Jimmy Buffett wrote a song by that title, and as he says in one performance, “Thank God this one’s over.”
This week marks the end of the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season (May 1 – November 30), which is best remembered for Hurricane Dorian, which grew from what was thought to only be a Category 1 hurricane at worst into one of the worst Atlantic storms ever (tying with The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935). At one point, it seemed like it would follow the path or Hurricane Irma in 2017, which threatened Sanibel and Southwest Florida, and we became quite aware of our place in the infamous “Cone of Uncertanity.”
While impacts in Southwest Florida are actually quite rare, it is of course possible. And it may rarely happen outside of the standard season. This season had Subtropical Storm Andrea formed off the East Coast of South Florida. In 2005, storms exceeded its naming list of the season with Hurricane Alpha in October and went longer with storms into December, ending with Tropical Storm Zeta from December 30 to January 6, 2006.
Given our experience two years ago (and Hurricane Charley in 2004), we always take storm warnings seriously, monitoring not only national media like The Weather Channel, but especially local media (winknews.com, nbc-2.com, abc-7.com, and fox4now.com) as well as The City of Sanibel (mysanibel.com) and Lee County Emergency Management (www.leegov.com/publicsafety/emergencymanagement). If a significant storm threatens our area, Sanibel Holiday is quick to inform current and upcoming guests of emergencies and whether they should avoid or evacuate the area. It should be noted that Sanibel and Captiva would receive a mandatory evacuation order for a hurricane as “low” as Category 2 due to potential for flooding from storm surge. Also, the Sanibel Causeway will be closed should sustained winds reach 40 mph or higher. Remember, if the residents leave, so should you.
As part of our bookings, Sanibel Holiday automatically offers and calculates optional travel insurance (provided by Travel Guard, a division of AIG) as a part of your vacation package. This would be available should you have paid in full and subsequently find that you have to cancel due to a documentable incident (including a mandatory evacuation). This insurance is OPTIONAL and you can make the decision on whether to purchase it when you are ready to make your final payment. For more information about trip insurance, please ask us to refer you to the customer service department at Travel Guard.
As we get ready for the New Year, we wish you Happy Holidays (and hopefully Happy Sanibel Holidays…Book Direct and Save!)! Wish us luck for next hurricane season.