Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/ en Feedback@tbo.com Copyright 2008 2008-01-10T18:18:00-05:00 The Day After http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/the_day_after/ It’s Tuesday, I think.
Everything is a blur of damage, despair and doomed spirits. The complaints have started here in Collier County, and they may not quiet for some time. It’s not people wanting access to their million-dollar homes. It’s the seeming lack of preparation for after the…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-25T11:07:36-05:00 Wilma, Worries, Workers in the Field http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/wilma_worries_workers_in_the_field/ Mark Guss and I have now spent four days in Naples, traveling the backroads of Collier County, seeking out stories in the Everglades, meeting the people who seek shelter, those who provide care and many who still don’t know what to expect.

Sunday was no different. The routine now…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-23T20:15:20-05:00 Now on VH-1: Hurricane Nostalgia http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/now_on_vh_1_hurricane_nostalgia/ It stands to reason that no one wants to buy plywood every time a hurricane threatens here in Florida.
Not only would it be an exhausting venture, given the past two years worth of turbulent storms, but it would cost a ton of money too. The simple solution,…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-22T20:53:50-05:00 Aloha, Mr. Hand http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/aloha_mr_hand/ Taylor Cady, 15, wasn’t alive when “Fast Times at Ridgemont High’’ was released in 1982.
To have seen him Saturday, however, standing on Naples’ public beach with his shaggy blonde hair, baggy swim trunks and surf board in hand, you would have sworn he was Jeff Spicoli, the…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-22T20:35:56-05:00 Evacuations and Everglades City http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/evacuations_and_everglades_city/ It’s wet and barely light in Naples, but this city is buzzing. News crews from all over - CNN, The Weather Channel, NBC News - are broadcasting often. How many images of people boarding up can you possibly watch? The answer is an infinite amount. There’s little else on any television,…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-22T10:53:08-05:00 Top Dollar Thrift http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/top_dollar_thrift/ I grew up in an antique store. My grandmother owned it. My mother worked there.
Once a month, my mom had a booth at the local flea market. I always accompanied her, spending hours walking the aisles, scoring comic books and action figures and movie memorabillia with the…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-21T20:42:31-05:00 A Bad Year Gets Worse http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/a_bad_year_gets_worse/ Helen Schroeder knows all about hurricanes. And pain. More than you or me. Much more than anyone ever should.
She left her home in Slidell, La., a day before Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Her house, and two cars, were destroyed. Since early September, Schroeder has been in…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-21T18:26:45-05:00 The Waiting http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/the_waiting/ It’s early, barely 7 a.m., and NBC News’ “Today” show is broadcasting live from Naples.
All eyes are on this part of the state. My eyes are barely open. But this is how it goes when tracking a hurricane. You get up early to check the latest forecast,…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-21T10:03:58-05:00 45 years and counting… http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/45_years_and_counting/ They have a charmed way of thinking here in Naples.
It’s been 45 years since a major hurricane made landfall. That was Donna in 1960. In between then and now, many storms have passed. Even Katrina brushed over this scenic, wealthy enclave. Rita threatened too. None have knocked…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-21T01:35:54-05:00 Driving South into the Unknown http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/hurricane/comments/driving_south_into_the_unknown/ Thursday morning.

Photojournalist Mark Guss and I made our way separately to Naples this morning, leaving our respective homes in Bradenton and Tampa. He made better time, hitting Interstate 75 early and calling by 11 a.m. with an update. Traffic was already backed up at times on northbound I-75…]]> Tracking Wilma: On The Road With John Allman & Mark Guss 2005-10-20T22:56:03-05:00