Submitted by Fire Chief Mike Murphy

UFB (Unidentified Flying Beach ball) that surprised Marco Fire Chief Mike Murphy in the midst of tropical storm Fay became the centerpiece souvenir of the storm at Marco’s Emergency Operations Center.

Submitted by Fire Chief Mike Murphy

Veteran Marco Firefighter Jerry Adams used as much energy as Fay produced and them some, cooking for emergency workers. With Jerry are Finance Department staffers Sandy Moore, center, and Maria Aguilar.

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Marco fire chief survives a UFB

It was a dark and stormy night, about 5 a.m. Tuesday, as “Fay” was reaching its peak of impact on Marco Island. Fire Chief Mike Murphy was driving on Collier Boulevard, just north of San Marco Road, talking on his cell phone with Deputy Chief Chris Byrne back at the EOC, the Emergency Operations Center.

“The wind was howling and the rain was coming in waves, as white as snow in my headlights,” explained Murphy. “Power was out along the boulevard.

“All of a sudden a UFB appeared, flying through the air. The UFB turned out to be a large, unidentified flying beach ball and it was coming straight at me. It fell into the windshield and bounced over the top.”

“I’ve just been whacked by a storm-driven beach ball,” Chief Murphy said to Chris Byrne, who thought Murphy might be seeing things and said so.

“So I had to go find the perpetrating beach ball to prove I wasn’t delusional,” Murphy said with a laugh.

He turned around and headed south, spotting the ball, wedged in some bushes near the entrance to Residents’ Beach. Murphy got out of the car and braved the wrath of Fay to fetch the offending orb and take it back to headquarters as evidence.

He proudly carried the villainous ball into the EOC and displayed his catch to other city officials there who had not gone through the ordeal.

I asked the chief about the fate of the beach ball. Would it be recreated as a sculpture for exhibition at next season’s ArtQuest festival? Might it become a sort of city staff mascot, to be treated the way marooned Tom Hanks talked to his soccer ball named Wilson in the hit 2000 film, “Cast Away”?

Murphy had another idea.

“I left it with the police,” he said. “Maybe they’ll use it for target practice.”

Wait just a minute. Are there not some islanders who will demand the beach ball be saved from a hail of bullets, remaining nothing but damp, deflated detritus, a sad souvenir of that fateful night when Fay came calling?

If you want to help save the beach ball for your children and your children’s children to enjoy some day in the Marco Island Historical Society Museum, let me know and I’ll give you the private, super-secret number for Police Chief Thom Carr’s secret decoder ring. It’s a perk of the office.

Firehouse chef cooks up a storm

As city staff and managers worked through the storm’s presence here, Jerry Adams was among the busiest of the bunch, cooking for all the others.

Known unofficially as the fire department’s “official” chef, Jerry made breakfast, lunch and dinner for more than 100 city workers plus other emergency personnel, including some LCEC teams on the island.

A highlight, we’re told, was Ziti Night — Tuesday late afternoon, when Jerry produced a mountain of Ziti for the hungry emergency workers.

When in doubt, phone city hall

Most of the citizen-generated phone calls to City Hall during the storm were routine, mostly reports of power outages or locations of standing water. But a few were interesting if not significant:

• A couple phoned to report that a “guy in green shorts and an orange windbreaker is staggering down Barfield Drive.” Police checked him out and made sure he was OK.

• One man called to say he was gathering up coconuts that had fallen from swaying palm trees. “But I don’t have a container to put them in,” he said.

How about a big batch of pina coladas?

No need to hide the cats!

We took our dog and left the island Monday night, knowing that power outages probably would result from Fay’s presence.

We went to La Quinta hotel on North Collier near the I-75 interchange. It’s a pet and human-friendly place with the very busy front desk clerk B.J. Parker remaining calm and friendly as other storm escapees poured in.

A gaggle of Marco Islanders was there. Their comments on the experience included:

• “We came because when the power goes out, it’s nice to be around others and not just sit alone in the dark.”

• “Mommy, it’s OK,” squealed a little girl, maybe 2 or 3 years old, as she entered the lobby with her parents. “We don’t have to hide the cats!”

Apparently the family wasn’t sure their pets would be welcome until they got there.

• Before the rain got heavy we walked a short distance to the nearby McDonald’s to get coffee. The teenaged girl server was hesitant when we asked whether they’d be closing early that night.

“Nobody has said anything,” she explained. “Besides we’re open 24 hours a day, so what time would be early?” She had a point and we had a laugh.

E-mail: chris@chriscurle.com, don@donfarmer.com