Residents Struggling to Carve out a New Life Amid Michael's Devastation
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CAUTION URGED FOR INSURANCE CLAIMS LOCAL | A3 PANAMA CITY SPORTS | B1 BUCKS ARE BACK Bozeman carries on, will host South Walton Tuesday, October 23, 2018 www.newsherald.com @The_News_Herald facebook.com/panamacitynewsherald 75¢ Radio crucial Step by step after Cat 4 storm When newer technologies failed, radio worked following Hurricane Michael’s devastation By Ryan McKinnon GateHouse Media Florida PANAMA CITY — In the hours following one of the biggest news events in Bay County history, residents had little to no access to news. Hurricane Michael’s 155 mile-per-hour winds had toppled power lines, television satel- lites, radio antennas and crushed newspaper offices. Cellphones were useless across much of the county with spotty- at-best service and no access to internet. It was radio static across the radio dial, Peggy Sue Singleton salvages from the ruins of her barbershop a sign that used to show her prices. Only a few words are now legible: “This is the happy place.” [KEVIN BEGOS/THE WASHINGTON POST] See RADIO, A2 Residents struggling to carve out a new life amid Michael’s devastation By Frances Stead strewn across the parking lot Hurricane Michael was the reliable cellphone service and Sellers, Kevin Begos as if bludgeoned by a wreck- wrecker of this happy place. access to the internet. and Katie Zezima ing ball, her parlor a haphazard It hit here more than a week This city of 36,000 long has The Washington Post heap of construction innards: ago, with 155-mph winds that been a gateway to the Gulf, LOCAL & STATE splintered wood, smashed ripped and twisted a wide a white-beach playground A3 PANAMA CITY — Business windows, wire. As she sifted path through coastal and providing a touch of para- used to be good at Peggy Sue through the remains, Singleton inland communities, flat- dise along the Panhandle. But VOLUNTEERS Singleton’s tiny, white cin- salvaged two $500 hair vacu- tening buildings, tearing up residents are now carving out der-block barber shop, where ums, a stash of suds from her roads and knocking out power new, unfamiliar existences HELP CLEAN she and a co-worker snipped “free beer Fridays,” and the sign to entire counties. Michael amid the destruction, driven and buzzed more than 200 that once displayed her prices: didn’t just break objects, it by the dictates of survival and WRECKED heads of hair each week in Haircuts $11; flat tops $13. upended everything. Life in loss of the staples of modern this seaside city adjacent to a “This is the ‘happy place’!” Panama City remains com- life. SPAY BAY military base. the battered white lettering pletely disrupted, with many The cinder blocks now are says. lacking power, running water, See STEP, A2 BUILDING Jinks Middle School helping rebuild community By Eryn Dion people who have nothing people dropping off supplies 747-5069 | @PCNHErynDion can come to receive and a and volunteers from the com- [email protected] place where people who have munity, from Jinks staff and something can give back. even Jinks students them- PANAMA CITY — For Jinks “I am blessed,” Smith selves, organizing them and, Middle School Principal Britt said, taking a second away when needed, delivering Smith, school is a gathering from organizing the con- them to those who have no place. stant stream of donations way to get to the school. On A hub of activity for stu- and members of the commu- Sunday, entire classrooms dents and the community, a nity needing supplies. “The were filled with goods and place to gather, where plans opportunity is there to serve then, just as it seemed like are made, achievements won and that is what we need to there was no more room left, and the future built. do.” an entire tractor trailer load of There might be no classes, Almost since the time the goods from Walmart pulled in and there might be no gym or storm lifted — and the devas- to cheers. portable classrooms, there tation at Jinks Middle School Humbly, Cay Peters picked might be damaged roofs and was revealed to the world her way through the offer- People displaced from their homes and who have lost their jobs windows, but Jinks Middle through national media — ings, thanking everyone she get free food, sanitary items and cleaning supplies at Jinks Middle School still is a hub for the the parking lot has become a School on Friday. [JOSHUA BOUCHER/THE NEWS HERALD] community — a place where kind of donation central, with See JINKS, A2 Panama City News Herald Diversions ......................B6 Sports.........................B1-4 TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Want to subscribe? Local & State .............. A3-9 TV listings ......................B5 A little rain Partly sunny Rain Call 850-747-5050 Nation & World ........A10-11 Viewpoints .................... A8 75° / 63° 80° / 64° 74° / 63° * ** A2 Tuesday, October 23, 2018 | The News Herald Victoria RADIO Richard, JINKS news From Page A1 director for From Page A1 90.7 WKGC, delivers until about 7:30 p.m. on the news encountered as she loaded cans day of the storm when 90.7 from an of soup and beans into a Bed WKGC went live, broadcast- emergency Bath & Beyond bag, along with ing out of a small emergency studio in little bars of soap and shampoo. studio at Gulf Coast State Gulf Coast Other places giving out supplies College’s Public Safety State just hand out boxes, she said, Building. In the immediate College’s leaving her to re-donate or hours after the storm, the Public Safety pass along a lot of the things she station became the primary Building. couldn’t use. At Jinks, though, source of information. [RYAN she could grab exactly what she “It’s a scary amount of MCKINNON/ needed — a small sense of nor- responsibility when the GATEHOUSE malcy in a world turned upside TV’s are out and your radio MEDIA down. dial is dead except for one FLORIDA] “We’re going to make it,” she station,” said Tom Hoots, said. “We are blessed.” a volunteer with the station Members of the community who normally hosts a daily lined up around mid-morning morning show. for a chance to go in and grab The studio, which was supplies. They were told to designed in anticipation take whatever they wanted, as of needing to broadcast much as they wanted, from the during a disaster, is in the Parker Mayor Rich Mus- “We are trying to balance associate professor at Gulf overstock of everything from same building as the coun- grave. “What made the job between being amusing, Coast who heads up the non-perishable food to hygiene ty’s Emergency Operations doubly difficult was how do being entertaining and not digital media department. products, baby supplies and Center. That proximity we as a government entity being insultingly funny,” The hosts have gone even some fresh bread. Among means easy access to state pass info along. We had to Hoots said. “We are pro- on-air to quash a rumor those lining up were Jinks stu- and local officials. improvise a lot.” viding a lot of critical that the college was giving dents, their parents and even Gov. Rick Scott, Sens. Bill Bay County public infor- information.” away free cellphones or col- some Jinks teachers and faculty Nelson and Marco Rubio all mation officer Valerie Sale His frequent co-host, lecting clothing donations. left in need after the storm. have been interviewed by said the county, anticipat- news director Victoria Goines said in the days after “Whenever I look at the dev- the 90.7 team. Dozens of ing how difficult it would be Richard (whose on-air name a huge storm, when gas and astation of that gym, I know my local leaders have been on for people to get informa- is Tori Shay), said they food are in short supply students live nearby and see air to discuss where resi- tion, hired a banner plane know that when people are and the roads are clogged, that,” Smith said. “But their dents can find emergency to advertise for 90.7 in in the midst of a tragedy, inaccurate information is homes are the same way. We’re food, get housing supplies the days leading up to the maintaining a cheerful, especially costly. having to rebuild the school, and find shelter. storm. helpful tone is vital. Goines said she thinks the they’re having to rebuild their Aside from 90.7, in the “I would have dropped “Usually we would cut up radio station’s relationship lives.” immediate aftermath of messages from an airplane, I a lot more. We are not doing with the community has Smith said the support from the storm, news was dis- just didn’t have that asset,” that,” Richard said. “We are been strengthened through the community has been “over- seminated via a modern Sale said. sticking to the information the experience. whelming,” and they’re getting town-crier — police officers The format is strictly but trying to be friendly and “Most of us have been help from “people who don’t issuing announcements via informational, which is not helpful about it. I am hold- here since Tuesday for even know us,” from as far away bullhorn. easy for Hoots, who said he ing back the silliness when 24-7,” Goines said. “When as Georgia and South Florida, “We lost all communi- normally models his on-air he comes in the studio.” you are in the middle of along with volunteers all the cations. No cell service, no persona after Statler, the The station has made something like that that is way from Walton County.