Another side of the coin...Andrew story

[T'Bonz]

Re: T'Bonz's post

First, thanks msbee, for your very thoughtful remarks.

I don't agree with T'Bonz's comment - we should always remember what Anne Frank, holocaust survivor, said about mankind - that, despite evil, humans are still intrinsically good.

Given what happened to her, I would have to disagree with her sentiment.

Edit: Uh....she wasn't a holocaust survivor. She died in a death camp.

[Suzy]

I hope these stories hit home with some of you young people who don't remember Andrew and other hurricanes and some of you who have never experienced a serious cane.
It is NOT exciting.
it is horrific! and you will never be the same after experiencing one.
so don't be wishing for storms....and try to curb your excitement because some of us live in mortal fear of these canes.

Ditto msbee, I agree….

After Hugo things were not the same for us, strange people coming out of the woodwork (after the curfew) and lurking into our neighborhoods, stealing anything they could get their hands on. That’s why you need a gun. And yes we lived in a nice neighborhood, so that had nothing to do with it. Also not having power for 25 days is not a good thing either.

I stayed through Hugo and my house had plenty of damage but we were able to stay in the dining room since several trees went through the main part of my house, but after the eye came over, other houses in my neighborhood did not make it. I mean they exploded…..it took over a year to get my house really livable.

I shall never ever want to see a hurricane again. And I truly feel for anyone who has to go through a situation like this.

[vbhoutex]

Excellent posts!!!!! That was all brough home to me in two different ways. I went through Camille(not at landfall but close)and saw the HORRIFIC aftermath. 14 years later I went through Alicia. I told my Mom and Dad after we were able to get a phone out that it was so much different with Alicia than Camille. They asked what the difference was. I thought for a moment and it quickly came to me. I had two children, a wife, a home, and a job and I was now the one responsible for it!!!! It really changes your outlook!!! Once again, EXCELLENT POSTS!!!!!

I hope that those that have never had the experience read these and begin to understand why some of react the way we do when we see someone "wishing" for a storm to hit them.

[msbee]

Ya know what? I'm going to bookmark this post. In the future, I'm going to direct anyone right back to this thread when they wax poetic about Cat 5's coming their way.

Maybe we should make this thread a sticky so all of us NEVER forget!

[Frank2]

Re: T'Bonz's post

Yes, you are correct (I suppose it can be said that she survived to the point of being able to write about her experience), but, her hopeful statement, written despite everything that happened to her, has given millions hope over the decades, that even when terrible things do happen, that basic goodness found within a human being still survives.

Frank

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Another story: Someone sent me this via Email a couple years ago:
The "I" in the following story does not refer to me, but to the person who sent me this email
Email Read:
_____________________________________________________________

Written based on an ALLEGORY as well as a TRUE story: I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE OPINIONS OF THIS ANONYMOUS CHARACTER. I AM MERELY ILLUSTRATING VIA STORY


Destruction is terrible. I have never seen total destruction first-hand, but I know it's terrible.

story:
A Different Type of Hurricane Fatality:

I knew someone who from their very early days in school had some creative ideas (NOTE I did not attend the same school as this person). He was a smart person, as well as humble and polite. This person was liked by faculty but shunned by others. He was surrounded, beaten, attacked, tormented, and assaulted from grades 6-11 by bullies. Following the assault, despite legal action against the attackers, the popular sentiment of his peers was against him, and supported such attacks, allowing them to continue. Somehow he developed a sort of emotional disorder.

Following years of schooling, the individual developed some pessimistic views. He viewed people with distrust, fear, and was generally a depressed person.

A hurricane threatened his area. He became deranged, and began to wish for a direct hit based on his intense dislike of others, a product of his experiences.

The storm missed his area and caused destruction elsewhere. He was indifferent. But he still hoped for more destruction out of an intense hatred.

At length some event caused him to realize the folly of this desire for destruction, based on a hatred resulting from his experiences. He broke down at this realization. He also broke down at the realization that people are generally nice, because they help each other in the time of disaster. He decided to help others, but prior to realizing this goal, the horrific proportions of his hatred and fear of others collapsed upon him, and the evidence of this collapse was a purchase of a lethal substance he used to end his contact with the world.

***Not all details in this story are exact- some information has been altered to protect the original story.***

_____________________________________________________________

[flashflood]

Frank, I agree with your statement about the basic goodness still survives. I was impressed on how many good people came to help those in need. My house survived, but my friends house was literally trashed and I spent the nest 5 days moving all his left over stiff into my house. It was amazing how the neighbors we never even knew offered to help. The red cross and Church groups would come by and offer us food and drinks and ask if we needed anything.

This is part of the price we have to pay for living near the coast. A few of my friends said never again and left to other States. I like living here despite knowing we will get mowed down again by another Hurricane, and I so I will be prepared as best I can for the next one. I just hope the new generation and the new comers will be prepared as well. One other thing is that if one does not like guns, I suggest getting a dog. We felt very safe with our dog, especially at night.

[caribepr]

Some tremendous stories...thank you so much to those who are pulling up some very painful personal memories to share. I have no doubt the impact is as strong on everyone who reads them. Disasters change you forever, but hopefully sharing some of what they mean will help others, maybe a sort of gift of light out of such darkness. And the insight given here is its own gift...

[MiamiensisWx]

To think that this thread was posted just weeks before Katrina is amazing.

[MiamiensisWx]

Another story: Someone sent me this via Email a couple years ago:
The "I" in the following story does not refer to me, but to the person who sent me this email
Email Read:
_____________________________________________________________

Written based on an ALLEGORY as well as a TRUE story: I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE OPINIONS OF THIS ANONYMOUS CHARACTER. I AM MERELY ILLUSTRATING VIA STORY


Destruction is terrible. I have never seen total destruction first-hand, but I know it's terrible.

story:
A Different Type of Hurricane Fatality:

I knew someone who from their very early days in school had some creative ideas (NOTE I did not attend the same school as this person). He was a smart person, as well as humble and polite. This person was liked by faculty but shunned by others. He was surrounded, beaten, attacked, tormented, and assaulted from grades 6-11 by bullies. Following the assault, despite legal action against the attackers, the popular sentiment of his peers was against him, and supported such attacks, allowing them to continue. Somehow he developed a sort of emotional disorder.

Following years of schooling, the individual developed some pessimistic views. He viewed people with distrust, fear, and was generally a depressed person.

A hurricane threatened his area. He became deranged, and began to wish for a direct hit based on his intense dislike of others, a product of his experiences.

The storm missed his area and caused destruction elsewhere. He was indifferent. But he still hoped for more destruction out of an intense hatred.

At length some event caused him to realize the folly of this desire for destruction, based on a hatred resulting from his experiences. He broke down at this realization. He also broke down at the realization that people are generally nice, because they help each other in the time of disaster. He decided to help others, but prior to realizing this goal, the horrific proportions of his hatred and fear of others collapsed upon him, and the evidence of this collapse was a purchase of a lethal substance he used to end his contact with the world.

***Not all details in this story are exact- some information has been altered to protect the original story.***

_____________________________________________________________

Tampa, this post literally nearly made me cry. It is very painful to read, because I went through such experiences in the last middle school I went to. I also developed something similar to what he had, and I still have it (though not as extreme as his). I hate it when people bully you, and it is also sad that he turned out like that.

This is an amazing - and emotional - thread, especially since this was posted just weeks before Katrina. Now we can look back on it...



Thoughts go out to everyone this season (myself included)... let's hope we remain OK this season.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Another story: Someone sent me this via Email a couple years ago:
The "I" in the following story does not refer to me, but to the person who sent me this email
Email Read:
_____________________________________________________________

Written based on an ALLEGORY as well as a TRUE story: I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE OPINIONS OF THIS ANONYMOUS CHARACTER. I AM MERELY ILLUSTRATING VIA STORY


Destruction is terrible. I have never seen total destruction first-hand, but I know it's terrible.

story:
A Different Type of Hurricane Fatality:

I knew someone who from their very early days in school had some creative ideas (NOTE I did not attend the same school as this person). He was a smart person, as well as humble and polite. This person was liked by faculty but shunned by others. He was surrounded, beaten, attacked, tormented, and assaulted from grades 6-11 by bullies. Following the assault, despite legal action against the attackers, the popular sentiment of his peers was against him, and supported such attacks, allowing them to continue. Somehow he developed a sort of emotional disorder.

Following years of schooling, the individual developed some pessimistic views. He viewed people with distrust, fear, and was generally a depressed person.

A hurricane threatened his area. He became deranged, and began to wish for a direct hit based on his intense dislike of others, a product of his experiences.

The storm missed his area and caused destruction elsewhere. He was indifferent. But he still hoped for more destruction out of an intense hatred.

At length some event caused him to realize the folly of this desire for destruction, based on a hatred resulting from his experiences. He broke down at this realization. He also broke down at the realization that people are generally nice, because they help each other in the time of disaster. He decided to help others, but prior to realizing this goal, the horrific proportions of his hatred and fear of others collapsed upon him, and the evidence of this collapse was a purchase of a lethal substance he used to end his contact with the world.

***Not all details in this story are exact- some information has been altered to protect the original story.***

_____________________________________________________________

Tampa, this post literally nearly made me cry. It is very painful to read, because I went through such experiences in the last middle school I went to. I also developed something similar to what he had, and I still have it (though not as extreme as his). I hate it when people bully you, and it is also sad that he turned out like that.

This is an amazing - and emotional - thread, especially since this was posted just weeks before Katrina. Now we can look back on it...



Thoughts go out to everyone this season (myself included)... let's hope we remain OK this season.

Yes...very emotional indeed...there's a lot of stories like this....it's just so horrific that KATRINA took place weeks later

[MiamiensisWx]

I agree... I felt that this thread needed to be brought back up.

[meteorologyman]

I was four when Andrew hit, and that is how i got interested into meteorology

[cajungal]

My memories of Andrew are so near and far. And we did not go through it as bad as those folks in Homestead. Almost 13 years to the day we had Hurricane Katrina. August 26, 1992 was Andrew and August 29, 2006 was Katrina.

[terstorm1012]

when we went down to Florida the year after Andrew my cousins were having nightmares about what they experienced that night.

Ten years later, they were still having nightmares.

Thanks for this post. It needs to be a reminder to all of us, especially when the people I disagree with join us later in the season.

[ericinmia]

The only thing i can say is that people who think they have experienced high hurricane winds.... When you are in a concrete block house that is being torn to pieces around you. Holding a matress over yourself while only a couple walls are standing, and the rain and wind are whirling down....

Also...
Soooo many people i know WENT SOUTH TO HOMESTEAD, because a day or so out. The local news were saying something to the effect that andrew's eye would probably strike the dade broward line area. Instead it went south, when it was too late for people. AND IN THIS STORM 10 MILES MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!