I wrote this article last year when hurricane after hurricane hit Florida.
It is 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: hurricane season and 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 learn that we had to attend
two mandatory hurricane safety classes. It 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 be concerned. We almost took the words that barking dogs don’t bite.
But this year! Oh boy! What difference does a year make? It was further complicated by the fact that hurricanes tended to get closer every time he was out of town. It was bad enough downsizing 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 be fun. But within a few weeks, news of Hurricane Charlie came through.
that headed straight for where I live. I was very worried about my wife. I
I started frantically calling my friends for help. But luckily, when the dust settled, there was no problem for us, because Charlie drastically changed course and headed towards Disneyland. It was a huge sigh of relief for me. However, this was not the case for some people in Punte Gorde. It was also not a good experience for one of my friends who also cut down along with me and took a job at Fort Myeres. He had a sister living there.
Decided to pack
and moving to a hotel between their houses so that when the storm passes they can move to the house that is in better shape. But Charley decided
They ignored their homes and headed straight for the hotel where they took refuge.
The hotel was badly damaged, but they were okay as they crowded everyone into the closet. When they went out and found out what had happened, they could not be overjoyed. Each of their houses was left intact. No scratches, no dents.
Hurricane Charley was followed by Frances, whose extent covered the entire state of Florida but was not of great intensity. Then came Ivan. Ivan was supposed to be very fierce and dangerous. But ‘Ivan the Terrible’ headed west and eventually structured the Alabama coastline. This also happened when I was still traveling to Omaha.
I can understand the panic faced by my hapless wife or friend and her family. But I don’t understand why people have to panic and have trouble getting out of the way. In today’s technology, they get warnings well in advance.
It’s also ironic that all tourists are welcome in Florida except hurricanes. Why can’t they visit Florida? After all, they do an excellent job cleaning up the debris. If people are careful and have some respect for Mother Nature, the human cost can be almost non-existent. We can’t emphasize 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 you and them is simple. They are in front of a camera and you are not! So 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, it cannot be understood how this huge source of energy can be ignored. We can place many windmills along the Florida coast. When the hurricane makes landfall, the windmills begin to shake and produce electricity. Electricity can be stored or simply sold in hapless countries like Cuba.
But what will happen if the hurricane doesn’t come this way? As ‘Ivan’ he decided to dodge Florida entirely and made his way to the boring state of Alabama. I believe that hurricanes can be attracted just as well as humans. They can put up posters for Disneyland and many other entertainment venues at sea (using the electricity generated by those windmills). This can help astray ships or desperate Cubans trying to reach the United States by boat 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
of their misery soon. If you want to donate, go to
Red Cross
or call 1-800-HELP-NOW.
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Copyright © 2003 Gautam Dev. All rights reserved