‘Scared to death:’ Lake City residents on the road to recovery after Hurricane Idalia
Now-Tropical Storm Idalia may have been long past Florida by Thursday morning, but the recovery effort was just getting started in impacted areas.
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In Columbia County, which took a hard hit from the storm, downed trees and power restoration were the main priority.
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It was around 9:00 a.m Wednesday when neighbors on a small Lake City Street began to feel the full impacts of Hurricane Idalia’s wrath.
“I’ve been here for eight years and I’ve never had no problem,” David Wilson said.
For Wilson, it was his first time riding out a major storm.
“I just heard a big pop. A big boom,” Wilson said.
That boom was an enormous tree falling onto his yard, damaging his fence and snapping an electrical pole like a toothpick, which left the street without power.
READ: Tropical Storm Idalia: Northeast Florida first responders headed to help other counties in need
“Scared to death,” said another neighbor Cheryl Sebring.
Sebring witnessed the whole thing.
“We’re all alive. We’re all alive, thank God for that. We’re alive,” Sebring said.
As of about 3 p.m. roughly 5,200 customers in Columbia County were still without power; a significant improvement from the more than 19,000 three hours prior.
“I’m ready for it to be done and over with,” Wilson said.
Sebring and Wilson didn’t have to wait long though.
READ: Idalia: Trash pickup information for Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia
Just minutes after we spoke with them around noon, line workers and tree trimmers arrived on scene.
They were a welcome sight for Wilson, who still had work to do to on his road to recovery.
“I’ve got to fix my fence and that’s it. Go back to normal. Be normal. Live a normal life,” Wilson said.
The removal of the tree marked the first step of recovery for Wilson’s street, which was thankfully spared what could have been a much worse disaster.
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But for so many in the Big Bend and across Northeast Florida, recovery will likely be measured in weeks and months, if not years.
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