The good news is that things could’ve gone a lot worse. Hurricane Irma tore through the Caribbean with a power never seen (or recorded before). The Category 5 hurricane (the first major hurricane in 12 years) bulldozed much of Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Florida Keys, but its constant redirection and course changes helped scrub a lot of its ferocity. As it journey north along the western coast of Florida, many feared the worst for Naples, St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay. Amazingly, the storm lost steam and turned northwest, almost journeying along Interstate 4 before turning direction again and heading north into Georgia and Alabama – this time as a “tropical depression.”
That is to say that there wasn’t any substantial damage. The toll is still being tallied, and many are without power, water and other municipal services. Of those affected was The Watercraft Superstore and SBT, Inc. who both sent out alerts updating customers and friends:
“Good morning fans. We are currently closed due to a power outage at our location. Please know we are working hard to reopen. While our buildings remained safe during the storm, many employees are without power and have damage to their homes. We will update everyone as soon as we return. Should you have any issues or questions, please feel free to contact us via Facebook messenger or leave a comment here. Thanks for your understanding. We hope everyone made it out safe from the storm.”
For those of you affected by Irma and were caught in the torrent, all of us at The Watercraft Journal express our prayers and support for the safety and security of you, your families and livelihood. Humans are a resilient bunch, and have fared far worse. May Irma (and Harvey) be merely “remember when” stories told among friends. God bless!
