When a Major Storm Hits a Small Market
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When Hurricane Michael gave a direct hit to the small Panama City market it caused massive damage.
People working in the media covered the storm the best they could, but many did not stick around in the aftermath.
Face it, you’re working in a tiny market for next to nothing and the city is devastated, do you really want to stick around?
For many that covered Hurricane Michael, the answer is no.
Before the storm hit WMBB Chief Meteorologist Justin Kiefer stayed around to cover the storm. His wife and kids headed to Nashville to get out of the storm’s path. They never came back.
CJR writes that after the storm ended, Kiefer’s family could not resume life as usual in a devastated Panama City. Area schools, including the high school where his youngest son was completing his junior year, suffered damage. His oldest son’s junior college was also temporarily closed because of hurricane damage.
“That kind of tipped the domino,” Kiefer says. In the weeks following the storm, his youngest son enrolled in a Tennessee high school. His wife took a teaching job in the same district. His oldest son got a job in Nashville. “All of the sudden, they’re relocated instead of evacuated,” he says. “And I’m still in Florida.”
Kiefer, who now works as a meteorologist at WATE-TV (Knoxville, Tennessee), was not the first employee to leave WMBB after Hurricane Michael, and he certainly wasn’t the last. After the hurricane landed, the station lost five reporters, a producer, a part time photographer, and Kiefer—eight employees overall. Filling those open positions has become an added burden for WMBB’s staff, which already has to navigate the challenges that come with living and working in a community after a major natural disaster.
To retain applicants WMBB has tried to show that Panama City can still be an attractive place to live. The outlet has rented out a three-bedroom condo on the beach where potential recruits and visiting Nexstar workers alike can stay. The damage downtown, where the station is located, is notable, but the beach remains virtually unchanged.
