Recovery efforts ongoing in Bay County
Heavy damage to a boat storage building at the Pirates Cove Marina in Lower Grand Lagoon, Florida on January 9, 2024. Courtesy, Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS)
A series of tornados ripped through Florida Monday night into Tuesday morning of last week causing extensive property damage and killing four people across the Southeastern US. The panhandle of Florida was struck especially badly, with wind and tornado damage severe enough for Governor DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in 49 counties. These specific tornados spawned from warm air rising quickly over an impeding cold front. When the cold and warm weather systems collide, air begins to swirl rapidly, with heavy rainstorms and chances of coastal flooding or tornados. Of the 19 tornados that began from this large and long-lasting storm (called a supercell), the largest one hit Bay County in Lower Grand Lagoon, registering as an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with estimated wind gusts of over 136 miles per hour – the sunshine state’s first January EF-3 ever. Another one, an EF-2, hit in nearby Lynn Haven.
Building damage in Panama City Beach, Florida on January 9, 2024. Courtesy DFS
Bay County has already announced initiatives to help citizens and businesses recover from last Tuesday’s tornado, beginning roadside debris collections to help clean roads and bridges in the areas most impacted by the storm. Panama City Beach reported several buildings with roofs ripped off, partially destroyed, or damaged by baseball sized hail and just north in Marianna, there was heavy damage to businesses and trailer parks. Erwin Jackson is the owner of one of those trailer parks and had just finished restoring the $2.5 million damage he incurred from Hurricane Michael in 2018. He and many of the residents took shelter from the initial tornado and reemerged to find their trailers destroyed and their personal belongings strewn about the park. “This was all beautiful yesterday … it’s unbelievable,” Jackson told the Tallahassee Democrat in an interview. Smaller EF-1 and EF-2 tornados hit Jackson County, and an EF-0 struck Duval County with minor structural damage to buildings and uprooted trees. The trail of destruction ended up reaching from Panama City Beach all the way up through Georgia and the Carolinas. Here is some pretty amazing drone footage from inland Marianna and Fountain, Florida.
As more cold fronts begin to move into the state, Floridians must try and assess the damage, strengthen their resolve and rebuild – “There’s only one damn way and that’s forward,” said Jackson. Recovery centers will open on January 16 for Bay County residents to help guide them along the recovery process in the weeks and months to come. Grants and other resources will be allocated to those in dire need as county leadership tries to help the community get back on its feet. Hopefully we won’t break anymore tornado records anytime soon.
LMA Newsletter of 1-15-24
