Journal Notes—October 2017

by Michael Hamline, Editor/ Published October 2017

For more than a decade, Florida had not been impacted by a major hurricane. That changed, however, with the arrival of Hurricane Irma on Sunday, September 10, which made landfall twice in Florida—first in the Lower Keys and then on Marco Island just south of Naples.

This hurricane reminds us that as many advances as we have made over the years, we are powerless to stop such a natural disaster from impacting a state we love. For residents of the Keys, the damage has been tremendous, and it will take a good deal of time and effort to recover. For many others in the state, flooding and power loss have been significant. At FLCAJ, we are thankful that in most situations the people’s lives—men, women, boys, and girls—were spared from serious injury and death.

The economic impact of the storm has been great and will reverberate beyond 2017. However, we trust that with families, neighbors, business owners and their employees, volunteers, and the help of governing authorities at the local, state, and national levels that normal life will be restored and Florida will come back stronger than ever.

FLCAJ has been serving the state of Florida for 30 years, and it is our desire to continue serving this great state and her people through this natural disaster. For now, our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by Irma.

Editor