- February 7, 2025
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Meredith “Marty” Price and Hubert Forner didn’t think twice about evacuating from their home in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
Price and Forner packed up their belongings, made reservations on line at a hotel in Helen, Georgia, and got on the road.
“We left Saturday morning after the first wave of evacuees were gone,” Price said.
The surprise came when they arrived to find the online reservations had not been received at the hotel.
“I had paid for the room and had the papers showing the reservation,” Price said. “But they didn’t have any record of our reservation.”
Price said that was a lesson learned, this hurricane – call the hotel directly to confirm. Not a confrontational type, Price continued on and found a hotel room in Cleveland, Georgia for the night.
Helen, Georgia is described as “The charm of Bavaria in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” on the town website, and the two chose the destination for that reason. Forner is from Germany, and Price has written a book, “Gretel’s Cross” about Forner’s family during WWII.
Price said he used the My Florida Home Program to upgrade their windows, shutters and shingles to make the house more hurricane ready. If there is a similar program offered, he said homeowners should take advantage of the opportunity.
“We plan to stay as long as it takes. At least until Tuesday (Sept. 12,” Price said. “All we can do is hope for the best.”
