Sandy and Debby both passed Florida's shores this season, one to the east, one to the west. They made landfall far to the north of Marco, yet their relentless winds whipped the Gulf into a frenzy and pounded our beach for days on end. Sandy was such a large force of nature that she continued to bring high winds to south Florida some 48 hours after she came ashore in New Jersey. Truly amazing.
We are blessed. Our beach is large and white and beautiful. To the untrained eye she appears to be the same as she was before this storm season. But those of us who know her well know better. She is forever changed.
The relentless surf gouged out a trough along the northern half of the beach that now emerges as a large tidal pool when the tide is out. It is a smorgasbord of delight for wading birds.
There is a new inlet to the far north and the gentle curve of our crescent beach is now more pronounced.
I would estimate that in some areas we lost 20' to 30' feet of sand. This would be devastating on the east coast where the beaches are narrow. But on Marco it is barely noticeable to the untrained eye.
And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
On this morning the sky was a brilliant shade of blue and the sun was shining. Walkers and joggers dotted the beach.
Egrets were fishing.
Shell seekers were having a field day sifting through the bounty that Sandy had tossed ashore on her way north.
Along the coast there is a delicate balance between man and nature. We would be foolish not to recognize who has the upper hand.
1 comment:
Well said. This storm affected much more than NYC, even though they got the worst of it. Your pictures are spectacular.
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