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Everglades City: Watching The Rain

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Collier County Sheriff deputies patrol the main street through Everglades City as Tropical Storm Fay blows through Tuesday.

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By BAIRD HELGESON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 19, 2008

7:28 a.m. Linda Markel awoke at 1 this morning and sat in her screened porch as Tropical Storm Fay approached.

She listened to radio reports about the storm and smoked a few cigarettes as the winds whipped the nearby palm trees. The rain fell for hours and began to flood her parking lot.

"I just like watching the storm," said Markel, who does the laundry at Captain's Table resort and lives in a tiny motel room on the property. "It hasn't been scary at all."

A storm that some feared could become a hurricane withered into another overnight storm of rain and wind for Everglades City, a coastal community with residents who still remember when Hurricane Wilma tore the roof off city hall a few years ago.

"It's normally a pretty quiet place," said Markel, 57, who has lived in the area for 11 years. "These storms provide a little drama from time to time."

By 7 a.m., locals and authorities were left wondering whether the storm surge would get any worse. Forecasters predicted Fay would bring a foot or two of surge to the area.

Several of the streets were flooded with what appeared to be a mix of rain and saltwater.

A few adventure-seeking locals could be seen driving down flooded streets, only to turn around when the water began to gush into their engine bays.

It doesn't take much rain to flood the streets in Everglades City, a seafood mecca surrounded by canals and waterways.

The locals are used to it. And they are used to the usual disruptions from tropical storms.

Around 7:10, the power went out at the Captain's Table.

The huge tarpon mounted prominently in the rental office went dark.

A few minutes later, the sport fish was brightly lit again.

At least one airboat operator could be seen heading out before sunrise.

Authorities said it's common to see a few thrill-seeking airboat owners take off into storms to play.

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