I wrote this article last year as hurricane after hurricane hit Florida.
It’s hurricane season. This year the season has turned ugly for the state of Florida. “There are no seasons in Florida,” they say. But now we can say that there are two distinct seasons in Florida: the hurricane season and the non-hurricane season.
We moved to this state last year from Texas. When I joined the VA hospital as a software engineer, I was very surprised to hear that we had to service
two required hurricane safety classes. He had us worried for a while. But all we got last year was sunny skies all the time and some rain. We found no reason to worry. We almost took to the words that barking dogs do not bite.
But this year! Oh boy! What difference does a year make? It was further complicated by the fact that hurricanes tended to come our way whenever I was out of town. It was bad enough to be cut from a government project. After six weeks of searching, I was able to get a job in Omaha, NE. I was excited to have this job because it involved travel and that meant frequent flyer miles. It was starting to get fun. But within a few weeks the news of Hurricane Charlie arrived
It was headed straight for where I live. I felt very worried about my wife. I
I started frankly calling my friends for help. But luckily, when the dust settled, there was no problem for us, because Charlie changed course drastically and headed towards Disneyland. It was a great relief sight for me. However, this was not the case for some people in Punta Gorde. It was also not a good experience for one of my friends who was also downsized along with me and took a job in Fort Myeres. He had a sister living there.
They decided to pack
and moving to a hotel between their houses so that when the storm has passed they can move to whichever house is in better condition. But Charley decided
they ignored the houses of both and went directly to the hotel in which they took refuge.
The hotel was badly damaged, but they were fine as they huddled all of them in the closet. When they came out and found out what had happened, they were not overjoyed. Each of their houses was left intact. No scratches, no dents.
Hurricane Charley was followed by Frances, whose extension covered the entire state of Florida but was not of great intensity. Then Ivan came. Ivan was supposed to be very fierce and dangerous. But ‘Ivan the Terrible’ moved west and eventually shaped the Alabama coast. This also happened when he was still traveling to Omaha.
I can understand the panic faced by my unfortunate wife or my friend and his family. But I don’t understand why people have to panic and have some trouble getting out of danger. With today’s technology, they get plenty of warning.
Is it also ironic that all tourists are welcome in Florida except for hurricanes? Why can’t they not visit Florida? After all, they do an excellent job of cleaning up debris. If people are careful and have some respect for mother nature, the human cost can be almost non-existent. We cannot stress enough that there is no need to be a hero, no need to stand in front of a moving train unless you work for CNN! The difference between them and you is simple. They are in front of a camera and you are not! That way no one will know if something hits you and you fall or die until it’s too late!
This also got me thinking. Can’t we make use of the huge power source somehow? The way oil prices are rising and the prospect of a looming global energy crisis, one cannot understand how this huge source of energy is being ignored. We can place many windmills along the Florida coast. When the hurricane makes landfall, the windmills start to move and produce electricity. One can store the electricity or simply sell it to unfortunate countries like Cuba.
But what if no hurricane comes this way? Like ‘Ivan’ he decided to bypass Florida entirely and headed to the boring state of Alabama. I think hurricanes can be attracted just as well as humans. They can put signs for Disneyland and many other entertainment venues in the sea (using the electricity generated by those windmills). This can help wayward ships or desperate Cubans trying to reach the US on a ship or sometimes just a log.
I am deeply saddened by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Me
Thoughts and prayers are with the victims. I hope they come out
Soon out of your misery. If you want to donate please go to
Red Cross
or call 1-800-HELP-NOW.
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Copyright © 2003 Gautam Dev. All rights reserved