E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o h n F . K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
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And they won ’ t forget the steady leadership provided by our government officials , the valuable service provided by the media to keep the public informed about the storm , and the courageous work of first responders to help keep us safe .
A strong Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 185 mph , Irma was the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean , according to the National Hurricane Center .
As Irma churned through the Caribbean and slammed into Cuba , the video images showing the incredible winds , major flooding , and mass destruction caused by the massive storm were shocking , even for seasoned Floridians who had been through multiple hurricanes before .
Everywhere you went around town , the sense of unease was palpable .
Evacuations plans were made and sandbags were filled . Grocery store shelves were quickly emptied . Long lines formed to get plywood to board up homes . And people moved into local storm shelters .
Technological advances helped people stay better informed about the progress of the storm , but no doubt also contributed to increased stress levels .
People were constantly refreshing social media sites such as Twitter on their phones to get the latest news . Also , weather alerts and City of Tampa emergency warnings lit up people ’ s mobile devices throughout the day and late into the night .
National media heavyweights , such as CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper , descended upon Tampa and provided unending storm coverage from the Riverwalk .
And there was no missing the regular hurricane advisories when local TV meteorologists explained the latest U . S . and European “ spaghetti models ” of the storm ’ s track , as well as updated information about the storm ’ s “ cone of uncertainty .”
Eventually , Irma made its anticipated “ turn north ,” and it had Tampa Bay in its crosshairs .
On Sept . 10 , Irma ripped through the Florida Keys and made landfall on Marco Island as a Category 3 hurricane .
Fortunately , as Irma moved up the Florida peninsula from the south , it wobbled a bit east from its projected path and spared Tampa from a direct hit .
“ We were very , very lucky last night ,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told the “ Today ” show on Sept . 11 , the day after Irma moved north past the area .
Still , Irma ravaged parts of the Florida , causing at least 42 deaths , and leaving more than six million people without power , some for weeks .
The last time Tampa Bay took a direct hit from a hurricane was in 1921 when a Category 3 storm swept through the area with winds gusting more than 100 mph .
The region ’ s population at the time was about 135,000 . Today , the Bay area ’ s population is close to three million .
Winds from the 1921 hurricane pushed an estimated 11-foot wall of water into Tampa Bay , causing major flooding in low-lying areas and in Ybor City .
H . P . Macfarlane was serving as HCBA president in 1921 , and one can only imagine how the storm impacted Tampa ’ s small but tight-knit legal community .
In the aftermath of Irma , Tampa ’ s and Florida ’ s legal community has stepped up in a major way as “ second responders ” to help those in need of legal advice .
For example , numerous Florida lawyers have volunteered to answer questions from residents who call the Florida Bar ’ s Disaster Relief Hotline . The project is operated through a partnership with the Florida Bar YLD , the ABA Young Lawyers Section , and the Federal Emergency Management Agency .
And a number of Tampa law firms and individual lawyers have organized efforts to help meet the humanitarian needs of residents in Florida and in Puerto Rico , which was devastated by Hurricane Maria later in September .
As a Tampa Bay Times editorial aptly stated just after Irma hit : “ Florida bent but did not come close to breaking , and we will bounce back stronger . This historic storm was a uniquely shared experience for the entire state . Floridians must remain united as they begin the weeks and months of cleaning up and rebuilding .”
See you around the Chet .
HCBA Members : Join Us at the HCBA Holiday Open House on December 7 at the Chester Ferguson Law Center . Register at hillsbar . com .
N O V - D E C 2 0 1 7 | H C B A L A W Y E R
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