C.J. Braden • 4 Minute Read
Our Hurricane Ian Story Part 3
Update: 12/30/22: We no longer recommend Tailored Loss Consultants (or the public adjuster Chad Schmitt).
We are posting videos of our home and Sanibel post Hurricane via our TikTok account @carolynjbraden Follow our visual story there by clicking here.
Read on to continue learning about our Hurricane Ian evacuation story, our experience working with a public adjuster, how our 1978 house held up and more. For those that would like to hear our story, we’ve included our weekly video VLOGS as well.
Week Nine: November 22 - November 30th
Hurricane Ian Week 9 RV But No Insurance Help
Our Hurricane Ian YouTube video VLOG: Week 9
Our first day with the Ark
Well, we did it. We bought an RV, but it was not easy. If you’ve followed our Hurricane Ian story for a while, you know we are still trying to get back to Sanibel Island and start putting our house and property back together.
Moving Annie out of her home in Corydon Kentucky
We bought a motor home to kickstart our journey back and while everything went great for a while, we hit a bit of a bump in the road. While driving this amazing 1995 American Dream beast of a vehicle back to our temporary home in Indiana, we stopped for lunch. When we went to start it again, it was dead.
Annie the Ark on it’s way to Indiana
We called for help after nailing it down to a battery or alternator issue (and possibly something else). The first thing out of one mechanics mouth was “welcome to the RV life”. Keep in mind, it was plugged in at the home we bought it from (and it ran perfectly during testing) so this is not something anyone would have foreseen unless we had a mechanic test it at their house. Even then, it still may not have been apparent.
See the Annie’s interior before we do some renovations to update it below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
So, long story short, we had a mechanic in Ferdinand, Indiana temporarily get it running to get us home. I followed behind Tommy (my husband) and our best friend in a truck with my father-in-law. What an adventure and a very long day!!!!
Annie got new batteries in an Arby’s parking lot
We are now having a local repair person help us as we simply still love this motor home! I’ll post interior photos soon as it’s immaculate…but I’ll still put my decorative touch on it. We were of course very upset at first, but mechanics have calmed us and Tommy and our friend knows tons about these vehicles and we will get it resolved.
We are growing through life’s ups and downs
Annie the Ark, aptly named, has had a rough start, but we believe her future is bright, like one of my favorite movie characters “Annie”. We are just thankful to resolve issues now before we head back to Florida with our fur babies.
Our fur baby family on Thanksgiving 2022
By the way, there is still no help from insurance (not a single check, nothing), no help from FEMA and there is no plan of mail service to be on Sanibel Island within the next month. Yes, this is a very slow process and is very frustrating.
My niece and I in our “piepants” on Thanksgiving
Driving an hour to get our mail every day when Amazon, FedEX and UPS is delivering on island just doesn’t make sense. There are people in their 90’s that do not drive (I know of many that take taxi’s around the tiny island just to get to church). A taxi ride to pick up mail an hour to the Fort Myers airport area and back to Sanibel just doesn’t make sense. It’s a financial burden to many.
Gorgeous Salt Cave
We are lending our voices where needed to help Sanibel get the help it needs. We are helping our neighbors and are continuing the prayers for everyone affected. At this point, that’s all you can really do. Staying positive is hard on many days, but I am doing the best I can. We are all doing the best we can.
Our vintage evacuation fashion
I am appreciative of my salt cave visit to Sukhino Float Center and Salt Cave. I love a good salt cave to help relax and give myself time to meditate. I took my husband and sister-in-law this week as we all needed it. With the holidays upon us, we all need a bit of a break from life’s challenges right now.
I know of so many people having very difficult times right now and I will do my best to say as many prayers as possible and keep my positive vibes going. There is power in prayer and positive thinking. It’s what helped me survive on many hard days throughout my entire life.
Week Ten: December 1 - December 7 2022
Hurricane Ian Update Week 10
Our Hurricane Ian YouTube video VLOG: Week 10
We are still not having any luck with insurance and FEMA. Our RV is still at the repair place and we are awaiting results. My mom got sick with COVID-19 and my friend lost his job after almost 11 years of service and he also suffered severe health issues. There are still only about 15 out of 500+ businesses open on my home island, Sanibel.
Light Up Mount Washington
Most of my followers on social media keep saying that they don’t know how I remain hopeful despite being displaced for 11 weeks and all else we are dealing with. Most say that they’d be going crazy right now. A few years ago, I may have handled this situation much differently. I may have screamed at God and cried non-stop, but in my maturity of today, I only can remain hopeful and positive.
The Unexpected Rainbow at Silver Creek
I read the book series Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsh years ago when enduring some pretty severe abuse. The abuse was coming from someone that had power over me and I suffered deeply. I tried everything I could to cope with the pain I experienced.
Light Up Charlestown Train
It reopened some wounds that I had from a traumatic childhood. Between meditation, counseling and more healthy coping strategies, his book series also helped and I’d recommend it to anyone needing some motivation or wisdom in their life.
Drift Sandscape Table at Sukhino Salt Cave
As I understand life now, we all experience pain. We all endure trauma. No one person’s trauma is greater than another, as we all cope with pain in different ways. My situation with Hurricane Ian has displaced me and there are many unknowns regarding my future. The unknown is painful, but Neale’s writing makes me know that everything will be okay. We are always okay.
The Town Of Don’t You Worry Poem by Rev I.J. Bartlett
I am still grateful for the many kind souls that are a part of my life right now. I am grateful that I can share my story with anyone else that may be interested. Maybe my story can be helpful with someone else that is dealing with something difficult in their life. If you are ever faced with the unknown, surround yourself with friends and family as much as possible. Do not suffer in silence.
I am looking toward the joy of the Christmas spirit in the coming weeks and keep my mind occupied with creating and writing as it has always helped me cope throughout my life. God sent me a rainbow this week and I continue to find coins and happy faces in unexpected places. This helps me to know that am surrounded with love. Until next week…
Stay tuned for next week’s update! Until then, we think you’ll love this article: Worth the Trip: Little Mount Lavender
For our full Hurricane Ian story:
Click here for Part One of our Hurricane Ian story, which tells about our experience in weeks 1-6.
Click here for part two of our Hurricane Ian Story, which tells about our experience in weeks 7-8.
Click here for part three of our story in week 9-10.
Click here for part four of our story in weeks 11-14.
Click here for part 5 of our story in weeks 15-18.
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.