On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida as a Class 4 storm with sustained winds over 130 mph pushing a robust storm surge of sea water onshore.
The primary items of land to expertise the highly effective heart of this storm have been Fort Myers Seaside and Sanibel Island.
Sanibel Island, is a low-lying barrier island that’s about 15 miles lengthy, 4 miles broad, and residential to about 6,400 residents, based on the 2020 U.S. Census. 4 of these residents are 1991 AMA Superbike Champion and former MotoAmerica official Thomas Stevens, his spouse Linda, and his teenage sons, Brandon (16) and Dylan (13).
And as a substitute of heeding the federal government’s warning to evacuate low-lying coastal areas of Florid forward of the hurricane’s arrival, Stevens and his household have been a few of just a few hundred folks, based on CNN, who determined to shelter in place and journey the storm out of their house on the island.
“I’ll by no means make that mistake once more,” Stevens advised Roadracingworld.com in a phone interview October 6. “It was rocking and shaking fairly good. It was as dangerous because it might get. You’ve seen the images on the information. Let’s simply say we did loads of praying, and we usually don’t pray an excessive amount of.”
Stevens didn’t make his resolution evenly, as he mentioned he had skilled two different highly effective hurricanes prior to now and felt he and his house have been ready for what was to come back.
“I’ve a two-level stilt house. That’s what many of the newer-construction houses are. There’s no floor stage. My home is lifted about 12 ft on stilts,” mentioned Stevens. “I’ve been prepping for a very long time. I’ve a generator that I can plug into my home. I’ve hurricane home windows and hurricane doorways. I’ve put a ton of cash into my home simply so to have the ability to maintain a storm, as a result of I don’t wish to lose my construction. Nevertheless it obtained fairly furry.
“We knew there was flooding coming as a result of we have been nonetheless getting stories. Then my son goes, ‘Holy sh-t, Dad! Look outdoors.’ We had six inches of water outdoors.
“I mentioned, ‘We’ve obtained to get the generator.’
“So, we ran downstairs, as a result of the generator was operating outdoors. I grabbed my generator and by the point I obtained it within the door of my (ground-level) basement there was two ft of water. By the point I obtained it round and inside we had three ft of water outdoors and eight inches of water in my [ground-level] basement. However we needed to save the generator.
“At about that time, my storage door gave manner, and the 5 ft of water that was outdoors got here inside. However we obtained the generator upstairs (and out on a porch when operating), and I had 20 gallons of gas.
“Then, the water obtained actually excessive and submerged our automobiles downstairs. It was fairly furry at that time. We didn’t know the way excessive it was going to go.”
After a number of tense hours, “Good issues began taking place,” mentioned Stevens. “We have been wanting on the water [level], and my son goes, ‘Dad, I feel the water’s going out a bit bit.’ And certain sufficient it went down about two inches and it saved happening. So, at that time we knew we have been going to make it.
“We went to mattress, however I didn’t sleep actual good that night time. Early within the morning I obtained up and appeared outdoors and I might see dry land. Then as soon as it obtained mild outdoors, we obtained up and began driving our bicycles across the island to see if anybody wanted our assist.
“We discovered this aged couple. They have been sitting on their steps in a daze. They requested if we might transfer the 6 x 6 (-inch) submit that had busted via the windshield of their automotive earlier than it busted via the again window.
“I simply checked out her and mentioned, ‘Ma’am, your automobiles aren’t any good anymore.’
“She mentioned, ‘How are we going to get out of right here? I might simply drive us out.’
“I mentioned, ‘It’s not going to start out, and also you do notice that we don’t have a causeway anymore, proper?’”
What Stevens was referring to was the one and solely causeway, a raised street with a collection of bridges, connecting Sanibel Island with mainland Florida had been washed away by the storm in a number of spots, leaving the island bodily lower off.
The following day, Friday, September 30, the Coast Guard began doing search and rescue runs to the island utilizing helicopters.
“They landed on the golf course, so we went over and talked with them. They have been searching for folks to evacuate,” mentioned Stevens. “It was fairly cool. We have been driving our bicycles again to the previous couple’s home, they usually have been following us, flying 60 ft above us of their Blackhawk helicopter. The couple was nonetheless sitting there with half their roof lacking.”
Stevens mentioned as soon as they helped evacuate individuals who wanted it, they returned to his house and ready to maintain themselves for so long as they may.
“Plenty of my grime bike driving stuff got here into play,” mentioned Stevens. “I’ve a photo voltaic bathe to scrub up after I journey and earlier than I get again in my van for a six-hour drive house. Then in my van I’ve a conveyable potty. So, we introduced that inside and used that since you couldn’t use the bathrooms.
“Racers are fairly ready with regards to having stuff, and I’ve been fairly ready for a very long time.
“Discovering water was an enormous deal. I used to be capable of get a neighbor’s jacuzzi going so I used to be capable of sanitize the water in that so we had water. We went over to a different neighbor’s home and his fridge was on its facet, however the sea water hadn’t obtained inside. So, we took all his T-bones and steaks out of his fridge as a result of that was all going to go dangerous. So, we ate every single day. When you’ve got energy life is nice, and if you don’t have energy it’s fairly powerful.”
Stevens and his household spent most of their time over the next days cleansing up the harm to his house, which was largely restricted to his ground-floor “basement.” Sadly, that space of Stevens’ home saved most of his stuff together with a Yamaha YZ450F supermotard bike that he had simply mounted as much as promote, his 2021 Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke motocrosser, most of his memorabilia from his Professional racing profession, and a basic Jeep he had mounted up
“That one hurts,” mentioned Stevens, “however all that stuff is replaceable.”
Stevens and his household left Sanibel Island by boat on Wednesday, October 5, the identical day President Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the area collectively, and quickly moved in together with his in-laws. However he plans to return to the island on this weekend to proceed cleansing up his and his neighbors’ houses.
“The Governor mentioned the precedence now’s to get the causeway open once more by the top of the month,” mentioned Stevens. “’No matter it takes, we’re going to get it open by the top of the month,’ he mentioned. When that occurs, they’ll get some heavy tools in and begin with the true cleanup.”
Requested how lengthy he suppose it should take earlier than issues are again to regular on Sanibel Island, Stevens mentioned, “Two years.”
The submit Former AMA Superbike Champ Thomas Stevens’ Hurricane Ian Survival Story appeared first on Roadracing World Journal | Motorbike Driving, Racing & Tech Information.
