By Chuck Walker
MOBILE, Ala. – Five years ago, one of the most devastating storms to hit the Gulf Coast and the United States, Hurricane Michael, wreaked havoc on Panama City, Florida, in October 2018.
The Category 5 storm destroyed much of Panama City and Tyndall Air Force Base and was still a Category 4 storm when it reached the Lake Seminole Project Management Office in Florida.
As the storm began wreaking destruction in that area and with trees falling around them, Kelly Bunting, who was a ranger at the project at the time, her husband Nate, and their daughter Norah survived and rode out the storm in a bulldozer.
“We didn’t evacuate because we didn’t expect the storm to be a Category 4 storm still when it came 80 miles inland,” Kelly said. “After we saw the first tree go down, my husband did some quick thinking and came up with the idea of getting in a bulldozer and driving to an area where no trees could fall on us, and we would be safe from fallen debris. And we just sat in the bulldozer waiting for the storm to end.”
Now, five years later, Kelly remembered a special gift she received that day, something she had forgotten about during the storm. She also remembered the resilience of her then-nine-year-old daughter.
“The hurricane hit on my birthday,” Kelly said. “That morning before the storm, my husband gave me a house charm for my charm bracelet. Our home was spared that day, and I will never forget that charm and feel it brought us luck, as so much of our other belongings were destroyed. I will also never forget the calm demeanor my daughter showed throughout the storm. I was more upset in the bulldozer than she was. She was very strong.”
Since the storm five years ago, much has changed for the Bunting family and the area.
Kelly went through the Mobile District Leadership Development Course in 2019. Following that, she was given the opportunity to promote and grow her career, so she took a position as a Project Manager with the Jacksonville District Regulatory Division and worked out of their Panama City Field Office.
Nate also got a promotion with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as he is now the Northwest Regional Landowner Assistance Program Administrator, working out of their Panama City office.
Nate said, looking back; God was looking after him and his family before, during, and after the storm.
“I remember during the storm, I parked one of the dump trucks up against this tree that I thought could fall,” Nate said. “After the storm, we looked, and that three sure enough had fallen, but because I parked the truck where I did, the tree hit the bed of the truck and then clipped the edge of our house, not doing much damage. If the truck wasn’t there, it would have destroyed our house and fallen right smack in the middle of the living room, killing our dogs.”
The Buntings have moved from that home near the Lake Seminole Project Management Office to a new home in Marianna, Florida, which puts them closer to their new jobs in Panama City.
Kelly said she took away two things, one negative and one positive, from the storm five years ago.
“Living through Michael has heightened my anxiety about storms in general, especially with high winds,” Kelly said. “I am sure most of us have PTSD after the experience. Positively, I think we will be more prepared for future storms and realize that the impacts can still be devastating even as far inland as we live.”
Five years ago, Hurricane Michael left a path of destruction. Today, Panama City and Tyndall Air Force Base are rebuilding, and things are returning to normal.
Looking back, Kelly says she, her family, and the Lake Seminole Project are all doing well five years later.
“Our family has recovered well, and so has the Lake Seminole Project,” Kelly said. “I’m thankful that my family and I are alive, and I’m thankful that our house survived. This area was so devastated. I’m thankful for the presence of mind of my husband on that day. It is a slow process, but we have come out stronger because of it.”