It’s been an eventful month, to say the least. Power & water was out for nearly three weeks in our neighborhood. We went back home after we got word it was back on. While we were evacuated, my defense contract was suspended by ACC/USAF...so we stopped getting paid. Our company informed us there would be zero compensation for being forced to evacuate by our customer (and ordered not to return closer than 50 miles...). Then we found out the unit I’m attached to was being deactivated, and the aircraft & squadron personnel would be relocated to three different locations. Suddenly there was no job... Two other squadrons supported by our contract were relocated from Tyndall to Eglin AFB, about 2 hours away, and then there was the dash to try to keep a job by accepting a “temporary work location move” to drive there & back every day for work, also without compensation. Nope. I didn’t want to fight for scraps with my friends so I resigned from my company. In the beginning of this ordeal, I had already started job hunting... We came back to our rented home to find damage was worse than originally thought. The owner has some volunteers from his church clean up the fallen trees that filled our pool & back yard, but we’d never get to swim in that pool again...There was substantial water damage inside the house, and there was mold growing on the ceiling. Words cannot convey how awful the refrigerator was. It took two days to clean & disinfect it enough to where I felt it was safe to use again, and I still won’t use the ice it makes. We applied for FEMA assistance & a Florida Program for reimbursement of spoiled food, only to be told we didn’t qualify, despite now being unemployed, due to my little bit of savings. Fortunately my GS & my Lexus were safe in the garage with no damage, just some drywall droppings from water damage to the ceiling above. Our roof was replaced, but nothing has been done to cleanup the inside or vast amount of debris that’s been piled up on the front and side of the house, where our trash pickup is supposed to be. There’s no TV or internet available yet. No stores on this side of town are open after 6PM, and there are nearly no operable street lights. It’s like something out of The Walking Dead at night. I estimate about 25-40% of the houses around us are vacant, due to damage and total destruction in some cases. I wound up being offered a job back overseas in Okinawa, and accepted the offer. We are selling off most of our stuff, and moving out the week after Thanksgiving. I’m going to rent a moving truck & car carrier trailer, and drive out to Oklahoma City to my little brother’s place, to store my belongings, and park my GS in his garage while I’m overseas. If all goes well with the company onboarding process, we’ll be in Okinawa the week prior to Christmas. Now I just need to convince Penske that my GS will fit on their car trailer...
I hope things start turning out much better for you. At least the house was a rental and you got another job, even if it is far away. Your cars were unscathed and, most importantly, You and Yours were unharmed. No matter where you reside, you'll be able to stay in contact with all your friends here.
Dang buddy.. those pictures are pretty intense. Though overall I am glad that everyone is safe and you found work, hoping the best for you both.
