Hurricane Dread And Déjà Vu
Pensacola, Fla., residents, still reeling from the wrath of Hurricane Ivan last year, are bracing for a possible assault by Hurricane Dennis.
The giant storm, with extremely strong winds, will make its way to the U.S. Gulf Coast and hit this weekend anywhere from Louisiana to Florida, forecasters say.
CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassman reports that the Sunshine State, slammed by four hurricanes last season, already has mandatory evacuations in some places in anticipation of an arrival by Dennis.
Strassman, who's in Pensacola, says there still are piles of debris and remnants of Ivan in many areas of the city.
Just within the last couple of months, some major roads finally reopened in the area. The thought of Dennis, and possibly going through all that destruction again, sends shudders through people.
Strassman
Tannie Addy, who's been living in a camper since Ivan tore apart her home last September. The house is slowly being rebuilt and, she says Dennis is the last thing she needs: "We were hoping maybe to get beds (in the house) this weekend and maybe sleep there Saturday or Sunday. But that won't happen now."Ivan left Pensacola scarred, physically and emotionally, Strassman points out.
The storm cost David Knudsen plenty, Strassman reports. It wrecked his restaurant, and the stress wrecked his marriage. Knudsen says the last nine months have been "very stressful. Very stressful."
After Ivan, Strassman observes, life was never the same, and not just for Knudsen.
"It doesn't go away. It's a daily conversation still," Knudsen noticed.
Until now.
Everyone in Pensacola still remembers Ivan, Strassman says. But now, they're all talking about Dennis.