Ivan, Katrina, Rita were nothing,compared to Opal. We had the eye pass overhead our home in Tallassee, AL with winds at 100mph, first one way, then the other. The winds screamed overhead, and three tornados passed us by. I was a Navy Mars radio operator, and lost most of my antennas to the wind, but still stayed on the air as I rigged temporary dipoles in the wind and torrential rain. I had emergency power (batteries and generator) and stayed on the air for the week we didn't have line power. Houses collapsed due to the wind, and flooding cost hundreds of homes just in the Elmore County area alone. Now, there are many lots that the County will not allow construction on anymore due to the flooding. I retired in Alabama because I didn't like the,"rust belt" snowstorms. Looks like I traded one hazard for another. Hurricanes and tornados instead of Snowstorms and rusted trucks, what a trade!
I miss old PCB. I'm only 30, but even since I was a kid the beach is completely different. I was always amazed by the giant buildings going up and would just sit there watching them, but now I just want my beach back.
I actually lived at the Fountainblue on the 6th floor and stayed thru Opal there. I watched the pool and parking lot below get destroyed as well as many other things.
It's too bad you didn't create a video. The poor pool there has been destroyed several times by storms. I've always wondered about the truck which ended up top down off the sea wall after the storm.
I'll never forget Opal. I was in the 5th grade at Southport Elementary School at the time. We all got in my mom's old '84 Sedan DeVille and evacuated to Columbus, Georgia. It was worse up there than down here.
With all due respect: Columbus may have experienced gusts to 90 MPH, which is a far cry less than sustained winds of 130 MPH. A 130 MPH steady wind exerts about double the force of a 90 MPH wind on a flat surface. Columbus saw extensive power outages from downed trees (but so did the panhandle). Clearly, Columbus did not have a storm surge, which is what caused most of the damage on the coast. Opal was also moving much faster as it went through the Columbus area, resulting in a much shorter storm duration. I appreciate that you were young and the storm was traumatic for you. But, it was not 'worse' in Columbus, 200 miles in from landfall. Often slow moving tropical systems cause severe flooding inland. But Opal was moving along quickly at that point.
You're absolutely correct. My dad said what made it seem worse in Columbus was the tornado that went through the city and uprooted a lot of the oak trees. But really we had it much worse down here. I stand corrected.
Lee Jones hey Hurricane Michael just hit us about two months ago I go to Southport Elementary school to and I’m in the 5th grade and went to Columbus Georgia to evacuate also.
I was there the night it hit. We left in the middle of the night and got home about 70 miles north and several 5' diameter pine trees were blown down. The beach house me, my sisters, and my dad and stepmom were staying in was completely destroyed like it was never there. I vaguely remember it because I was only 5 years old but it was crazy.
Everything has changed so much now, I was just there a couple months ago..been going there every year since I was a baby with family and I’m 31 now..a couple years ago we stayed in a condo right by Fontainebleau you showed in the video I think it was called ocean reef..this year we stayed somewhere else but I can’t remember the name, it was about a 5 minute drive from Walmart and across the street from the beach and it was houses. I love going there and it’s cool to see what I looked like when I was a kid going
You're addressing me. Not certain what you mean by "original copy", but I will assume you meant your original video (recorded by you). I could've easily lost my recording. I had to purchase a Hi8 camcorder on eBay to digitize it (and my other Hi8 archives). I hope you enjoy my version, I spent quite a bit of production time on it. Sadly, HD wasn't a reality in 1995. Thanks for watching and subscribing. And, how can I help you?
@@lyndagraham6308 Hi Linda! Hope you and Shawn are well. Guess you didn't recognize me at 12:04, or maybe you didn't watch this video. Do you have a way to play MPGs from a USB flash drive? I took a lot of video back then that may be of interest, most of which will never be posted. UA-cam/Google has made it impossible to PM. I don't care to post my contact info in public and wouldn't recommend you do either. If you want to risk your email, exchange @ with AT and "." with DOT, and leave obvious spaces. Human readable, but not machine-readable.
Hey smartcab how are you? Well today is the 25th anniversary of Opal. So let me guess here Callaway at peak of the storm sustained 75-80 mph gusts of 90-100 and where the eyewall came ashore sustained 120 or so with gusts 140-145. Please let me know at your convenience whether I am close. Have a good one and hope you and your mom are well.
The center of Opal made landfall between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, or about 70 miles to the west-northwest of my most western documentation, at the Fontainebleau Terrace. [30.20317N,85.85403W] At landfall, it was a category 3 with MSW of 115 MPH near the center. In the Panama City area sustained winds (> 59 seconds) may not have reached hurricane strength, although gusts likely did. Opal was a large storm geographically, with a large fetch that produced substantial storm surge. And the fact that it reached Category 5 offshore earlier in the day probably contributed further to the height of the storm surge, even though the storm had weakened by landfall.. Hurricane Michael was a wind event for most. But Opal's main destructive force was the storm surge, similar to Hurricane Eloise a couple decades earlier, in 1975. In Bay Country, the surge ran from 7 to 10 feet and devastated Panama City Beach, along with the rest of the Florida Panhandle coastline. Inland areas were impacted less severely. Storm surge was the big impact. People in the Pensacola area where Opal made landfall may take issue. Opal was a large and powerful storm. It's damage was far flung. And, even at that distance, I did a number on Panama City Beach.
@@Vector_Ze I never said you didn’t. I think you do a very good job on all your videos. Even the ones of the Pacific Northwest. Ah how pretty that area is. I was in Vancouver once.
I'm not understanding the connection between Hurricane Opal and the development of condo canyon. Twenty years before Opal, there was Eloise, which did as much, or more destruction. The thing is, the millionaires who control Panama City Beach have envied Miami Beach for more than a half-century, and have been working on replicating it here, incessantly for the entire time. They will continue, hurricanes be damned. All the small motels and landmarks have to give way to high-rise condos, because they don't make enough money. I've lived in Bay County most of my 65-years. These days, I go years without crossing the bridge to Panama City Beach. There's no reason to go out there anymore, other than occasional business, or to document storms. It has been destroyed, not by storms but by greedy humans. It's too bad Michael didn't take a dead bead on PCBch, instead of eastern Bay County eastward. But, they'd just rebuild with the insurance which is subsidized by every citizen in Florida, including those of us who aren't stupid enough to build directly on the coastline. We're the reason they can afford to pay their insurance bills.
@@Vector_Ze There just wasn't nearly as many condos before Opal as now. The beach was at least interesting pre Opal, but isn't anymore. Most of the fun stuff got torn down in the late 90s and early 2000s.
@@markpippin5437 I definitely agree about what PCBch has become. Not sure I'd make the Hurricane Opal connection though. In 1975, Hurricane Eloise inflicted similar damage to the beach, and yet it continued to be uncorrupted for years afterward. What has happened to the beach is despicable, IMO. But, it's all about millionaires getting richer.
@@Vector_Ze Personally I'll take pre Opal PCB any day of the week. Sometimes the developers just need an excuse to destroy old things, like post Katrina New Orleans. Solely laying the blame on developers seems rather simplistic.
@@markpippin5437 "Soley laying the blame on developers seems rather simplistic". And yet, that seems to be exactly what you're doing. And, I agree. It's not because of any given storm...Eloise, Opal, Michael. It's about money. So I am having a difficult time with your Opal connection to the destruction of what used to be a great beach. The destruction of the storms is nothing when compared to the damage done by the developers. Storms are inevitable. Money grubbing developers are worse.
I came here to check out the Hurricane Opal Footage because Opal was the infamous Key reason They tore down The Miracle Strip Tower. How badly damaged was the tower after the storm? I'm heartbroken over this.
I completely agree with you about the loss of the Top of the Strip Tower. Along with Miracle Strip Amusement Park and other long time landmarks which are gone. With the explosive development taking place, PCBch is unrecognizable from just a few years ago. It's sad. It has been destroyed. At the site of the Tower is now a 23-story condominium which has all the character of a popsicle stick. The Tower was structurally sound and could've been restored if the owners thought it worthwhile. The sad fact is, a high-rise condominium is more of a money maker than a beloved landmark ever would've been. Other landmarks, like Goofy Golf, surely are going to follow. Thanks for watching and commenting. I share your dismay. Hope you enjoyed the Hurricane Opal video too.
I have seen pictures of PCB back in the 60's and 70's and how much it changed just in the 80's and the 90's and again now. It is like every 10 years it drastically changes from what it used to be in places. I miss the king neptune statue and the log flum at miracle strip.
I'm glad a few people watch the whole video. Analytics show 70% of viewers drop out by 90 seconds. They miss out on the storm, but that's OK with me. A lot of people just don't have the patience. It's a wonder they can sit through a 2-hour movie. But the storm lovers stick around, LOL, with 1-out-of-5 watching the whole thing.
I'm so sorry, I'd love to donate. But the financial situation I'm in at the moment isn't very good. I turned 18 and moved out living in a van (I had dreamed of van life) and now that gas has hiked, and non oxygenated costs more anyway (I drive a 1984 Dodge B150) I haven't really been able to move around a lot. But when I come into some money, I'll donate to ya! Your videos have gotten me through some tough times, mainly cause you just post cause it's fun! And all of your stuff is very reminiscent of what me and my friends would record on our Sony Handycam, very humble and such. Thank you for being one of my favorite content creators. Take care.
@@weirdmediaman2340 Your post touches me. My future is uncertain as well. I wish you the best! It's entirely possible I will be homeless, sleeping in my car, by Fall 2022. My house was destroyed by Michael. I am trying to find the funds to have that property demolished. Beyond that, who knows?
@@Vector_Ze I hope you find the funds to keep you going. As my dad told me, "Keep on keepin' on." I've moved to another location since my last post. Wish you well.
I've made it to Cambridge Minnesota, visiting my grandparents. I've shown them some of your videos. They seemed really interested! (considering when ever I try and get them to watch something they usually fall asleep, when I showed them this video they didn't) Hope you're well.
![Panama City Beach - Rainy drive [March 3, 2012]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/y9zUWyhsjKg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Panama City Beach - Rainy drive [March 3, 2012]](/img/tr.png)
![[UA] NAVI vs MOUZ | BO5 | IEM Rio 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CMBYk0cbGoA/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for sharing I miss when the beach had sand dunes 😢!
Ivan, Katrina, Rita were nothing,compared to Opal. We had the eye pass overhead our home in Tallassee, AL with winds at 100mph, first one way, then the other. The winds screamed overhead, and three tornados passed us by. I was a Navy Mars radio operator, and lost most of my antennas to the wind, but still stayed on the air as I rigged temporary dipoles in the wind and torrential rain. I had emergency power (batteries and generator) and stayed on the air for the week we didn't have line power. Houses collapsed due to the wind, and flooding cost hundreds of homes just in the Elmore County area alone. Now, there are many lots that the County will not allow construction on anymore due to the flooding. I retired in Alabama because I didn't like the,"rust belt" snowstorms. Looks like I traded one hazard for another. Hurricanes and tornados instead of Snowstorms and rusted trucks, what a trade!
I miss old PCB. I'm only 30, but even since I was a kid the beach is completely different. I was always amazed by the giant buildings going up and would just sit there watching them, but now I just want my beach back.
Its back, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the sand back and added seawalls around the bridges.
@@lomgshorts3 I must assume that was some kind of sadistic sarcasm.
I'll never forget this hurricane. It wreaked havoc inland here in Alabama.
I miss the old Panama City Beach. Too much development. Not the same as it was growing up.
I actually lived at the Fountainblue on the 6th floor and stayed thru Opal there. I watched the pool and parking lot below get destroyed as well as many other things.
It's too bad you didn't create a video. The poor pool there has been destroyed several times by storms. I've always wondered about the truck which ended up top down off the sea wall after the storm.
I'll never forget Opal. I was in the 5th grade at Southport Elementary School at the time. We all got in my mom's old '84 Sedan DeVille and evacuated to Columbus, Georgia. It was worse up there than down here.
With all due respect: Columbus may have experienced gusts to 90 MPH, which is a far cry less than sustained winds of 130 MPH. A 130 MPH steady wind exerts about double the force of a 90 MPH wind on a flat surface.
Columbus saw extensive power outages from downed trees (but so did the panhandle). Clearly, Columbus did not have a storm surge, which is what caused most of the damage on the coast. Opal was also moving much faster as it went through the Columbus area, resulting in a much shorter storm duration.
I appreciate that you were young and the storm was traumatic for you. But, it was not 'worse' in Columbus, 200 miles in from landfall. Often slow moving tropical systems cause severe flooding inland. But Opal was moving along quickly at that point.
You're absolutely correct. My dad said what made it seem worse in Columbus was the tornado that went through the city and uprooted a lot of the oak trees. But really we had it much worse down here. I stand corrected.
Lee Jones hey Hurricane Michael just hit us about two months ago I go to Southport Elementary school to and I’m in the 5th grade and went to Columbus Georgia to evacuate also.
I was there the night it hit. We left in the middle of the night and got home about 70 miles north and several 5' diameter pine trees were blown down. The beach house me, my sisters, and my dad and stepmom were staying in was completely destroyed like it was never there. I vaguely remember it because I was only 5 years old but it was crazy.
Everything has changed so much now, I was just there a couple months ago..been going there every year since I was a baby with family and I’m 31 now..a couple years ago we stayed in a condo right by Fontainebleau you showed in the video I think it was called ocean reef..this year we stayed somewhere else but I can’t remember the name, it was about a 5 minute drive from Walmart and across the street from the beach and it was houses. I love going there and it’s cool to see what I looked like when I was a kid going
It actually WAS better 30-years ago, before the Miami Beach envy and high rise condos took over.
Andalusia got wrecked by Opal. Eye passed over. No power for weeks. It was brutal
We had Irma in habersham ga now that's far
We were hunkered down in a small house in Wausau, FL, a town on Highway 77 between Chipley and Panama City. We got blasted there throughout the night.
Man that brings back memories..
Seeing that near the end...
...I don't think I'd want to walk around in bare feet there .lol.
You know I included that just to see if anyone watched to the end, right? LOL
Thanks for watching.
Yep. LOL
Gotta watch the whole vid, or you might miss something good..
sure would like to get in contact with whoever posted this video ! We lost to original copy of it and where thrilled to find this on line!!
You're addressing me. Not certain what you mean by "original copy", but I will assume you meant your original video (recorded by you).
I could've easily lost my recording. I had to purchase a Hi8 camcorder on eBay to digitize it (and my other Hi8 archives).
I hope you enjoy my version, I spent quite a bit of production time on it. Sadly, HD wasn't a reality in 1995.
Thanks for watching and subscribing. And, how can I help you?
@@Vector_Ze We where watching the Wewa race video and realized it was you! We lost the video of the race.
This is Lynda Mahorney
@@lyndagraham6308 Hi Linda! Hope you and Shawn are well.
Guess you didn't recognize me at 12:04, or maybe you didn't watch this video.
Do you have a way to play MPGs from a USB flash drive?
I took a lot of video back then that may be of interest, most of which will never be posted.
UA-cam/Google has made it impossible to PM.
I don't care to post my contact info in public and wouldn't recommend you do either.
If you want to risk your email, exchange @ with AT and "." with DOT, and leave obvious spaces. Human readable, but not machine-readable.
@@lyndagraham6308 Hmmmm, three months pass, no response.
Hey smartcab how are you? Well today is the 25th anniversary of Opal. So let me guess here Callaway at peak of the storm sustained 75-80 mph gusts of 90-100 and where the eyewall came ashore sustained 120 or so with gusts 140-145. Please let me know at your convenience whether I am close. Have a good one and hope you and your mom are well.
The center of Opal made landfall between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, or about 70 miles to the west-northwest of my most western documentation, at the Fontainebleau Terrace. [30.20317N,85.85403W]
At landfall, it was a category 3 with MSW of 115 MPH near the center. In the Panama City area sustained winds (> 59 seconds) may not have reached hurricane strength, although gusts likely did.
Opal was a large storm geographically, with a large fetch that produced substantial storm surge. And the fact that it reached Category 5 offshore earlier in the day probably contributed further to the height of the storm surge, even though the storm had weakened by landfall..
Hurricane Michael was a wind event for most. But Opal's main destructive force was the storm surge, similar to Hurricane Eloise a couple decades earlier, in 1975. In Bay Country, the surge ran from 7 to 10 feet and devastated Panama City Beach, along with the rest of the Florida Panhandle coastline. Inland areas were impacted less severely. Storm surge was the big impact. People in the Pensacola area where Opal made landfall may take issue.
Opal was a large and powerful storm. It's damage was far flung. And, even at that distance, I did a number on Panama City Beach.
@@Vector_Ze You are right. 150 mph in Gulf 120 mph at landfall.
@@markpalavosvrahotes5575 If I do say so myself, I did a damned good job on this video.
@@Vector_Ze I never said you didn’t. I think you do a very good job on all your videos. Even the ones of the Pacific Northwest. Ah how pretty that area is. I was in Vancouver once.
This is the reason the beach is a wall of condos now. It used to have character. Now we have Michael to deal with and made Opal seem like a cakewalk.
I'm not understanding the connection between Hurricane Opal and the development of condo canyon. Twenty years before Opal, there was Eloise, which did as much, or more destruction.
The thing is, the millionaires who control Panama City Beach have envied Miami Beach for more than a half-century, and have been working on replicating it here, incessantly for the entire time. They will continue, hurricanes be damned. All the small motels and landmarks have to give way to high-rise condos, because they don't make enough money.
I've lived in Bay County most of my 65-years. These days, I go years without crossing the bridge to Panama City Beach. There's no reason to go out there anymore, other than occasional business, or to document storms. It has been destroyed, not by storms but by greedy humans.
It's too bad Michael didn't take a dead bead on PCBch, instead of eastern Bay County eastward. But, they'd just rebuild with the insurance which is subsidized by every citizen in Florida, including those of us who aren't stupid enough to build directly on the coastline. We're the reason they can afford to pay their insurance bills.
@@Vector_Ze There just wasn't nearly as many condos before Opal as now. The beach was at least interesting pre Opal, but isn't anymore. Most of the fun stuff got torn down in the late 90s and early 2000s.
@@markpippin5437
I definitely agree about what PCBch has become. Not sure I'd make the Hurricane Opal connection though. In 1975, Hurricane Eloise inflicted similar damage to the beach, and yet it continued to be uncorrupted for years afterward.
What has happened to the beach is despicable, IMO. But, it's all about millionaires getting richer.
@@Vector_Ze Personally I'll take pre Opal PCB any day of the week. Sometimes the developers just need an excuse to destroy old things, like post Katrina New Orleans. Solely laying the blame on developers seems rather simplistic.
@@markpippin5437
"Soley laying the blame on developers seems rather simplistic".
And yet, that seems to be exactly what you're doing. And, I agree. It's not because of any given storm...Eloise, Opal, Michael. It's about money. So I am having a difficult time with your Opal connection to the destruction of what used to be a great beach.
The destruction of the storms is nothing when compared to the damage done by the developers. Storms are inevitable. Money grubbing developers are worse.
I came here to check out the Hurricane Opal Footage because Opal was the infamous Key reason They tore down The Miracle Strip Tower. How badly damaged was the tower after the storm? I'm heartbroken over this.
I completely agree with you about the loss of the Top of the Strip Tower. Along with Miracle Strip Amusement Park and other long time landmarks which are gone. With the explosive development taking place, PCBch is unrecognizable from just a few years ago. It's sad. It has been destroyed.
At the site of the Tower is now a 23-story condominium which has all the character of a popsicle stick.
The Tower was structurally sound and could've been restored if the owners thought it worthwhile. The sad fact is, a high-rise condominium is more of a money maker than a beloved landmark ever would've been. Other landmarks, like Goofy Golf, surely are going to follow.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I share your dismay.
Hope you enjoyed the Hurricane Opal video too.
I have seen pictures of PCB back in the 60's and 70's and how much it changed just in the 80's and the 90's and again now. It is like every 10 years it drastically changes from what it used to be in places. I miss the king neptune statue and the log flum at miracle strip.
Hey @Smart451cab I've been searching for Opal footage for a film, would I be able to license some footage from this video?
Hi. Do you have a Twitter account or email where I may contact you?
smart451cab Absolutely! Message me at @stevedesignsnyc
Or spearson [at] usatoday [dot] com
smart451cab just wanted to follow up on this. Looking forward to hearing from you!
I didn't notice the debris at the end just the woman in the thong bikini playing in the water. lol
I'm glad a few people watch the whole video. Analytics show 70% of viewers drop out by 90 seconds. They miss out on the storm, but that's OK with me. A lot of people just don't have the patience. It's a wonder they can sit through a 2-hour movie. But the storm lovers stick around, LOL, with 1-out-of-5 watching the whole thing.
If you enjoy my videos, I happily accept tips! 😃
ko-fi.com/vwedge
I'm so sorry, I'd love to donate. But the financial situation I'm in at the moment isn't very good. I turned 18 and moved out living in a van (I had dreamed of van life) and now that gas has hiked, and non oxygenated costs more anyway (I drive a 1984 Dodge B150) I haven't really been able to move around a lot. But when I come into some money, I'll donate to ya! Your videos have gotten me through some tough times, mainly cause you just post cause it's fun! And all of your stuff is very reminiscent of what me and my friends would record on our Sony Handycam, very humble and such. Thank you for being one of my favorite content creators. Take care.
@@weirdmediaman2340 Your post touches me. My future is uncertain as well. I wish you the best! It's entirely possible I will be homeless, sleeping in my car, by Fall 2022.
My house was destroyed by Michael. I am trying to find the funds to have that property demolished. Beyond that, who knows?
@@Vector_Ze I hope you find the funds to keep you going. As my dad told me, "Keep on keepin' on." I've moved to another location since my last post. Wish you well.
I've made it to Cambridge Minnesota, visiting my grandparents. I've shown them some of your videos. They seemed really interested! (considering when ever I try and get them to watch something they usually fall asleep, when I showed them this video they didn't) Hope you're well.
@@weirdmediaman2340 I wish your grandparents well. I lost my mother 6 months ago. She was 94.