true grit floridians 2


Wind-swept palms, the hurricane iconYour fearless fellow borderlander returned to Miami just in time to ride out Hurricane Irma.  With 6.5 million under mandatory evacuation, it was safer to stay put than add to the chaos of the roads – where gas shortages were prevalent 4 days prior.  Then, a day or two before landfall it became likely that Irma was wobbling west.  Evacuating inland from the coast would only bring one closer to stronger hurricane winds.  In the end, it turned out there was no safe place to escape to in all of Florida, 500 miles long.

Like the true grit shown by Texans during and after Harvey, Floridians also exemplify the we-will-rebuild ethos of many borderlanders, especially those along the hurricane-prone southern edge.

#1 lesson from Irma: what a blessing neighbors are.


About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.

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