Written by Christy Hughes
When we met Celissia and her son Cameron, their lives had just collided with the unimaginable destruction that was Hurricane Michael. Nearly a Category 5 storm at landfall, it barreled its way into their home on October 10th and turned their lives upside down and inside out. With no means to evacuate, they were forced to hunker down at home. For Celissia, this wasn’t just a house. It was her childhood home – the same home her aunt had passed down to her – filled with memories, love, and her family’s past and future.

Celissia led us through their experience – how she and Cameron rode out the 155 mph winds and rain, how they felt their family home buckling beneath the force, how the roof was ripped from over their heads. They were helpless and exposed to Michael’s vicious wrath. She described how they fled and took cover in a neighbor’s home, only to have that roof taken as well. With their neighbors, they escaped to another nearby home that managed to wrestle its roof from the hurricane’s powerful grip. There, they huddled together until the storm subsided, unsure of what would be left next door.

Photos courtesy of: Shelli Allen Photography // Written by Christy Hughes