The Florida Keys: History Repeats Itself

    Hurricanes have become regular for the tight-knit group of migrants in the Florida Keys. Often, these residents of the Florida Keys will overlook the power of hurricanes and have parties at local bars and restaurants to celebrate the strength and tightness of their communities during times where other  communities will panic and prepare for the worst. These hardened residents have adapted to living with the strength of many storms in their history.

   However, escaping the wrath of mother nature at some times can be near impossible. During Labor Day of 1935, approximately all of the over 1,000 islands that make up the Florida Keys were devastated with a category five hurricane that swept through the chain of islands off the Southern Coast of Florida. The locals were almost aware of this catastrophe as they read their barometers before the storm arrived. Today, these residents would be told to evacuate the islands and get to an area that is safe of the storm. However, back then they could only trust their natural instincts and try to live through strong hurricanes based on what they knew about survival. Unfortunately, this did not play out too well for many people that tried to man their grounds during this natural disaster. 12-20 foot storm surges drowned the islands and made it very hard for residents to survive with strong sustained winds that tossed a lot of the unsteady infrastructure far from it's regular places. The eye of the storm passed directly over Marathon Key and the state park of Bahia Honda.

Noticeable damage was done to all of these places. Cuddle Key, a small island in the chain of the Florida Keys was almost completely leveled. The flora of Bahia Honda was almost completely reset and the beaches were widdled away to almost nothing. Tunnels of seagrape trees that once lined the walking paths of Bahia Honda became deserted and the plentiful dunes became miniscule.

   The pictures above show how dull this island became after Hurricane Irma. The only cure for a catastrophe like this is time, and the help of citizens who can contribute positively by replanting, rebuilding and protecting the land of the regions that were destroyed by this storm. There is still so much work that there is to be done to restore the beautiful island of Bahia Honda. Donations can be given to #friendsofbahiahonda, or the link below.

http://www.friendsofbahiahonda.org/support/ 

All donations are a step in the right direction of rebuilding the flora of what was once so abundant and is now in dire of need of everybody's help.