When I first wrote this post it was supposed to be about the petty annoyances of living steps away from the ocean: the salt rime that slowly eats away at a car, the rust forming on garden tools, wood splintering from constant exposure to heat and humidity. Mildew. But along came Irma, and I would be remiss if I pretended that life in the Keys remained the same.
In the early morning hours of September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma slammed into the Florida Keys as a monster Category Four storm. Her wrath tormented the island chain, the eye passed over Cudjoe Key and her bands battered every bit of the archipelago.
Living in paradise comes at a cost and sometimes the price is dear.
The Aftermath of Hurricane Irma
When morning dawned and Irma had moved onto the peninsula, those who rode out the storm had their first glimpse of the devastation. Houses were flayed open, cars overturned, buildings flooded, landscape uprooted. Boats clogged canals, their moorings snapped and their docks crushed. Still other boats had been plucked from the ocean, cast upon the shore and across roads. Debris brought life to a standstill.
September is a hot month in the Keys. Humidity soars and mosquitos thrive. Life without power is harsh. Food spoils, sleep becomes elusive.
In the midst of the misery, stories were born—tales of heroism and neighborliness and luck. One Key Largo man found a wedding band glinting in the middle of his street. The ring belonged to his neighbor who had lost it eight years earlier. A gift unearthed.
Like palm trees, the people who chose to live in the Keys are tough and resilient. More importantly, they are also caring, generous, and loyal. It will take more than a storm—even one as massive as Irma—to break them. They survived. They began rebuilding. And once again, they flourished.
It’s exactly that kind of spirit that I wanted the characters of BEACHED, the second Mer Cavallo Mystery, to embrace.
Chapter Five
Nothing remained untouched in the Keys.
Welcome to One-Line Wednesdays—a series of posts I wrote in the weeks preceding the original release of Beached, the second Mer Cavallo Mystery in 2018. In this series, I share insight into Mer’s life in the Florida Keys as well as the inspiration behind the story and decisions that went into its making. I hope you enjoy this peek behind the scenes!