Hurricane Ivan tore a path of destruction through Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Hard to tell today!
Both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach took major hits from Hurricane Ivan a decade ago.
Hurricane Ivan pummeled the Gulf Coast 10 years ago.
But if your heading for a Gulf coast vacation today, you wouldn’t really know it! It’s all beautiful sand and surf.
Although if you look closely, and were down in the gulf coast area right after the hurricane, you’ll recognize a few tell tale signs. Houses gone that once stood seaside. A lone basketball goal with no court, and, of course, upgrades and upgrades to beach houses and vacation homes everywhere you turn.
Many of our Gulf Shores vacation homes took a very hard hit and it was months before they were all revitalized. Upgrades? Sure. Looking back from a decade forward, we can think of it sort of like nature’s way to mandate a remodel–though a few were brand new at the time! But, it was painful to see. These were vacation homes we loved. There were the restaurants we cherished too. Most rebounded. Some did not.
Change can be good. And many of the changes wrought by Hurricane Ivan over the years were certainly for the better. But change can be sad, too, even if everything works out for the best in the long run.
So, we take a moment to remember Hurricane Ivan from 10 years down the line.
Sit back. Remember how bad it really was, then come on down and enjoy the all that the Gulf coast has to offer. Sun. Surf. Shopping. Shrimp!