#12400 Postby Hurricane Andrew » Wed Sep 13, 2017 1:33 pm
Well, I am flying home today after working relief efforts since Saturday. It was an interesting experience...including my first time through the RFQ of a legitimate hurricane. I can now definitvlry say that anyone who says the words "just a cat 1" and means them may very well be an idiot.
I was in one location near Everglades City that had been hard hit by surge. There was a mess of debris and stuff at the high water mark; kids toys, shoes, clothes, even a softball bat, and as I stood there, the thought came upon me that I was literally looking at the remnants of people's lives. It was quite sobering.
The keys are, to ky understanding, an absolute disaster zone. And as bad as it was for mainland Florida, it could have been worlds worse. This storm should serve as a warning to us all, that preperation is not an option but a necessity.
I will come out of this hurricane with a few good memories, a few bad ones, and a bunch of scars on my arms from clearing trees. So many Floridians will come out having lost so much, and for that, my heart is with them.
Mankind cannot hold a candle to nature. We never have, and we never will. When the next storm comes, and it will come, all we can do is prepare, hold on, and respond to help our fellow men and women in need.
I believe that another Cat 5 will make landfall in FL, and likely sooner rather than later. The entire response force of the US, from local EOCs to the federal government, as well as civilian volunteers, must make ready to deal with this threat.
Every couple of decades, a major storm comes along that all following storms are compared against. Camille; Andrew; Katrina, and now Harvey. What will the next one be?
Last edited by
Hurricane Andrew on Wed Sep 13, 2017 1:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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The Enthusiast
NREMT-AEMT, WX nerd
Irene '11, Sandy '12, Irma '17 (SAR)
"Hard to think we were born to live this way..." -Wage War