Alicia Browne still feels a surge of anxiety whenever a major storm heads toward the Gulf.

On October 10, 2018, she and her husband, Jim Browne, with his mother, weathered Hurricane Michael as it swept over their home near Clarksville, Florida, approximately 70 miles inland.

They managed to stay safe by taking cover under mattresses in their secured home. However, their timber farm and many others across the Florida Panhandle suffered immense damage. Michael obliterated entire towns, leaving Central Florida in a state of preparedness as Hurricane Milton approached.

“If this is as severe as what we faced with Michael, I realize it will be a life-changing experience for those who evacuate,” she stated. “Things won’t be the same again.”

Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, boasting winds up to 160 mph — marking it as the first of its kind to hit the Panhandle and only the second to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a record-breaking 24 hours, the fastest transition ever recorded. Its strength has since varied, and it is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 or 4 near Sarasota.

Both Michael and Milton struck during the peak of hurricane season, which spans from mid-September to mid-October. The highest activity typically occurs by September 10, with another surge expected around mid-October, as per the National Weather Service.

Felicia Bowser, chief meteorologist at NWS Tallahassee, indicated that Milton is positioned amid a cold front to the west and high pressure to the east, which may result in it making landfall between 10 p.m. and midnight, coinciding with the six-year anniversary of Michael.

“It would be quite the coincidence if it happens on the same day — different paths, different storms, and vastly different impacts for the state,” she noted.

Hurricane Michael struck a largely rural area, resulting in 50 fatalities, devastations to timber, cotton, and peanut farms, and damaging or destroying around 60,000 homes. The aftermath left a path of destruction stretching from Mexico Beach to Marianna. Timber losses reached over $1.2 billion, with almost 3 million acres affected and about 350,000 acres completely destroyed.

Browne remembers the most challenging aspect after Michael was the sheer disbelief of what had happened.

“You feel numb,” she explained. “It’s overwhelming trying to figure out where to start.”

For Browne, it all began with cleaning up around their damaged home on Fox Pen Farm, where Hurricane Michael destroyed approximately 120 acres of upland forest. Armed with a contractor’s bag, she began collecting bits of insulation and roofing screws. The Florida Forest Service assisted in their recovery efforts for four days.

“There were times when it became too overwhelming for Jim and me,” she said. “One day, all we could do was sit in our damaged carport, sorting through an old toolbox.”

Browne noted that many people are still dealing with post-traumatic stress from Hurricane Michael, compounded by the effects of Hurricane Helene, which struck the Taylor County coast on September 26, coinciding with both the Browne’s birthdays.

“Surviving Michael has permanently altered our lives,” she shared. “It’s reshaped how we view things — like the importance of just being alive.”

She has advised a friend in Tampa to heed the lessons learned from her family’s experiences and evacuate in advance of any landfall. When Helene was anticipated to approach, the Brownes prepared their go bags and filled their Ford F-450, even carrying an extra fuel tank.

“If we needed to evacuate and couldn’t find accommodation, we would just keep driving,” she remarked.

‘You Can Return and Rebuild’

Browne expressed sympathy for her neighbors further south, who, like those impacted by Michael, might undergo lengthy recovery processes.

“I believe things will eventually improve,” Browne conveyed. “You gradually adjust to a new normal because our landscape will never look the same again.”

“It was a significant event in our era.”

Ali Wiggins, who used to live in Marianna for many years and experienced Hurricane Michael firsthand, shared her story in the Democrat. She highlighted the ongoing human suffering that persisted well after the hurricane hit.

“What followed was nearly as devastating as the storm itself,” Wiggins mentioned. She is now retired from the pharmacy field and currently resides in Oklahoma.

Wiggins provided helpful tips for those affected in Milton, such as hiring electricians to safely connect generators—an affordable step that can help avoid house fires—and ensuring that contractors hired for repairs are properly licensed. She also stressed the importance of being aware of the mental health challenges facing neighbors.

“There were instances of suicide due to depression that followed the disaster,” she shared. “Engage with others, because you’re not alone in your struggles. Recovery and rebuilding are possible.”