. It’s tough,” Scasny said, as he choked back tears.

It’s an even harder pill to swallow knowing that it could happen again.

NOAA released its predictions for the season. They’re forecasting a total of 12-17 named storms.

Five to nine of those could become hurricanes, including one to four major hurricanes.

“It’s a probability you have to prepare for, so — we — it’s a community strong. It’s a resilient community,” Scasny said. “You know, we’ll– we’re gonna bounce back from this, and it will be better than ever.”