One Lee alum gives her account of staying in FL during Hurricane Irma
As Hurricane Irma ripped through Florida,resident and Lee alumna Tabitha D Pearce hunkered down and waited for the storm to pass, live-posting the destruction.
Meet Tabitha D Pearce:
She graduated from Lee as a digital media studies major in 2015. She now works for Feld Entertainment Inc. in Florida.
Upon hearing of Irma’s impending impact, Tabitha contemplated evacuating the area but ultimately decided to gather her valuables and barricade herself in her bathroom.
In a Facebook post, she wrote, “Family and friends, I have decided to wait out Irma. I've been watching the national and local news non-stop and our mayor says that it's only mandatory to evacuate for mobile homes.”
Pearce lives in Bradenton, FL, 45 minutes south of Tampa. She lives on the second floor of her apartment where floods cannot reach her. After she parked her car on a hill, she walked half a mile back to her apartment carrying the remaining valuables from her car.
As the town around her got ready for Irma, Tabitha took in the fear the hurricane had instilled in her community. Boarded-up buildings, wrapped-up gas pumps and military trucks were a common sight days before impact.
Tabitha armed her makeshift bunker with water, activities and candles the day before Irma hit. Her mayor instructed residents not to go outside at all and to stay in windowless rooms. Winds in her area were predicted to top 100 mph with a 10 ft. storm surge. So with her pets in hand, she set up her bed in a bathroom with no windows and got ready to settle in.
Tabitha told Lee Clarion she came to regret her decision to stay at home during the hurricane. She became frightened when the winds started blowing on her apartment.
“I was sure the trees would all be torn apart and that at least the first floor would get flooded,” Tabitha said. “The worst case scenario would be that debris would go through my windows, that's why I spent the night in my bathroom for two nights.”
Tabitha’s city didn’t get hit nearly as hard as suspected, simplifying her return to the outside world. She inspected the damage done to gas stations, trees and sea turtle eggs.
Find Tabitha on Facebook to hear more about her story and see more pictures.
