Thread by @betterwphoebe

*Googles how long does it take to build a bridge*

Oh dear. My #Sanibel is not going to make it.

There is only one bridge on and off my hometown of #SanibelIsland.

And while it is being rebuilt, what will Sanibel's economy run on?

Sanibel has one industry: tourism.

Who will visit? How will they get there? Where will they stay? What will they do? What will they eat?

The answers to those questions represent thousands of jobs that will not come back for a long time.

These are mostly low-income and working class jobs.

The people who did them last week need to make money tomorrow.

They can't wait until the bridge is rebuilt. They'll have to find work elsewhere.

The people who own Sanibel's fancy homes and run Sanibel's fancy hotels will be likely be fine eventually.

But they will lay off all the low income and working class people in #Sanibel and #FortMyers whose labor isn't required while everything is closed.

People see Sanibel as a wealthy enclave that no working class person needs to mourn the loss of.

But for many low-income and working class people, it's their livelihood.

While Sanibel is being rebuilt (if Sanibel is rebuilt), all the tourists will find new beaches to make memories on.

Will they come back?

Sanibel's natural beauty is its draw. Is it still beautiful? I don't know yet.

If Sanibel's beauty is gone and its tourists too, what will power its economy?

What will Sanibel be if no one wants to look for junonia shells or walk through @DingDarlingWS or rent a bike and meander down our doublewide sidewalks?

I am sad for my Sanibel. I am scared for it.