CNN iReport

I am a glass and screen business owner in the panhandle of Florida. Quite literally, I live and work in paradise. On Thursday September 11, 2008 (Anniversary of 9-11) I was to do work in Cape San Blas, FL. Unfortunately a storm in the Gulf of Mexico named Ike had other plans for me.

Early that morning I was notified by the news that the road leading to the Cape San Blas, C-30, had been closed due to storm surge from Ike. My schedule had to be postponed. With all this extra time I had on hand I decided that it would be a good time for a road trip; a road trip I will never forget. A faint whisper grew louder as the day went by. It was Ike and he was calling my name. As an amatuer storm chaser it became my mission to answer his voice.

I drove to Houston and Galveston to capture video and images of the events before, during and after the storm. Needless to say I had managed to compile a complete library. Life and property had been severely altered in a matter of a few hours. I too had changed from his effects.

After the storm I returned home to Panama City, FL. Returning to reality is a difficult transformation. I had to return to Cape San Blas to finish my once scheduled jobs. As I made my turn onto C-30 I immediately noticed a change. The usually busy roadway was void of traffic. Rounding the infamous "stumphole" curve evidence of destruction reared its ugly head. House after house sat teetering on the edge of the sea. Property owners and police patroled in disbelief. In awe, I weilded my camera and began to record the sadness. Hurricane Ike had made its mark in Florida. Although the skies were clear and the weather was calm. Ike tore away and eroded the coast claiming the land that was once the sea.

I witnessed the damge from Hurricane Ivan which was nearer and stronger than Ike but I never expected to see the horror Ike left behind. So many homes were now in ruin and so many lives had been torn by a storm that was so far away.