Perpetual Change

Hurricane Irma and the Keys

The Florida Keys is a string of coral islands that stretch southwest from the end of the state. They were historically oriented toward the Caribbean and a center for boat trade and commerce. Key West was the largest town in Florida and the richest per capita in the US. In the early 1900’s, Henry Flagler connected them by railroad to the rest of Florida. Today, 42 bridges connect the string of islands, and many of Flagler’s original bridges have been designated as part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail for biking, fishing and walking. The Seven Mile Bridge, south of Marathon, was an engineering marvel and the longest in the world when built. It still stands today, although hurricanes have often threatened its existence, and many US veterans lost their lives in one storm to achieve its completion.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys, after decimating Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It was the first major storm to hit Florida in over a decade. Hurricane Maria raked across the Caribbean two weeks later. Due to Irma, more than ten million residents lost power and more than fifty billion dollars of damage was recorded. Irma was a Category 4 Hurricane, with sustained winds over 112 miles per hour and about 10 feet of storm surge when it hit the Florida Keys. Over a 1000 homes were completely destroyed. Over 100,000 jobs were lost in the hospitality industry in September, resulting from the impact of both Irma and Hurricane Harvey in Texas. It was the 5^th costliest hurricane on record in the United States.

But the Keys have survived for 20 million years. This weekend, a merry band of Backroads leaders will embark from Miami, to celebrate that existence and the people who call them home. Much as Mr. Flagler did, they will cross the bridges to Key West, but they will do it by bicycle. Residents of the Keys want the world to know that they have survived, and as Governor Rick Scott says they are ‘open for business.’ With miles of beautiful, flat riding over waters that sparkle again, this group will travel the Keys, showcasing the sites, doing service projects, and showing solidarity for the citizens impacted by Hurricane Irma. Recovery continues six months later, and Backroads hopes to make a small difference in that effort. Backroads is also happy that official trips will return in December 2018.

Stay tuned and happy pedaling…

posted by jjs @ 4:36 PM