\u201c\u2026it lends to a lot of frustration and fear.\u00a0And that\u2019s what we\u2019re dealing with right now.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>Kristy Terry, Calhoun Co. Chamber of Commerce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Next door to the historic courthouse building is the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce.\u00a0 Today is a homecoming of sorts.\u00a0Just two weeks shy of Hurricane Michael\u2019s first anniversary, the Chamber is finally returning to its regular home.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked about the dubious occasion, Executive Director Kristy Terry says the recovery has been disheartening so far. \u00a0\u201cWhen people\u2026don\u2019t feel like their family is in a safe, secure place then it lends to a lot of frustration and fear.\u00a0And that\u2019s what we\u2019re dealing with right now.\u201d\u00a0 She estimates that about 40 percent of all structures in Calhoun County still have blue tarps on their roofs.\u00a0In a refrain I\u2019ll hear a lot today, she says housing is an issue. Time and the elements have been working against them.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n As damaged properties linger, they become more expensive to fix, or eventually uninhabitable.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Terry believes the community is feeling forgotten and let down.\u00a0\u201cYou assume that when a storm like this comes and it\u2019s utter devastation, that the cavalry will come in and that things will get better\u2026and that hasn\u2019t happened.\u00a0It took us a long time to get any federal aid moving and we still, I mean that\u2019s a long way out, even for it to trickle down to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She continues, \u201cThe state\u2014we didn\u2019t really get that much assistance through session last year.\u00a0We\u2019re really hopeful for the next legislative session.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Terry tries to remain positive and is thankful the chamber is finally back in its own digs.\u00a0But when asked directly about her own situation, she admits that she\u2019s still paying rent for a place to live, while maintaining a mortgage on a damaged home.\u00a0It is not a very happy anniversary for the Terry family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, a year later, you\u2019re still alive but your life\nis not back to normal.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>Jon Plummer, Pharmacy Owner<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Down the street, pharmacist and drugstore owner Jon Plummer has grown weary and jaded of the recovery effort.\u00a0 \u201cRight after the storm, you\u2019re just happy to be alive.\u00a0 Now, a year later, you\u2019re still alive but your life is not back to normal.\u00a0 People\u2019s homes still have blue tarps on them.\u00a0There\u2019s tons of people that still, when it rains, they get water in their living room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The slow crawl of the recovery is wearing thin on him. Damage to his store was minimal, but the townsfolk who weren\u2019t so lucky walk through his doors on a daily basis.\u00a0He sees what this forgotten storm is still doing to his forgotten town.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026there are a lot of people that are really, really\nhurt.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>Danny Ryals, Realtor\/Schoolbord Member<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Further up the street, local real estate broker and school board member Danny Ryals tells a similar tale of blue tarps and struggle. \u201cI saw a couple places here just a couple months ago riding around\u2026had an old shotgun type house\u2026a big tree had fell on one end, they were camping out in the other end.\u00a0Right next to it was an old singlewide mobile home\u2026same thing, big tree on one end, camping out in the other end.\u00a0They don\u2019t have any insurance.\u00a0They don\u2019t have any money\u2026and it\u2019s tough.\u00a0And that\u2019s just\u2026 it\u2019s all over.\u00a0The more you ride around, the more you see.\u00a0And it\u2019s uh, there are a lot of people that are really, really hurt.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hurricane Michael left behind more than destruction.\u00a0It left behind a self-fulfilling cycle of community atrophy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The local timber industry has been crippled; there are fewer jobs and little money. There is not enough housing because so much was destroyed or damaged by the hurricane.\u00a0No one will buy a house with a damaged roof.\u00a0Nobody wants to buy timberland covered in twisted, decaying, worthless dead trees. No jobs, no money, no place to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not a good situation.\u00a0And on top of that Mr. Ryals adds this little nugget of despair: \u201c\u2026the lack of funding that we received from the state and federal government really impacted us.\u00a0I mean I was shocked that we didn\u2019t get, uh didn\u2019t get any more help than we did.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unhappy anniversary, Mr. Ryals.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over at the hospital, the mood is more upbeat. I\u2019ll attribute that to their ingrained nurturing sensibility, but know this: a third of their usable space was lost to hurricane damage. It took five months to get ten of what had been twenty-five beds available for use.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calhoun Liberty Hospital was built when Dwight Eisenhower was president; it is well beyond remediation.\u00a0The uninsured patient ratio has more than doubled, to about a third of all patients coming into the facility.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n CEO Janet Kinney is resolute about the hospital’s place in the community. \u201cWe work with them as best we can.\u00a0We\u2019re not going to turn them away, but we\u2019re certainly going to try to help meet their needs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She continues, “But it is a challenge, uh, you know these patients, they want to pay their bill.\u00a0They want to be self-sufficient.\u00a0But it\u2019s just been tough with the loss of industry and the loss of jobs around here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the hospital\u2019s own staff are counted among the blue tarp roof club, but they come in every day, ready to mend and heal others in the community.\u00a0Ms. Kinney says they are looking forward to building a new hospital within about 18 months.\u00a0Maybe they can look forward to a different anniversary soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, it\u2019s been a year since the forgotten storm, people are feeling the stress, students have been Baker-Acted, young children are still fearful.\u00a0Pharmacist Jon Plummer laments, \u201cEvery time it thunders now my kids get worried about it. If it\u2019s windy, my children are worried that a storm\u2019s coming.\u00a0And those are things you don\u2019t normally think about, but those who stayed during the storm, they\u2019re still having those effects.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Local radio station owner, Jim Dooley affirms that thought, \u201cIt\u2019s very stressful\u2026it\u2019s the topic of conversation. Just. About. Every. Day.\u00a0 And um, it\u2019s something that we\u2019re\u2026it\u2019s going to take a generation or two, to get over this.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unhappy anniversary Hurricane Michael. One year down, how many more to go? <\/p>\n\n\n\n See Mike’s previous February 2019<\/em><\/em> stories on Blountstown following the storm: Picking up the Pieces, Part 1<\/a> and Picking up the Pieces, Part 2<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s another boiling-hot Friday in the Florida panhandle.\u00a0Driving into downtown Blountstown there\u2019s a big blue tarp covering the roof of the historic county courthouse building that is supposed to house the Calhoun County Sheriff\u2019s Department.\u00a0That blue tarp is coming up on its one-year anniversary adorning the structure.\u00a0October 10, 2018 is the day Hurricane Michael blasted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[136],"tags":[248,228],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Large](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ChamberCommerceMovingDay-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/WreckedHouseBlountstown-1024x576.jpg\")
The Community is Feeling Forgotten and Let Down <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Pharmacist](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PharmacistJonPlummerHeadShot-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Danny](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/DannyRyalsOfficePic-1024x576.jpg\")
No Jobs, No Money, No Place to Live <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Blue Tarp Roof Club<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/HospitalEntranceSignPic-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Broadcaster](\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/BroadcasterJimDooley-1024x576.jpg\")